Chapter 1

I suppose I should bore you with details about my background about now. Isn't that what they do in stories like this? I wouldn't know. I've always had trouble being able to stand reading fantasy stories. They're always the same. Always so predictable.

Anyway, my name is Samantha Hawkins, and this whole misadventure started when I was eighteen years old. Before I continue I should let you know, I do not have a tragic backstory or anything like that. I am not oppressed by those around me. I have a small family that consists of my mother, my dog, and myself. My parents are divorced, but that's not so uncommon in this world. I have friends. Good friends, too. Not a lot, though. That's mostly my fault, I suppose.

But all this stuff is unimportant. The story I am about to recount - my story - is far more important. And it all began with the day I was ran through a crack in a wall. Where does this misadventure start? At my senior prom. What prompted my story to take this turn in the first place? I went to the prom with a douchebag.

Bouncing up and down and shaking my hips around whilst in heels is not, and has never been, the way dancing should be done. Neither is that lame side-to-side shuffle that couples do during slow songs. Dancing should be graceful and beautiful. So, that is why I refuse to call what I, and the rest of my classmates, were doing "dancing". To be honest, I thought we all looked like monkeys. However, I was slightly drunk from having too much of the punch (I didn't know that it was spiked), and I was having too much fun jumping around like an idiot to care.

It was in this state that my friend Maggie found me. She had been missing from the dance floor for a few minutes to grab a drink. At least, that's what I think she was doing. I never asked.

Maggs was a tiny, freckled blonde girl with big brown eyes. But don't let her cute and innocent appearance fool you. That girl is Scary with a capital S. I've seen her beat up our football team's quarterback with nothing but her elbows and knees. I wish I could tell that story, but I'm afraid that I'd get sidetracked. I get sidetracked easily. Suffice it to say, if you weren't scared crapless of Maggie Carter, you were either new to the school, or a moron, or both. So, when she marched straight across the dance floor (everyone always moved out of her way when she walked) to where I was looking absolutely pissed, I knew something was up.

I stopped jumping around and sent her a questioning frown. The blaring rap music made it impossible to hear anying. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the girls I was with, Katie and Julia, had stopped hopping about and were crowding around me and Maggs.

Maggs scowled up at me and motioned with her hand for me to follow. I did. I didn't have to look back to know that Katie and Julia were following us. They were twins and they both shared an insatiable appetite for gossip. And wherever Maggie went, there was sure to be something interesting happening.

Our heels clicking on the floor of the gymnasium were the only sounds we made that escaped past the overwhelming "music" that was being played. We strode out of the noisy gym and into the school that was adjoined to it. The music was low enough that I could hear myself think again.

"Maggs, what's going on?" I asked, a slight giggle in my voice. (What? I was drunk!)

"Yeah, Maggie. Did you find something?" the twins echoed beside me.

Maggs didn't stop or turn to look at me. But I knew from the way her jaw was clenched that she wasn't happy. "It's your date."

Immediately, I felt the tipsy grin slide off my face and my happy mood dim a little bit as I strode behind my tiny friend. Brian, my date, had been missing from the dance floor for the last half hour. Originally I hadn't given much thought to where he had gone or what he was doing. As far as boyfriends went, Brian was had a reasonable head on his shoulders, and I never felt the need to watch his every move. We went on dates and played video games from time to time. It was a very casual relationship with few expectations.

We continued down the hall for a little while until we reached the girl's bathroom. Maggie's younger sister, Sarah, stumbled out of the bathroom, wincing a little as she made her way over to us on bruised feet. She held her high heeled shoes in her left hand and lifted them to us as evidence as for why she was bare-foot. Maggs and I had warned her that those shoes were too small for her feet, but she had stubbornly stood by them, claiming that they were the only pair that suited her long, black and pink dress. They were the only ones, but that was beside the point.

"I'm just off to change my shoes. These ones are killing me," Sarah announced, glaring at the shoes as if they had offended her.

Physically, Sarah and Maggie were as different as apples and oranges. Where Maggie was short, athletic, and blonde, Sarah was tall, brown-haired, and nowhere near as athletic as her sister. Their personalities, however, were quite similar. Sarah was not as terrifying as Maggie, but people knew not to mess with her either. She has quite the temper.

"You'll want to bring those shoes with you," Maggie said tightly.

Sarah's eyebrows lifted in interest. "Oooooh! Do I get to throw them at someone?"

"That's up to Sam," she responded. At this point, I was getting a little fed up. I don't like mysteries or surprises. They drive me crazy.

In three long strides, I moved up to cut in front of Maggie so that I was facing her. All of us stopped short. "Alright Maggs, spill. What the hell is going on?" My voice was low and annoyed as I spoke.

Maggie's dark eyes flickered over to the twins and back to me. She seemed hesitant to speak. "Brian is in the band room," she hesitated before dropping her voice down to where only I could hear her. "With… with someone else."

The words barely registered in my brain before I took off. I strode down the halls toward the band room as fast as I could move, which is very fast. I am a very tall person and I have been wearing high heels since I was a little girl (my mom said it would improve my posture). Moving quickly in heels has always been easy for me. For the people behind me, not so much.

My mind was blank as I sped down the halls, past the many classrooms that stood between me and the band room. It was a good place to meet someone. It was out of the way of the usual traffic, and the instructor never remembered to lock the door. None of this entered my head until later. All I was thinking was, "I have to see. I have to prove her wrong."

I had never been in love with Brian. We were semi-friends that dated each other. That was the full extent of our relationship. However, that did not stop the feelings of betrayal and sadness that flooded through me when I entered that room. Just as Maggie had told me, Brian was there with another girl, some ninth grader who had somehow managed to get invited to prom. He had her pressed up against the piano with his tongue stuck down her throat. If it had been any other guy with this girl, I would have blushed like mad and have flown out of that room as quickly as possible. I still blushed, but it wasn't out of embarrassment.

They had yet to notice me, as I had just come in. So, feeling angry and betrayed, I squared my shoulders, lifted my chin up high, and cleared my throat as loudly as I could. The pair broke away from each other at the noise. Brian jumped when he saw me and stared wide-eyed at me as I stood there.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." My voice was loud and steady and it rang clearly through the large room. I liked it. It made me feel larger and more powerful than I did a moment before. That feeling made me a little bit bolder.

I stepped forward, an edge to my voice as I continued to speak. "Because I would hate to be rude and inconsiderate."

Just as I finished speaking, all four of my friends burst into the band room. Their reactions to the scene varied greatly. Katie and Julia both looked a varying mixture of scandalized, shocked, and delighted. Sarah's face was red as she shot scathing glares at the couple. Maggie was the only one who seemed completely void of emotion, but I knew that that meant she was seconds away from detonating like an atomic bomb.

Brian's face flushed as he gaped at his new audience, while the ninth grader squeaked like a mouse and disappeared behind his broad shoulders. His fists and jaw clenched angrily. "F**k off, bitch!" he spat at me, his voice slightly slurred from alcohol. "You're just jealous that I didn't feel like waiting for you to get off your high, prudish horse!"

A black, high-heeled shoe flew past my head and hit Brian on the side of his face. He spluttered in surprise as he was knocked temporarily off balance. I whirled around to see where the shoe had come from. Sarah stood behind me, eyes blazing and holding her remaining shoe up in her hand as if prepared to throw it. Despite the situation, I felt a smile tug at the corner of my mouth and a sudden urge to give her a hug.

"Hey man, I think you better cool down." I had neither seen nor heard Michael come in, but I was grateful for his presence. As the quarterback of the football team (yes, the same one Maggie beat up), Michael was a freaking powerhouse of muscle with a bit of a superiority complex. However, deep down, he was a decent human being.

"That's not how you talk to ladies," Michael said coolly, his tone threatening.

Brian was having none of it. He sneered at Michael before snarling, "I talk to my girl however I want, asshole!" He swung at Michael, which in my opinion was a dumb move. In a flash, Michael had Brian's arms trapped behind his back with his own arms. Brian struggled against Michael's hold on him, spewing profanities right and left. I had never seen him like this, and, quite frankly, it scared me a little bit.

"If she has any sense, she won't be your girl for much longer," Michael snapped at him in annoyance as he flailed drunkenly in his grip.

He began to drag Brian backwards out of the band room and into the hallway, but they didn't get far before Brian whacked him in the nose with the back of his head. Taken by surprise, Michael loosened his grip just enough to let Brian slide out of his hold. He turned to punch him while he was disoriented. A golden blur sped past the four of us. It was Maggie. With blinding speed, she attacked.

Even to this day, I couldn't explain how she did it. It was simply too fast to see. One moment she had pounced, and the next, Brian was lying on the floor unconscious while she stood above him in her short, golden dress, cracking her knuckles.

A stunned silence fell upon us while we watched Michael pull out a tissue to clean up the blood from his nose. As he moved to pick up the unconscious Brian, he turned to Maggie and winked flirtatiously.

"You're never going to let me have any fun, are you?" he smirked. Maggie rolled her eyes, but the traces of a smile tugged at her face.

He turned to me and sent me a nod that conveyed a feeling of reassurance. I barely knew Michael. He had his own group of close friends, and I had mine. But I always knew that he was trustworthy if push were to come to shove. I let that nod reassure me a little.

Maggie held the door open for him as he dragged Brian out, and she gave me a look that promised that we'd talk later. Then she disappeared, probably to help Michael with the doors.

A crash from the other side of the band room drew my attention, as well as the attention of the people remaining. It was the ninth grader. I had completely forgotten about her. She had knocked over one of the big drums whilst trying to tiptoe out unnoticed. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, eyes wide in terror.

I didn't blame her. I would be terrified too. While neither Sarah nor I were nearly as terror-inspiring as Maggie, we weren't unintimidating. (I'm not counting Julia and Katie because neither of them had the guts to attack a fly, much less be intimidating.)

"What are you waiting for?" Sarah growled at her before chucking her last shoe at the girl. "Scram!"

And she did. With a yelp, the small teenager dodged the shoe and sped out of the room. I almost scolded Sarah for treating her that way. The girl was practically a child and most likely didn't know what she was doing. But I stopped myself. The girl, whatever her name was, should have known better.

Katie and Julia started whispering excitedly to each other. Then, without so much as a look back, they both left, probably to spread the latest and greatest piece of gossip that the prom night had offered so far. I sighed, wondering for the thousandth time why I was still friends with those two airheads.

"Are you going to be alright, Sam?" I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Sarah looking up at me with dark, concerned eyes. I smiled and nodded, but we both knew that both actions were forced.

Sarah frowned up at me, then sighed and turned away. Muttering to herself in German, she went searching for her shoes.

Suddenly, I felt tired. Not just physically, either. I glanced around the room. For the first time, the walls felt… constricting. I needed air. I needed to get out of there. Just for a little while. So I did.

Without another word, I left the band room and made my way over to my locker. I had stashed my things there before going to dance. Retrieving my purse and a hoodie, I exited the school building. No one ever went to the Horticulture garden, so that's where I went. It was nearby, secluded, and blissfully quiet. Quiet, at the moment, was what I needed most.

The raised beds held a variety of different vegetable plants. No fruit plants, though. The school didn't want any of the students to steal the fruit. I briefly considered sitting on the wooden edge of one of the raised beds, but I decided against it. It had rained recently and the wood was bound to be moist still. So, instead I leaned against the wall of the school and sighed.

I wasn't angry anymore. That had faded quickly. The feeling of betrayal was still there, though not as strong as it had been. Mostly, I was just numb. Numb and tired. I suppose that the whole thing was partly my fault. Like the nameless ninth grader, I should have known better. Vaguely, I considered asking Sarah to throw a shoe at me, as well. Although, if she had seen me out here moping, she wouldn't have needed me to ask.

I took a deep breath, allowing myself one more moment to mope. Then I let it out. The moment was done. Now it was time to get over it and move on. Thousands of people have suffered worse than their high school boyfriend cheating on them. I'd be fine. I had to be fine.

Pushing myself away from the wall, I had every intention of making my way back to the building to change for after-prom. It must have been about midnight, as I could no longer hear the music coming from the gym anymore. After-prom was soon.

A flicker of green light caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head a few inches and stared uncomprehendingly at what was, literally, right in front of my face. It was like a crack had appeared in the air. Out of the crack poured a bright green light. A faint humming seemed to come from within the crack, as crazy as it sounds.

I blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. It did not disappear. If anything, it grew a little bigger every time I blinked. I wanted to step away from the crack. This was feeling too much like a Doctor Who episode for me.

My legs wouldn't move. My arms wouldn't move. Nothing in my body could move. I stood there, staring at the ever-growing crack, and I started to panic. With every ounce of willpower I had, I forced myself to move. Nothing. My fingers didn't even twitch.

Then it grew louder. The humming. Then it grew to a singing. My desire to run melted away completely as I stood transfixed by the eerie song. Without even realizing it, I had started to step forward. My hand involuntarily lifted to touch the crack, and I didn't even think twice about it. The music was calling me. I had no choice. Immediately, the crack spread open until it was the size of a door. I couldn't see the other side. The green light was too bright. Again, without thinking, I stepped forward and into the crack.

The world turned blindingly green. There was a loud snap behind me, and suddenly the light was gone. The music faded until it was a faint humming, and my will returned. And with the return of my will, my panic returned as well.

I was in the middle of a path that twisted and turned out of my sight. Cruel spires and crumbling stone statues dotted the landscape that stretched on forever before me. The whole world around me was green. The air was green. The ground was green, and not with grass. The sky was green, literally. The statues were green. And it wasn't some pretty grass green either. It was a sickly green that one might see on a persona about to throw up.

My hands and knees started to shake as I became more and more afraid. This place wasn't, couldn't, be real. I had to be hallucinating. That's right. I was still in the Horticulture garden. I must have fallen asleep and was dreaming. The problem was, I could never tell myself that I was dreaming before when I was actually dreaming. Why was I able to now? Unless I wasn't dreaming.

"Well, well, well…" a sultry, smoky voice from behind me drawled. I jumped and spun around to face whoever spoke.

A woman—well she sort of looked like a woman—stood—no—floated in front of me. Her skin was gray, marred with bright purple lines, a set of huge horns grew out of her forehead, and she was almost completely naked, save for some conveniently placed golden dangles. All I could do was gape at the… person? Creature? I was getting a headache.

"Look at what fell in through the crack," she spoke to herself, smiling creepily. "We were told that nothing ever lived on that side." She cocked her head to the side. "We were lied to." We? "What's your name, strange little beasty?"

Maybe it was a stupid thing to do. But, honestly, how was I to know that that thing was a demon? All I knew was I had to get out of there and back to the realm of sanity.

"Samantha," I whispered. I didn't trust my voice to go any louder without shaking.

The woman's unnaturally grey eyes widened in delight and a cat-like grin spread across her face. My apprehension grew.

"What's your name?" I asked, trying to be polite. Maybe if I was nice to her, she'd help me get out. At the moment, that was my only option, and I knew no better.

She laughed a high, wild laugh. It set my teeth on edge. "Oh, I'm more interested in you, little beasty! Do you live on the other side of that crack?"

"Yes, and if I can, I'd like to get back to that side," I said cautiously. "Is there any way that you can help me? Please? I'm lost."

The gray woman studied me for a few moments before frowning. Somehow the frown seemed out of place on her face, as if that expression almost never came to her.

"What a strange little beasty you are. Wanting to go back to a dead world." Her nose wrinkled. "What is there that you want to go back to so badly? It's dead."

"I have friends and family there. My home is there. I live there!" I had no idea what she meant by my world being "dead". Quite frankly, I didn't want to know. "Please."

A sinister light sparked in the woman's eyes. "There are others? How curious. Show me, little beasty. Take me there!"

At this point, my instincts were screaming at me to say no. This was wrong. She was wrong. Everything about this was simply wrong. Taking this… creature to my world could never end well, whatever she was.

I stepped back, away from her. Something in her expression shifted and turned dark.

"No?" she hissed softly. "I don't remember giving you a choice."

She reached out a clawed hand towards me. I didn't stay to watch what she was going to do. I did what any sane person should have done ages ago. I turned and ran like hell. Despite having years of experience in high heels, there was no possible way that I could outrun whatever the hell that woman was in heels and a full-length prom dress. But I tried anyway.

I didn't get more than ten feet before a huge, black shape appeared right in front of me. It towered over me by two feet as it took form before me. To me, tar and smoke had a baby and that thing was it. It had no face except for a bright, white light that shone out from where an eye should have been. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see several others take shape around me in a circle. I was trapped.

"Come, little beasty. We're waiting," the woman eerily sang.

For future reference, I don't respond well in traps. Putting me in a trap is never a good idea. I tend to go… crazy. No rational person would have done what I did. A rational person would have given in or have tried to reason their way out of the situation. Did I do that? No.

I slid my feet out of my heels and stepped onto the cold ground, never losing eye contact with whatever the hell that thing was in front of me. I squared my shoulders and bent my knees a little bit. Then, without warning, I launched my entire body at the thing in front of me. Almost instantly, the thing vanished, and I found myself falling. I managed to execute a sloppy roll when I hit the ground. Having a best friend who has a black belt in mixed martial arts is useful. If Maggie had never taught me how to do that, I might have twisted or broken something.

"Get her!" the woman screeched.

This time, when I ran, I really ran. Nothing else popped up in my way as I sprinted barefoot down the winding path, my skirt pulled up to my waist. I was trying not to be caught or killed by a group of psychotic freaks. Screw modesty. As I ran, my eyes scoured the landscape and the path before me for a way out. There had to be one. I didn't care if I somehow ended up in Kansas. I needed to get out.

There! Not far down the path was another crack. Hope propelled me forward and pushed my legs to move faster. There was no green light pouring out of the crack. No humming or music. This time, I did not think of hesitating. I slapped my hand to the crack, and, just like the last one, the crack flung open like a door. I caught a glimpse of trees and a stream before I leapt through.

My feet hit cool, damp grass as well as a little mud, causing me to slip and fall to my knees. Something snapped behind me, and I turned to see what it was. The crack had vanished and in its place was one of the smoky tar monsters that I had almost outrun.

I sprang to my feet, but my ankle caught on a branch. I fell again, this time on my back. The monster slid closer, making a loud rasping noise that sounded like a laugh to me. I scrambled backwards and was about to get to my feet again when it happened. A lightning bolt rocketed over my head and struck the monster in the chest. It stopped short and screeched in pain. Another one followed, and that one was followed by a ball of fire that engulfed the monster. It gave one last scream before it vanished.

My eyes stared in shock at where the monster had been just moments before. That couldn't have happened. Slowly, I forced myself to take in my surroundings. Blue sky, green grass, brown dirt. All normal. Then it hit me. Sunshine. It had been nighttime at my school.

I rolled onto my knees, ignoring the mud and grass stains that had now permanently ruined my purple dress. Two girls stood several feet away from me. They both started when they saw me, and I started when I saw them.

They were stick thin, but they didn't look unhealthy. But that wasn't what startled me. The largest girl, a redhead, had lightning dancing across her fingers as if she were used to having it there. The other girl, a brunette, had flames flickering about her fingers. My jaw dropped. Both of them were short, thin, with angular eyes and features, and pointed ears.

I was definitely not in Kansas.

A/N: My first Dragon Age fanfiction! Yay!

With Dragon Age Inquisition coming up, I felt like now was a good time to start this story. I hope you guys enjoy this story.

If you wonderful readers have any questions, concerns, reviews, criticisms, or praises, or all, please click on the little box down there that says Review. I love reviews.