Chapter 1

The following characters appear in the first two chapters:

Mark Michael O'Connell

Mike and Shannon's Son, 5'-10" tall, 140 pounds, 17 years old, red hair, green eyes

Seamus Patrick O'Connell

Pat and Sheena's Son, 5'-10" tall, 142 pounds, 17 years old, red hair, gray eyes

Gwyn and Glanda O'Connell (G & G)

Mike and Gretchen's twin Daughters, 5'-6" tall, 120 pounds, 34D-22-34, 18 years old, dark auburn hair, gray eyes, very cute

Sererena and Saraid O'Connell (S & S)

Pat and Petra's twin Daughters, 5'-2" tall, 108 pounds, 34D-22-32, 18 years old, red hair, green eyes, very cute

Wolfgang Patrick O'Connell (Wolf)

Mike and Gretchen's Son, 5'-9" tall, 135 pounds, 16 years old, auburn hair, green eyes

Carl Michael O'Connell (Carl)

Pat and Petra's Son, 5'-9" tall, 134 pounds, 16 years old, reddish blond hair, blue eyes

Amelia and Anann (A & A)

Mike and Shannon's twin Daughters, 5'-2" tall, 104 pounds, 34C-22-34, 15 years old, long flaming red hair, deep green eyes, some freckles, and terribly cute

Meagan and Maureen (M & M II)

Pat and Sheena's twin Daughters, 5'-2" tall, 104 pounds, 34C-22-34, 15 years old, long flaming red hair, deep green eyes, some freckles, and terribly cute

Cessair and Coleen (C & C)

Mike and Clare's twin Daughters, 5'-1" tall, 102 pounds, 34C-22-34, 15 years old, long red hair, gray eyes, a few freckles, especially on their breasts, very cute, both are Mages

Dealla and Dymphna (D & D)

Pat and Cathleen's twin Daughters, 5'-1" tall, 102 pounds, 34C-22-34, 15 years old, long red hair, gray eyes, a few freckles, especially on their breasts, very cute, both are Mages

Gerald O'Connell

Aunt Grace's Son, 5' 9" tall, 145 pounds, almost 17 years old, red hair, green eyes

James and Jillian O'Connell

Uncle Gaelan's twins, and the only twins in the clan that weren't the same sex,

James is 5' 10" tall, 140 pounds, 16 years old, red hair gray eyes

Jillian is 5' 6" tall, 120 pounds, 34C-23-34, 16 years old, long red hair, green eyes, some freckles, and very cute

Monday, 16 June 2070

Seamus, Wolf, Carl, and I were the last ones to leave the tractor shed that afternoon. We had spent all day working on the fields along with our Mage Sisters, who had already left for home. The four of us had stayed to clean up the tractors and make sure that they were ready for use in the morning. We were only fifty feet, or so from the tractor shed when the Eternal Flame, our clan's mentor and protector, appeared in front of us.

"Mark O'Connell, I have a mission for you, your Brothers, Sisters, and Cousins. I will reappear in the Glen here in the O'Connell Realm tomorrow at 9:00 in the morning. You need to have them all assembled there then," It told us before It winked out of existence.

The four of us just stood there in shock for a short time looking at each other. This was all so sudden! What could the Eternal Flame want, and why all of us, I wondered? Then everyone started asking questions at the same time. Questions that we had no answers for.

"GUYS! We won't know anything more until tomorrow morning. Let's go home and inform the rest of the family of what we were told," I told them after a few minutes.

"Yeah, but... !!" Carl started.

"But what?" I asked.

"What are we going to tell them? We don't know anything!" he protested.

"We know that WE are responsible for getting everyone to the Glen at 9:00 in the morning. That is all that they need to know, other than that the Eternal Flame ordered it," I told him.

"Yeah, that's about it," Seamus agreed, nodding his head.

Who are we, you may be asking, and why would the Eternal Flame appear to us?

I'm Mark Michael O'Connell, and the others are my Brother Wolfgang (Wolf) Patrick, and my Cousins Seamus (Shame) Patrick and Carl Michael O'Connell. We are the sons of Michael (Mike) Sean, and Michael Patrick (Pat) O'Connell and their six Wives. Yes, you did read that correctly. Each of our Fathers has three Wives. (See Magic Ink III for more information)

Each of our Father's Wives, our Mothers, presented them with a Son and a pair of twin Daughters. There are eighteen of us children. Currently, two of our Brothers are off touring Ireland on vacation. They should be back in a couple of weeks.

"How are we going to handle this?" Shame asked, as we neared our houses, which are next door to each other.

"Maybe at dinner would be best," I suggested. "Everyone is usually here for dinner in one of our houses, or the other."

"Yeah, that is probably best," Wolf and Carl agreed.

"Who is going to make the announcement though?" Shame asked, as he wasn't big on public speaking.

"That is going to depend on where everyone is eating," I told him, sensing his nervousness before we parted to go to our own houses. After showering, Wolf and I went down to see what the agenda was for dinner tonight.

"What's for dinner?" I asked my Mom, Shannon, as we entered the kitchen. We had smelled something wonderful frying even upstairs.

"Hamburgers," she told us.

"Plus corn and green beans," Mother Gretchen added. "There are potato chips if you want them." She is Wolf's Mother, and was also working on dinner. Mother Clare wasn't here presently.

"Any idea who will be here for dinner?" I asked, nonchalantly.

"I believe all of your Sisters are here already. Why?" my Mom asked, as I started handing her plates to put the finished burgers on, as they came off the grill.

"We have a little announcement," I said, but not loudly.

"Ohh ... is it a big secret that we can't hear it now?" Mother Gretchen asked with a smile, as she handed Wolf several packages of burger buns. He already had the mayonnaise out and the cheese slices. There were plates with pickles, sliced tomatoes, and sliced onions on the table already. A meal for the entire family was a large undertaking.

"No, ma'am. It isn't a secret," Wolf told his Mother, as he began putting mayonnaise on the buns. "It's just something that we recently learned."

"So it's a surprise!" Mother Shannon said.

"Oh ... it will surprise a lot of people," I admitted, but didn't say anything more, as I got the milk out of the fridge. Wolf and I helped our Moms complete the rest of the meal preparations. Everything was ready when Dad and Mother Clare returned from whatever they had been doing.

"Go call your Sisters," Mother Gretchen told Wolf, who headed upstairs to alert our Sisters that dinner was ready.

Dinner was in the dining room. With a family as large as ours, it was the only place large enough when everyone was here to eat at the same time. There are thirteen of us after all and sometimes some of our Cousins ate here also. Of course, there were only twelve here to eat tonight, as Ken was away in Ireland presently.

Dinner was fairly quiet while we ate. There was only the passing of food and drinks. It wasn't until after the food had been consumed, but before the dishes were collected that Mother Shannon spoke up.

"What is this big announcement of yours?" she asked.

"What announcement?" Dad asked.

"Your son told us that he had an announcement before dinner, but wouldn't tell Gretchen, or me what it was," Mother Shannon told him.

"Well? What is it Son?" Dad asked.

"Ah... !" I said, knowing just how Shame had felt earlier. "It ... ah ... the Eternal Flame appeared, as we were leaving the tractor shed this afternoon. It said that all of us children need to be in the Grove tomorrow morning at 9:00. That It had a mission for us," I told my surprised Parents and Sisters.

"WHAT!?" came the shout from ten throats at nearly the same time.

"What mission?"

"Why all of us?"

"Where are we going?"

"How long will it take?" Came the questions from various people. These were all questions that I had no answers for, and that is exactly what I told them.

"That is all that I know." I had hardly gotten the words out of my mouth when Uncle Pat, his three Wives, and six Daughters showed up. They were followed by Shame and Carl.

"What the hell is going on here?" Uncle Pat demanded. He tended to cuss when he was upset.

"What do you mean?" Dad asked.

"I mean about ALL of our children going on some mission for the Eternal Flame?" he shouted. He also tends to shout when he is upset.

"Your children, TOO!!" our Moms chimed in, and everybody turned to look at ME.

"Can you explain this, Mark?" my Dad asked in a reasonably quiet tone of voice.

Chapter 2 »