This idea has been just bursting to get out and I can't hold it in any longer! I don't know why but most of my ideas come from the most random places possible. This one came to me when I was feeding my dog for some reason. That's just how my brain works. Go figure? I'll put up more ideas that I have on my profile so you guys can say what you want me to write about next. Updates will be pretty slow considering I now have less time on the computer than before. Hopefully when I turn 14 this June I can get a job so I can save up for my own computer.

Prologue

Once upon a time

Once upon a time, there lived a king and queen; they had a beautiful daughter which they named Samantha. They were happy until one day the king and queen had a fatal accident. So the princess went to live with her grandmother in another kingdom when she was barely a year old and so…

Okay you know what I'm just gonna stop right there. I mean… who would actually buy this crap.

To start off my name is Sam Manson. Anyone (except my grandmother) who dare calls me by my real name better pray that they wake up with their limbs still attached to their bodies in the morning.

Anyway, my parents died when I was really young. I can't even remember them. So I went to live with my grandmother in Amity Park. For a time it was great, I mean she was like a mom to me. We did everything together; whenever I had a problem she was always right there. She didn't care if I was a bit strange, she was always there for me.

She owned two of the coolest places in Amity. A café/bookshop called The Jade Dragon and a retro skating rink called Blitz. Everyone loved my grandma. We'd go out in her 1980's red mustang and go to the park where we'd play some soccer then head down to the mall for an ice cream.

Everything was perfect…

Then my grandma had a heart attack. The doctors weren't sure if she was going to make it. But being a fighter at heart she did pull through, but she was never the same. She would get tired really quickly and even though I was only seven I knew that she needed help.

The doctors at the hospital said that maybe it would be a good idea I a family member came and stayed with us to make sure that she was taken care of. We didn't have any close relatives and the closest one was my dear old Aunt Claire…

At first it wasn't so bad. She was nice enough to me and she did have two twin girls my age for me to play with. It seemed like my grandma was doing fine and would have her old strength back. Everything would go back to the way they were before.

Boy was I wrong…

Things didn't get any better. In fact, they got worse and the night before my ninth birthday was what had changed everything in a matter of a minute. On a rainy, cold night it happened…

"And they set off on the wings of their magnificent beasts into the sky on their next quest…"

"Read it to me again Grandma!"

"Again! Sammy this is the third time I've read you this story, don't you want to here the next one?" she said with a gentle tone as she tucked me into bed.

"Pleeeeaaase," I begged.

She rubbed her chin thinking thoughtfully before she said, "Alright, scoot over then," she sat beside me opening the book in her hand to the right page, "Once upon…"she stopped shortly, she had a secret smile on her face. Despite all of the wrinkles and her gray hair to me she was the mot beautiful person I've ever met.

"What is it?" I asked. The only time I've ever seen her smile like that was when she had a really big secret to tell but I always had to guess before she told me.

"I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

"Oh how I'm so lucky to have a grand daughter like you," she gave me a great big hug, stood up glancing at the snow globe on my night that had a crystal dragon in the center with its wings half-way stretched out. "Do you remember when I gave you this?" she spoke softly, deep in thought.

"Uh-huh," I nodded, "you gave it to me on my fifth birthday."

"That's right," she turned to face me holding the round glass firmly in her hand, "and do you remember what I told you that day?"

I cocked my head at her, "Yeah you said that the dragon was like me, just waiting and getting ready to spread its wings out and soar."

Grandma's eyes sparkled like stars in the sky filled with love for me, "You know I won't be with you forever," she sighed and looked at me seriously, "But you must never let anyone hold you back. Do you understand? Sam, people will try to take advantage of you and you must never let that happen." She held my face so I starred into her eyes, and for the first time in a long time I felt like crying. Reality hit me hard that the person I loved the most might not always be there for me. "I'm telling you this because I know that no matter what you'll always be strong."

Tears started forming in my eyes for some reason. I just felt like snuggling into her lap hugging her tight and never letting go. I held back because I was a big girl and big girls don't cry. Still I couldn't help it, a few teardrops rolled down my cheek and I hugged my grandma.

She seemed surprised at first before she also hugged me. I could the faint smell of gingerbread and peppermint on her usual green sweater. We hung onto each other for a second before we let go with tears on both of us. But it was the happy kind of tears.

"Well," she sniffed smiling, "It's time for bed Sam."

I got comfortable under my purple sheets, laying my head on my pillow next to the one Grandma had made for me when I has sick one day. It had a lavender rose on it that matched my eyes on a dark blue background. Having it close to me always made me feel better.

She got up with the big golden book under one arm. "Please, can you leave the book here tonight?" She blinked before handing me the book. It was one of her most prized possessions. A thick book that had some of the best stories I've ever heard. The gold metal straps caught the light of the lamp making it shine like the sun. The rainbow opal in the center looked so alive then.

The stared at the book in my hands, "You know this book contains something very important for you Sammy,"

"Really! What is it?" I asked eagerly.

"I'll tell you," she kissed my forehead brushing off a loose strand of my black hair aside, "Someday, but for night it's time for you to go to bed."

"Aaaawwwww," I whined, "But I'm not sleeeeepy," I tried to fight back a huge yawn and failed causing my grandmother to raise an eyebrow.

"Sorry but that yawn says otherwise. Beside tomorrow is a big day for you and you do not want to sleep through it do you?"

I shook my head admitting defeat, "No,"

"Night sweetie," she said as she turned off the light and closed the door behind her.

"Good-night Grandma," I whispered softly then added, "I love you." I closed my eyes, clutching the pillow close to me before falling asleep with the soft drumming of the rain outside to lull me to sleep. Its soft rhythm sounded really comfortable that night. My body was tired but my mind was buzzing around like a bee hive.

I just couldn't wait for tomorrow. With Grandma downstairs making my favorite breakfast of vegetarian chocolate-chip pancakes, then we'd go off to buy me a birthday present, after that we'd go to the café so I can blow out the candles on the cake with the entire staff of the café and skating rink there. We were all like one big family. After that we'd get fireworks and have a big bonfire where anyone was invited.

I could already smell the smell of burning wood and marshmallows…

The next thing I knew was that someone was shaking me hard trying to get me to wake up. I groaned, rubbing my eyes at the person shaking me. "Wats goin' un" I yawned. My vision cleared and I could see smoke coming into my room through the door. The temperature inside was probably hot enough to cook a chicken. A faint red and orange glow was coming from the hallway. "What's happening?"

"I have to get you out of here!" I knew that it wasn't my grandmother who had woken me up but a stranger who looked like one of those monsters who work for the bad guy in movies. I panicked and screamed, "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"Come down, everything will be alright," he or she reassured me, "Now lets get you out of here." They scooped me up in their arms holding me close to them.

"Wait!" I cried out, I got loose from their grasp ran back to my bed to get the book, and snow globe.

"Come on I have to get you out of here now!" they insisted urgently. The sound of the wooden beam starting to be devoured by the fire startled, "Let's go!" Not waiting for me they just grabbed my making sure I was close to them. "Are you ready?" I was to terrified to answer my heart was hammering away inside of my ribcage and I felt my legs suddenly turn to Jell- right beneath me. It was safe to say that I was pretty freaked out about it.

The firefighter threw some sort of damp blanket over me. I was really relieved at the time that I couldn't see the flames eating away at anything they touched. But it didn't block out the noises of it...

I was still clutching the book and snow globe hard, praying, that I would still be alive in the next few minutes. Being underneath the blanket felt like being in a sauna. The person carrying me over their shoulders like a sack of potatoes bolted into a sprint. I could feel a rain pour of embers coming down on us and I felt the fireman wince in pain.

The heat was becoming unbearable now and all I could do was wait and see if we were going to die a horrible fiery death. I kept waiting and waiting for the flames to just eat us up but they never came. The temperature was cooler; someone removed the blanket from over my head.

My mind was spinning and I was terrified and confused. I didn't even realize the few burns I had on my arms and legs. All that I saw were blurs rushing past me and talking really loud, shouting at others to hurry and to put the fire out. My head didn't stop spinning until I yelped out in pain.

I saw a woman in a paramedic's outfit holding out my arm applying some really nasty smelling stuff to my arm that stung like hell. "Hang on sweetie," she said softly, "I just have to bandage up your burns and that's it. You're lucky they're only first degree burns." I didn't say anything, "You know, you can let go of those things if you want to." She pointed at the globe and book I still had in my arm. I loosened my grip on them so that she could finish treating my arm. "There we go; you're a brave little girl." She got up and walked towards the ambulance where I saw them loading a stretcher into the back.

Being the stupid naïve eight year old turning nine girl I was then, I wanted to see who it was. I couldn't get any closer than ten feet when another paramedic stopped me.

"You can't go near the ambulance little girl," he said rudely holding his arms out in a blocking way so I couldn't pass.

"But I-"

"Go wait over there with the nice policeman," before I could retort back and give that guy a piece of my mind. He walked away and climbed into the back of the ambulance slamming the doors shut. The white van sped off with it's siren blaring down on the people who had come to watch 'didn't they have anything better to do in the middle of the night?' I thought, 'apparently not…'

Picking up my book and globe I starred in awe at the flames before me as they reached into the night sky, roaring in fury as the firefighters tried to maintain is so that it wouldn't spread to the other homes around it. Our once so called 'home' was beyond saving now.

When my mind had finally caught up to what had just happened I started looking around for my grandma. Over the chaos of things it was nearly impossible. My cries couldn't be heard over the fire, firemen, and sirens in the air. Sighing I went to the edge to wait until everything calmed down to look for her.

I hugged my knees to my chest watching the crowd, eventually things got a little less chaotic at last. The fire was under control at last. What was weird was that there were only two fire trucks there to put it up when there is usually at least five.

The crowd dispersed with every person who had come out of their homes to watch went home and I could now see a lot more clearly now. I spotted my aunt and cousins talking to a policeman.

Her face was all red and there were tears on her face, Nina and Tina were sticking close to their mom with shock glued onto their twin faces. Something had to be going on, something big…

Nothing ever made my aunt cry, nothing.

Walking over to where they were, I noticed that Aunt Clare's face was red because of a few burns she had. They didn't notice me coming until I was two feet away. The officer blinked and then addressed my aunt.

"Is she one of yours?"

"No, she's my cousin's daughter,"

"Where are they?"

"Their dead," she said quickly.

"Oh…uh…I see," he muttered looking rather uncomfortable. Most people act that way when they learn that I didn't have any parents. "Well then… are you her guardian then?" They had completely ignored me, forgetting that I was right there. And to tell you the truth it was really starting to tick me off…

"No, her grandmother was," she explained with a sigh.

"Oh well where is she?"

Aunt Clare opened her mouth to answer then closed it when she noticed that I was still there. "Oh Sam!" she looked surprised to see me still standing there, "Sweetie we were just-"

"Where's my grandma?" I cut her off. I knew something was wrong with the uneasy looks that the officer and my aunt exchanged as if looking for the right words to the truth. I held the two objects I had taken with me from my room tightly until my knuckles turned white. "Something's wrong."

No one answered me, and I found it that it was hard to swallow the huge lump in my throat. I was trembling now as all the worst thoughts imaginable rushed through my head all ending in the same way.

It surprised me when it wasn't one of the adults that answered me but my cousin Tina.

"She's dead," she piped out. I gasped with my mouth hanging open.

"Tina!" exclaimed my aunt.

"But it's true!" responded Nina backing her sister up. "We heard the paramedics say that she lost a lot of blood and tha-"

"That's enough Nina!" Aunt Clare hissed.

"But Moooom!"

"I said that's enough!"

My world just went down hill from there.

Eventually I found out the truth about that night. It turned out that at least twelve other places had caught on fire and there was mass panic everywhere. A few people got hurt with damaged lungs from breathing in smoke or a few burns.

There was only one death though…

No one knew what had caused the fires. No one saw anything, there were no sources saying that they were set. It was as if they just appeared out of thin air…

With my grandmother dead, and her not leaving a will. My aunt got everything, the café, roller rink, and all of my grandmother's money in the bank. And as my only living family, by state, I was now hers.

She bought a big house in one of the better areas in the city. It had a nice lawn and garden, and a pool in the back with a tanning booth and sauna too. Before I thought that Aunt Clare just tolerated me to be nice, not long after my grandma's funeral was that I found out that she only wanted to be nice to me so that grandma would include her in her will.

At the time I was vulnerable, in shock and completely heartbroken. I just didn't care anymore about anything. I didn't care that Aunt Clare stuck me in the attic and with most of the chores; I didn't care if Tina and Nina were mean to me.

I just didn't care…

The only ones who cared were my grandma's employees. They kept me from completely falling into permanent depression. By then I was already used to being bossed around. I worked two jobs by the time I was fourteen. Clare made it clear that she was only going to feed and shelter me because of state law. Other than that I was like a servant, employee, and student at the same time.

And this is my story…