Disclaimer: I don't own, i just write :)
Cracking the Shell
Chapter 1
Darcy's day hadn't gotten off to a great start. Because of the earthquake last night, the pipes in her basement had burst, and ruined all her clothes that she had stored down there. She was stuck wearing an old ratty T-shirt, and the same pair of jeans she had on for the past week. Her little brother mauled her homework, she had forgotten her launch, and hadn't studied for today's test. It was a miracle she had remembered her bookbag. "It's not fair!" complained Darcy to herself. "None of this would have happened if my parents would have just moved to Truce City like nice, normal people and not stayed in this antique home! Its 1999, for God's sakes!" the girl was known to say what she was thinking, wether anyone could hear her or not. It was a habit of hers that in her 17 years on this planet, no one had been able to break her off of.
She just clasped the pendant that she wore and moaned "Why can't the world just swallow me up?..". At that moment the ground started to shake, and she suspected that The Powers That Be had finally started listening to her. And they certainly picked a crappy time to do so. Suddenly, the earth openend up, and a huge, viciously spiked creature emerged.
"Oh..My...God..." muttered Darcy, as she stood in awe of the thing. The world was ending, and she had a front row seat to the spectacle.
"W...w...what IS that thing?" she asked no one in particular, but the only answer she received was a blood-curdling scream from the monster in front of her. Darcy would have run away, but the fear prevented her legs from moving. Then, as another unexpected surprise, the pendant around her neck started to glow brilliantly! Blinded, she backed up, not noticing the blue portal that loomed behind her..