Greetings, everyone. My name is Geneva Bailey. Ginny for short. I'm Roni's twin sister. It seems he's a little... preoccupied... right now with Sandy, so I thought I'd give the intro today.

Let's see... Smoky Corners... blah... blah... Curio... blah... blah... Mr. K.... what you NEED. There. That about covers it. I hope.
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I was in my room, just idly fumbling with the earrings. I hadn't taken them out of the box since Roni gave them to me. Don't ask me why, but it just didn't seem right- or proper- to wear them. They're so dainty and delicate, and VERY PRECIOUS to me. They were the catalyst that strengthened our then brittle bond of sibling-hood. We had grown so far apart, so fast, but now we seemed closer than we've ever been before...

Today was SPECIAL. I was meeting with my three BESTIES- Sasha, Barbara, and Joan- to go to the DMV. Funny, before the day I first wore the locket that funny little man gave me, I didn't even know my three 'comrades-in-arms' existed. And it was just so darn cute, with its Hello Kitty motif. I wondered what ever happened to it? I've searched EVERYWHERE I can think of, but haven't been able to find it since the first day I wore it. And I SO wanted to wear it today. I felt it was my good luck charm, and if I'm going to pass my driver's test, I needed all the luck I could get...

I put the male angel (I call him Jack, but don't ask me why. It just seemed 'right') in the left ear, and fiddled a few moments with the back before it was firmly in place. I reached for the other earring- a dainty female cherub I've dubbed Charlene, and began to put her on. "I MUST be losing it,' I thought, if I'm assigning names- and personalities- to such inanimate objects as earrings.

Suddenly, I felt very light-headed. The room began to spin- slowly at first, and then with blinding speed. I heard myself crying out in terror as I began to lose touch with reality. As my consciousness faded, I blacked out, still clutching Charlene in my clenched fist...
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When I came to, I found myself in the back storeroom of a tiny shop, lying on what appeared to be a very weather-beaten, fold-out Army cot.

"Do not try to get up too quickly, my little lotus blossom," I heard a grizzled, yet kind, voice call out. "The magicks of teleportation take some getting used to- at first- and you're still suffering some residual ill effects from its use. I must apologize for that. I can assure you, though, your body will quickly adjust, and VERY SOON, it won't affect you at all. Here, drink this," he said, handing me a tiny china cup containing what appeared to be green tea. "It will help lessen the effects somewhat. When you feel normal again, please come to the front of my shop. We have much to discuss, Ginny."

With that, the bearded man turned, clicked his heels, and left, drawing the curtains shut on his way out..
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I cautiously took a sip of the tepid liquid. As I did, I felt my head begin to clear as the fog of vertigo began to ease. My head quit spinning as the room- and my surroundings- began to come into focus. I tentatively placed my slippered feet on the oaken floor. Funny, I didn't remember slipping out of my Keds...

When I felt the solidness of the floor below me, and sensed I wasn't going to faint again, or slip through the floor, I slowly rose to my feet. I placed the now empty cup carefully on the cot, and began towards the curtain- and what I hoped would be some answers...
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As I opened the curtain to the shop proper, my eyes beheld the vast wonders of the shop. It was like I had stepped into my own little piece of heaven! The shop had everything I could ever dream of... posters of pop icons lined the walls, and the shelves were lined with all sorts of feminine finery- I've never seen so many baubles and bangles in my life!

I stood in the doorway for what seemed like hours, just taking in all the lovely sights and sounds. the air was thick with sandalwood and cinnamon. I just wanted to drink in every subtle nuance...
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"Aah. You've recovered, I see," the voice stated, breaking me out of my revelry. "Come. Sit. We have much to discuss, and very little time to do so."

The strange little man motioned me to a purple cushion resting on a faded bamboo tamani mat beside a worn tea cozy. I quickly made my way to the proffered spot, and sat.

"My name is Kato Chigiri," the man said. "I hope you remember me, even though our last encounter was, unfortunately, too brief for my liking..."

"I remember now!" I said with a start. "You're the man that gave me the Hello Kitty locket. And the strange amulets for Roni. I'm sorry. I've lost that locket. it was my good luck charm..."

Mr. Chigiri jut nodded, and handed mea handkerchief. "Now, now, my little locust. There's no need for tears. It will find itsway back to you, when it is needed again. Such is the way with magick..."

"M-m-m-magic?" I stammered.

"Yes," he stated bluntly. "Magick. But not the parlor tricks you're familiar with. True magick. The kind that shapes destinies and alters realities. You have been given quite a gift. And it's my duty to see that you learn to use it properly."

"But why me?" I asked. "And why now?"

"It is your destiny, child. You are fae-borne. And the time of your awakening is at hand."

"Woah!" I stated, nearly knocking over the cozy as I jumped up. "You expect me to believe that I'm some all-powerful magical being, and that you, a complete stranger, are going to 'help' me? Just what kind of game are you playing? And for that matter," I said, the anger in my voice a white-hot flame, "just what kind of drug was in that 'tea' of yours? My dad IS Chief of Police, you know."

I turned to leave, but found that my body just wouldn't respond to my brain's commands. I stood there frozen, completely helpless, as a wave of panic began to wash over me.

"Easy, child. Had I meant you harm, do you think you'd still be here? And still unharmed, in one piece? I assure you, I mean you no harm. Your brother Roni and I have shared tea many times. And nothing has happened to him, has it?"

"Now come. Sit. Calm yourself."

I felt myself become incredibly relaxed, as i slowly slumped back to the softness of the velvet cushion. I could feel the tenseness flow out of my body. A warming peace began to envelop me that was eerily comforting. I found I was no longer frozen.

"Yes," the strange man said. "I've released you from your bonds. like i said, I mean you no harm. You're free to go, if that is your wish. But i do hope you'll stay for awhile..."

My mind just couldn't fathom the enormity of this strange man's power. With a single word, he had completely immobilized me, yet here I sat, completely unharmed, just as he had said. Every fiber of my being screamed to run like hell, but still...

I wrestled with my thoughtsfor what seemed like hours, but morbid curiosity being what it is, I decided to hear the man out- for a little while, at least.

"Fine!" I said, dejectedly. "I'll stay... for a LITTLE WHILE."

"Good!" the man said, grinning and clapping his hands as he began.
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"Reality is, first and foremost, mutable. What is seen as 'real' and 'tangable' is mearly our mind's way of dealing with the things around us, and making some sense of order out of the vast chaos that is existance. Magick is a way that some- very few, I might add- have found to give shape and form to the formlessness that surrounds us all."

"And you're saying that I have this- I don't know- gift? Curse?"

"Precisely. I sense in you fae blood. The fae were once one of the most powerful races on this planet. They long ago mastered control over the chaos that is- and over the elements. Fire. Water. Air. Earth. They gave order to chaos, and even mastered the powers of Life and Death. But to some, raw power was just not enough. Some weren't happy with mastering the power. These rogues also wanted Control. They wanted to subjugate others, and bend the weaker-minded to their own warped desires. And thus began the Time of Sorrows, and the spawning of the wild magicks. Magicks which now threaten the very fabric of reality itself."

"So what can I do?" I questioned. "I'm just a teenager. I don't have any 'powers'. And I'm not 'special', like you seem to think I am. I can't do anything..."

"The wheels have already been set in motion, my dear," he said. "You've already been exposed to magick, at least twice now. Just believe in yourself, and let the fae within you awaken."

"But how?" I asked.

"Believe. Close your eyes and focus. Concentrate."
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I closed my eyes and let my thoughts wander. I saw a beautiful meadow, lush with green grass and flowers of every color in the rainbow- and a few more besides. I heard the babbling of a brook nearby, and tasted the clean, sweet, honeysuckle-jasmine fragrance of the air. i felt my spirits soaring as my body lifted itself off the ground. I felt, for the first time in my life, incredinly free. And I relished in the freedom...

I stood there, my eyes closed, transfixed in the freeing glow. I didn't notice the bright aura that surrounded me, or that I was now back in the shop. I felt warm, and at peace, as all my fears subsided. I felt the warmth begin to fade, and the aura began to bury itself deep inside. My eyes fluttered open slowly as the magick faded around me.

"Welcome, locust blossom. Now, your true training begins..."