"Kafka. . ." My mother sighed from the driver's seat of her car. "I knew you shouldn't have gone to the Academy today." She shook her head displeased at her decision to let me go.
I just turned to face the car window. Even if I explained to her she'd think I was going crazy. The death of Katerina didn't affect me like it was affecting everyone else, surprisingly.
My father was so angered by the fact that no one could find her body. He couldn't believe that Katerina would just throw her successful life away. Even with the note she left behind, she never gave a reason as to why she did it. My mother had the opposite reaction of my father. She couldn't stop crying and screaming. Now she began to baby me and act as if I wasn't 14 years old.
But I can't worry about why I'm not crying or angry at this situation. That book. . . as well as that weird apology Wendee gave me; that's been the main thing on my mind.
". . . . ri. . . ri. . ."
I felt something poke my shoulder softly. I snapped out of my daze to see my sniffling mother stopped the car.
"Oh you weren't listening," She gave a sad smile as she placed a hand on my messy dyed black hair. "You should brush your hair out; Kate had such long silky blonde hair. . ." My mother wiped her golden eyes. Funnily enough, Katerina and I both inherited our father's green eyes.
I gripped my school bag tightly at that comment. The book Wendee gave to me was tucked away in there. After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, I pushed the car door open.
"Kafka! Wait!" My mother called out to me but I didn't stop walking towards the house. "I. . . I'll be home a little late! So will your father-"
I slammed the front door shut before she could finish her sentence from the car. My body slid down the door as I realized what was going on.
Katerina was dead and it's taking over my life.
+
I quickly changed out of my school uniform and into some warm clothes. I sat on the ledge of my window looking out into the freezing outside. Katerina loved this cold season for some reason. She claimed that it was 'good fighting weather' - whatever that meant.
My gaze couldn't help but wander back to my school bag that had the book inside. I wasn't able to open the book anyways, there was a lock in the shape of a ring. It had a similar shape to Wendee's earring and the ring Katerina used to wear.
"Katerina's. . . ring. . ."
Maybe it was in her room? But no one's allowed in Katerina's room. Not even my parents went in there - even after she died. The only people who have been in her room are Katerina herself and the police who were required to. I haven't even seen Stephanie in there and she's been to our house a lot when Katerina was still alive.
I took the large book with hesitation but continued my journey to Katerina's room. I didn't know what I expected to find in there - I wasn't sure if I was going to even open the door. It was like the book was whispering what I should do next.
+
"Kate?"
No response. Of course, there would be no response! There was no one else inside this house but me!
I hesitantly reached for the knob of the door. I took in a huge shaky breath and pushed the door open revealing a neatly decorated room. And right in the middle of her desk was a shiny silver ring with a square shape in the middle. It was similar to Wendee's . . . . I also think I saw Stephanie wear one too. Samie had multiple rings on the right side of her hand as well now that I think about it.
"What could this ring mean?" I asked myself, setting the large book down on the desk. I looked at the lock then glanced back over at the ring. The square shape on the ring looked like it could fit perfectly into the square-shaped lock.
"What do I have to lose?"
I sighed as I gently placed the ring into the lock. Instantly the book opened encasing Katerina's room in a bright light. I felt a huge gust of wind and multiple of Akimi's furniture flew around. Many things were knocked over, papers now laid all over the floor as well as her clothing.
"Ahhh!!" I screamed as I fell on my butt from the strong wind. I closed my eyes preparing for the worst.
"Are you done flailing around like an idiot?"
"Eh?"
A black cat with scary green eyes was sitting right on top of the spellbook. I looked around the room to see who's voice that was. No way. . . was that deep voice from the-
"Quit gawking, human!"
The cat was talking! Such a cute kitty like that with a deep scary voice? This has to be a nightmare. Maybe if someone pinched me, I'd wake up to Katerina being alive and no one caring about my existence again.
"I am Lucky, Madam Katerina's familiar." The cat introduced itself as it jumped down from the desk to face me. I backed up a bit but that didn't stop him from continuing its walk towards me. "She gave me one final mission before she died: to have you revive her."
I froze. What else could I say to that? Revive Katerina Ellis - my dead sister? Was that even possible?? Yeah, a cat talking is pretty crazy but bring back the dead?
"Um. . . Mr. Cat?"
"I am Lucky!"
"Ri-right. . . ." I sat on my knees as I looked down to face him. "Did Katerina commit suicide like the police said she did?"
Lucky sighed, taking a moment before he could come up with a response.
"As Madams' familiar. . . she was someone very hard to know what was going on inside her head,"
I looked down at the ground sadly. Even her familiar didn't exactly know the story with her. Would I ever find out. . . . ? I mean, Lucky did say Katerina said his final mission was to revive her. Could she have planned her death?
"But I do not think she committed suicide. Madam was smart - I believe she knew exactly that she was going to die doing something she's not supposed to do and calculated a way to revive herself. Madam Katerina went against the Magical Kingdom and hid powerful spells in that spellbook you unlocked."
Magical. . . . Kingdom. . . . ? Was Katerina a . . . a . . . .
"Madam was a Magical Girl." Lucky finished like he was reading my mind. He then placed something cool and circular in my palm.
"This ring," I held the silver ring carefully. It wasn't Katerina's ring - it had a totally new shape in the middle. It was a thin silver ring like the other girls but this one had a blue flower in the middle. "Is it mine?"
"No idiot, I just handed you that to be dramatic. It's actually mine before I got turned into this unsightly state."
"Eh-!?" I tilted my head, becoming confused wondering if Lucky was being sarcastic. "Wait so you were once a Magical Girl!? You're a girl!?"
"You absolute dimwit! I was being sarcastic and I'm not a girl!" Lucky yelled angrily as he jumped back up on the desk. "Madam made this just for you! Of course it's not as powerful as the official ones and this is just a prototype. . . . but, erm, it was made by the amazing Katerina Ellis so I'm sure it will work like any other Magical Device from the Magical Kingdom."
I hope I don't die. . . . but what I really wanted to know was why me?
"Why would my sister make a copy of those rings just for me to use?"
"Kafka Ellis, your sister made this ring so that you can help me revive her. This spellbook has a spell Madam crafted for this very moment - I'm sure of it. You must help me; I need to know what she was planning. Are you ready to become a Magical Girl?"
This is where the real story begins. The story of how I manage to absolutely fuck up being a Magical Girl. A story where I discovered that Zombies are a thing. And how Katerina Ellis - my sister managed to predict almost everything that will happen on the journey to revive her. Oh. . . and I guess I do try to escape the shadow of just being her little sister.
-Prologue Over-