A/N: Hi! This is my first YJ fanfic, even though I've read, um, we'll just say I've read a lot of them. So, yeah, I'm new at this. This story is a sort of AU. Almost everything is the same. Except for most things. You'll just have to read and find out what isn't the same as the YJ universe. Most pairings will be cannon. Unless I say differently.
Here's my first chapter, enjoy!
|Cattaraugus, New York
| November 6, 2006* 7:34
A young girl stood in a clearing up high on a mountain. She wore a pleated black skirt with black leggings, along with a white T-shirt. She wore a black bow in her hair, and white sneakers on her feet.
"Etativel eht kcor. Etativel. Eht. Kcor. Etativel Eht Kcor!" Sweat ran down the young girl's brow as she concentrated. The stone was small, not quite a pebble but not very big either. The girl could have easily picked it up in her hand.
Slowly, the stone began to wobble. The girl noticed this, and concentrated even harder.
"ETATIVEL EHT KCOR!" she shouted, straining. The rock rose, ever so slightly, away from the ground. It hovered there, a few inches off the ground. The girl broke into a smile.
"Look, Daddy! I'm doing it!" she squeals, jumping up and down in her excitement. As her concentration breaks, the stone wobbles, and clatters back to the ground. The girl sighs, "I was doing it."
The older, wiser voice of Zatara, the great magician, came from across the small clearing. He stepped out of the shadows where he had been watching, clad in a gray T-shirt and black slacks.
"Yes, you were. You did very well, Zatanna"
"But I only levitated the stone for a few seconds. That's hardly a success!"
"It does not matter how long you did it, it matters that you managed to do it at all. I am proud of you, Zatanna. That was your most successful piece of deliberate magic yet." There was a hint of melancholy in his voice. His little girl was starting, ever so slightly to grow up.
"Really?" Zatanna asked.
"Yes, really." The great magician says, coming over to place a hand on his daughter's head. "Now, it is late. We should go home."
"Maybe I can try, just one more time. I'm sure I could hold it for longer-"
"Zatanna."
"But-"
"Zatanna! It is late. We can try again tomorrow."
"Fine." With a sigh, the girl turns to start the long trek back home. The clearing in which the father and daughter stood was a remote place, up on a mountain near the city in which they lived. It was up so high that even though it was surrounded by trees on all sides, you could still see the view. And what a view it was. In the fading light of evening, you could see for miles. The city itself, though small, could be seen clearly in the distance. As the day faded into night, and the moon rose on the horizon, the lights came on. Though the sun was going down, the city of Cattaraugus** was just starting to wake up. Just as many big cities do at night.
With another sigh, the girl looked away from the amazing view. She walked to her dad, who had gone to the edge of the path through the forest, and was waiting for her. They started on the path down the mountain. As they reached a bend in the path, Zatanna's head shot up.
"Oh! I forgot my bag!" With that she turned around and began to scamper back to the clearing despite her father's shouts. "I'll only be a minute! Just stay right there!"
"Oh, Della***, what am I going to do with her?" Zatara said, looking to the stars that could be faintly seen through the trees.
Zatanna reached down and grabbed her bag. She straightened and looked around to see if she had forgotten anything. She glanced at the view before sighing once more and turning to go.
Before she could take a single step, though, she heard a sound coming from behind her. It was faint at first, but growing louder with every second. Zatanna whipped around to see what it was. There, in the middle of the clearing, floating above the ground was a small pin prick of light. A small pin prick of light that was getting bigger. And, as it seemed that the sound was coming from the light, louder. As the light got bigger and louder, Zatanna began to feel scared. She was soon near terrified, and wanted to run away, back to her father. But she could not. Whether from fear, or from something else, Zatanna could not move her feet.
Soon the sound was loud enough that Zatanna could hear it clearly. What she heard only served to make her even more afraid. The sound was voices. It was the sound of a thousand people screaming in agony. She crouched down and covered her ears, squeezing her eyes tight.
Then she did what any other nine-year-old would do in this situation.
She screamed.
A/N part two: MWAHAHAHAHA. Cliffy on the very first (short) chapter. I feel so evil.
Girl Scout cookies to all who review!
*I have reasons for starting this story with a nine-year-old Zatanna. Reasons that will be explained… when I feel like it. Mwahaha.
*** Bonus Thin-mints to who ever can tell me who Zatara is talking about here.
**I didn't want to have Zatanna and Zatara living in New York, so I changed where they live. Now they live in Cattaraugus, New York. Yes, Cattaraugus is a real place. I'm just going to tweak it a little. The real Cattaraugus is a small town in the Appalachian Mountains, but this one is a big important city.