Chapter 1: New Visitors

It was a normal day. I was walking with my friend, Curt, listening to him talk about wrestling and the occasional bull riding. Well, we were half way to class when I felt a light breeze weave through my hair. "Do you feel that?" I asked, turning around slightly.

"Who would think that the air conditioning would be on in the winter?" Curt asked.

We both peered around the corner and the next thing I knew, something was quickly carrying me down the hallway. "What in the world!" I looked over and saw a teenage boy with light blue hair sticking out of a cloak. His clothes covered him as if he just came from a desert. Suddenly, I realized that whoever this was he was holding me!

"Hey put me down!" I exclaimed.

"I don't think I should," he said as he turned another corner.

I looked back and saw many tall soldiers in red with long dangerous spears. I leaned down with fear. "Um, you might want to speed up." My voice quivered.

He nodded and sped up so fast it felt like I was on a cheetah. "Hang on tight!" he exclaimed.

I turned around and shrieked as he jumped through the large window at the end of the hallway. He landed on his feet from an eighty-foot jump. Like a frightened cat, he sprinted down and across the field. He jumped into a ditch and gently set me down. I just sat there finally taking in air.

"I think they lost us," the boy exclaimed. He looked over at me and pulled down what was covering his mouth. His face looked kind and trusting. Before I could say anything, I heard a voice call out my name.

"Oh great. They found us!" the boy said.

"Ranulf!" I heard a man bellow out. "If you hand over the hostage quickly and quietly you will be spared."

"Okay, I'm confused. Are they the bad guys or good guys?" I asked, still crouching.

"An answer to your question princess. We are the royal guards who are supposed to protect you," a man's voice appeared.

I sprung to my feet in surprised and yelled, "Princess!"

The boy, who I assumed was Ranulf, jumped up in front of me, facing the royal guard.

"Ah, Ranulf, would you be so kind as to give us back our princess?"

"Why would I give her to you?" Ranulf hissed, much to my surprise.

"If you don't, you will be put in jail for the rest of your days," the other man snarled.

"She has the freedom of choice!" Ranulf yelled.

I walked to the middle of both men and started to look at their eyes. As I walked to the royal guard, soldier surrounded Ranulf. "Brenna, please, you have to trust me!" He held out his hand and looked desperate. I didn't know what to do but for some reason, my hand reached out to Ranulf.

"You better be right!" I yelled as I grabbed his hand. Instantly, a cyclone of wind surrounded me. The royal guard tried to attack me but the wind seemed like it was protecting me. Ranulf yanked me towards him and starting saying something.

"Wind, guide us!" he yelled. The cyclone grew rapidly and we ended up in the hallway. "I don't have much time but take this." He handed me a glowing necklace. "May my wind guide you if you ever need it." He kissed me on the forehead and backed up. Wind grew around him and he disappeared. His words echoed in my mind as I stared at the necklace.

6 months later

"Ow! My ass!"

"Jess, will you stop that!"

"It's not my fault those boys were occupying the third step! I think I broke something."

Jessica Hendrickson. What a character. It had been six months since Ranulf gave me the necklace. I never took the necklace off for any reason for fear of the "people in red". We were heading to the library for our history class when Jess tapped my head.

"Jess, what is it?" I asked as I fell out of deep thought.

"Is it the Fourth of July and I just didn't get the memo?" she asked, confused.

"What kind of question is that! It's May!" I exclaimed.

"Well, it could be because I hear bangs and booms outside the library," she replied.

I ran to the library entrance door and looked out. I panicked when I saw the "people in red" coming right up the stairs. "Oh great!" I exclaimed sarcastically.

"Friends of yours?" Jess asked, standing next to me.

"There she is! Get her!" the soldiers yelled.

"Hardly," I said to her as I grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the library. I made sure the doors were locked and then ran around looking for a way out. Jess stood there giggling at me.

"Uh, Brenna." I stopped and looked at her. "You know that there is no other way out."

"Oh yeah," I mumbled. The doors kept banging as the soldiers attempted to get in. I frantically thought of an idea. Then, the window caught my eye. "Jess."

"What?"

"I've got an idea! Come on!" I grabbed Jess's wrist and ran with her to the window. I made Jess climb the bookcase and then threw my arms up as if to "Vana White" the window. Jess just gave me a confused look.

"That's your big idea! To get some fresh air!" she exclaimed.

"More like jump into the fresh air," I said as I looked around for something to break the window with. Jess quickly looked down the window and gulped.

"You sure we shouldn't just break a hole in the ground?" she asked nervously.

"That would cause mega damage."

"Right, and breaking a window isn't damage?"

"I mean to the people's heads that are below us," I said, walking over with her backpack. I started to smash the window with her backpack. The librarian fainted right before my eyes as the window began to split. The window stopped splitting no matter how many times I hit it. I could feel Jess tensing up behind me as the troops broke down the door.

She grabbed me and yanked me down behind a bookcase as the troops scanned the library for us. "I've almost broken through the window," I said, frustrated. "I think we need something heavier." I looked around and saw Chris and Brett hiding behind the bookcase next to us. Beside them were weapons from their project. Among them was a mace.

"Psst, Chris," I whispered. He looked up at me with terror in his eyes. "Hand me the mace."

He quietly grabbed the mace and placed it in my outstretched hand. I nodded at Jess and held the mace in a tight grip. I shot up and swung at the window with all my might. The guard saw me and advanced. To my surprise, my class started to throw books and keyboards, and anything they could get their hands on, at the guards. The window cracked severely and it shattered right in front of me. I dropped the mace and looked down. The Varsity football team was below.

"Hey!" They all looked up in confusion. "Are you guys good at catching!"

The team leader shrugged and replied, "Well, footballs of course!"

"Well now you're catching women," I said as I tossed Jess out the window.

As she screamed, three football players got under her. They caught her but she was so shaken up that she couldn't stand straight. I was about to jump after her when the guard grabbed my shoulder. I tried to struggle away but failed. The guard smiled but then the necklace Ranulf gave me pulsated against my skin. Wind surrounded me and I shot back out the window. I shrieked as I plummeted down to the cement. Two of the football players caught me and helped me to my feet. Sadly, the soldiers followed us.

"Hey, guess what you guys? You get extra practice!" I exclaimed as I grabbed Jess.

"We got you covered," they said.

As they got into formation, I ran to the flagpole with Jess. I started fumbling with my necklace to get a hold of it. I finally held it up in the air and yelled. "Wind help!" Nothing. I panicked as the enemy continued to reach us.