A/N: Ok, this is the first of a series of stories I started writing a LONG time ago. I tried to tweak it a little since my writing has improved over the years, but I welcome and appreciate any tips or ideas you may have to help my stories and writing in general improve! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Johnny Quest. I do however claim sole ownership of the character Sarah, so there!

How it all began…

By: Ks-Starshine

Sarah Wilkins was awake a whole half-hour before her alarm was set to go off. Anyone watching her would have thought she was running late for school as she was frantically hurrying around getting ready for the day. However, that was not the case, since this was in fact a Saturday. One last glance in the mirror told Sarah she was as ready as she ever would be. Her mousy-brown hair was pulled back with a clip, but still managed to remain a giant curly frizz-ball. She had applied a modicum of make-up, preferring the natural look. Sarah had thrown on a white tank top and a peach blouse with khaki shorts and sneakers. She would be the first to admit she was no trendsetter, but she didn't care. Her philosophy was 'Be yourself, nobody else will.'

With a flip of her hair, she grabbed her empty book bag and ran downstairs to the kitchen. "Morning Mom!" she chirped as she poured a glass of orange juice. Her mother looked up from the paper.

"I'm surprised to see you up this early on a weekend. What's the occasion?" asked Mrs. Wilkins.

Sarah rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Mom, don't you remember! Today is Ye Olde Book Shoppe's yearly mega-sale! Everything is like 50-75 off!" Sarah squealed, trying to figure out how many books she could cram into her backpack.

"Oh, of course," mumbled her mother as she sipped her coffee. "Will you be gone long?"

"I'll be home in time for dinner. After the sale, I thought I'd head over to the park," replied Sarah as she drank the last of her juice.

"That's fine," replied Mrs. Wilkins. "Your father and I thought we could all go out to eat tonight."

Sarah smiled. "Sounds good to me. Just don't let Mike and Sam pick the restaurant this time. For once it would be nice to eat something besides barbecue." A giggle escaped her lips. She loved barbecue, but her two brothers were absolutely addicted to it.

Her mom winked at her. "You've got a deal. Have fun!"

"Thanks, Mom, I will!" With that, Sarah grabbed her backpack and began walking to the bookstore. They only lived a few miles away from the store, so she had decided to walk. In just a few more months she would turn 16. Then she could drive there, or even to the book superstore that had just been erected in the next town. Until then, her feet would have to do, she thought as she gazed around the familiar streets. She had lived in the Parker, Kansas her whole life. It was a small rural town where nothing exciting ever happened, but it was home. She sauntered down the dirt road toward town, passing the wheat and cornfields, letting her mind wander.

Sarah waited all year for this sale. She didn't really have any friends at school or anything, so she found her best friends in books and TV. When classmates ignored her, a favorite TV show or book was always to be found. She liked to try to place herself in the stories. As a part of the cast of familiar characters, she went on terrific adventures through time, traveled across oceans, crossed prehistoric prairies and so much more. The options were endless!

A car horn snapped her out of her reverie and made her realize she had reached the edge of town. With a smile, she dashed the rest of the way to the bookstore.

v v v v v v v v v v v v

She was exhausted from fighting through the crowds all day in the bookstore. She had spent hours looking through the books and making her selections, finally satisfied with a full back pack, she fought her way back out the door and had dragged herself to the park where she relaxed for a bit on an empty bench. "Whew! I think that crowd gets tougher every year," she muttered to herself.

"Were you at the book sale?" a voice asked.

Sarah jumped a little and looked to her right where an elderly woman had just sat down next to her. Blushing a little from her reaction, Sarah gave a weak smile and nodded.

"Forgive me for interrupting your thoughts, dear," the old woman replied. "I couldn't help but overhear your comment about the crowds. I saw how busy they were earlier, so I assumed you were referring to that. I hope I didn't startle you."

"No, I guess I just didn't hear you come over. My name is Sarah. I don't think I've seen you around town before. Are you new around here?"

"You can call me Rose," chuckled the woman. "I'm just passing through. But come now, you go off and play with your friends. You don't want to sit around here talking to an old bat like me."

"No, that's okay. I don't really have any plans. I was just going to go for a walk in the park. Would you like to join me?" Sarah offered.

"Sure."

They walked in silence for a bit, just enjoying the warmth of the summer day. Rose was the first to speak. "You're a bit of a loner aren't you, child," she said more as a statement than as a question. Sarah gave her a questioning look, wondering how she had known. Rose gave her a big smile. "I used to be that way too. Sometimes I think the best friends I ever had were my books."

Sarah gave her a broad grin. " I feel the same way. Books and TV are always there to give me a little escape."

"I thought you might feel that way," replied Rose. She stopped and turned to face Sarah. "I'd like to give you something. It was given to me years ago. I've been waiting to find to right person to pass it on." Rose reached up and removed a necklace she had been wearing. It was nothing special, just an old chain with three pennies hanging from it. Each penny had a different shape punched out of it: a heart, a star and lastly, two footprints. Rose gently placed it around Sarah's neck. Before Sarah could say anything, Rose began to explain. "You see, the heart represents love, the love you have for others and that they have for you. The star represents your dreams and wishes, things you should never forget. The footprints represent faith, cause you've got to have faith to make it through."

"Through what?" Sarah asked.

"Life, child."

"But why are you giving this to me?" Sarah asked, still confused. "We only just met an hour ago."

"I see something in you. It reminds me of me." Rose laughed a little. "Well, I'll see you later, I need to be on my way. You take care of yourself." Then she turned and walked back the direction they had just come, leaving a still very confused Sarah behind her.

v v v v v v v v v v v v

After her brief encounter with Rose, Sarah had continued her stroll. However, this time she retrieved a book from her bag as a companion, reading as she walked the familiar paths. As she finished one chapter, she thought again, as she had so many times, how wonderful it would be to meet her all her favorite characters from her books and TV, she wished it were possible.

As she turned the page, a flash of bright light nearly blinded her. It only lasted a second. 'What was that she thought as she began walking again, not even noticing the sounds of the park had vanished. It only took two more steps for her to realize she was no longer in the park though, for that was when she ran straight into a wall. Slightly dazed, she rubbed her head and looked around. She seemed to be in a weight room of sorts. 'Where am I?' she thought. 'When did I get inside? I've really got to stop reading while I walk. Did I walk into someone's house?'

She stood up and walked to the door. Opening it, she saw a long hallway filled with similar doors. Still baffled as to how she got here, her attention was drawn to the door across the hall, which had started to open. Sarah prepared herself to give apologies to the houses owner for intruding, but there was no way to prepare herself for who was on the other side of the door.

"Jesse Bannon?" whispered Sarah. 'But she's just a character on TV! What in the world is going on here!'

v v v v v v v v v v v v

So what do you think so far? Are you confused? Not to worry, explanations of just what happened are coming up in the next few chapters or so. Don't forget to review! I always value input, good or bad. That's how I improve!