Like usual, Inna and I locked ourselves away inside our tiny bedroom that we shared together. It was Inna's sixteenth birthday, but being in foster care, it was like any other day with our "family" at the time. After all of these years, you eventually get use to the lack of attention, affection, and emotion from the faceless people who happen to be your "parents", at least for the time being, but it didn't matter to me. All that mattered was that I had my younger sister, Inna. That we hadn't been torn apart. Through thick and thin, through rough and tough, we always had each other. So unlike the other kids who rebelled and caused havoc, we found solace in our bond. She was all the family I needed. "I have something for you," I called to Inna as she gazed up at the moon outside of our bedroom window. "Close your eyes and no peeking." "Okay, okay." She listened, placing her hands over her eyes. I reached under my pillow and pulled out a tiny crystal charm that I kept hidden from her since...that night. Our last night with our real family, our last night with magic. I took her hand in mine and placed the crystal in her palm. "You can open your eyes now. Happy birthday," I whispered. "Oh. My. God. Its beautiful! I love it!" She jumped on me, causing us to fall backwards onto the ground. I couldn't help but laugh. "You're the best you know that, right?" She smiled. "Alright, enough with the lovey dovey stuff." I laughed. "We need to get some sleep so we aren't late for our plane tomorrow." She jumped into bed immediately at the thought of leaving this hell hole for a whole year at some boarding school thousands of miles away. Everything was fully paid for so might as well take advantage of it. It would be stupid not to. I quickly got into bed myself, turned off our side light, and drifted off to sleep, hoping my nightmares would give me a night off. ∆∆∆∆∆ "WAKE UP, IVY!!" Inna yanked the blankets off of me, causing a wave of cold air to hit my body in every direction. She then proceeded to jump on the bed while singing, off key I might add, some annoying but catchy song. Just kill me now. "You're lucky you're my sister or I would have..." I rambled off as I forced myself into the shower. Once I got out, I gazed into my bedside mirror in dismay. My long, dark hair cascaded down to my hips, half of me wanting to just grab the scissors and chop it all off. But after thirty seconds of contemplation, I huffed in frustration and just put it in a messy bun. Inna, even in a rush, looked beautiful as always. Her curly, dark locks flowed effortlessly down her back. Her eyes were bright and welcoming while mine looked tired and worn down. She didn't need a drop of make-up because her caramel complexion was flawless. One word to describe my complexion? Zombie. In a hurry, I got dressed, grabbed Inna and our things, and rushed to the bus stop. Tapping my toe on the shaky bus floor, I sighed as the blinding light of the mid-morning sky started to give me a headache, and Inna's constant gum popping wasn't helping either. After about thirty minutes, the airport finally came into sight, and we rushed off of the bus and through the dozens of people entering through the entrance doors. After checking in, we dropped our bags off at baggage claim and made our way to the terminal, Inna happily leading the way. "I can't wait until we get there!" My sister exclaimed as she slunk down into the window seat of the plane. "Can't wait for all that learning, huh?" I whispered jokingly in her ear. She stuck her tongue out at me in response and closed her eyes. I waited patiently until she drifted off to sleep to let my mind wander off in thought. For the past ten years, it's just been Inna and I, bouncing from house to house, never really having a place to call home. We never stayed at one place long enough to make any real friends, but to be honest, I liked it better that way. I didn't trust anybody. Not after that night. I gazed at Inna with sorrow, unable to stop my mind from drowning in the tragedies of our past. My little sister didn't remember an ounce of it. Our family, the power, the secrets. And I thanked the stars above that she didn't. Why you may ask? Simple. I might seem like I got it all together, but I was an emotional wreck. It was pathetic really. The memories from that night have become my daily nightmares. Paranoia, worry, and fear have become the only constants in my life, and I'll do anything in my power to keep Inna from suffering along with me. Like hell will I let her go through that. I'm the big sister. It was my responsibility to keep her safe. And as long as we didn't use magic, I could do just that. 'Protect her.' My mother's last words echoed through my head. My heart began to race as my heavy memories began to overwhelm me. I clamped my eyes shut tight as I felt the floor beneath me start to shake. Calm down, Ivy. Just breathe. The shaking grew stronger and stronger by the second, and people started to panic. "Everyone, please remain calm. Keep your seatbelts fastened. We will reach our destination shortly," someone spoke calmly over the intercom. "Turbulence!!!" A man screamed out in one of the aisles behind us. Please, just go away. The shaking slowly subsided, and the plane started to descend. I took a shaky breath. With my luck, I opened my eyes to find Inna staring right at me, but I quickly averted her gaze. Thank you, I thought to myself. I loosened my grip on my seat and let out a sigh. As we exited the plane, a million different possibilities of what could go wrong weighed down my heart. Then I took a deep breath, smiled, and grabbed my sister's hand, looking over at her. Her genuine smile mirrored my fake one. This year will be different. I know it. I hope that I'm right.