(Hiya this is my first story so dont hate me for it if its bad lol. Well here it is. Hope ya like it!)

For Brandy Folchart it had been a dreary day. Literally. It had been raining at six thirty in the morning and was still raining when she had been picked up from work at six o'clock in the evening. It had rained all the way through dinner and the dish washing at seven, and was still when she had set up her little work shop of colored pencils and blank paper and had begun to draw a portrait of one her most favorite character from The Lord Of The Rings when her Uncle Mo had come into the kitchen to get a glass of cold water before going to bed.

"Aren't you suppose to be in bed by now Brandy?" Mo asked as he set his glass into the sink.

"I'm working on my Art class assignment. We're suppose to draw our favorite fictional character, giving it the most detail possible." She said without even taking her eyes off the piece of paper she was working on.

"Well just make sure you get a decent amount of sleep tonight. Because I don't want your teacher's complaining to me about my niece that does every bit of her homework but sleeps through the whole school day." Mo said nudging her with his elbow.

In response Brandy just nudged him back saying "Yah. Sure. I'll be in bed by one. Okay?"

"Okay," and he disappeared down the hallway.
Brandy had lived with Mo, and her twelve-year old cousin, Meggie for four years since her family had died in a boating accident on the Ireland Coast. She had been thirteen when she became an orphan and came to live with her Italian relatives in this beautiful Old Farm House since she had been on the Emerald Island her entire life.
Brandy was a very intelligent girl; she had straight A's in every subject and was an expert artist. She was able to make a piece of blank paper look as if the bit of art was going to jump off the page. Brandy loved to read, Step dance, writing stories and songs, and knitting.

Brandy was the kind of girl that, when you looked at her, she seemed to be quite, soft spoken and shy; but she was far from that. Why Brandy could become very talkative, outspoken and very energetic. Mo liked calling her "The Mocking Bird" because she could be sitting at the kitchen table studying or doing one of her favorite pastimes one moment and the next she would be talking your ear off and asking to many questions.

Mo loved it when she and Meggie would team up together and make up stories or pull practical jokes on him, which always sent him into fits of laughter. The two of them were the best of friends and when Brandy would ride her bike out to the open spaces of the country for inspiration, Meggie was right behind her with a bag of books to keep herself entertained as her cousin would just sit and stare at nothing in particular.

It was almost midnight and Brandy had turned the light off long ago and was coloring by candlelight, even though Mo would not be extremely thrilled by it, when she heard little footsteps padding down the hallway and then the creaking of an opening door. Meggie had probably had a bad dream and was going to read next to her father, because as Meggie put it 'it chased away the bad dreams'. So Brandy paid it no more thought, but continued her almost complete work.

Brandy remembered when she herself would get nightmares and go to her father and curl up in his lap. Back then Brandy had felt that her father's comforting words, hugs and kisses could chase away all the dark things in the world, but she had realized that nothing could protect anyone from the dark shadows of the world. She had wished on numerous occasions that she could be a little girl agian and in her fathers warming embrace.

Brandy was just putting the finishing touches on her picture when the kitchen light was switched on.

"Brandy, how many times do I have to tell you not to draw by candle light?" Mo said filling up the tea kettle and putting it on the stove.

"Enough that I should know better." She replied smiling at her uncle.

"Yes, indeed I have," he said turning around and looking at her. Brandy noticed that Mo looked extremely tired and anxious, which was not normal for him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes Im fine. Now go to bed. It's late." He said sitting down.

"But Im not finished."

"You can finish in the..."

But he trailed off when he looked up at the doorway were a man with an unshaven face and wet hair was examining every thing in the room, even Brandy; which made her feel quite fidgety and she began putting her things into the tote..

"I thought I told you to stay in the workshop Dustfinger." Mo said with an anxious look on his face.

"Who's he?" Brandy asked looking Dustfinger up and down, examining him as he was her,.

"Brandy I thought you were going to bed?" Mo said rubbing his eyes and sighing.

"I am. I just want to know who he is and why he's here." She noticed that the man had a knee length, tan coat on that was completely soaked, and a backpack slung over his shoulders and that it moved.

No one said anything for awhile until the tea kettle started to whistle and Mo stood up to turn the stove off. But even then it wasn't Mo who spoke up, it was the man in the kitchen doorway with the narrow face.

"My name is Dustfinger. What about you?" He said looking her in the eyes.

He had brown eyes, she remembered years later, brown eyes which looked as if they had seen things that a person should never have to see. And he had three pale scares, two slightly curved on his right cheek and one stretching from his ear to his nose on the left.

"Im Brandy. Brandy Folchart." She said smiling.

"I didn't know you had two daughters Silvertongue?" Said Dustfinger looking at Mo, who was getting out two tea cups and putting them on a tray.

"I don't, Meggie is my only child. Brandy is my niece." Mo said with his back still turned to them.

"Is she just visiting?"

"No. She lives here. Her parents died four years ago."

"Oh. Im so sorry." He said looking at Brandy agian.

She just smiled as she closed the lid to her tote.

"You should go to bed Brandy" Mo said picking the tray up and started for the workshop.

"Okay. See you in the morning Mo. And it was a pleasure to meet you Dustfinger," she said extending her hand to him as she passed him.

He looked at her hand for a second before shaking it; "It was a pleasure to meet you as well Miss.Brandy. Perhaps I shall have the pleasure to see you again?"

"I think not Dustfinger," it was Mo. "And if you would be so kind as to come in here and warm yourself before you catch you death. Brandy get to bed."

Dustfinger slid past Mo, and Mo did not close the door till Brandy had gone to her room and closed the door.
But Brandy had no intention of going to bed. She wanted to hear what this man, who's name seemed so familiar, had to say that had Mo, who had always, always kept his head on straight in any kind of situation, in a nervous wreck. She silently opened her door and slid down the hall to the workshop door. It seemed that she was not the only curious cat in the house because Meggie was standing there hardly breathing and listening intently.

"Don't underestimate him " She heard Dustfinger say. His voice shook, but Brandy couldn't tell if it was because he was cold or because he was upset. And he sounded upset.

"He'd do anything to get hold of it." That was Dustfinger again. "And when I say 'anything,' I can assure you I mean anything. "

"I'll never let him have it." Said Mo speaking for the first time since the door had been closed.

"Let him have what? What is he so keen on keeping hidden?" Thought Brandy rubbing her hands together for warmth. It may be the middle of May, but it still got chilly in the old farm house.

"He'll still get his hands on it, one way or another I tell you, they're on your trail."

"Who's on our trail? What is this guy talking about."

"It wouldn't be the first time. I've always managed to shake them off before."

"Oh yes?" said Dustfinger in a mocking tone. "And for how much longer, do you think? What about your daughter? Are you actually telling me she actually likes moving around the whole time? And what about you niece? Do you think she would enjoy that kind of life style? Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. "

It had become deathly quite behind the door, and the two girls scarcely dared to breathe in case the two men heard them.

Finally, Mo spoke again, hesitantly, as if his tongue found it difficult to form the words.

"Then what do you think I ought to do?"

"Come with me. I'll take you to them." A cup clinked. The sound of a sthingy against china. It amazed Brandy how such small noises could sound so loud when it was silent.

"You know how much Capricorn thinks of you talents. He'd be glad if you took it to him of your own free will, I'm sure he would. The man he found to replace you is useless."

"Capricorn," Brandy thought. "Another oddly familiar name." It sounded like something she had once heard or read a long time ago, so long ago that she had forgotten. She knew she had heard it some were. But where? And when?

"Oh, I don't know," Mo said finally. He sounded so tired, so lost, so confused that it brought a tiny little tear to Brandy's eye.

"I'll have to think about it. When do you think his men will get here?"

"Soon "

That single word seemed like a stone had been dropped in the deathly silence.

"Soon," repeated Mo. "Very well. I'll have made up my mind tomorrow. Do you have somewhere to sleep?"

"Oh, I can always find a place," replied Dustfinger. "I'm managing quite well these days, although it's still much too fast for me." He laughed. It was not a happy laugh, it seemed a bit sorrowful though Brandy thought.

"But I'd like to know what you decide. May I come back tomorrow? About midday?"

"Yes, of course. I'll be picking the girls up from school at one-thirty. Come after that."

The girls heard a chair being pushed back and they both bolted for their bedrooms. Brandy had just closed her door when the workshop door opened. Brandy scrambled in bed and pulled the covers up around her and lay there listening as Mo said good-bye to Dustfinger.

"And thank you for the warning anyway," she heard her uncle say as Dustfinger's footsteps disappeared into the night, slowly and uncertainly, as if he were reluctant to leave, as if he had not finished saying everything he had wanted to say. But he was soon gone and the rain kept playing its song onto her window.

A little while later Mo came in her room and kissed her on the cheek. It was still cold.

Mo sighed,"You were spying on me too. Weren't you Brandy?" He sounded so tired to her that she had to sit up so she could see what his face said. And it said exactly what she had suspected.

Brandy looked at her uncle and he looked at her as if he was hurt. She wrapped her arms around him and he returned her embrace. But Mo was first to part from the embrace and instead cupped her face into the palms of his hands.

"You look so much like your father." He said smiling.
Brandy just had to smile a that. And she was very happy to see him smile. She had been worried that his smile had stolen into the night like Dustfinger. And that was when she remembered where she had heard those names before; Capricorn and Dustfinger.

"Mo?" she said starting out shaking. "Do you have a copy of the book called Inkheart?" She avoided his eyes not wanting to see his face. Which was a look of complete astonishment, confusion, and very tired.

"Wh...why do you want to know Brandy?" He stuttered.
"Because I read the book when I was eight. And I remember the names; Dustfinger and Capricorn."

Mo just sighed and shook his head. Brandy was confused, she didn't know what had made her uncle so upset.

"Yes this man Capricorn is looking for the book. The man liked the story so much he began calling himself Capricorn. And he just want's the book so he can read the story again." Mo said not looking her in the face.

But Brandy was not stupid, she knew he was lying. But if he didn't want to talk about then she just wouldn't push it. Although years later she had wished she had made Mo tell her the truth. But instead she just asked; "What about this man, Dustfinger? He looks like he does in the book."

"The man liked the character Dustfinger. He and the other man are relatives. And the decided to become their favorite character." Mo lied.

"Oh." was all she said.

"Look Brandy it's almost one o'clock. You better get to bed. Other wise your teachers are going to have a field day." He got up and left the room, closing the door behind him, and leaving Brandy alone in the dark. She went to sleep seeing Dustfinger standing in the doorway, Mo looking lost, and her feeling like her life would never be the same again.

As if Brandy's old life was washed away by the rain, and the new one come with dawn. But for better or for worse she was not able to answer. Not for many years to come.

When Brandy woke up she seen Mo standing at the edge of her bed putting jeans and your favorite pirate sweater with a blue shirt into your luggage.

"Mo what are you doing?" Brandy asked.

"Get up Brandy we have to leave soon." He said while leaving the room.

"Oh and by the way there is a thermas cup with hot coco!" Yelled Mo from the hallway.

As Brandy headed down stairs she seen Meggie and Mo at the table drinking coco.

"Pack books, art supplies, music, and scratch paper k girls." Mo said while going into his workshop.

When Brandy and Meggie got done drinking for now the both of them went upstairs and packed the things that they needed.

When Brandy went down stairs she seen Mo pick up a book chest and take it outside so she went out aswell.

"Any longer and we might have left without you Brandy." Mo laughed

You hopped into the van and sat down beside Meggie.

"So where are we headed Mo?" Brandy asked.

"We're going to visit your aunt..."

Thats when Brandy head the car screach to a stop. Brandy looked out of the frount window to see...

(Thats all for now!)