The Secrets Of The Gordian Knot Book 1: Book Of Secrets

Chapter 1 - The Raven

On a chilly January day, as the sun slowly set in the west, an eerie silence fell over the park on the corners of Jefferson Street and South 15th Street in Hollywood, Florida. As the sun began to set, most of the children and their parents retreated to their cars and drove home or walked across the street to retreat into their air-conditioned homes. But only two people were left outdoors, watching the glowing yellow-orange sphere disappear into the western sky. Spot-breasted Orioles sang beautifully. They were currently in the 4th Grade of Elementary School and began to look forward to their 5th year of school which was about to happen after the summer. After that: middle school.

One was an 11-year-old boy sitting on the bench. He was a brown-eyed, bespectacled lad who was about the height of a 17-year-old high school baseball player but he seemed like he was in good shape. His hair was brown and curly, with a glimmer of red when it shone in the sun. He wore a gray flat cap that looked like it was about 50 years old and a blue bracelet on his left arm, made of a mysterious sapphire blue stone. His name was James Evercreetch. The other was a young girl who was about the same age as him and looked like him too only he was slightly taller. By about 3 millimeters. She had brown hair with a glimmer of red as well, but she had blue eyes and wore a pair of ear gauges. She wore a matching bracelet, but she wore it on her right arm. Her name was Melissa Evercreetch. She almost had the same appearance as her mother. She was his twin sister. Melissa was born six minutes before James and she did not let her brother forget it, but despite this, they were best friends. Melissa loved her brother dearly and was willing to do anything to protect him, including from bullies, but they loved to compete against each other. A group of 6 boys, including a blonde kid and his younger brother, came up to the twins. James looked right at them while his sister was looking at a magazine.

"Hey, Ronnie," said James. "Beat up another 6-year-old"?
"This one deserved it," Ronnie said.
His friends agreed: "Yeah."

One of his friends, Jacob, said, "You guys missed it. Ronnie gave the kid an amazing right hook. It was awesome. He begged for mercy like a dog, didn't he?".
His friends said, "Hell yeah."
"6 against 1. That's very brave," said Melissa, who talked while she read her book.
"We'll see you later, you guys," said Mike, who was one of Ronnie's friends. Immediately after they left, Melissa jumped off of the bench and darted out to the middle of the baseball field. James followed soon after. "Mel, what are you doing?!" James asked Melissa.
"We can't just leave that little kid there alone. We need to take him home!" The 6-year-old boy was lying unconscious, flat on the ground, all beaten and sore, with a black eye covered in dirt from the baseball diamond. "Are you okay?", said Melissa. The young boy looked up at her as she cradled him in her arms. The young boy said: "I think so." James soon came to his sister's side. Melissa asked what his name was.
"David," he said timidly.
"Hi David, I'm Melissa and this is my twin brother, James."
"Hi," said James.
"Can you take me home?" said David.
"Sure. James, let's go!" said Melissa.
"Hey David," James said to the young boy while he held his hand. "When I was your age, I was bullied a lot, but I had my sister to protect me. She's a tough girl. One thing I learned from getting bullied is that you should never let them get under your skin. Stick up for yourself but don't lash out. It will make things worse. Those guys who just beat you up are nothing but a bunch of cowards. You need to stand your ground and fight."
"I don't know how to fight!" David said.
Melissa replied, "Just think of someone or something that you hate." They took the young boy to his house across the street. When the twins told the boy's mother what happened to her son, she was appalled and then they went home. "That was some nice advice you gave the kid," Melissa said to her brother.
"Well, I learned it from you," James replied. When Melissa heard this, she smiled at him. She gently clasped her brother's hand and then walked on.

At the same time, 1400 miles away from Florida, tucked away in the Berkshire Mountains of New England, was Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. On top of it was a large castle. It wasn't just any castle; it was a school called the Ilvermorny School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. Many people in the towns below have claimed to have seen this castle, as well as hikers on the Appalachian Trail, on which Mount Greylock is. However, it was well-hidden by the mist and forest and the spells that surrounded the school. Emaline Goode, a young woman, who was about 25 years old with red hair eyes and green eyes, was the Deputy Headmistress of the school. She was tasked with writing acceptance letters for the class of 2012. Next on her list was James, followed by his twin sister, Melissa. As she finished writing the twins' letters, she placed a pair of gold pendants in the shape of a Trinity Knot in both of their envelopes. "Morrigan!" she yelled and then whistled and summoned forth a very large black raven that flew to her desk. "How are you doing, girl?" She said as she gave the raven a piece of meat.