"David Stutler if you're not up and dressed in twenty minutes, I'm leaving without you!" Dave's seventeen year old sister, Rose, called up the stairs. She's such a pain. Dave thought as he sat up in bed petting his dog Tank. David glanced at his Buzz Lightyear alarm clock and groaned. The only reason Rosy wanted him up so early was so that she could hang out with her friends in the High School parking lot before school. "And don't forget you have your field trip to the city today!" Rose hollered upstairs once more. The fieldtrip! David smiled. Jumping out of bed, Dave raced around the room collecting everything he'd need for school and getting dressed at the same time.

"See you after school Tank!" Dave said as he ran out of the room and down the stairs.

"Finally!" Rose's best friend and the Stutler's neighbor Lexi exclaimed once Dave entered the kitchen. Dave rolled his eyes, Lexi prided herself on being the most dramatic person in the room, she'd been that was since the Andrews moved next door four years ago. Not bothering the respond to Lexi, Dave opened the fridge and reached for the carton of milk.

"Oh no." Rose scolded, "If you wanted Breakfast you should have gotten up earlier." Closing the fridge, Rose handed her little brother a banana and ushered him out the front door. Grudgingly Dave climbed in the back of his sister's eighty-nine Mustang Convertible and started chomping away at the banana. The car reached the junior high relatively fast, but Dave was glad to be rid of his sister and her friend. He hopped out of the car and started searching for his only friend, Oscar, not bothering to say bye to Rose and Lexi.

"Kids." Lexi shrugged as Rosy put the car in gear, leaving for the High School.

"You're not supposed to be doing that Dave." Oscar pointed out. Dave ignored him and continued sketching something on the School bus window. Dave, Oscar and the rest of their class were on their way to New York City for a day long field trip.

"Wait for it...Now!" Dave exclaimed. In that instant Dave's sketch of a monkey with airplanes firing at it lined up perfectly with the Empire State Building, recreating the scene from King Kong.

"Hey Dave!" Becky Barnes shouted from the row across, "That's cool." She nodded with approval. Dave smiled back at her goofily. The bus came to a halt, the class had reached their first stop. Everyone filed out of the bus and gathered around their teacher , Miss Algar. Miss Algar began talking about the history of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Dave was only half-listening as he dig around in his backpack for a notebook. I want to be Dave's: Friend or Girl Friend (Circle one.) Dave scrawled across the paper before tearing it off and whispering to Oscar.

"Pass this to Becky." Oscar nodded and passed the note to the girl next to him, whispering the same thing. The note was passed between three or four more kids before reaching Becky. Becky read the note and glanced back at Dave before circling something , folding the note back up and tucking it under a small rock. Miss Algar began leading the class to the Ellis Island Ferry so Dave ran forward to collect Becky's note. Just as he reached the rock Becky had tucked the note under, a gust of wind overturned the rock and carried the note away. Without thinking Dave began to chase after the note.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" He exclaimed weaving in and out of the crowded streets; following the fluttering piece of paper through the city. He paused momentary when he watched the note flutter into a creepy looking shop. Arcana Cabana - Antiques, Obscurities, Unusual Gifts. Dave read from the sign hanging above the door. The place was creepy, but Dave had to know what Becky had circled. Pushing door to the shop open, Dave stepped inside, looking around. There was so much stuff crammed into this one little store. Dave wondered around trying to see everything at one. He didn't notice the three foot tall urn until he'd knocked into it and it was sailing towards the ground. A man appeared out of nowhere and stopped the urn from toppling to the ground.

"The second emperor of the Han dynasty locked his least loved wife in this urn for ten years to the day. They say the same will happen to you." The man stated. Dave's eyes widened as he looked up at the man. There was something eerily mystical about him. Maybe it was the leathery trench coat he was wearing or the light brown hair that fell just to the man's shoulders. Either way Dave was certain he didn't want to upset this man.

"I-I'm sorry!" Dave stammered. "I'm looking for this note, have you seen it? It kind of just blew into your store."

"a note?" The man asked.

"It blew into your store." David repeated. "It was just a..."

"Coincidence." The man said mystically.

"Yeah. It was just a coincidence."

"I have something I'd like to show you Dave." The man said as if he'd just decided something.

"How'd you know my name is Dave?" The boy questioned.

"Because I can read minds!" The man exclaimed. Dave's eyes opened wide in shock causing the man to chuckle. "It's on your backpack." he said before leaving the room. The man returned with a small stone box and placed it on the counter. Removing the lid, the man took out the box's contents, A dragon figurine. "This is very special and if it likes you, you can keep it." The man said holding the figurine out to Dave.

"I'd better not." Dave said shaking his head. "My teacher said I couldn't be gone for long. She knows I'm here."

"You're a bad liar Dave." Then man said seriously. "That's good." Dave turned to leave, but the shop door slammed shut. Oh boy. Reluctantly Dave turned back to the shopkeeper and plucked up the dragon. The instant the dragon was set it David's palm it shook its head and ruffled its wings. To Dave's amazement the dragon climbed to the other side of his hand, wrapped his legs and tail around his forefinger, folded its wings and settled there.

"No way." Dave whispered in astonishment.

"I have been searching a very long time." The man said with relief. "Magically, here you are. That ring on your finger means something Dave. It means you're going to be a very important sorcerer one day. And your first lesson begins with your very own Encantus. Do not move, do not touch anything." The man was very serious as he disappear from the room again.