Maya's POV
"Get down!" With a shriek, Grandmother Willow grabbed my arm and dragged me behind the kitchen table. The front door burst from its springs. Like angry wasps, academy guards descended upon our home. Their eyes were as cold as winter ice, and their blue outfits shone with magic.
"Where is she?" The captain yelled. "Where is the girl?"
I thought the guards would hear my heart beating so loudly that I pressed myself against the floor. My magic's golden light had disappeared, and I felt more helpless than before.
Grandmother Willow quietly stated, "No one is here." "Just an elderly lady brewing tea."
The captain chuckled. "Old woman, don't deceive us. We sensed the explosion of magic. We are aware that Maya Chen is present."
"Maya who?" With a perplexed tone, Grandmother Willow asked. But beneath the table, I could see her hands moving. She looked to be casting a spell as she made small movements with her fingers.
Hold on. It was not possible. There was no magic in Grandmother Willow.
The captain ordered, "Search the house!" "Seek her out!"
Our small house was surrounded by guards who tore open shelves and flipped chairs. Grandmother Willow's herb jars were kicked over by one of them, spreading dried leaves all over the place.
"Stop!" Grandmother Willow's hand sprang out and caught my wrist as I was about to stand up. Something was off about her touch. It was buzzing with energy rather than being warm and soft. Her fingers felt as though they were electric.
"Stay down," she mumbled. "Believe me."
Our hiding place was straight passed by a guard. His gaze swept back and forth across the kitchen. He didn't see us, though, for some reason. We appeared to be invisible.
The guard said, "She's not here, Captain."
The captain yelled, "That's not possible!" "This house was the source of the magic!"
Another guard said, "Perhaps she's already gone."
Anger filled the captain's face. "Seek her out! Examine every home in the neighborhood! She couldn't have gotten very far."
Broken furniture and strewn herbs were left behind as the guards stomped out of our house. Until their voices vanished into the distance, we stayed hidden. Grandmother Willow then released my wrist.
She asked, "Are you hurt?"
"No, but how didn't they see us, Grandmother?" I inquired. "We were right here!"
Grandmother Willow gave me a long look. Then she let out a sigh. "We need to talk, Maya, kid."
As she helped me in standing, I became aware of an oddity. The broken plant jars were repairing themselves. The glass was melting back together, and the dried leaves were floating back into their cases.
"Grandmother," I said slowly, "what's going on?"
"Sit down, dear," she said. "I should have told you some things a long time ago."
The world seemed to be spinning around me as I sat at our kitchen table. I was told by Ethan that I was not magicless, followed by the guards saying that my parents were still alive, and now this.
I said, "You have magic." "Your magic has always been there."
"Yes," Grandmother Willow said clearly. "Very strong power. Similar to you."
"But why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was protecting you," she explained. "Maya, you might have accidentally hurt someone if you had known about your powerful magic when you were younger."
I reflected on Ethan's comments regarding Viktor Stone. About how I had accidentally come dangerously close to killing him.
"So you've been keeping it from me?"
"Not hiding," said Grandmother Willow. "Training."
"Practicing? However, I never got any training."
Grandmother Willow grinned. "Yes, but you did. You were learning to master your healing magic each time you helped me with the herbs. You were practicing giving life energy each time you watered the plants. You were learning how to safely share your power each time you petted that stray cat."
My jaw dropped. "All this time, you've been teaching me magic in secret?"
"Yes," she answered. "Additionally, you've been a great student. You simply were unaware of it."
"However, why now? Why are you telling me now?"
Grandmother Willow's face darkened. "Maya, because they're coming. Principal Hawthorne and your parents. And before they arrive, you must be aware of the truth."
"What truth?"
"Your family's reality. About the true reason your parents left. Regarding the reasons behind your real expulsion from Phoenix Academy."
She grabbed my hands from across the table. Even though her touch was cozy and warm, I could still feel that odd buzzing energy.
She said, "Your parents found out something awful about Principal Hawthorne." "For years, he has been robbing kids of their magic. Removing their abilities in order to grow his own power."
"That's awful!"
"It is, indeed. He was too strong for your parents to stop him. In search of help, they fled."
"However, Ethan claimed that they became evil. That shadow magic was performed by them."
Grandmother Willow's face darkened. "Principal Hawthorne wants everyone to think that. However, Maya, that is wrong. Your parents are decent individuals who made a grave error."
"What mistake?"
She said, "They trusted the wrong person to help them." "Someone who promised to give them the strength to take on Principal Hawthorne. Someone who misled them about the true nature of shadow magic."
I was chilly all over. "So they were tricked?"
"Yes. They're stuck now. Similar to poison, shadow magic is nearly impossible to escape once it has taken hold of you. It forces you to take steps you wouldn't normally take."
"Is it possible to save them?"
"Maybe," said Grandmother Willow. "However, breaking a shadow curse would take extremely strong magic. The sort of magic that could only be done by someone with your skills."
"My abilities?"
"You have more than just life magic, Maya. You hold the power of purification. Poison can be removed from people's minds and bodies. Wounds that are deeper than the skin can be fixed."
I gazed at her. "You mean I could save my parents?"
"Maybe. However, it would be extremely dangerous. And despite everything they've done, you would still need to decide to forgive them."
"What have they done?"
Grandmother Willow paused. "Maya, they have hurt people. Harmless people. They are cruel and self-centered due to the shadow magic. They have lost the ability to love."
My eyes welled up with tears. "They no longer love me?"
"Deep down, they do," she stated. "However, that love has been buried so deeply by the shadow magic that it is unavailable. For them, you would need to dig it out."
"How?"
"By being real with them. By showing the superiority of love over evil. By being willing to give up everything in order to save them."
My eyes were wiped. "What if I can't do it?"
Grandmother Willow mumbled, "Then you'll have to stop them." "Even if it breaks your heart."
We heard something that made our blood freeze before I could comment. A voice outside called. It was a voice I knew from my dreams. Throughout the night, my mother's voice sang, "Maya!" "We're here, Maya, my love!"
The voice of my father joined in. "Little bird, come out. We really have missed you."
However, there was a problem with their sounds. Beneath their sweet and loving sound was something icy and ravenous.
My hands were squeezed by Grandmother Willow. "They're present."
I noticed sparkling eyes in the darkness as I turned to face the window. Many bright eyes. My parents had arrived with an army.
"Maya," said Grandmother Willow quickly, "you need to know something else. It has to do with your real power."
"What?"
"Dear, you're more than just a life mage. Phoenix Mage is what you are. The world's last one."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you can overcome any setback. It means that you can rise from your own ashes. It means that you were meant to illuminate the darkest corners."
My mother's voice called again, closer this time, "Maya!" "We are aware that you are inside!"
Grandmother Willow mumbled, "But most importantly, it means that you might be the only one who can stop what's coming."
"What's coming?"
"The end of everything good in the magical world," she stated. "Your parents have teamed up with Principal Hawthorne. They plan to deprive everyone of their magic."
Dark energy began to glow at the front door. There was a break-in attempt.
My father's voice could be heard outside now: "Maya!" "If you don't open the door, we'll smash it!"
I was more terrified than I had ever been as I looked at Grandmother Willow. "What do I do?" I muttered.
"You choose," she said. "Stand and fight, or run and hide."
The door cracked.
"But keep in mind," Grandmother Willow noted, "you won't be alone no matter what you decide. You don't know how many friends you have."
Inward, the door burst. The awful light glowed in my parents' eyes as they stood in the doorway. They were happy, too.