Hey, everyone! Uh, this is my first fanfic ever! Go me! Uh, constructive criticism: I love it. Please tell me if I've done good, bad…I want to hear it. Just keep in mind this is my first, and I might have got some fan-fictiony elements wrong, or something…I don't know! So please, tell me if I do, and I will fix it!

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim any of the Inkworld characters: Meggie, Mo, Resa, the Black Prince, etc.

However, Serenity Chaffins and Sean Bennett are all mine:D

Beginnings, Introductions, and the Sort

Serenity Chaffins sat in her English II class, sixth period, her heart thudding in her chest. She quietly tapped her fingers on her desk, and she nervously bit her lip. She tried her best not to make eye contact with—in fact, not even look at—the teacher. So, instead, she focused her attention on a little brown spider, busily spinning its web in a crevice between two dusty cabinets in the corner of the classroom. She slowly sank into her seat, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible; she was uselessly hiding from Ms. Jones's all-seeing eye. "Are there no volunteers to read aloud today?" she had asked. When she received no response, she then replied, "Then I shall select a student at random." Her hawk-like gaze passed over each student sitting in the classroom, searching out her next victim. Serenity held her breath as she felt her teacher's eyes rest upon her, and they seemed to linger for the longest time. She concentrated even harder on the spider. Then, she heard what she had been dreading all day. "Serenity," Ms. Jones called out, "Why don't you read for us today?"

"Ms. Jones," Heather protested in vain, "Please don't make me read aloud, it's this—this thing…well, what I mean is I—"

"Now, Miss Serenity," Ms. Jones said sternly, placing her hands on her thin hips, "You have a beautiful voice, and I will not let you get away with not reading aloud, you do such a lovely job."

"But, Ms. Jones, I—"

"No, Serenity. No buts. Now, read." Ms. Jones sat down at her desk, adjusted her thin wire-rimmed glasses, and looked down at her book, "Paragraph three, if you will," her teacher prompted, and then Serenity gave a deep sigh. She took a breath, and then she began to read.

Now, let me assure you before we go any farther, Serenity Chaffins did not do poorly when it came to reading. On the contrary, she excelled at it. She was an avid reader and a very prominent writer. But she had something no one else had…some would call it a gift, and some a curse, but Serenity saw it as a sort of talent; a talent that needed to be maintained and refined—and carefully watched. It could come as a benefit or a bother…even extremely dangerous, in some cases.

This happened to be one of those cases.

She remembered it clearly—the day she had discovered this talent. How could she forget it? It was four years ago, in her 6th grade Reading Comprehension class. The teacher had called on her to read aloud. Serenity was ecstatic. She sometimes longed for the days that she looked forward to her reading classes, and the opportunity to read out loud. She always had a nice voice, crisp and clear. She never stumbled or faltered over any words, and her diction was exquisite. But that day it had been different—her voice, that is; it wasn't the same.

They were reading a novel, Inkheart. It was required reading in the state of New York. Her teacher, Mr. Lee, said that they would read out loud a few pages together each day, and eventually they would have the novel read. That day, it was Serenity's turn to read a page aloud to the class. She excitedly opened her book to the specified page, then began to read the description Fenoglio gave of the Wayless Wood.

She had never read like this before. The words gently glided off of Serenity's tongue like a softly flowing brook. They leapt and danced in front of her classmates eyes, bringing the story to life in their classroom. The children could taste, feel, smell, and see the story, as if they were thrust into it themselves…fairies fluttered overhead, leaves brushed against their cheeks, water splashed about their ankles. It was magical, and the magic seemed to leap into every one of the children's hearts, into their minds, into their souls. The feeling each of them had was indescribable.

Then, Serenity finished reading. The magic disappeared. And so did something else.

His name was Sean Bennett. He was Serenity's best friend in the world: he had been since kindergarten. He was a short boy, with freckles and a mop of hair as red as fire. He had bright blue eyes that were always full of energy and excitement, kindness and compassion. He was one of the best people Serenity had ever met, and they spent almost every waking moment together. Serenity couldn't help but smile every time she thought about him; he had the gift to always be able to make her laugh.

And then he was gone.

Serenity had completed her page. She looked up, a bright smile spread across her face. Never before had she read anything like that…ever. A bubble of pride rose up in her chest as she looked at her classmates' faces: shock, amazement, and even a little fear was evident in them all. She leaned over to the desk right next to her and whispered, "Oh, my gosh, Sean, can you believe I did that?" But she didn't get a response. She looked over to see that her friend was missing. And sitting at his desk there was a small fire elf.

"Hey, Mr. Lee," Serenity began, her voice beginning to tremble, "Do you know where Sean is?" Her teacher looked at her confusedly.

"Well," he began, his dark brow furrowed, "I don't know, he was just here. And he didn't ask to leave the room or anything."

"He was here just before Serenity began to read," A student piped in, "I know, because I asked him what page we were on." Then, the whole class, including Mr. Lee, stared at Serenity. A wave of sudden understanding rushed through the whole classroom.

"Was it just me," another student said, speaking to the whole class, "or did something freaky happen when Serenity read that book?"

"And what is that!?" a small girl shrieked, pointing at the elf. Another girl screamed in shock. The elf flew away, out an open window. The class began to buzz:

"Serenity, what did you do?"

"Did you make him disappear?"

"Can you bring him back?"

"Did you bring that thing here, too?"

"Was that magic?"

Serenity was close to tears by that time. What had she done? Had she really made her best friend disappear? And, above all else, how did she do it?

After that, Serenity's memory began to blur. She remembered seeing "Missing Child" signs everywhere, a picture of a happy, smiling boy in the center. His name appeared on the news, in the papers…and every time Serenity heard his name or saw his picture, something seemed to pierce her through her heart. It was a sad and lonely feeling. She remembered walking through the hallways, and having her classmates stay clear of her. She remembered the hurtful things they'd said to her: "Better stay away, or that witch will make you disappear too," "She made her best friend go away, think of what she might do to you." And from then on, she was known as an outcast, a traitor…a witch. That's the bothersome part of it all.

But Serenity learned how to perfect her art. She learned to make sure, before she read anything aloud, that there was only one other living thing—usually a small insect—around when she did so. She learned how to choose what to pull out from the stories…she usually tried to go with something small and very insignificant to the story's plot. She didn't know what would happen if she released a principle character into her world. Would it throw the whole story off balance? Surely she didn't want to find out first hand. But she got better—and eventually her classmates forgot that fateful day.

And here she was again, stuck in the same situation she had been in four years ago. But this time she knew the dangers, this time she didn't have a choice. She was grateful her paragraph wasn't a very long one. She tried to read it quickly, and sloppily, but it just wouldn't happen. The words were as sweet as honey to hear, and they flowed through her classmates' senses. Serenity's heartbeat grew rapid. Will another of her classmates disappear? Will she have to endure taunting and ridicule from her classmates again, after it all had finally worn off?

Serenity completed her paragraph. She took a deep breath as she looked around the classroom…everyone seemed to be there. And then—

"Hey, where did Ms. Jones go?" a girl cried out. A boy that was in her Reading class in sixth grade said, "The witch has done it again! In sixth grade she read out loud, and a boy disappeared," the boy, who's name was Brian, so kindly informed the class, "Now she's done the same thing to our teacher!" Various murmurs were heard throughout the classroom. Serenity's face turned a bright red, and she could feel the tears well up inside her, but she tried to hold them back.

"I haven't done anything!" she said shakily, "I don't know what's happened!"

"Why did you do it?" the girl sitting next to her asked.

"I didn't!" Serenity insisted, "I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah, right!" Brian said, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at Serenity, "That's what you said last time! But that boy disappeared for good, he hasn't come back! And he was her best friend!" The class uttered a unanimous gasp, and animated chatter sprung up everywhere, eyes darting to and from Serenity.

Then, all of a sudden, the door opened.

"Ms. Jones!" a girl cried as she stood up, "You're back!"

"Why, yes," their teacher said, faltering, "I—I am. I had no idea I'd be so greatly missed going to the principal's office!" There was an awkward silence for a few moments, then the classroom burst into a huge bout of laughter. Serenity gave a long, deep sigh of relief.

"Brian, Serenity!" one boy said through his laughter, "You really had us going! Did you guys plan that out or something?" Serenity responded with a few relieved giggles, but Brian just leered at her.

"I know what you did, and I know what you can do," he coldly whispered, and then a small chipmunk scuttled across the classroom floor, unnoticed by all but Serenity and Brian. It had been just what Serenity had chosen to come out of the story, if anything did. But if something appeared, then something would have had to disappear. Then, Serenity remembered the spider.

It was gone, and a half finished web hung limply between two dusty cabinets in the corner of the classroom.