CHAPTER 1

"Mom, can you read me a bedtime story… PLEASE!" Opal asked holding her orange cat, Toby.

"I don't know," Mary said. "It's getting kind of late and your getting too old for these things."

"But tomorrow's my birthday and you let me stay up last night. I still enjoy them." Opal whined.

"Yes but if I burn your cookies it will be your fault."

"That's ok!"

Her mother sighed and looked up towards the ceiling as if asking the gods for help. "Okay fine. But you go right to bed when I'm done, alright?" Opal, being happy that she got her way, started chattering on to her cat.

"Meow!" Toby cried joyfully.

"Okay, okay. Settle down. Which story would you like to hear? The one on Dragons and fairies or the one with the princess and the castle?" she asked.

"I was thinking," Opal said slowly, "That you tell me why I don't look like you or daddy." She worked up the nerve to the question she had been wondering for a while.

Her mother was dreading the day that this question would come. She knew it would pop up sooner or later considering how different she looks from the kids at her school. Opal, being pale with light hair and light eyes, stood out from the dark skinned Indian folk.

"Well, you aren't from me and your father. We… we found you lying in the forest. You were scared and also crying. We didn't want to leave you there so we brought you home. When we got into our house, I heard a clawing at the door. I opened the door to find a kitten sitting there. We decided to keep him as a pet. He was always where you were so he became your-"

"It was Toby right?"

"Yes it was Toby. Please be polite and don't interrupt. What would we do if we had company?" She complained looking up and clasping her hands as if in prayer.

"Toby doesn't like company."

"Oh, stop or I won't finish my story. Anyway, when we got you and the kitten situated we found you holding a note. It had very fancy writing on it. I think we still have it."

"Can I see it?"

"Fine." She went and perused through the old desk that Opal wasn't allowed in. The child never figured out why.

"Here it is. It says:

Dear Lady or Gentleman, This baby Opal needs a home desperately. She was abandoned at birth so I dropped her here. She will have her first birthday on October first. Please take care of her and her kitten Toby. Thank you

That's all it said. So I decided to keep you and raise you. But I was confused then and still am about that ring of yours." She pointed at Opal's very pretty birthstone perfectly placed in a gold ring. "We didn't know, don't know about how you got it. We have an idea on how it still fits your finger but we will not mention it."

"Is it magic? Like in the bedtime stories?" Her mother got very angry just then.

"I just said we do not mention it. I knew I shouldn't of read those stories to you." She sighed. Mary smiled at her child. "Honey, I have already said too much. It is a lot to hear, especially at your age. But you asked so I answered. Now my story's over and now it's time to go to bed." She said while shooing Opal to her room.

"Oh no! My cookies!" They could both smell the cookies being burnt.

"Goodnight!" The child said trotting up the stairs absorbing the information given to her. She was happy for ruining her mother's night. She was always more fond of father.

Toby ran after always looking back at the door in the other room. It was as if he was grinning, or something similar to it. He flicked his tail around, as he always did when he was amused, while gliding up the stairs.

Opal woke up in the middle of the night drenched with sweat. She had the most eerie dream. Some man that didn't look like any person she knew was coming to get her. The only reason she didn't run away was she had some feeling of recognition from him. It was like he was some long lost friend. So she just let him take her by the hand; away from her bed; away from her parents; away from her former life.

That's when she woke up. She didn't realize that her parents were in the room with her until she looked for Toby. He was at the window looking for something or someone, it seemed.

Maybe he wants to get away from mother's cookies.

"What's wrong Opal?" her dad asked with a worried look on his face.

"You just startled me…" she paused: "why are you here at this hour?" She was thoroughly confused at this because her dad had a night job. He was usually there from dusk to dawn. Of course something was wrong. Her mother was even up when she should usually be sleeping.

The parents looked at each other: "Well, while you dad was at work he found a message on his desk. He got worried so he told his boss that he had to leave and called me."

"But what did the letter say?" Still baffled by this, Opal went over to her window and took Toby. He seemed cold and wet like early morning dew. He smelled like it too.

Her dad answered: "We really feel we shouldn't tell you. You might get frightened, seeing that you're only nine."

"Only nine? Did you forget that my birthday was tomorrow?" She glanced at the clock, "In five minutes I will be ten so don't go saying I'm only nine." Opal snapped.

"You never did act like your mother." Her father sighed and went toward the door. "Mary, can you tell Opal what was on it while I go and lock the doors and windows?" Then he left without an answer.

"Well, honey; it said that he, whomever he was, is coming to take you back." Just at that moment they heard the door slam open and her father scream "You get out of my house."