THE ZODIAC CHRONICALS:
                             The Mind Wiper 

                                 CHAPTER 1
                           A house on a lake

1. In Missouri in a town on a lake lived three people. A twelve-year-old girl and her adopted parents. The adopted parents were a wonderful couple named Linda and John Clark. They spent most of their time on the clear glossy lake that ley behind the Clarks large home. However, the girl did not love the water she loved nothing about the large house on the lake. The girl spent her life in her bedroom waiting, she wasn't sure what she was waiting for, but she had a feeling and when the girl had a feeling, she listened to it. The little twelve-year-old didn't want to sound ungrateful to her adopted parents so she hid her feelings away. But she had no idea that her life was about to change. " Isabella darling." Came the sound of Linda Clark's voice one summer morning. Almost immediately Isabella came walking down from her room with her shiny dirty blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight. " Yes Linda? " Isabella said " Oh sweetheart! " Linda exclaimed and Isabella knew word for word what the next sentence would be " Isabella, you can call me mom silly."

   2. " Ok " Isabella said softly. She knew that nothing in the world could make her call Linda Clark " mom ". " Darling " Linda began. Linda always began her talks with Isabella with words like " sweetie " or " sweetheart " though most of the time it was " darling ". One time she even called Isabella " Daughter " which Isabella thought was way out of line. " Linda! " Yelled the voice of John Clark probably on his way to work. " Yes John! " Linda called in return. " Where did I put that calculator? " John said walking into the kitchen and scratching his head. John was a tall man with very plain features. Most likely if you saw John Clark, you'd think he looked familiar in some way. Very different from his wife Linda who was shorter than the average woman and had light brown hair that sometimes stook out. " Have you checked your office " Linda said rolling her eyes. " Oh yes, I think I might have left it there. . . again. " John said quickly. Then he ran upstairs then back downstairs to go off to work. " Now where were we? " Linda said. " You called for me a couple minutes ago. " Isabella said.
   3. " Oh yes, I wanted to know if you knew anything about a boarding school starting about a couple days from now. " Linda said obviously expecting an honest and clear confession. " No what boarding- " Isabella began before she was interrupted. " Well at least that's what it says on the website. I mean if you ask me the website looks fake! " Linda said clearly overestimating the situation. Isabella knew school was starting soon. After all it was August twenty- fourth. " How did you find this website? " Isabella said getting mad that Linda stumbled across what seemed like a stupid boarding school. " Well, I got a letter in the mail saying that you were enrolled in a boarding school. At the bottom of the page, it said visit our website at w.w.w.ZodiacBoardingSchool.com. Here I'll even show you the stupid letter! " Linda exclaimed. Isabella could tell Linda was getting aggerated at the idea of sending her away and when Linda got aggerated she tended to cry. Isabella hated when Linda cried over something stupid like the website it meant a whole lot of ugly crying and uncomfortable silences.
   4. " Ok then show me the letter. " Isabella said expecting a prank letter made by kids in the Neiborhood. The kids often did that sort of thing to the Clark family. When Linda came in with the letter it looked remarkably real, almost too real for Isabella's liking. " Here read it! " Linda spat out before stomping into the other room. Isabella did as she was told, the letter read: " Dear John and Linda Clark, The school of Zodiac is sending you this letter in regard to Isabella Grace Hollow." Isabella was shocked that someone used her full name, Linda and John made it very clear to everyone that Isabella was legally their child and should be referred to as Isabella Clark not Isabella Hollow. " Isabella has been officially accepted into the school of Zodiac. We hope that this is no surprise to you both considering the letter we sent to you years ago. Faculty of the school will be visiting you two and Isabella soon this week. I hope that we will be able to talk more then. " At the bottom of the letter there was a signature of a man named " Peter Grungy " and the name of the website "w.w.w.ZodiacBoardingSchool.com" Isabella didn't admit it but the letter disturbed her especially the part about the letter that had been sent years ago. The only thing Isabella was sure of was that she had to know more. " Linda, can you show me the website! " Isabella shouted.
   5. " It's on the laptop! " Linda shouted in reply. Isabella could hear the recent sob in her voice. Isabella walked slowly into the living room each step seemed like her feet were sinking more and more into the ground, her chest felt ready to explode, and she was beginning to think that she should turn back while she could. Soon Isabella was in the living room. It was a room full of cozy furniture, but Isabella had never really felt cozy in that room. She liked to think that the living room had a theme, and that theme was: pink, light pink, and dark pink. Isabella didn't understand why the Clarks wanted all pink walls, floors, and couches. She also didn't understand their fascination with that specific color. But at least not all the rooms in the house were pink and that was something Isabella was thankful for.
      " I mean who names their school Zodiac anyway? " Isabella whispered her mind wandering back to the school. Now that she thought about it, why would a guy named Peter Grungy want to send a letter to Linda and John? And if she didn't enroll herself than who did? Finally, Isabella was at Linda's desk where Linda and John kept all their important files and documents. The desk was also where Linda kept her laptop.
   6. Linda was a clean and neat person she had always said that she had a place for everything at her desk and if something didn't have a place it meant it was useless. Isabella always thought of herself as useless, in her mind she would never have a place. Isabella opened the laptop and an article about taking care of dogs popped up. It was no surprise to Isabella. She knew that Linda had been bugging John for a dog for a while now. Isabella typed in w.w.w.ZodiacBoardingSchool.com. For a while the laptop was loading then it popped up. It was just like Linda had said, except it was definitely a real website. Isabella didn't know what to do after that. She had been so preoccupied she hadn't thought about what she should do after she got on the website. There was also a different issue: if the letter was telling the truth, then faculty of the school would be visiting soon. Isabella scrolled down the page more eager than ever to find out more. She scrolled to a part of the page that said " Faculty ". Isabella clicked on it only to find herself looking at a dozen pictures of men and women.
   7. " Well at least I found the faculty. " Isabella said to herself. The first picture was of a man in business clothing, underneath the picture was a name and his job at the school. Isabella read: Peter Grungy, Headmaster. " So, Peter is the headmaster? " Isabella said. " At least something makes sense. " Next photograph was of a woman most likely no older than nineteen years old. Under her picture it said: Moriah Butterfield, Literature Teacher. The pictures went on and on, but Isabella found something on the page that was more intriguing. . . a phone number. There was no doubt about it, Isabella was going to call that number no matter what anybody said. She ran for the Clarks home phone. The phone number was quite weird, but Isabella asked no questions and typed the letters: (768)-222-4676. Isabella felt weird typing it in too. She felt as if the whole thing was a dream. A weird, crazy, Mest up dream full of fake things. But this was real a real website and maybe the school was real too. When someone finally answered Isabella was speechless. There was a woman on the phone and before Isabella could speak the woman spat out. " Hello this is Pam from the Zodiac Boarding
   8. School how may I help you? " " Uh I'd like to speak with Uh Peter Grungy please? " Isabella said shyly. In the back of her mind, she was afraid the woman on the phone would hang up, but surprisingly she didn't. " Oh yes, I can get him on the phone in about two hours, " Isabella could hear through the phone that she was typing on a computer. " But you can have a word with the assistant headmaster if you'd like? " " Oh, ah yes please. " Isabella felt like she was seven again ordering what she wanted from a restaurant saying things like " oh ah I don't know " or " thank you oh, I mean please ". There was a soft clicking sound and suddenly another woman was on the phone saying " Hello this is the assistant headmaster's office. Who is calling? " The woman sounded different from the other one. She sounded older more elegant. " Oh, my name is Isabella Hollow. " Isabella said, still not very comfortable using her real last name. " Oh! One second please. " The woman said quickly and a little shocked. In the background Isabella could hear loud shuffling of feet and panicked whispers. Isabella thought " Did I do something wrong? "
      " I just talked to Peter, and he said he would be visiting soon enough. So, I'll just see you on August twenty-seventh Isabella bye! "
   9. The woman sounded very panicked which made Isabella worry even more. Isabella did not understand why these people enrolled her in the school or, why the Clarks didn't tell her about the letter before now. Isabella had been so zoned out she hadn't realized the woman hung up the phone. " Isabella, whose car is in our driveway!? " Linda suddenly came running downstairs with a mad/scared look on her face. Isabella had seen a lot of Linda's facial expressions but that one was a brand-new sight for her. " There's a car in our driveway? " Isabella said, truly shocked and a little scared. There was a suspenseful knock at the front door. One of them probably should've answered it but they didn't. " May I come in? " A man said behind the door. He began to slowly open the door. " You have a wonderful home Mrs. Clark. And may I just say Isabella, you have grown tremendously since our last meeting. " The man did a small bow to both of them then ambled into the living room. " Well, I'm sorry sir but you simply cannot just walk through our home uninvited! " Linda exclaimed. Isabella had noticed over the years that whenever Linda got really mad the wrinkles on her
   10. forehead became more pronounced. " Well, I am very, very sorry Linda. My name is Peter Grungy it's nice to meet you again. " Peter held out his hand but Linda had no intension of shaking it. " How do you know my name!? Oh, and how- " Linda began. " Linda, " Isabella whispered " This is the man who sent the letter. " " Yes, very good Isabella. " Peter said. " My colleagues and I have been watching Isabella for quite a long time now- " " Isabella is not going to boarding school especially not with those freaks! " Linda said. The way that Linda was acting made Isabella very frightened almost too frightened to move. " We warned you years ago that this would happen. She needs to come with me now or the Evil will never be stopped. " His voice got deathly serious. Linda launched herself at Peter Grungy. It reminded Isabella about a time in kindergarten when the teacher and Linda had a little " disagreement " except this time just when Linda was about to tackle Peter a green shield type thing appeared, and Linda bounced on to the floor unconscious. " What was that!? " Isabella shouted. She honestly couldn't describe how she felt at that moment just scared, shocked, and totally unbelievably weirded out.
   11. " It's a force field," he said. He treated it like an everyday thing. " Now you have to come with quick! " Isabella was so confused she actually willingly went with Peter. Peter's car was old and smelled like a dirty basement, but the seats were surprisingly comfortable. " This will all be explained very soon. I Fink promise. " Peter said casually. " You what promise? " Isabella didn't mean to sound rude but the whole situation was weird and unbelievable. Peter chuckled. " Oh, it's just an old saying in the magical world." Peter chuckled some more than sighed. " What world? " " Oh, you'll see soon. " That did not make Isabella feel better at all. Now that the situation had somewhat calmed down Isabella could see Peter Grungy clearly. He was most likely in his late 50's. He had clothes that made him look like a repair man and his hair was a mix of brown, black, and some sort of oily substance which made Isabella want to barf.

   12. The whole ride Isabella held back a gag but when they stopped at a place called Haven St. the feeling subsided. Isabella couldn't believe what she was staring at.

                                CHAPTER 2 
                THE HOUSES ON HAVEN STREET

13. Haven Street was beautiful. The street curved in a complete circle touching five driveways connecting to gigantic homes. " You will be staying with Merissa and Benet Storm until the beginning of the school year. " Peter said cheerfully. " Who's going to explain things to me? " Isabella asked. " I'm sure you'll find out. " Peter said before dropping Isabella off at one of the gigantic houses. Peter's words of farewell weren't exactly reassuring to Isabella. Things went by so fast she wasn't sure if it was real or if she was having a very realistic nightmare. Aside from the whole situation Isabella was lucky to be staying in such a beautiful home. The house itself was a light brown but the roof was about five different shades of dark brown and Carmel. To top it all off the landscaping was an assortment of golds, reds, blues, and greens. Isabella was surprised when she genuinely enjoyed walking through the stone path leading to the front door. It was as if the house radiated happiness. Isabella gathered all of her courage and knocked on the front door. 14. " One second please! " A female voice yelled. Isabella just then realized that she had no clothes, belongings, or answers. She knew that was definitely a problem. When someone opened the door, it wasn't the woman it was a man. The man had a brown beard that reached down to his chest and hair that went down to his shoulders. He also was very tall, taller than any man Isabella had ever seen. " Oh, um hi please come in. " The man said awkwardly. " Hi. " Isabella said in a shy quiet voice. The house was even more nice inside. Isabella didn't know at the time, but she was staring with her mouth open looking from one end of the room to the other. She noticed the tall ceiling and the huge stone fireplace, but she especially loved the wide living room. " Honey she's here! " The man yelled up the huge, beautiful staircase. " Benet, get the kids! " A woman yelled from up the stairs. Isabella guessed it was the same woman who'd originally yelled behind the door. " Why is Mom frantically rushing through all of her clothes? " A girl said walking into the room. The girl looked like she was about Isabella's age. She had dark brown hair and deep dark brown eyes.
    15. " Where are your sisters? "Benet asked the girl. " I stopped keeping tabs on them a long time ago. " The girl said walking into the large kitchen. " Well can you go find them Emma? " Benet asked. " Sure, just tell Mom to chill out. " Emma said. " We're way past that. " Benet said. Isabella could hear the slight amusement in his voice. " Emma, Brittany needs her sweater back. " Another slightly older girl said walking out of what seemed like a closet. " I never took her sweater. Rachel did. " Emma said. " Rachel! " The girl yelled and before she was even done yelling another girl popped up beside her. " What do you want Olivia? " Rachel said. The two girls were obviously twins. Their facial features were exactly the same. They also looked about the same height and age. " Did you take Brittany's sweater? " Olivia said. Isabella was very confused now. " Who is Brittany and why is a lady rushing through her clothes? " Isabella thought. " Why do you care about Brittany's sweater? " Rachel asked. " Because Brittany blamed Amelia and Amelia blamed me! " Olivia exclaimed. Isabella didn't have time to gather her thoughts before a woman came down the stairs. The woman ran up and hugged Isabella so tight she could barely breath. " Merissa, give her some space! " Benet said. " Oh, sorry sweetheart." Merissa said. The look on her face made Isabella feel happy and a little creeped out. Isabella didn't know these people. She didn't even know where she was anymore. " Um I don't want to offend anybody but who are you and where am I. " Isabella asked. In times like that Isabella would usually not say anything at all but she was so confused she didn't care about being embarrassed. Merissa and Benet looked at each other and their expressions weren't hopeful. " So, Peter basically did nothing. " Benet said, annoyed. " Let's have dinner and we can talk later. " Merissa said. It was clear to Isabella that Merissa was trying to avoid something very awkward. Suddenly two more girls appeared no doubt Brittany and Amelia. Olivia, Amelia, Rachel, and Brittany looked identical. It was like seeing twins getting doubled into four different people. " Here let's sit down at the table and introduce ourselves. " Merissa said walking into the dining room. The dinner table was huge. Around it was nine chairs. " I am Merissa, and this is my husband Benet, " Merissa said turning her head to where Benet sat. Benet and Merissa looked and seemed very different. Benet looked like he needed to shave he just didn't know where the razer was, and Merissa looked like she'd just spent hours at the beauty salon making sure she was good enough for presentation. Isabella's mind immediately thought of The Beauty and the Beast, but she didn't dare say that out loud. " And these four are the quadruplets: Olivia, Rachel, Brittany, and Amelia- " " There's only one thing you really need to know, " One of the quadruplets said. " Olivia's green, Rachel's grey, Amelia's blue, and I'm brown. " " They're talking about their eye colors. It's the only way we can tell them apart. " Emma said. Now that Isabella focused on their eyes, she realized they were right. " So, you're Brittany? " Isabella guessed, " You're Olivia, you're Rachel, and you're Amelia? " " Yes, that's us. " Rachel said. Sitting at the table made Isabella feel a little weird. It was like sitting with a bunch of look-alikes. Each of them had dark hair and dark eyes almost opposite to Isabella who had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. " This is our youngest, Emma. " Merissa said, " You guys will be going to school together. " " Yep, you two will be Ones. " Brittany said. The quadruplets giggled. " Uh what are Ones? " Isabella asked. " When it's a kid's first year at Zodiac you call them Ones. It's kind of like a rank. " Emma said while rolling her eyes. " Brittany don't start making fun of Emma again. " Merissa scolded. " It's not our fault if Ones sounds so ridiculous. " Amelia said. " Better than thirds. " Emma mumbled. Isabella didn't know what Thirds meant but she just assumed it was a person's third year at Zodiac. " Girls " Benet said warningly.
        For a while Isabella wasn't sure if she should talk or remain quiet. " Peter brought me here before I could pack so I don't have any clothes. " Isabella said.
        " Oh, you and Emma can share clothes. " Merissa said unfazed by the possibility that Emma and Isabella might not wear the same size clothing. Then Isabella heard a small ding. " Dinners done. " Merissa said. Isabella didn't see Merissa cooking, but she hoped it was a large dinner. Isabella was starving. She tended to eat more when she was nervous.
        Merissa snapped her fingers and a five-course meal appeared on the table. Immediately the family began to eat.
        So many things had happened that day Isabella just didn't want to deal with the confusion. She ate until she was stuffed and more confused. The whole time everyone was eating Benet told stories of his time in (what they called) the magical world and at Zodiac. Of course, Isabella didn't know what the stories meant but she soon would. " Merissa, is it time? " Benet asked. " Oh, ah maybe not just yet. " Merissa said. It was obvious to everyone that she was stalling but Isabella was glad, she didn't want to have an important conversation with people she didn't know. " Merissa, I think it's time. " Benet said, " Let's go relax in the living room. " Merissa didn't seem comfortable with the situation which made Isabella even more nervous.
14. Isabella and the odd family settled down in the living room. Isabella hated that she loved the living room. She wanted nothing to do with the beautiful house anymore. All she wanted was to do was wake up from this horrible nightmare. In the living room sat two large couches and three rocking chairs. " Isabella, do you know anything about your parents? " Benet asked. Now that Isabella thought of it no one had ever asked her that question before. " I know that they were Emily and George Hollow. My adopted parents told me they were accountants from Colorado. " Isabella explained. " I told you Benet! " Merissa spat out, " I told you that they didn't tell her! " " Well, I'm sure Isabella would rather hear it from us than from them. " Benet said. That really set Isabella off. " Are you joking! " Isabella shouted, " In under an hour I was taken from my house, Linda was knocked out by a guy in overalls, and you people keep talking about a " Magical World ". So let me ask you something. Why would I rather be here than anywhere else in the whole world! "
    The family looked startled like a baby bunny just grew vangs and razor-sharp claws right in front of their eyes.
15. Isabella started to walk out when someone said " Wait! " Isabella then knew it was Emma, " Wouldn't you like to see what it's like to be different? To follow in your parent's footsteps. " Isabella turned around " What do you mean my parent's footsteps? " " Isabella there's something you have to know. . . " Benet said, " Magic is real and you were born to wield it. " There was a long silence. Tension floated in the room like a contagious decease. Everyone was thinking about what just happened until the doorbell rang. " Seriously!? " Merissa said running to the door, " Oh hi Octavia, we're kind of busy at the moment but please come back later. " " Oh, ok Merissa I just came by to see if Peter dropped off the girl. I'd really think it would be best if she stayed with me and Brendon. " A woman's voice said from behind the door. Isabella didn't have to know the woman to see that she was nosy and inconsiderate. " Well, I guess we'll just have to respect George and Emily's wishes. " Merissa said in a falsely nice tone. She started to walk towards the living room when the woman yelled back, " Ok me, Brendon, and Justin will just come back later. " Merissa came back to the living room and sat down as if nothing had just happened.

16. " Poor Justin, I can't imagine living with her. " Emma said. Isabella didn't know who Justin was, but she wanted to know. She wanted to know everything that these people knew about her parents. " Ok, I think I'm ready to know about my parents now. " Isabella said realizing there was no going back at this point. Benet smiled. " Ok then, Merissa? " Merissa took a deep breath. " Isabella your parents weren't accountants they were a part of Sinisco's plan to defeat the evil. " There was an ominous silence, " Back when Benet and I were only nineteen the three governors of the magical world disagreed on how to stop the evil. The whole magical world split into three sections: Governor Tales and his followers hid in North Carolina, Governor Williams prepared for war in Kansas, and Governor Sinisco stayed and devised a plan. Benet, Emily, George and I including the owners of these five houses joined Governor Sinisco in her plans to stop the Evil. But the plan was foolish, and we lost a lot of good people! "
    Merissa couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Her voice cracked and she became silent. " The plan worked but, in the process, we lost your parents. " Benet said, solemnly, " They used so much of their power that they, they didn't make it... Isabella, your parents were two of the most powerful beings on this earth and we believe that you have that much power if not more. . . So, Isabella will you help us? " Isabella couldn't believe what she was hearing. No one had ever truly believed that Isabella could be useful, but to hear that she was one of the most powerful beings in the world she absolutely couldn't say no. " Yeah " she chuckled softly, " Yeah, I will. " Despite knowing her parents were gone for good, Isabella couldn't help having a good feeling about Haven Street. " Have you ever heard of Zodiac signs Isabella? " Merissa asked gently. " Yeah, uh like if you're born in April, you're an Aries. " Isabella guessed. " That's what normal humans think. " Emily said rolling her eyes. " What she means is way back in the day magical people like us made up myths about the signs to protect the magical race. " Emma explained, " So now in days people think zodiac signs depend on your birth month. " " Main idea is we're not normal. " Rachel joked. " Actually, to sum it all up the main idea is that each Zodiac sign has a power. " Amelia said standing up, " See watch. " Amelia stepped into the middle of the living room. She slowly closed her eyes then took a deep breath. Her form flickered and her skin changed like a chameleon shedding its skin. She no longer looked like Amelia she was the exact image of her mother. " But I saw you pop up out of nowhere? " Isabella said, her head still spinning with questions about magic. " We can do that with these things. " Rachel pulled a miniature pyramid out of her pocket, " Just a little Christmas present from dad. It can teleport you places. " " Yeah right " Emma commented, " It teleports an inch at a time. " Emma grabbed the pyramid from Rachel and pressed the sharp tip. Emma appeared a little way away from where she had originally stood. " See, nothing like what a Taurus could do. " Isabella didn't understand that comment, but she decided to let it go. " Well, I think it's time to get some rest. " Merissa sighed, " Emma you should go show Isabella where she'll be sleeping. " Isabella looked out the widows. To her surprise she saw the sun setting over the hills. " Wait what about Linda and John! " Isabella exclaimed, " They don't know what happened or where I am. " " Oh, they do. They were warned years ago that this would happen. " Benet said gravely. " And why wasn't I warned? " Isabella asked. " Because your parents wanted it that way. " Merissa said calmly. There was dead silence. " C'mon Isabella, I'm sure your tired after today. " Emma said clearing away the silence. Isabella followed Emma up the beautiful staircase. To the left was a long corridor and to the right stood one tall wooden door. Emma turned to the door, " This is my parent's room. " She began to walk down the hallway, " And this is my sister's room. " Emma stopped at another wooden door much like the other one except a few inches shorter. " And if you keep walking, you'll see my bedroom. " Emma began to remind Isabella of an unenthused tour guide definitely not trying to get any tips from tourists. Emma walked into her bedroom. Isabella was immediately jealous. The room was large (compared to Isabella's room) and there was a clear glass slider door on the back wall leading to a terrace. Emma's bed had grey covers and white fluffy pillows, her nightstand was also white, and so was everything else in the room. Basically, it was a modern bedroom which Isabella had only seen in pictures. The Clarks home wasn't exactly brand new. When Isabella was little, she thought the house was haunted. Only because Bruce Hamilton, her neighbor, had told her it was three thousand years old. Then out of the corned of Isabella's eye she saw a dark shadow behind Emma's dresser. " Uh there's uh " Isabella began to say. She didn't want to start freaking out in front of Emma but then again, she didn't want to be attacked by anything either. " Oh, that's just my cat, Thomas. " Emma said, " Thomas, come here boy. " The cat came out from behind the dresser purring loudly like an engine that had recently been started. Thomas was also definitely not just a cat. He had a grey pelt with black stripes and was about the size of a medium if not large sized dog. Thomas came up and rubbed against Emma's legs something that a normal cat would have done. " Uh that's a cat? " Isabella questioned. " Oh yeah, he's a Parva Lion. You don't see them in the normal world and they're really rare in the magical world. " " I thought I was in the normal world? " " Once you pass Haven Street, you're officially in the Magical Limits. " " Magical Limits? " " It's kind of like. . . city limits- " A sudden noise from the terrace caught their attention. Emma slowly creeped toward the terrace. It might have been Isabella's imagination, but she thought she heard whispers. Her heart pounded her breathing became heavier and heavier. " Emma! " A girl came out from behind the wall. " Ella, you scared us half to death! " Emma exclaimed. " Why didn't you tell us she was coming today?! " Ella said, " Eva said she saw Octavia at your door, so we came to check if you were ok. " The girl was about their age. She had dark red hair and baby blue eyes that hid under a shiny pair of glasses. " Yeah, she came over trying to get attention. So where is Eva? " Emma asked. " My. . . odd sister is hiding under the bed like a creep. " Ella said casually pointing her index finger towards the bed frame. " Yeah sorry " A head popped up from underneath the bed, " I just really want to meet her. " " Really " Isabella thought but didn't say " You guys do know I'm standing right here. " " Oh, hi it's Isabella, right? " Ella said. " Hi " Isabella found it unusually hard to say a simple hello. " Yeah, it's Isabella. " The girl under the bed wriggled out. From her pocket she pulled out a journal and a pen. " Ok I have some questions. " The girl made a little meaningless happy squeak then continued, " Are you exited, nervous, or angry at this new life change? " Those words echoed in Isabella's mind '' life change " Isabella had no idea what she had just gotten herself into. " Do you like animals? I love animals. By the way you have really pretty hair- " " That's not a question- " Ella noted. " Guys! " Emma protested, " Look outside the sun's setting it's time to sleep. " " Yeah, we all know that Emma needs her beauty sleep. " Ella teased, " Come on Eva. " '' Wait! " Isabella shouted, " It's Ella and Eva, right? " They both smiled. " My full name's Evangeline. But my friends call me Eva or Evie. " Evangeline responded. Isabella wasn't quite sure if that meant they were friends or not. All she knew was that she was tired. " Um. . . I'll go get the blow-up mattress for you to sleep on. " Emma offered then walked out of the room. " I'm not sure you'll see us tomorrow so. . . see you at Zodiac. " Ella said.
    Eva and Ella walked out onto the terrace. Isabella noticed something she hadn't before. There was no exit from the terrace no way of getting down to the ground. Isabella gazed at the forest beyond and wondered. " Uh how- " Isabella began saying before she turned around and saw Emma walk in. " What? " Emma asked.
    Isabella turned towards the terrace to find that it was empty. " How did they get down? " Isabella said. " Magic. " Emma said casually. " I don't understand. " Isabella commented. " They're called Iliments. They're like spells that people use to do things. You just say a short incantation and boom suddenly you're in a toaster. " Emma explained. " Toaster? " " Yeah, supposedly the guy that created Iliments accidentally transported himself into a toaster. " " Is that what they used, an Iliment? " " Probably " Emma began laying down the air mattress. She plugged the cord in, and it started rising. Before long it was a usable bed. " Do you want some pajamas to wear? " Emma asked. Isabella didn't mean to offend Emma, but they definitely didn't wear the same size clothing. Not that Emma was fat, but Isabella was quite underweight from the average twelve-year-old. Emma soon came back with a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Emma left the room and Isabella started to get changed. When she put on the shirt something weird happened. At first the shirt was baggy then it became tighter and tighter to where it fit Isabella perfectly. The close puzzled her for a while then she decided to let it go. She then put on the sweatpants and sat on the blow-up mattress. Isabella began to think about the Clarks. She remembered hating them growing up although she didn't know why. She sometimes thought that it was because she didn't fit in. Isabella recalled that she used to know a girl named Adrianna. Adrianna had been adopted by a young couple like her. Isabella and Adrianna had been friends when they were younger but unfortunately childhood friendships tend to wither away like rocks on the shore. Emma came in closing the door behind her. She walked over to her bed and sat down. Then came the staring. A normal person probably would have taken it as a staring contest but Isabella new very well what Emma was doing. In Isabella's old neighborhood she had done this with an obnoxious boy who would tease her. Isabella called it the death stare. The point of it was to make the other person feel uncomfortable and look away but Isabella had no intention of giving in. Emma stared and Isabella stared back. Have you ever had a friend then one day the two of you locked eyes for the first time. That's when it happened, Isabella looked into Emma's dark brown eyes and Emma looked into Isabella's light blue eyes. They were polar opposites, completely different people. But despite their differences somehow Isabella knew that they would be great friends. Isabella didn't know how she knew but she did and that made things all the better.

                                   CHAPTER 3
                          THE MEETING CENTER

Isabella didn't quite remember going to sleep but she must have. Isabella woke up with the sun shining in her eyes. She was still in Emma's modern bedroom, but Emma was nowhere to be seen. Isabella felt weird walking downstairs in a house that was very unfamiliar, yet she managed. " Hello? " Isabella called, her voice echoing through the kitchen. In the distance she could faintly hear voices yelling. " Shhhh! " Several voices whispered in unison. Four heads quickly popped up at once. The heads of which belonged to Amelia, Brittany, Emily, and Rachel. They used hand motions to tell Isabella to follow them into what looked like a spare room. In the room were two twin sized beds. Sitting on one of the beds was Emma but one the other bed was a dark-haired boy. They were clearly in a deep conversation but once Isabella and the quadruplets entered the room their talking ceased. Emma stood up, " Are they still at each other? " " They calmed down a little bit since earlier. " Amelia replied. " I should just go talk to her. " The boy said, disappointedly. " No, it'll be pointless. " Emma said sternly. " Maybe I can convince her to calm down. " " She'll just blow up at you! " " Who's your friend? " It took Isabella a minute to realize he was talking about her, " Hi " Isabella said with an awkward wave. " So, are you actually the Hollow's daughter? " He asked. Now Isabella was getting quite annoyed when anyone asked that question. " Of course, she is! " Brittany said defensively, " She looks just like her mother. " The sentence made Isabella's heart rise. She'd always imagined that her mother would have been beautiful and kind but whenever she thought about her mother, she never thought of herself in the same way. " Well, my name is Justin Peters. What's yours? " The boy asked. " Isabella... Hollow " Isabella added awkwardly. They all laughed in a good fashioned way. Isabella's face grew red, but she chuckled under her breath. " Wait, do you hear that? " Emily asked. " No " Rachel responded. " Exactly " They all started to exit the spare room. Isabella looked over to see Justin standing up in his full height. He was very tall almost as tall as Merissa. They came into the living room to see Benet, Merissa, and a strange man sitting on the couch. " Where's Octavia? " Justin said. Although he sounded more excited than concerned. " She was... escorted out. " Merissa explained. " Things got a little... heated. " Benet added, " Merissa can get easily offended sometimes. " " Oh, I see how it is! " Merissa exclaimed in an exasperated tone, " You always blame me. Well guess what who was the one who even brought up Emily. " " Her, I guess. But you just had to fire back saying you have Emily and George's will. " " Well, that's funny because I do have it! " Merissa shouted, " And it states that once Isabella is eleven or twelve and is ready for the school, she would come and stay with us for as long as she likes. " If Isabella's head wasn't spinning before it was now. Isabella knew the names Emily and George. She recalled what her foster parents had told her years ago. Linda had made a special dinner for Isabella (which was nice of her except she got Isabella's favorite food wrong. Isabella liked chicken not fish). Linda had told her that her parents were Emily and George Hollow, and that they were accountants from Colorado. Also, Linda had told her that her parent's will wasn't found. Isabella now knew who had the will. Well at least it was one mystery that Isabella was able to solve. At this point there were so many mysteries that Isabella didn't know how to deal with, it was nice to have at least one uncovered. " Anyway, Robert I'm very sorry about this whole situation. " Benet said to the man. " Oh, it's fine don't even worry about it. " The strange man said. " Dad where did Octavia go? " Justin asked Robert. " Your mother went to her grandmother's house. " Robert responded. " She's not my mom. " Isabella heard Justin whisper under his breath. No one appeared to have heard except for Isabella. Though Isabella knew the feeling: having everyone call a woman your mom but really, she's just a meaningless person.
" The children should go play so we can talk about grown up matters. " Benet said. " Yeah, we better go before they start talking about the weather or how they're planning to retire. " Amelia said before she and the other quadruplets ran upstairs. " Isabella let's go. " Emma whispered to her, " We have something to show you. " Isabella followed Emma and Justin into the backyard. " Who's Octavia? " Isabella asked them. " My evil stepmother. " Justin said. Oddly enough that seemed to justify who Octavia was. The area outside was pretty plain except for the massive treehouse in the middle of the yard. " We call this the meeting center. It's where we uh... have meetings. " Justin explained. " Wow I had no idea that a meeting center would be where people had meetings. " Emma said sarcastically. " Shut up. " A faint rustling sound came from a nearby bush. In certain circumstances Isabella would have never been afraid of a bush but if some stranger was hiding in a bush that was different, " Who was that. " Isabella said warily. " Shhh! " Justin said. He picked up a couple of rocks and chucked them at the bush. " Oww! " A boy jumped up, " Why did you do that! " " Because you need to quit hiding in bushes! " Justin yelled back. " C'mon let's go " Emma said to Isabella. Emma and Isabella climbed the ladder to the treehouse. Justin and the boy followed shortly after. Inside the treehouse was beautiful. On all four sides the treehouse was enclosed by walls of oak wood. In the middle was a wooden table and around it was a bunch of wooden chairs. But what really caught Isabella's eye was the left wall of the treehouse. On that wall hung a picture and around it signatures. Isabella got a little closer to see what the picture was of. In the picture six kids were sitting in the treehouse. The kids were about seven or eight and had the most adorable smiles. Then the realization hit Isabella: she knew who some of the kids were. In the right corner of the picture, it was Emma. In the left was Ella and Evangeline. Then in the middle was Justin, the boy from the bush, and another girl who Isabella didn't know. In the picture Ella didn't appear to be wearing glasses but other than that she had the same red hair and baby blue eyes. And Justin's jet-black hair was not so jet-black in the picture. Isabella's eyes traveled towards the signatures. She read one that said: Grant Virgin and another that said: Justin Peters. " You're Grant I'm guessing. " Isabella said turning towards the boy from the bush. " Yeah, and you're the Hollow girl. " Grant said. " Yeah, but I'd rather you call me Isabella than " the Hollow girl." Isabella commented. " I'll do you one better. I'm going to call you Izzy from now on. " Isabella had never been given a nickname before, but she liked it. " I like it. Izzy suits you. " Emma said. Isabella looked around at the signatures again. She saw the name Emma Storm scribbled on the wood as well as Evie Monroe. Beside Eva's signature was an unfamiliar name: Amora Cast. The picture made Isabella feel left out. Looking back on her own life she'd had no good friends that actually wanted to hang out with her. Emma was lucky to have such good friends. " Isabella, are you ok? " Justin asked. Isabella had just realized that she was staring of into space, " Oh, yeah, I'm fine. " " Ok so when are Eva and Ella getting here? " Grant asked. " Didn't they tell you? They're driving up to Zodiac early this year. " Justin said, as if it had been talked about several times before. " Why? " Emma asked. " I think they're going to talk to the headmaster about Evangeline. " " Why would they need to talk to the headmaster about her. " Isabella asked. " Oh yeah, I think I remember Ella talk about this. " Emma said, " Since Eva is a year younger than us, she might not be able to go to school this year. You have to be twelve to enter the first year and she's eleven. " " Why doesn't Evie just enter the school next year? " Isabella asked. " Because she wants to be in the same classes as we are. " Emma said in exasperation, " If you ask me Eva should just tell everyone she's twelve. " " That's a very bad idea. People would find out and probably expel her! " Justin protested. " Yes, because everyone knows that Pam is secretly doing a background check on everyone. " Isabella recognized Pam as the woman who originally answered her phone call. " Yeah, watch out, I heard Pam was setting up metal detectors in the school. " Grant said. Grant and Emma started laughing while Justin shook his head. " Well, is Amora coming at least. " Grant asked. " Amora said she was going to be busy helping her dad clean their garage. " Emma said. " That's boring. " Grant said before sitting down at the table. Justin followed Grant and sat beside him. Then Emma sat down at the other side of the table. Isabella hadn't felt like sitting at that moment, but she felt compelled to join the others at the wooden table. " First of all, we need to fill Isabella in on a couple things. "

                             CHAPTER 4         
    THE STORY OF EMILY AND GEORGE HOLLOW

" There's a lot you need to know Isabella. " Emma said solemnly, " I think before we go into the talk about your parents, we should tell you about the Zodiac signs. " Isabella was greatly disappointed. She wanted to know about her parents right then and there, but she remained patient. Emma cleared her throat, " So first of all... I'll need my whiteboard. " " Here we go again. " Grant murmured. " What's that supposed to mean. "
" You always use the stupid whiteboard. " " Only on special occasions! " " Yeah, like when Eva's favorite stuffed animal was missing. " Emma glared at Grant intensely. Emma was good at glaring at people. It was mainly her eyes: when they really focused on one thing the pupils got enlarged to where you could barely see the beautiful brown color in her eyes. Somehow Isabella felt like Emma radiated fear. It was unexplainable. It was magic. " Stop! " Justin suddenly yelled. He looked terrified. His face had gone pale, and he was staring wide eyed at Emma, " Your powers have gotten stronger. You shouldn't be using them. " " I can do whatever I want. " Emma said defiantly. But Isabella could hear the guilt hidden in her voice. " I... I'm sorry. " Emma said in a little voice.
" Anyway! " Grant said breaking the tension, " About the Zodiac signs. " " People with the sign Pisces are shape shifters, like my sisters. Usually, people with the Pisces sign are sneaky and manipulative. " Emma said with distaste. Isabella had a feeling Emma didn't always get along with her sisters, " Taurus can teleport anywhere they want to in the world. Scorpio can fight in combat better than anyone. Aquarius has the ability to move water, actually they can control all kinds of liquids. Leo can read minds, but they can't read more than one person's mind at a time. Capricorn has the power to turn invisible whenever they want to. Aries has super strength, they're one of the more hot-headed Zodiac signs. Virgo can produce force fields. " Isabella remembered when Peter Grungy had used a force field against Linda. She knew he had to be a Virgo. " And Sagittarius, " Justin continued, " Can do archery, they could hit a target from a thousand feet away! " Justin's eyes lit up when he talked, like he'd been waiting to tell someone these things for years, " Libra has super speed, they can travel around the world in like five minutes. Gemini can see into the future. And finally, Cancer can heal bad wounds. " " But they can't heal all wounds, which is a bummer. " Grant added. " What are your guy's Zodiac signs? " Isabella asked curiously. " Some people don't find out until they're twelve, and some people find out sooner." Emma explained, " For example, Grant. He's had super speed ever since he was five. " " So, he's Virgo. " " Yeah, Virgo is the coolest sign. " Grant said. " Yeah right! " Emma snorted. They were about to take the argument further when Isabella asked, " How do you guys find out what your Zodiac sign is? " " It usually happens really randomly. I remember when Grant got his powers. " A smile crept on to Emma face, like she was remembering the funny memory. " Yeah, I remember when we were running to get the mail, " Justin said wistfully, " And all the sudden he ran headfirst into the mailbox. All I could see was a blurry form of your body. " " That hurt you know! " Grant exclaimed trying to sound mad, but there was still a large happy grin on his face. " So, have you guys known each other for a long time? " Isabella said. She couldn't help that she was jealous. She wished she'd had good friends like Emma had. " Ever since we were born. All our parents were a part of Sinisco's plan, including Ella and Eva's parents- " Emma started. " And Amora's parents! " Grant added. " Yes, like I was saying, " Emma continued, " After the battle with the Evil the houses on Haven Street were dedicated to the people in Sinisco's plan. " " How many people were a part of the plan? " Isabella asked. " It was a secret plan, but eventually years after everything happened people found out. " Emma began, " Anyway, not many people were involved except for: Benet and Merissa Storm (my parent), Justin's parents Robert and Angel Peters, " Isabella knew that Angel Peters must have been Justin's real mom, which meant Robert had married Octavia after the death of Angel. Isabella felt terrible for Justin. She couldn't imagine losing her mom, then having her dad marry someone else, " Then there was Ella and Eva's parents Thomas and Norah Monroe. And Grant's parents Rebecca and David Virgin. I think that's all, right? " " Isabella's parents and Amora's parents. " Justin commented. Isabella recognized the name from the picture and the signature on the wall. " Oh yes, Amora's parents Luke and Estelle Cast. And of course, George and Emily Hollow. " Emma stopped and there was a brief silence. Then Isabella asked a question that had been burning inside her ever since she found out about George and Emily Hollow, " What really happened to my parents? " At first Isabella was afraid she had asked an unwanted question. She saw Emma, Grant and Justin exchange uneasy glances. Then Emma began to speak, " There was a battle... the Evil and its evil spirits verses the people of Sinisco's plan. Sinisco had the idea of a sneak attack, she wanted to catch them off guard. It didn't work, the Evil somehow knew they were coming and devised his own plan that no one knew about. After that George and Emily were left alone with the Evil. They fought as hard as they could, but the Evil had grown stronger. George and Emily combined their powers to create an Energy Link and stop the Evil. " " What's an Energy Link? " " It's when two people combine their powers to make a huge ball of energy. It's only been done by George and Emily, who were the most powerful people in the world! " Grant exclaimed. Isabella still wasn't used to people calling her parents the most powerful people in the world. To her it just wasn't right, she had grown up thinking her parents were accountants from Colorado not some super magical beings from a magical universe. " I'll get used to it. " Isabella said hopefully in her mind, " Soon this will be normal to me. " " So that's how my parents died. " Isabella said in a small voice. " I'm sorry Isabella, we lost a lot of good people, " Emma said sympathetically, " Your parents, Amora's mom, and Justin's mom. " On Emma, Justin, and Grant's faces there was grief, but Isabella felt differently about the story of George and Emily Hollow. She felt pride. Her whole life she had boring parents that adopted her, but now she knew who her real parents were, they had defeated the Evil. They were heroes. " But their sacrifice didn't go unnoticed, " Justin said hopefully, " Every year on the first day of school at Zodiac the kids bring Hope Flowers to the gravesites. " " What are Hope Flowers? " Isabella asked. " At Zodiac there's an indoor graveyard, " Emma explained, " Every person buys a Hope Flower and puts in on George and Emily's gravestones. And if a person has a loved one that passed away from battling the Evil, they put a Hope Flower on their gravestone. Hope Flowers resemble perseverance and love and well... hope. " To Isabella the Hope Flowers seemed like a nice idea but what really made Isabella's mind think was the indoor graveyard, " How big is the school. " She asked. " It's pretty big, it definitely looks bigger on the inside. " Grant explained. Isabella was usually a very patient person but talking about the zodiac school made her anxious to see it, " How long until the school year starts? " " About a week. " Emma estimated. Isabella wondered where she'd stay before then. She really hoped she wouldn't have to go back to the Clark's home. Being in the magical world, where everyone said she was magical, made thinking about leaving even harder, " Where will I stay until school starts? " " It's your choice. You could stay with us and be in the magical world or go back to that dump on the pretty lake. " Emma proposed. Isabella thought those were bold words. Isabella would have never called someone's house a dump, she would be too worried about hurting the person's feelings. There was a long silence. Isabella sat there awkwardly until she finally realized they were waiting for her to answer the question, " Oh yeah, I guess I'll stay with you guys. " " Good choice. " Emma said. " I just have one more question, " Isabella said, " Why does Octavia want me and why does Merissa keep bringing up my parent's will? " Justin let out a large sigh, " My stepmom is power hungry, she tells everyone that she can train you to be even more powerful than your parents were. But the real reason she wants you... is because she knows how powerful you are and if she can get control of you, she can control your power. " Just then as if it were rehearsed a familiar voice yelled from outside, " Justin, I'm taking you to the market with me! Who's in the tree house with you, is Isabella in there? " Isabella knew who the voice belonged to, Octavia Peters. " Isabella hide. " Emma whispered frantically. Grant and Emma helped her get into a tiny storage closet in the corner. The closet was dark inside. Isabella observed three pool noodles, a pair of children's rain boots, and an old keyboard. Other than that, there was nothing else in closet except Isabella. " Octavia can't I just stay here while you go to the market. " Justin said desperately. " You didn't answer my question! Is Isabella up there? Oh, I'll just check for myself. " Octavia said climbing up the wooden ladder. Emma quickly turned the whiteboard upside down so Octavia couldn't see the discussion on the Zodiac signs. Isabella peaked open the door of the closet ever so slightly to where she could see Octavia's head pop up from where she was climbing on the ladder. Octavia rested her arm on the bottom of the wooden floor. Her blood red hair was cut just below her chin and freckles were dotted all over her face and arms. She put on a false smile and said, " So what have you guys been talking about? " She was scanning the room intensely no doubt looking for Isabella. " Nothing! " Justin said quickly. Clearly, he wasn't familiar with the concept of acting natural. Octavia's eyes landed on the closet. Isabella sat deadly still, luckily Octavia must have decided there was nothing there because she continued to hound Justin about going to the market, " Why don't you want to spend quality time with your mom? " That made Justin's face turn red with anger. Before he could say something, back Emma answered for him, " That's funny because I don't see his mom anywhere. " Octavia glared at Emma, but Emma looked unfazed, " Let's go Justin. " She started to walk back down the ladder. " Bye guys. " Justin said sadly. Then he began to walk down the ladder. " If I were Justin, I would tell Octavia how stupid she is. " Emma said. " Izzy you can come out now. " Grant said. Isabella opened the closet door and stepped out. " I better go too, my mom's making pasta for dinner. " Grant began to descend down the ladder. Emma and Izzy watched until Grant was out of sight. " And just like that there were two. " Emma narrated, " Your last question was about Octavia and my mom's fight over the will, wasn't it? " " Yes " " When our moms were students at Zodiac, they were best friends. Octavia was their friend too for a long time until she started to change. She started getting power hungry. She knew your mom was extremely powerful. Octavia started to get jealous of the power and they just... weren't friends anymore. Since Octavia married Robert, she claims that Emily had always been her best friend. My mom knew the truth and in Emily's will it stated that you would stay with Merissa and Benet. But Octavia demands that my mom read the will wrong. Really all she cares about is having you close to her so she can be in control of you. " That had been a lot for Isabella to take in, but she looked on the bright side, " At least I know more about my mom. " Izzy told herself. " C'mon we should go inside my mom probably already made dinner. " " Ok " Another one of Isabella's days had flown by. As Isabella and Emma were walking toward the sliding door Izzy saw the beautiful sunset. It was the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen. There was a little breeze going through the air as Isabella walked. Infront of her Emma's thick beautiful brown hair danced in the wind. To Isabella everything was better in the magical world: the people, the sunsets, and hopefully... the schools.

                                    Chapter 5
                        THE NIGHT AT THE INN

The next week of Isabella's life went by like a flash. In the mornings Isabella helped Emma with her chores and in the afternoon, she read books that were on the shelf in the living room. She read books that were published in the magical world and books with ominous titles like: THE GEMIMI'S CRY FOR HELP and THE SCORPIO'S REVENGE. Isabella was astonished by how peaceful the area was. Bearly any cars drove by except at lunchtime; Rachel told Isabella that they call it the Lunch Rush. It was the day Isabella had been waiting for. The day that Isabella would go to the magical school: Zodiac. She had dreamed of what Zodiac might look like, a beautiful big regular boarding school. Justin and Grant visited Emma and Izzy a couple times during that week, but there was no sign of Ella or Eva. Isabella hoped everything worked out with Eva and the school so she could go this year like she had wanted to. " Girls it's time to go! " Merissa yelled up the staircase. Emma had let Isabella borrow some of her clothes (this time Isabella wasn't afraid that the clothes wouldn't fit) just in case she wanted to change out of her uniform at school. Emma said the uniform was fairly simple. A black, white, and grey plaid skirt and a polo shirt for the girls and a polo shirt and black, grey, and white plaid pants. Emma said the polo shirt color depends on your zodiac sign; each zodiac sign has a specific color. " We're coming mom! " Emma yelled in reply. Emma had also let Izzy borrow a suitcase. Isabella thought it was generous, but she didn't have much to pack unlike the Quadruplets. They had packed at least eight decent sized suitcases all together. " Alright everyone in the van. " Merissa told everyone, " Isabella can I talk to you for a moment? " Merissa walked Isabella into the living room. She smiled a wonderful caring smile, " You look just like your mother when she was your age." That made Isabella's day even better than it would have been before, " Just one thing I have to tell you... no one knows you are truly Emily and George's daughter. No one should know... yet. " " Why does no one know? " " When Emily was pregnant, she kept it a secret. The only people who knew where the people of Sinisco's plan. She gave birth to you a couple days before she had to battle the Evil. She gave you to an orphanage to keep you safe until you were of the right age to start school. " " But if my mom and dad defeated the Evil, why wouldn't it be safe? " " Evil never rests my dear. Some of the evil spirits still live. The point of this discussion is that no one knows or needs to know that you are the daughter of the two most powerful people in the world. " " Ok Merissa I won't tell anyone. " She smiled, " Good it will keep you safer for now. Now let's go or we will be late. " The part where Merissa said, " for now." made Isabella's stomach turn, but she decided to not ask any more questions. Izzy and Merissa walked to the white van. Brittany, Rachel, and Olivia sat in the very back, Isabella, Emma, and Amelia sat in the middle row, and Benet and Merissa sat upfront. " How long will it take to get there? " Isabella asked Emma. " The school has what we call Gateways. Gateways are basically like portals. There are thousands in the United States, and they all transport you to Zodiac. " Emma answered, " The closest one in our area is by an old inn. My dad said we'll hang out at the inn until the school starts. " " What time does the school start? ". " About seven. " " Why is it that late? " " When we actually get there the headmaster will say a few things and we'll pick our dorms- " " When will we find out what out Zodiac signs are? " " Usually if kids don't already know their zodiac sign is they'll find out in their first year at Zodiac. " Isabella hoped she would get a good Zodiac sign. She wanted a power that would be useful to her. When Isabella looked out the window all she saw was cornfields and farms. Some of the farms had sheep and some had cows, but those were the only animals Izzy saw. There were a lot of Amish style houses with big red barns. Some of the houses had small gardens in the front yard. Isabella looked at the fields and saw heatwaves rippling through the calm air. Suddenly Izzy was thankful that she was safe inside an air-conditioned van away from the heat of the sun. Isabella decided to stop looking out the window for the time being. She lo