I awake to a nudge in my sore back. I stayed up late last night adding the finishing touches to a painting I made for an art exhibition/contest hosted by my school. I'm utterly exhausted, and the last thing I want to do go to school to submit my artwork. URGH! It's an off day I should be allowed to sleep in!

"What?" I mumble from beneath my pillow my words barely legible.

"Do you still want to go to school? You told me to wake you up." A voice asks.

I roll over and open my eyes to see my father fully dressed carrying a satchel undoubtedly filled with more books for his decently sized bookstore, which he runs in the heart of the town. Weird. Usually his bookstore would be closed on the weekends.

"Want and must are two very different terms, so-no I do not want to go to school but I must, because I want to when this amateur art competition" I correct him "But" I add softly with a small smile"I do appreciate you waking me up"

"Your welcome" He says rolling his eyes "I know how distracted you can get if you spot one of your friends, so be back by three, there's someone I'd like for you to meet." He adds.

"Okay" I reply. As he turns away I add "By the way where are you going, isn't your store closed today?"

He lets out a sigh. I can't see his face, but I can tell he wanted to avoid this question, which only increases my curiosity.

"I'm just going to meet a friend" he states. Before I can inquire further, he leans down pecks me on the cheek and quickly bids me goodbye, leaving the room in an uncharacteristic hurry. Huh.

I climb out of bed quickly and check the time on a clock on my bedroom wall, the wall covered in my drawings of my father and I, some of my best friend Isabelle and her siblings Max, Alec, and her adopted brother Jace. Some paintings of Isabelle and I, and even a few of her individual siblings hang on the walls. The clock reads 10:43. How could I have slept in so long!

I throw the bedspread off of me and frantically climb out of my large canopy bed. Registration for the contest ends at 11:30am, and my art teacher, Jasmine Farley, is coming to pick me up at 11:00. Luckily I bathed last night so I won't need to this morning, I throw on a green gathered A-line skirt that reaches my ankles with nude pantyhose, a black button-up blouse, and brown lace-up booties. I have never been one to dress up unnecessarily...unless I am going to a social event with Isabelle, then I have no choice. I cautiously dab a corner of the painting to see if it's dry, it passes the test. Next I dab the area with the most amount of paint, and the cloth comes away clean. I quickly and carefully put the painting in my portfolio, and sprint downstairs. I grab an apple from our fruit bowl, and rush outside as a small automobile pull up outside our house, I recognize it as Ms. Farley's. I hurriedly lock the door, and run up to the car.


A/N There you have it...a short, short, short, extremely short chapter. I just really wanted to publish, and I was impatient. This is my first fanfiction, and I am overly welcoming to criticism. Please read and leave a comment. I have a whole half of a long plot ready and...unwritten. This was just a way for me to dip my toe in the water. I will introduce Alauna in the next chapter, which is hopefully longer. Stay tuned for the next chapter (I an a procrastinator and a slow typer so that'll come out...next year. JK!) and thank you for reading!

-Darkling Princess

(P.S If you got my profile name and picture PM me ;))