Chapter 1
The magic always happens outside of your comfort zone.
The humid Phoenix summer air made Bella's straight brown hair crackle into a frizzy mess. She crinkled her short upturned nose which deepened the slight wrinkle indented into her skin as she tried to smooth and contain it. The sun was setting soon and she needed to make it to her cousin Jessica's house which laid on the outskirts of the small deserted fields before dark lest she suffer another whooping from her Auntie Janet, as her parents had threatened earlier.
She stepped down from the white wrap around porch surrounding the church she often found solace in when her parents fought. It was a simple old building, the stark white it was once painted now blended into the cream colored trim due to the dry dust the fields often kicked up. Much of the Church's land was used for hiking for tourist since it was surrounded by scraggly rock formations that were great for climbing. It wasn't an alluring sight to behold to most locals who saw the formations most places but the entrance fee provided much needed income for the Church. The one stained glass window perched at the top of the steeple, caked in dust, displayed an angel holding a cross. Bella always thought it was the one redeeming quality of the old church, although she never made that thought known lest Father Weber think she was ungrateful for the sanctuary he provided for her on a growing basis. Father Weber was a kind, short, round man of whom usually only talked to offer words of godly advice. His pale skin usually shined with oil and there were deep pockmarks where puberty had gone finger painting. Him and his wife had three children, Angela who was Bella's age and twin boys who were younger. They were entirely dedicated to the church, and by association, her.
She hated her parents increasing number of fights that forced her to seek peace at the church. After her brother Eric was born, her parents struggles endlessly to make ends meet and the added stress began plucking relentlessly at the precious strings of their marriage. But Bella would never give up her brother to end the fighting, his innocent soul deserved better. Things had gotten so bad today that they called her through the church's landline and told Bella to make it to Janet's house before dark, where she would be staying the night. She wondered where Eric would be staying. Perhaps her parents thought he was too young to know what was happening as they had mentioned in passing before, but at the ripe old age of six, Eric definitely had some awareness of the situation.
Bella began her trek, setting down the dusty trail towards the outer cotton fields. Her too big white dress fluttered around her small, gangly 12 year old limbs and matched the blooming product of the local laborers. The never ending dust kicked up by her walking settled on her legs and slightly uncomfortable black shoes. Other kids her age dressed in comfortable attire like shorts and sneakers but Charlotte was left with hand-me-downs and unwanted clothing from her older cousins, thus making her yearn for a prim and proper style that would disguise her less than modest upbringing.
She stared at her reflection in the muddied water that sat in an unused irrigation ditch as she walked. Her straight brown hair remained frizzy and untamable. Her cheeks were the only pudgy part of her body, and her skin was unmarred save for the brown spots where the sun had gone dancing across the bridge of her nose and left its dotted footsteps. The too-full, pink, chapped lips covered naturally straight teeth that didn't quite meet in the middle on top, leaving a small gap. Too big brown eyes matched the rest of the features that seemed too large for her small, pudgy face. She never considered herself a pretty child, reserving that description for people like Jessica who had long thick brown hair that curled like it was supposed to and green eyes that reminded her of Christmas.
Signing in resignation, Bella continued down the path to Janet's house. Although she was close with Jessica and loved her, there would be always be a hint of animosity in her feelings for her. Bella knew that this was caused by than just Jessica's looks. Jessica just had Auntie Janet. She never had to deal with her parents fighting through the night because her father wasn't in the picture. And while sometimes it seemed like Jessica missed the man she never met, she always told Bella that she was more than happy without him, and would continue being that way.
She still hadn't found out about the monthly checks being sent from him that Bella had seen sitting on the counter. Bella wanted to tell her but Auntie Janet gave her a stern look that said everything. At the time, Bella reasoned with herself by saying Jessica probably already knew after further reflection she knew that if she did, she would've asked Janet to tell him to stop by now and, truth be told, any kind of money like that was essential to a living a comfortable life.
Auntie Janet was a small but robust woman with a voice like a banshee and a personality as stubborn as a bulldog but maternal in a stern grandmother type of way. She garnered respect from everyone who knew her but especially from Bella. She treated Bella more like a daughter than a niece and often gave her similar solace from her parents fights as the church did.
Bella approached the house just as she felt the breeze of the night cooling off. Her thin dress did little from protecting her. Auntie Janet's house was a dusty brown color that matched the dirt on the ground. It stood two stories and was small but well kept. Bella preferred it greatly to her own home where she had to still share her bedroom still with her brother, who kept his space in a constant disarray, and fight for the bathroom everyday.
She knocked on the peeling white front door.
"Child, how many times do I have to tell you to just walk in?" Auntie Janet said for the thousandth with a stern smile.
"Sorry," Bella said impishly, with a shy smile of her own. Janet beckoned her in and closed the door behind her.
"You know I'm glad you made it, darlin'. You never know what's out in those fields at night." Janet said disapprovingly. Janet was as stubborn as she was superstitious. According to her, all kinds of mythical night creatures roamed the night time fields, but painly ghosts of laborers past.
"Mom, are you feeding Bella those tales of those wraiths you believe in again? You know she's too big of a scaredy cat not to believe you," Jessica yelled down from the stairs, peeking her smiling face out and winking at while she was at it. Bella grinned back and headed for the stairs.
"I want you both down here for dinner in 20 minutes, don't make me come up there and get you." Janet warned with a waggle of her finger before heading to the kitchen.
"Come on, Bell, I have news," Jessica said deviously low so only Bella could hear. They made their way to Jessica's room and Bella sat on her small twin bed. The room was small as well but held everything that made it feel like Jessica's personal space; an antique dress in the corner, posters on the wall, an old nightstand holding a small lamp, and Christmas lights strung across the wall.
"So, what's this news?" Bella asked curiously.
"Mike asked me out today! You know I've been waiting for months!" Jessica said excitedly. Mike Newton had been the subject of Jessica's infatuation for at least two years but it was only recently that she had been trying to lure him into asking her out. She tried reasoning with Bella by saying that she had to play hard to get, no matter how much she wanted him to ask her. When Bella asked her why, Jessica just said she wouldn't understand until she was older, and with Jessica being three years her senior, she couldn't argue with that logic.
Bella tried to smile for her but it turned out more like a grimace, she couldn't help but be swept up with an overwhelming about of jealousness towards her cousin. Whenever boys talked to her, or anyone unfamiliar for that matter, she seized up with a crippling shyness that made it hard for her to function.
"That's greatJess, what are you guys going to do?"
"Well, Mike and I haven't gotten quite that far yet, he just asked if I wanted to do something sometime. But you know mom won't let me out of her sight if she knows I'll be with a boy but I'll work that out." Jessica looked out the window dreamily, her eyes suggesting she was far away in her mind, probably planning a whole date with Mike, down to the T.
"I'm happy for you," Bella said, pushing aside her jealousy, "but we should get down there to see if your mom needs any help with dinner." She smoothed her dress nervously as she stood and hoped Jessica wouldn't notice her ploy to end the conversation. Jessica gave her a sideways glance but didn't say anything before grabbing Bella's hand and towing her downstairs.
"Do you need any help mom?" Jessica asked as they entered the kitchen.
"Why don't you girls set the table. The fried chicken is almost done cookin' and I'm just waiting for the biscuits to come out the oven." Janet replied, fluttering around her small kitchen making the meal. Bella's stomach rumbled unceremoniously at the smell of frying food.
I bet Jessica has never gone hungry, she thought sourly.
She opened the cabinets and handed the silverware to Jessica to set on the table. They readied the food and table in comfortable silence before eating the same way.
"I haven't seen you since school has gotten out Bell, where have you been hiding?" Janet asked, with a wry smile.
"Oh you know, here and there. Been trying to catch up on my summer reading list," Bella answered, trying to hide the fact that she had spent nearly everyday of past two weeks of summer break at the church. Her answer was truthful enough though, she was usually reading when she was at the church.
"How many books have you finished so far? You know I always wish Jess would put that much effort in her reading, lord knows it would help her," she replied with a pointed glance at Jessica.
Jessica groaned. "Mom, you know I struggle enough in school as it is, why do I need to struggle out of school also?"
Janet shook her head and said, "Practice makes perfect and if you never practice than how can you ever be close to perfect?"
Jessica glared at Bella and Janet but went back to eating her food, effectively ending the conversation.
Bella would gladly give up her ease in school if that meant she could be like Jessica; beautiful, strong, and outgoing. Her own parents often pointed out the fact to Janet and other relatives that while Bella may be growing up to be a rocket scientist, she sure as hell wouldn't be doing it with a husband.
As if that's the most important thing on Earth, Bella thought. In fact I'd rather be husband less! No one to fight with or worry about.
Bella gave a little smile at the thought and finished her plate.
They cleaned the kitchen and table after finishing their meal in silence. Janet stopped Bella on when she was on her way to Jessica's room.
"I know you don't have clothes for tonight but Jessica has some old ones that should fit, maybe a bit loose, but they'll be good for the night. Now go wash the dust off yourself and go to bed. Jessica knows where the old clothes are and you know where blankets are," she said with a maternal smile.
"Thank you," Bella replied, however while her words were meant to imply gratitude she couldn't tell her tone was too clipped for it to go unnoticed. She hated feeling like a charity case.
After showering, Bella laid down underneath the blankets on the couch. Her thoughts swirled around in her head as they often did at night.
She worried about her parents and Eric. Divorce had come up often lately and she hoped it wouldn't come true. She worried that she actually never would find a husband because she was ugly and shy. What if her studies were not enough to grant her a good life? She groaned internally begging her mind to turn off though it never did. The dark house and creaking noises that came from the old wood kept Bella up until the deep of night and she wished desperately that she brought the book she had started reading from the church.
Finally, she fell into a restless sleep, full of murmuring dreams that she couldn't remember when she woke up.
The next day was the same as always, hot and humid. Bella's mother, Renee, picked her up shortly after she woke and took her home. She didn't speak much on the ride home and went straight to her and Eric's room when she got home. He wasn't there which meant they had probably sent him off to a friends house as well. It didn't take long before she heard the beginning of an argument starting downstairs. She sighed and waited to see if it would resolve itself. It didn't.
Her parents voices grew louder and clearer until she could hear the entirety of what their argument was about. She sprung from her twin bed where she was laying.
"Ugh!" Bella uncharacteristically shrieked as she stalked downstairs. Her parents were yelling in the kitchen and barely noticed her as she reached the front door.
"Going to church." She said barely above a mumble.
As if you care, she added mentally, slamming the front door closed. The walk through the desert land from her parents house to the church was shorter than the one she had walked last night and it was a path she knew well.
The trail was a bit wider than the normal ones that led in and through the fields due to her frequent use. A similar irrigation ditch followed her path and she looked down at her reflection again.
Will I ever be pretty like Jessica? The question floated around in her head and she found the same thoughts she had from last night coming back. Jessica had always been pretty, even as a child and her looks reflected that fact now. Did this mean Bella would always been ugly and plain? She hoped not.
Bella looked up suddenly, lost in the reflection of her thoughts and realized she was lost. She had been following the irrigation ditch and hadn't realized she had taken a wrong turn. She had never made a wrong turn in the deserts she had walked since she was a child before.
Well, what a great day this is already turning out to be. First the fight and now I'm lost! Seriously when do I get lost in the desert? That's more of Eric's expertise, she thought sourly. She turned and followed the irrigation ditch back down to where she thought she came from. The thin yellow dress she had changed into before leaving her parents clung to her skin as the humidity and rising temperature made her sweat. The sun was almost directly overhead now which meant she had been in the fields for nearly an hour. Bella knew this wasn't good because she hadn't lathered up her pale, freckled skin with sunscreen before she left and soon it would start burning.
The irrigation ditch did not direct her in the right way and she groaned internally. She hated sun burns and with her pale skin she had enough of them to last her a life time.
Movement in the water caught her attention. Usually the water was stagnant unless is was raining, which it wasn't and hadn't for a while. She often wondered why the water never dried but it just never did. Bella followed the direction it moved as her curiosity caught up to her. Regardless of her mature mentality, she was still 12 years old.
I'll just see where it's going, she reasoned with herself. The water went downstream not too much further before it ended in a small swirling vortex that led nowhere but seemed to suck the water down it. She wondered if there was an uncapped or broken pipe causing the suction and carefully lowered herself down to the ground to feel into the water. Her arm went halfway in and felt nothing but the swirling of water, even though the ditch didn't seem deeper than a foot and the water even less than that. She leaned in a bit further feeling around and still found nothing.
The loose dirt siding shifted under her weight and left her falling into the water. She yelped in surprise and expected to hit the soggy ground of the ditch yet found herself spiraling as the feeling of weightlessness surrounded her.
What seemed like forever later she landed with a thump. Her head whipped around and instead of wet hair lashing her face she realized she was dry. The air was crisper, and refreshing and after evaluating her surroundings she found herself surrounded by lush greenery that was nothing like the parched desert of the Phoenix she knew. Owls hooted and fireflies filled the night sky above her.
Night?! She wondered, It had just been afternoon! The sun was directly overhead!
She shivered in her dress that now did absolutely nothing the shield her from the cold. Her surveillance of the surrounding area revealed what she had already assumed since landing. She was completely alone in the night and the thought made tears well up in her eyes and pouring down her cheeks like silver streams.
What have I done?
Little did she know that her curiosity about the swirling water had landed her 300 years lost in time.