"Alright, let's get a look at you," the woman pulled up a chair and stared intensely at Victoria's face. Her eyes glow red before turning black with yellow irises.

"Ugh," said Victoria.

"Yeah, I know, it's weird," said the woman. Inside Victoria's chest where her heart should be, is a dimly lit orb. "We'll you've got something in there, nothing I've ever seen though." The woman blinks and rubs her eyes back to normal.

"Uh, what exactly do I have in me," asked Victoria. The woman looks at Victoria unimpressed as she snaps her finger, making a small flame appear over her thumb. "I'm...magic?"

"You have magical potential, yes," said the woman. "congrats, Vic, you're a witch!" The flame leaped off of the woman's thumb and exploded into small multi-colored fireworks. "You're parents must be so proud."

"Yeeeeeaaaah," Victoria sunk into the sofa.

"Didn't tell 'em," asked the woman. Victoria quietly nodded. "Eh, it's fine someone in your family would have noticed, they'll help you out sooner or later."

"Sure, if I had a family that was mine," said Victoria. "I was adopted, the only family I have left is my great grandma. I'm hoping maybe she would know why I'm like this."

"Usually genetics," The woman got out of her chair and walk into the kitchen. "Usually, someone in your birth family acquired magic and passed some of their power to their children and so on and so forth." The woman pulls out a kettle, milk, and a jar of ground chocolate. "It's the only reason you can see my house."

"What do you mean," Victoria turned around on the couch.

"I used a low-level cloaking spell on my house." The woman empties the two containers into the kettle and puts the kettle on the stove, lighting it with her fire thumb. "It keeps the...magically inclined from bothering me. Anyway, what do you want with Wilda?"

"I'm hoping she could, I dunno, teach me," Victoria got off the couch and walked to the kitchen window. "If this is her magic, maybe she could help me?"

"Sorry, not how magic works," said the woman, "she may have given you magic, but that ball of energy inside of you is all your own. You could be a fire witch like me or a necromancer, or a dream witch, or, gods forbid, a beast witch." The kettle starts whistling. The woman grabs two plastic cups, pours the hot chocolate in, pulls out a bag of caramels, and drops one in each glass. The woman pushes the glass to Victoria over the counter.

"Thanks," Victoria takes the cup, noticing that it's not as hot as it should be. She takes a sip and finds that she can drink the whole cup without even a slight burn. "Woah, that was..."

"Perfect?" the woman, leaned over the counter, proud, "In the three hundred years I've known magic, this is still my favorite potion." Victoria's eyes widen as the looks at the woman, the woman looking back with a sly grin.

"No way," said Victoria.

"What's wrong, Vic," said the woman, "didn't expect your deca-great grandma to still look like she's in her thirties?" Victoria leaps over the counter and hugs Wilda as tight as she could. Wilda returns with an even tighter hug.

Meanwhile, back inside Victoria, the orb cracks, revealing a dark purple light inside.

____________________

Thanks for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any notes or critiques, please don't be afraid to comment below (as long as they're constructive (or funny)).

Be safe, drink lots of water, and be kind to each other!

ToonMan, AWAY!

----------{Lynn Woods Reservation// 8 AM}----------

It's a beautiful fall morning in the middle of the woods. The sun is shining, the rivers are flowing, and a small bird finds its way onto a wooden window sill to sing its song. Until it nearly gets roasted by a ball of fire and flies off. Inside the wooden cabin a young woman buries herself into her blanket.

"Too early!" The woman groaned as she waved her finger, and the shades closed. The woman pulled her hand back under the sheet as she tried to get comfortable. Then there were several knocks at the door.

The woman sat up instantly, still covered in her blanket. She pulls it off to reveal her crazy long black hair, near white skin, and red eyes. She focused in on the front door. Suddenly there were four more knocks causing the woman to jump in her bed. The woman quickly crawled over the side of her bed and pulls out a pink robe to put on.

The woman slowly walks through her home towards the front door. Every few seconds the knocks at the door gets louder. The woman places her ear against the door and hears the mutterings of a high pitched voice. The woman places a hand behind her back, creating a fire ball. The woman opens the door, just enough to peep through.

Outside is a young, bronzed skinned woman, at least sixteen, dirty blonde hair, brown eye, and dressed in hiking gear. The teen meets the woman's gaze and the woman slams the door in a panic.

"Rude," said the teen.

"Quis es, et quid vis?!" said the woman, back against the door.

"Uhhh," the teen looked at the door in confusion. She walked over to a window and tried to look in before the blinds suddenly shut. "Hello, it's Victoria, I sent a letter." The woman grimaces before looking over at a pile of letters and magazines stacked on her coffee table.

"Sorry, I don't really get a lot of mail out here," said the woman. "What do you want? Are you lost or something?"

"I don't think so," said Victoria, "I'm looking for Wilda Belle, I was told she might live out here." The front door opens slowly. Victoria looks inside the darkened cabin and sees no one. "Nope." Victoria walks several feet away from the cabin. The woman peaks from behind the door and then walks out in a huff.

"What the hell!" the woman screamed.

"I'm not stupid," Victoria screamed back, "I'm not just gonna walk into some strange woman's dark cabin. How stupid do you think I am?"

"Stupid enough to walk out into the middle of the woods alone," the woman crossed her arms smugly.

"I have a phone," Victoria waved a smartphone in front of her.

"That I can promise you has no signal," said the woman. Victoria checks her phone and then groans. "Didn't really think this through did ya? What do you want with that old hag anyway?"

"Why should I tell you?" said Victoria.

"You wanted to find her, right?" said the old woman, "How do I know you're not some crazy person?"

"She's my...great grandma," said Victoria.

"Bull," The woman leered at Victoria.

"She is," yelled Victoria, "and I need to ask her about some stuff."

"About how you can see things that others can't?"the woman suddenly appeared behind Victoria in a loose orange T-shirt, green overalls, and hiking boots. Victoria jumped as she turned around.

"How did you..." Victoria slowly backed away from from the woman until she tripped landing on an old sofa. She looks around to find herself in the now lit cabin. The woman walks in, closing the door behind her.

Yeah, reading it back over again, I think I see what you're getting at. Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, your feedback is greatly appreciated!

I may not be asking this right, but what precisely did you not find interesting, or was this just not the kind of story you expected?

Lizzy slides off the bench and scooches over to Adam. "So, Bartholomew, you wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"...I had a dream we got married," said Adam.

"Really," said Lizzy, "I couldn't tell, the giant black bear looked just like my dad."

"It was right after I got cursed," said Adam, "at first it just blended in with the other thoughts, but after a while, I dunno, it got stronger. I'd be thinking about something completely unrelated and the dream would just push itself to the front of my mind."

"Why didn't you tell me...?" said Lizzy.

"Because I...I didn't want to ruin this," interrupted Adam. "For better or for worse, you are my best friend, bar none. I've known you since freshman year and you've made my life better, even when I came home broken, bruised, and bleeding from when we tried to make homemade soup, I still had a great time because it was with you. I didn't want to risk..." Before Adam could finish, Lizzy grabbed him by the face and kissed him.

"No you idiot," yelled Lizzy, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?! For twelve years I've had a crush on you, TWELVE YEARS! I've always told myself that if you had wanted to you would have said something or at least given me a hint, but nothing, nada. Do you have any idea how..." Lizzy noticed that Adam was still dazed by the kiss. Several clouds flew out of his head displaying fireworks. Lizzy lightly slaps him on the cheek. "Hey, wake up! I'm venting some pent-up frustration and I..." Adam kissed Lizzy back, almost knocking her to the ground. "For the record, you're getting an earful tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" asked Adam. Lizzy pulls him in close by his shirt collar.

"Did I stutter?!" said Lizzy.

"Tomorrow it is then," said Adam. The two continue kissing as a dozen cloud hearts float above them.

____________________

Thank you very much for reading! If you have any comments or critiques, please don't be afraid to let me know down below (As long as they're constructive (or funny)).

Stay safe, drink plenty of water, and be nice to one another.

ToonMan, AWAY!

An exhausted Adam and Lizzy slow down to a stop at the end of a sidewalk.

"Good thing those things make good distractions," said Lizzy. "Also, please tell me you didn't eat that burger."

"Uhhhhh," said Adam as a cloud flew out of his mouth playing the sound of violent vomiting. Adam waved the cloud away frantically.

"Come on, man, you're supposed to be the smart one," said Lizzy.

"Uhhh, Look! hot dogs! You love hot dogs," yelled Adam as he pointed to a hot dog kart parked at a park. Lizzy looks at the kart and then back at Adam.

"You know me so well," said Lizzy. The two walk over to the kart, Adam buys two hot dogs and hands them to Lizzy. Adam pays for the hot dogs and when he turns back to Lizzy her cheeks are stuffed. She smiles as she swallows. Another small cloud forms next to Adam still playing 'Hear Comes The Bride,' But is quickly blown away by Lizzy's meat burp.

"Gross!" said Adam, laughing. Adam buys himself another hot dog and the two find a park bench on a hill to sit on. Adam and Lizzy spend hours talking, laughing, and waving away clouds until the sun starts setting.

"...and that's the last I saw of Roberto," said Lizzy, "Hopefully he's out there saving others from my fate. Anyway, how was your weekend?"

"Nothing crazy," said Adam, "E-mails, video games, not getting banned from the zoo by feeding the peacocks bread."

"They looked hungry!" yelled Lizzy, "I swear, they're not feeding those animals properly..." As Lizzy goes off on another rant, Adam focuses completely on her, not missing a word. So much so that he doesn't notice the extra large flat screen-sized cloud floating above him. Lizzy looks behind Adam, seeing the fully formed cloud and blushing hard.

"There's a cloud right behind me isn't there?" asked Adam. Lizzy nodded. Adam turned around to see a beautiful forest wedding, him as a tin man in a suit watching Lizzy in a green and white wedding dress walk down the aisle with a nine-foot black bear giving her away. Adam tries to fan the cloud away but it moves out of his reach. The podium transforms into a mecha priest.

"Do you, Lilla Zenith Cross, take Adam to be your husband?" asked Mecha Priest. Lizzy's mouth is covered by a censor bar as she talks. "And do you, Bartholomew Drew Adams, take Lizzy to be your wife?"

"I do," said Dream Adam.

"Then, with the power invested in me, sponsored by Sony," said Mecha Priest, "I now pronounce you Boss Bitches, you may now throw the wedding grenade!" Mecha Priest's chest opens up to reveal a diamond-crusted grenade. Adam takes the grenade and presents it to Lizzy, she pulls the pin. Adam pulls Lizzy close as he throws the grenade into the air. The two kiss as the grenade goes off, destroying the cloud.

"Whoa," said Real Lizzy, redder than a tomato. She looks at Adam who is hunched over on the ground, faces firmly planted in his hands. "Your first name is 'Bartholomew?'" Adam lets out the loudest groan possible.

Adam and Lizzy were hanging out at their usual gross dinner for their weekly lunch. The two sit across from each other in their favorite booth. Adam starts talking when a small cloud forms next to his head. He quickly noticed and fanned the cloud away.

"Thought bubbles still giving your trouble, huh?" said Lizzy.

"God, you have no idea," said Adam. "I have to be on high alert every time I'm around people. If I even look at someone a stupid cloud forms." As if on cue, another cloud forms on the other side of his head and he waves that one away too.

"At least you've gotten better at dealing with it," said Lizzy. "A year ago you barely noticed that they were there. Remember when Mac had to give that presentation and you remembered how he crapped his pants at the middle school dance?"

"They called him 'Brown Town' for months," said Adam. "I still apologize every time I pass his office."

"At least he forgave you," said Lizzy. "Remember your old boss, Mrs. Grey."

"I wish I didn't," said Adam as another cloud formed above his head. Lizzy pointed at it and Adam swatted it away like the rest. "She didn't deserve to get publicly outed in front of the whole store like that."

"On the bright side," said Lizzy, "She seems really happy with her new husband."

"She married the busboy?!" said Adam.

"If you mean the 'aspiring screenwriter,' then yes," said Lizzy, letting out a small giggle. Adam slammed his face on the table. Another, slightly larger cloud appeared over Adam and Lizzy swatted it away. "Hey, think of all the good this curse has done for you. You helped your brother and dad make up."

"Stubborn idiot, only can honest when he's on death's door and thinks no one can hear him," said Adam.

"And what about Lee's and Ann's wedding?" said Lizzy.

"Oh, man! I nearly forgot about that," said Adam. Another large cloud popped into existence playing 'Here Comes The Bride.' Adam blows it away.

"Bet they're really happy you remembered their first kiss," said Lizzy.

"I bet they're happier I closed my eyes when I did," said Adam.

"Hey, you have a working mouth and one of them has working ears," said Lizzy, "You could have said something." The two laughs as a cloud the size of a TV appears behind Adam, still playing 'Hear Comes The Bride.' Adam grabs his menu and fans it away. He sits back down exhausted.

"Something on your mind, champ?" said Lizzy.

"Nothing, just another thought wanting to get out of the old brain palace," said Adam. Lizzy glares at him with suspicion. "What?"

"You only talk like an old man when you're hiding something," said Lizzy, "Come on, spit it out, It might help." Adam blushes hard as several small clouds appear around the booth, all playing 'Hear Comes The Bride.' Before any of the clouds take shape, Adam huffs and puffs and blows them all away with the help of his menu. A greasy, fat old man pokes his head out of the kitchen.

"Hey!" yelled the old man, "I worked hard for that C- rating! If you can keep your head out of the clouds then get out!" A cloud appears in the middle of the dinner, showing the old man handing Adam a burger.

"Why is the cheese green?" asked Past Adam.

"Well, in honor of the only author I respect," said the past old man, "I'm doing green meals!"

"Oh, that's cool I guess," said Past Adam. "So, how did you get the food dye in the cheese?"

"Food dye?" said the past old man. The present old man leaped at the cloud, making it disappear. When he gets up he stares at the now-empty booth.

A rookie couple brags a bit too much to a pair of veterans, time to show them what real love looks like.

You got Isekaied into a magical world as a ghostly guardian bound to a magical weapon hidden in a magic forest...it's so lonely.

After a wave of mysterious energy hits Earth, all of the plant life hyper-evolves by billions of years, overgrowing cities in seconds. Now trapped on a planet ruled by nature, the surviving humans now have to rebuild society, but nature is going down without a fight.

That was next level evil.

Setting: A tropical island slowly being consumed by lava.

Character 1: Elijah, a nobody turned multidimensional hero by complete accident.

Character 2: Vee, Elijah's best friend, eternal rival, harshest critic, and the last thing standing between Elijah and a quite, normal life.

Can we get a kind of "where are they now" follow up. I really want Doug and Steven to work it out.

Man, I've been there. Just trick her into getting on the bed and she'll be out cold. Trust me, nothing makes sense when you're on a energy drink binge.

When you planned on coming out to your parents, you were expecting a long, drawn-out conversation, like on TV. What you got was a "neat."

An actual demigod falls in love with the definition of a loser. Why? Because they help the demigod retain their humanity.

It was another tower, another monster, another princess. Sure the pay was steady and people were happy, but you've always wondered what else a knight could do.