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Leta Morgenstern was currently closing up her New Age shop for the night. She planned to have dinner with her best friend Magdalene's family tonight. She needed to see her friend because of how exhausting this week had been. In addition, the mercantile establishment had had a surge of customers, which left her so occupied that she could not keep her diabetes in check.
The nasty breakup a few months ago with the young man her mother Zoe had set her up with. The guy had been a womanizing adulteress creep, and she was happy with the breakup.
Still, she hoped to find love for herself one day. She just hoped her mother didn't try to set her up again. Zoe's heart may have been in the right place, but her mother seemed incredibly clueless about who her daughter was attracted to.
Leta hadn't gotten around to telling her parents the truth about herself. Truthfully, men hadn't caught her attention as women did. But how do you explain to your Jewish mother that you are, in fact, a lesbian? Her life was hard enough to be biracial and into the things she was. She didn't think her mother understood her being a lesbian. Her father would, but not her mother.
Sighing loudly, she reached her violet Chevy Camaro and started heading toward her best friend's castle. Yes, the castle. Her best friend happened to be Magdalene Masters, whose husband, Vlad Masters, was the wealthiest guy on the planet.
The Masters happened to be worth twenty-four point nine billion dollars. You'd think someone rich would rather be entertained by skinny models on a yacht or buy his own country and collect Jaguars. Luckily, Mag and her family were not arrogant or snobby at all. Instead, they're generous, kindhearted, and affectionate people. They acted like an average family and treated everyone at Vladco as family.
Yet, Leta knew a secret about her best friend's family. One she never let loose. She didn't want to see her best friend or her family locked up in a government research laboratory because they're human-ghost hybrids.
It took too long to explain that one, but she continued until she arrived at her best friend's place. Then, finally, she rang the doorbell, and to her surprise, Mag answered, not her butler.
"Leta! It's been far too long!" her friend said as they hugged each other tightly.
"Yes, it's been far too long. So where is the staff?" as she was led to the dining room.
"They have the week off, and all go on vacation in Cancun. Helped Vlad pay for the trip. Even our ghostly employees seemed to like the idea of jetting off on a free trip to Mexico for the week."
"Hmm, it must be nice to get a free vacation. How are the children doing?" inquiring about Mag's three children.
Vlad and Mag had three children. Their eldest, Jazz, their only son, Danny, and their youngest, Danielle. Currently, they're seven, five, and three. They went to educational institutions in the Ghost Zone- a world all the supernatural creatures called home. Much safer then human schools, given their hybrid nature, that was for sure.
"They're doing well and have made good friends. Also, no surprise that Jazz is one of the brightest students the Ghost Zone has ever seen. But again, she's always been quite intelligent for her age."
"Yes, that's true. Did you get any books I requested from Ghostwriter's library? You said you get me some new books about alchemy and Celtic mythology."
"Yes, I'll give them to you to have dinner. Ghostwrite has a lot of books from all eras on Earth since books came into creation. A whole section of the library is devoted to books on magic."
"I wish I could go to the Ghost Library myself, but I'm not allowed a library card there even though you Marked me."
"Well, I can't change the rules and laws of the Ghost Zone. But, you know, when it comes to Walker, he's far too strict with his rules. The Ancients have a hard time reigning him in."
They'd arrived in the dining room, where Mag's family was seated. Her children were adorable, and her husband wasn't bad-looking either. The children quickly turn to see their mother walk in with her best friend. "Aunt Leta!" they cried, and all flew over her, knocking her to the ground. She laughed at their childish antics.
"Alright, children, that's no way to treat your aunt. But, of course, you know better then that," scolded their mother, and the children returned to their seats.
As they got seated, Mag assured her friend that they'd made sure the meal would be compatible with her diabetes and her Jewish heritage diet. Thanking her, they began to have their dinner. The kids were eager to talk about how school was going along with all the brand-new friends they'd made. Vlad spoke about how the company was trying to invent more green engineering science to protect the environment from further decay.
In response, Leta chatted about how her shop was doing. There has been a surge of people desiring to know about crystal healing or how to meditate. She also sold out plenty of different bracelets to help with various problems. She, in fact, always wore two of them. One was to help her with diabetes. The other was a Fung Shu bracelet meant to bring good luck to the wearer.
Vlad inquired if she could get more of these various bracelets. He wouldn't mind trying to sell some to the masses. He proposed expanding her business with their help.
"I'll have to think it over, Vlad. I can't decide about that right now. Let's finish dinner so the children can get to bed, okay?"
After they'd eaten and the children's nighttime routine was done, Mag and Leta got some alone time as they drank some tea. "God, I love my family, but sometimes I require some downtime, you know?"
"I know, Mag, I do," Leta replied tiredly. Mag knew her friend better then anyone and asked her what the matter was.
"You know I had that bad breakup about five months ago, right?"
"Yeah, I got the impression you're happy about it. Do you feel differently?"
"No, I'm happy about the breakup. But, even if he'd been a decent guy, I wouldn't have wanted to string him along, you know?"
"Leta, how much longer will you stay in the closet? You think I don't know you're a lesbian?"
"Please don't let others know that."
"Times are slowly changing, and you know I've got no problem with the Pride community. Some of our best employees are of the pride community."
"Yes, I understand that, but I'm still terrified to discuss it with my mother. I don't see how she can accept her daughter isn't well normal."
"Normal? Who to say what's normal? My family is not normal, but we have what is normal for us!"
"You make it sound so easy, but it simply is not. So, do you have those books for me or not?"
"Yeah, I got them," as she used some of her powers to get the books for her. They're ancient books, clearly a few centuries old. Still, Leta's eyes lit up at them.
"Thanks, Mag, I appreciate this," she hugged the books to her chest.
"Have you ever thought of doing more then studying magic? Ever longed to learn how to use magic?"
"Now, that is a dangerous thought, and again, my mother would disapprove. She's always been a little iffy about my interests in magic and mythology."
"I don't think Aunt Zoe is against it. She never forced you to give it up or forbade you from learning about it. So I think your fears are a little exaggerated."
"Still, even if its been my dream to learn real magic, who teach me?"
"I told you a while ago that Enchantra, the Ancient of Magic, has been seeking an apprentice. You should take her up on the offer.
"But I'm a human. How can a ghost teach a human?" she asked in disbelief. It seemed almost scandalous that someone so all-important would like to teach her anything.
"And yet we've humans who have Ghost Genes, and you're Marked. Indeed, there isn't anything wrong with it. Tell you what, I'll take you to the Mystic Isles tomorrow.
That's where she lives, and you can ask her if she takes you on as an apprentice. The worst she can say is no, right?"
"I suppose so. I'll happily do it if you think she'll accept me as an apprentice!"
The next day, they took the Specter Limo to the Mystic Isles to see Enchantra. Given she was the Ancient of Magic, all magic in the universe originated from her realm.
They're met by a group of fares who agree to take them to Enchantra and see if she'd accept Leta as an apprentice. However, they'd have to wait an hour, given currently the Ancient was in a training session with their gender-fluid child Aidan.
Today, Aidan identified as a female, given they're wearing a pink blouse and a purple skirt with the symbol of Venus, showing what gender they're currently.
"Remember, Aidan," Enchantra spoke, "I want you to practice your divination skill tonight. So study up on tea leaves and crystal balls, okay?"
"Yes, Mother."
"Good. See you at dinner, Aidan." she hugged her child as they left and came to see Mag and Leta.
"Hello, Magdalene Soulwings. How are you today?"
"I'm very well. Thank you for asking."
"So why have you come today?"
"You said a few months ago you'd like to meet my best friend and see if she's worthy of being an apprentice to you. So I've brought her today so you can judge for yourself."
"Hmm, let me get a look at you, Leta."
Leta silently thanked the face she'd dressed in today's more respectful outfit. Then, she watched the Ancient circling her while waving her wand and chanting incantations.
"You've got a powerful aura for magic—no doubt about it. You're also open-minded and have a strong desire to learn. So tell me, what experiences do you have with magic so far?"
"I'm versed in crystal healing, protective charms, and certain potions. I even created the potion that cured Magdalene's husband of his ecto-acne. I know greatly about magical rituals, herbs, and other spell ingredients. In addition, I know how to speak Latin and have done extensive studies into the world of magic and mythology."
"Well, let's call this a trial period this week. I'll give you a simple assignment each day, and we'll see how well you fare at each task. Then, if you prove yourself worthy in my eyes, I'll start training you full-time."
"Thank you, Enchantra. Do you wish to start right now?"
"Not today. At the start of the new week. Give you a few days to rest and prepare for what's coming. So I'll see you Sunday bright and early."
The two young ladies left very excited about Leta at least getting a chance to gain an apprenticeship. However, they did their best to contain themselves for the next few days.
That week turned out to be Leta's trial through fire. Enchantra's tests were even more challenging than those end-of-the-year exams at Hogwarts in Harry Potter. But, of course, anyone who reads those books would know how hard those are—especially potions.
Though Leta was taking O.W.L.s, she got an Outstanding on all her exams as she kept her cool and proved her worth as an apprentice. So it was a great delight to know Enchantra accepted her as her apprentice.
Now that Leta had achieved one dream, there was only the dream of finding true love and getting her parents to accept her. But that was a dream to succeed on another day.