In Life's Name

I have read too many stories on this site that has someone discover wizardry after being teased and beaten up regularly. Well, there are other reasons for being willing to take the Oath. I'm trying to show a few. I haven't written for this fandom because I can never think of what someone would do for an assignment or Ordeal, but this conveniently doesn't require me to think of that. The majority of these characters will probably be girls because… well, I am one.

Since so few people read Young Wizards, those of you who do read this have more responsibility to review in this fandom than others! Not that I get many reviews, anyway, even though I've written fics for Star Wars and Harry Potter, but I still live for them. So please read and REVIEW!

A Single Squirrel

This was inspired by something I saw while riding my bike around the neighborhood one morning – the same bike ride during which I had the idea for this whole fanfic.

I just lent my copy of So You Want to be a Wizard to a friend, so I can't check Miriam's book against Nita's. Oh, well.

The squirrels had been everywhere that morning, rejoicing in late spring, hesitating, then dashing away as Miriam's bike approached, so she wasn't surprised at first glance that one more would be in the middle of the road.

That innocence lasted less than a tenth of a second. Miriam instinctively swung her head away from the sight, but it was too late. She had seen how the little body was stretched out, belly-up and noticed a triangle of red that could have been either an open mouth or blood on the neck. She winced and shuddered. This squirrel hadn't run as fast as its cousins that day.

She pushed down on her pedals, putting the dead squirrel behind her – physically, at least. But she couldn't get it out of her head.

It was just a squirrel, she told herself. Just a squirrel! Squirrels die every day!

It was true. And it wasn't as if she hadn't seen roadkill before. She usually turned her head too quickly to figure out what it was, but she had seen all sorts of things on the side of the road. Raccoons that hadn't run fast enough. Armadillos that had responded instinctively to fear and jumped straight up – ensuring that they would be hit by a car that might have otherwise gone harmlessly over them. Even squirrels.

But she had seen all that from the car, which moved so quickly that she couldn't have looked long if she had wanted to. Being here, close to the road, open to the same air that the squirrel had last breathed, and not going so quickly, the sight of death horrified her.

It's not fair, she thought. Humans mess everything up. What defense do animals have against cars? They make one bad choice about which way to run and they're dead! Sure, everything has to die, but why like that?

Miriam shrugged to herself. She had been all around her neighborhood. It was getting boring to ride the same paths every day, but she had to do something to burn off energy, and she didn't like to cross the big streets to another neighborhood. She headed for her house.

The red triangle on the squirrel's head or neck was still haunting her. Why had it had to die?

She shook the image out of her head. Get over it. You can't save animals. You're barely even thirteen! It's not like anyone would listen to you if you tried to do something.

Miriam swung into her driveway and leapt off the bike. She rolled it in and tossed her helmet to the side, then went into the house.

"Hi, Merry," her mother called. "Have a good ride?"

"Yeah," Miriam said, but her mind was elsewhere. Surely one dead squirrel shouldn't have affected her so much, but she still wished that there was something she could do to help something. She hated being thirteen. Too young to vote. Too young to go anywhere alone beyond the scope of her bicycle. Too young for adults to listen to her.

Miriam slumped on her bed. She was out of books, and she didn't feel like asking to go to the library. All her friends would be asleep – she was an early riser. She certainly didn't want to start working on her homework. She had to take notes on the new chapter in science, one of her least favorite assignments.

She got up and wandered around the house. There was usually something interesting to read. She stopped in front of the bookcase in the living room and contemplated all the familiar spines of books she had never even looked at the title of.

Wait.

That one wasn't familiar.

And it didn't have a title.

Miriam pulled it out. It was a simple, blue, hardback book, probably about three hundred pages, worn at the corners. Like plenty of hardback books, its front and back covers had nothing on them, but it didn't have a decorated paper cover over it, and the spine didn't even have a hint of the titles that all books had there. Curious, she opened it.

On the inside cover, someone had written two words.

An answer.

An answer to what? Miriam frowned and headed back to her room. She sat on the bed and opened it again.

No title page. No copyright page. No dedication. No torn edges where these pages should have been. The publisher had dived straight in to the first chapter.

Wizardry.

Oookay, this is not weird at all, Miriam thought, trying to drown out her misgivings with humor. There were plenty of books on wizardry, witchcraft, astrology, fairies, and every other facet of myth in her house, but this one seemed to take it seriously.

Feeling as if she was figuratively at the safe distance of the world of sanity, assuring herself that nothing was true, ready to laugh at herself for humoring the writers this far, Miriam began to read.

And read.

And read.

And believe what she read.

She didn't want to. She had been brought up in a family that valued logic. She had never believed anything that couldn't be proved. She wasn't even religious. But this was something she couldn't resist. Not just that it was fascinatingly well written and convincing, but that it told her things that she had longed for.

She was only thirteen, but she could be a wizard. In fact, she would be more powerful than the adults. She would have to keep it secret, but she could still do it. She could make a difference – more of a difference than most people who could vote, drive, and make other adults listen to them!

She could defend life.

She could stop more little animals from being killed by blind, careless humans. She could help end pain. She couldn't do everything, save everything, but she could try. And make a difference.

She didn't believe it, of course. But it would have been nice if it was true. It was everything she wanted.

Finally, she turned the page, and the book began talking about how to become a wizard. Its author had been creative. Rather than the usual idea of long training and rituals, all one had to do was take an oath and survive something called "the Ordeal." That was a nice idea – that simplicity.

Suddenly, it occurred to Miriam.

She could take the Oath.

She almost laughed. That would be a good story to tell her friends! This book convinced me that I could actually do magic and all I had to do was say this oath – and guess what? I actually tried! Can you believe it?

But that was the question.

Did she believe this? Because, if she did, what she was about to do could change her life. Would change her life, if it was true.

Yes, she thought. If it's true, I want this more than anything. I don't want to see another dead squirrel and know that I can't help.

She fiddled with her bedspread. Is it true?

I'd never be able to tell my parents. My friends.

But I won't be alone. There are plenty of wizards out there…

I can't believe I'm thinking this! It's a book! Magic is a kid's story! It's not real!

But she couldn't convince herself that it wasn't. What the book had said – she could hardly admit it – what the book had said had made sense. If there was magic in the world, it would be like this.

And it was the answer. No, not the only one. An answer. But it was an answer. And she had to answer some questions herself.

Did she believe that the book could be telling the truth?

Yes.

But was she ready? Only thirteen years and two months old – barely a teenager – was she really ready to take this on?

Yes.

Would she take the Oath?

Yes.

Was she prepared that it might not work?

Yes.

Was she prepared that it might?

Yes.

Miriam's mouth moved. "In Life's –"

I can't believe I'm doing this!

She thought about the squirrel, shook her head, and started over. "In Life's name and for Life's sake…"

Miriam paused before the end. What would happen once she was finished? But she had to find out. "– till Universe's end."

There. It was over. And nothing had happened. Miriam shrugged. A story to tell her friends. She hopped off her bed.

But she didn't want to leave the plain little book. She shrugged again, sat back down, and went back to reading.

It was funny that a single squirrel had the power to change her entire life.