Chapter 1 - "The Best Prank Ever"

Chapter 1

"Hey, Vlad, I thought of a prank we could pull on old Trista," I said to a High Elf in the seat across from me.
"Oh! You always come up with the good ones," he said, excitement eating him alive.
"Well," I said, somewhat disappointed, "we need more than just us... three people at least," I muttered.
"Oh," said Vlad with the same tone of disappointment. "Well... that's no good. No one else in this guild will help us..."
"Indeed. But there's other mages that come in and out of this guild all the time looking for recommendations. We'll find someone... we just need Trista to give them a reasonable task, we get them to play along with the prank and we'll make sure they get that recommendation."
"Well, that sounds like a plan," said Vlad as he put his hands on his knees and stood up. "We'll just have to hang out in the main lobby until said person comes."
"Quite," I said, standing up as well. "Hopefully we won't have to wait too long," I continued as I started towards the door and opened it, stepping out. Almost at the same time, the main lobby door opened as a woman stepped in. I shut the door behind me and stared at the woman that had just entered, enthralled by her radiance. She appeared to be about 5'3" with a wonderful auburn-colored hair and heterochromatic eyes; one being blue and the other being brown. She shut the door behind her and glanced around the room, then caught sight of me. I quickly fixed my face as she approached me.
"Excuse me," she said when I was within earshot. Her voice resounded through my ears like a chorus of angels. "Who gives recommendations here?"
"Uh... Trista," I muttered as I continued to gawk at her, which made the situation feel slightly awkward. "Would you... like me to take you to her?" I queried.
"That'd be wonderful!" she exclaimed gleefully, clapping her hands together. "Would you, really?"
"O-of course," I said, giving a slight bow. "Please, follow me," I said. I turned around and beckoned for her to follow me. I started towards the staircase and turned to the right, proceeding up it. After the first flight of stairs we proceeded across the balcony that followed. I approached a large, oaken door and rapped my middle finger upon it in three firm knocks.
"Yes, who is it?" came a voice. It was the one in charge of the guild, Trista.
"Trista? It's me, Gerard," I said. "I have someone here who's looking for a recommendation."
"Oh! Then please, come in."
I opened the door and held it open. The woman thanked me and walked in, I followed behind her.
"Welcome, child, welcome," said Trista. She was an older woman, in her mid 40's. "So, you have come for a recommendation?" she asked.
"Yes," said the woman. "My name is Claire," she said, bowing to Trista. "This is my first recommendation."
"Oh, I see," said Trista as she got up from her seat. "Well... I haven't given much thought as to a recommendation," she said, slightly confused. She stood for a moment, pondering. "All I can think of," she said after a short pause, "is if perhaps you'd be able to come up with a new spell, maybe," she continued. "That way you can prove to me that you are intellectual. The Society always needs creative thinkers!" she said.
"A spell, huh?" muttered Claire. She didn't seem to be overly fond of the task she had been given.
But, at the same moment, something clicked in my brain.
"Well, I'll see what I can do!" said Claire, almost completely cheery once again. I opened the door for her and let her exit, and followed after her.
"Excuse me," I said as I turned around after I had shut the door to Trista's study. Claire seemed to have picked up her pace.
"Yes?" she asked, looking back.
"I think I can help you with that spell," I said, grinning.
"Really?" she asked in an excited tone once again. "If you could do that, I'd be so grateful!"
"Come with me," I said as I gently took her wrist, without thinking, and lead her down the stairs and back into the room where Vlad was, still.
"I've found our third person!" I told him as I shut the door behind me and Claire.
"Oh?" said Vlad, excitedly as he stood up. "My name is Vlad," he said, bowing to Claire. Claire repeated the bow, issuing her own name.
"Trista wants her to think of a... 'spell,'" I said, grinning at Vlad.
"Your face tells me that it's not a spell," said Vlad, smirking.
"Wait... what's going on here?" asked Claire, befuddled.
"Sit down," I said to Claire as I guided her over to a chair. She promptly took her seat as I went over to fetch the tray of cups and tea from off the top of the dresser in the corner of the room.
"True, it's not exactly a spell," I said as I took my seat. "But Trista won't be able to tell the difference," I continued.
"How's that?" asked Claire, obviously still confused. I handed her a cup of tea and she nodded in thanks, taking a small sip of it.
"Well, it's more along the lines of a prank," I said. Claire just glanced at me and Vlad a couple of moments. Shortly after I saw a small smile creep up on her lips.
"A prank, huh?" she said. "Please, do go on," she said as she took another drink of her tea. Vlad did a small, victorious arm pump. I grinned as I rubbed my hands together.
"Alright... here's how it goes..."

The next day Vlad, Claire and I all walked up the stairs to Trista's study. I knocked on the door once again, the familiar voice behind saying, "Who is it?"
"It's us again, Trista. Claire has her spell ready and we'd all like to show it to you," I said, trying to suppress some laughter.
"Wonderful! Come on in," she said. I opened the door and let Claire and Vlad enter. I followed behind, shutting the door.
"She worked on it all night, and she wanted us to come up and show you how well it worked," I said.
"Alright. Well then, show me!" said Trista.
An awkward moment went by in silence. Trista stood there, eyeing the three of us. We stood, looking back, somehow managing to keep straight faces throughout the whole dilemma.
"Well?" asked Trista after a couple minutes had gone by. "Aren't you going to show me your spell?"
"I did," said Claire. "You don't remember it because... that's exactly what the spell does."
"Nothing?"
"No," I interjected, "it makes you forget things. Or a certain person. It's kind of cool, actually."
"In fact," started Claire, again, "I just told you my real name. Twice. But you probably don't remember."
"What an... interesting spell," said Trista. "That's the last thing I need, honestly... is to forget more things," she complained. "But, you came up with a spell. That shows that you certainly have the proper intellect to be in the Arcane University. Very well, then, I shall write your recommendation and send it out tomorrow," said Trista as she got up from her desk and walked out the door, obviously agitated. When the door shut behind her, all three of us burst out laughing.
"That had to be the easiest recommendation ever!" exclaimed Vlad, doubled over in laughter.
Claire got down to her knees and covered her face, in tears from laughing so hard. I put a gentle hand on her shoulder and doubled over myself, starting to run short on breath,
"We need to do stuff like that more often," I choked out between laughs. After a couple minutes the three of us managed to control ourselves. We congratulated each other on the well-pulled prank and walked out of her study. We continued down the stairs and back to the room that we had planned our prank in.
"Congratulations on your recommendation," I said to Claire, extending my hand for a handshake.
"Thank you guys so much!" she said gleefully. Instead of shaking my hand she put her arms out and embraced me in a warm hug. I was taken back for a moment, but quickly regained my senses and hugged her back. "I'll make sure to come back and visit you guys! I promise," she said, smiling at me and Vlad.
"Yes, please do!" I said. She walked over to the door and opened it. As she stepped out she bid us farewell. As she shut the door behind her I felt my heart sink deep into my chest for some reason. What if she didn't come back? I don't know why these things bothered me. I barely knew her. Why should it matter if she came back again? She was just someone that I pulled another prank with. Nothing more.
"I sense... I sense," muttered Vlad, putting his index fingers to his temples. "Affinity?" he asked, approaching me from behind, placing his hands on my shoulders.
"No," I muttered.
"Ah, you liar," said Vlad as he slightly smacked me upside the back of the head. "You like her and you know it."
I offered no rebuttal, but merely brushed by him out the door and down a flight of stairs to the dormitories. I walked down the hall and to my room, unlocking the door as I got there. I walked in and shut it, locking it tightly once again. I leaned, my back against the door. I set out an exasperated sigh as I kicked off my pair of deerskin shoes in the corner and wandered over to my bed. I sat down on my bed and looked down at my hands.
She'll come back... I hope...

It came without warning. A wretched flashback to my childhood, one of the many things I kept bottled up inside me. One of the things that no one knew about me, not even Vlad.
I was just a boy, eight years of age. I sat, huddled in a corner, whimpering like an injured puppy. I cringed away from the large, cloaked and hooded figure that stood before me, his face enthralled in darkness. My mother and father's limp bodies lay behind him; one on top of the other.
He had killed them.
He extended his arm towards me. I cried out in fear as I rose my hands in pitiful defense.
"Leave the boy," boomed a deep, emotionless voice from behind the man. The man stayed his hand and looked behind him where another cloaked and hooded man stood. "It's not necessary to waste time with him... besides, we've been spotted. The guards are on their way... we must flee," he said. The man in front of my clenched his hand in a fist.
"You got lucky, boy," he bellowed. He turned around, his midnight robes flailing at his ankles. The other figure turned around as well and exited through the door. The man who had killed my parents followed behind them, and quickly their footsteps vanished. They were gone.
I looked up from behind my arms, examining the room closely. I got to my feet in a hurry and rushed over to my parents, extending my weak arms towards them.