A Word About Jack Sutton
Jack Sutton, age 10, athlete, fifth grade student. Middle child of Mark and Julie Sutton of Wayland Ohio. Older brother Chase Sutton, younger brother Cody Sutton. Short, with strawberry blond hair and blue green "tornado" eyes.
Daniel Halpern, age 10, athlete only in the loosest sense of the word, fifth honors grade student. Only, adopted child of Jason and Maria Halpern. Very nerdy, but enjoys sports despite his complete lack of coordination. Very tall, 5 feet, with mousey brown hair and brown eyes. Very smart, loves to read.
Jack Sutton woke up early, in time to practice shooting in the backyard before school. Sports were his relaxer, his time to be totally free. He was a gifted athlete, the best on any team. Soccer was his favorite. He was looking forward to today, the last practice before the county tournament. He was more than ready for it, and was looking forward to the temporary escape from school.
At around 8, Jack's dad came out to take him to school. Jack delayed for as possible, wanting to get out of the spelling test today. He couldn't spell at all, and didn't want to deal with it. But his dad pointed out that he was up at the crack of dawn practicing, so clearly he was healthy. Jack sighed, grabbed his bag, and got in the car, stuffed between Chase and Cody in the back seat. On the way, he checked his soccer bag, making sure he had his uniform, shin guards, and ball. He checked his back pack for his water bottle and snack, then leaned back against the seat.
"You ready for that test today son? I don't remember seeing you study last night," his dad asked from the front. Jack rolled his eyes.
"I had soccer practice until 7 last night, dad. I didn't have time! Besides, it's just spelling," Jack said.
"You better do well, Jack. You can't get a D in spelling this year."
Jack nodded and stared out the window. The rest of the ride to school passed in silence. They got to the middle school, and Chase scrambled out, running to class. Five minutes later they got to the elementary school, and Jack hurried out, waiting to walk Cody to his second grade class.
"Come on buddy, don't wanna be late."
The day did NOT improve from there. Jack had forgotten his math homework, resulting in a 20 minute after school detention. That was how he found himself in the alley with Daniel Halpern, the Dragon's bench warmer and an all-around super geek, when the light appeared.
Jack had stopped to ask Dan why he wasn't at practice when it appeared. It seemed like a hole had opened up in the wall of one of the buildings. One minute, Jack and Dan where standing the alley, the next they were falling through space, to the unknown.
Jack woke up in a field surrounded by renaissance fair workers. Sor at least, thats how they appeared. Men in armor with wicked looking swords were staring down at him. And standing between two of them, trapped by his shoulders, was Daniel, in his grey sweatshirt and shorts. The knights were staring at Jack with worry in their eyes. The leader watched Jack for a minute before speaking.
"Your highness, are you alright? We saw a light in the sky and found you with your servant. Was the servant boy harming you?" He asked.
It took Jack a second to realize that the knight was talking to him. He stared blankly for a minute, seeing Dan look at him nervously.
"No, no, he's fine," Jack said, still confused. "You can let him go, Daniel can't hurt anyone." The knights looked at Jack suspiciously for a second, then pushed Dan to the ground, letting him go. The captain of the knights turned back to Jack.
"Let us escort you back to the castle, your Highness? Your father has been looking for you, and you must want to change out of that strange garb."
Jack looked down at his Dragons uniform. The red shirt with the great big green dragon on it looked back up at him. He was very proud of the uniform, proud of the fact that he had finally earned the right to wear it. He didn't want to take it off and risk losing it in this strange world. But the knights worried him. He felt the need to follow them, to go along with what they were saying, to avoid getting hurt. So he nodded and followed them back to the castle.
When they returned to the castle, the knights left Jack at the front door.
"I would change into more appropriate clothes before appearing before your father, Highness. Do you require your servant to help you change?"
It took Jack a minute to realize that the knight was talking to him.
"Uh, sure. Dan can come to," he said, before noticing the way Dan was glaring at him.
The knight stared at him strangely for a second before nodding. Jack turned and headed up the stairs, in the direction of what he hoped was the prince's bedroom. Dan started to follow him, but the captain cleared his throat.
"My lord, you must have hit your head harder than you thought in that fall. You do know that your quarters are in the other direction?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I must have. Thanks." He turned around and started walking in the direction the knight had pointed him in. Has he passed the captain, the man grabbed his arm.
"Perhaps you should go see Gaius. He can check your wound, ensure your health. Do you know where he is, Merlin?" He directed that last question at Dan, who started.
"Umm…" Dan seemed confused, so Jack stepped in quickly.
"Thank you, sir, but I think I will attend to my father before going to the doctor." Jack grabbed Dan and dragged him down the hall. He found an empty room and pulled Dan in with him.
"What the heck is going on Dan?" Jack let go of his teammate's arm and started pacing.
Dan seemed to unfreeze and frowned, going into think mode. "That light in the alley must have been a wormhole. The other end must have been wherever, whenever, this place is."
Jack took a minute to process this before turning to Dan. "What the heck you mean, when? Where are we Dan? And what the HELL is a wormhole?"
Dan took a deep breath before answering. "A wormhole is a tunnel connecting two different parts of the universe. They're theoretical, and many people think they hold the key to faster than light travel. I think the wormhole we when through must connect to different parts of time and space, because this place reminds me of what I've read about medieval England. Arthurian times, if I'm remembering correctly."
Dan barely had time to finish that sentence before a plump older woman burst into the room. "Your Highness! Your royal father has been expecting you for some time now. You must dress and attend to him. And Merlin, you should know better than to distract the prince with fantasies!' She grabbed both boys and dragged them down the hall to what Jack assumed was the prince's room. The woman opened a dresser and started throwing clothes at Jack.
"Merlin, help your lord dress and then take him to the throne room to see the King. Hurry, you've made him late enough already!" She left abruptly, leaving Jack with an armful of strange clothes. He stared after her. Dan snickered.
"Looks like you should get dressed, your Highness."
Jack rolled his eyes at him and started pulling on the clothes. When he looked vaguely presentable, he opened the door and looked out into the hall.
"Come on, let's go. Help me find the throne room, Merlin."