Today is my one month anniversary on FF. I am very excited because I had never actually thought I was going to get an account, let alone write anything for it. For this day I thought I would post the first chapter of my Kingdom Keeper story. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer- I own nothing... sadly.

On a Friday after school Terrence Maybeck, a tall, good looking, African American boy who was normally called Maybeck, Terry, or Donnie by his friends, Dell Philby, an intelligent, red headed teen with freckles, who preferred to be called by his last name, and Finn Whitman, a handsome, slender boy, with brown hair and green eyes, had come together at Maybeck's home to hangout. They had been saying they needed a day to hangout and talk for a while now, but Finn hadn't thought that it would turn into a "Let's interrogate Finn day."

"Dude, if you want her to know how you feel then you need to talk to her," reasoned Maybeck to Finn.

"Ya Finn, for once listen to Maybeck. He might actually be right about this," said Philby.

"I'm always right," Maybeck said sending a dirty look towards Philby.

"Oh ya sure," Philby said rolling his eyes.

"No it's true, and what would you know about girls anyway? All you do is sit on your computer. That hardly qualifies as a relationship."

The two boys started bickering back and forth trying to outdo each other with insults while Finn sat off to the side watching them like it was a tennis match. After about ten minutes of nonstop argument Finn had finally had enough and voiced his opinion out loud.

"Alright guys enough already!" Finn shouted over the two trying to get his feelings across. To his surprise Maybeck and Philby stopped complaining.

"Okay anyway as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted" Philby started while glancing at Maybeck out of the corner of his eyes, "Maybeck may be right about this. If you want Amanda to know how you feel then you need to tell her."

"Ya Whitman man up already and go ask the girl out. You've only been completely in love with her for like 4 years now," Maybeck told Finn.

"I am not 'completely in love' with Amanda," Finn stated.

"Of course you are. You basically go into a trance whenever she is within a 50 foot radius of you, and you get this dreamy look in your eyes when you talk about her," Maybeck said watching with amusement as Finn's face started to turn beet red.

"Well I… uh," Finn tried to say as he blushed, "Okay maybe you have a small point, but how exactly can I tell her that I really like her in person without freezing up. I mean what do you say to a girl?" Maybeck opens his mouth to answer, but Philby is just a little bit quicker.

"Maybe you don't have to say it in person."

"Huh?" was Finn's reply.

"Oh I think I get it," Maybeck said surprising his friends, "Instead of saying it in person you could call her, or even better yet make a video about it and post it online for the whole world to know your feelings!"

"Not what I was thinking Maybeck, but close," Maybeck smiled as Philby said this, "My idea was Finn could write her a letter, or letters, to show how he feels. This way he doesn't have to do it in person and he won't even have to sign his name if he doesn't want to." Maybeck thought this plan could work, and started talking with Philby about all the details of the letters while Finn sat pondering the idea.

At about 7 o'clock Maybeck's Aunt Jelly came into the room saying that it was time for the boys to head home before it got late. They said their goodbyes and went on their way, but not before the boys told, more like commanded, Finn that he needed to start his letter when he got home. Finn not feeling like arguing agreed and left to make the walk home.

As Finn walked home he looked around at the scenery and thought about the girl who always seemed to find her way into his mind, Amanda Lockhart. They had known each other since he was 12, and Amanda and her sister Jessica had moved to Florida. He could still remember when he had first met them. It was about two months into the beginning of the six grade when the principal had come in with two new students. Two girls, one with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair that had a somewhat playful kind of energy about her, and another girl that was taller by a few inches and had mid length dark brown hair and these blue eyes that made Finn want to stare into them all day. She glanced around the room not meeting anyone's eyes, but you could tell she wasn't shy just more cautious of things around her and that she was very protective of her sister. The principal said the normal speech about making the girls feel welcome and showing them around. Then the teacher told the girls to tell the class their names.

"Jessica," the strawberry blonde said looking at her sister expectantly.

"Amanda," the other girl said looking up and staring directly at Finn. After that the rest of the day was a blur. All he remembers was that they girls had sat in front of him and the girl Amanda didn't look at him for the rest of the day, but every since that day she had been on his mind. He knew Amanda Lockhart had been something special he just didn't realize until now that the she was special to him.

Over the years he had become great friends with her since his friends had welcomed them into their group. So the group of five became a group of seven, it was now him, Maybeck, Philby, their other friends Charlene and Willa, and now Amanda and Jess. Up until eighth grade they had all been in the same classes together, but when they started high school Willa, Philby, and Jess went to this school for extra smart kids and the others went to public school. They were all still close though, some closer than others. Maybeck finally got the courage to ask Charlene out, and the girls were trying to convince Philby of his feeling towards Willa, but through it all the whole concept of Amanda liking Finn had never come up. Well at least it never did to him.

His friendship with Amanda had grown they were so comfortable with each other. Finn would say things to make her laugh and Amanda would roll her eyes laughing telling him he was stupid, but he knew she just liked to make fun of him. He liked when she laughed it was music to his ears and he would get a warm feeling. That's when he started to realized he liked her, everything about her, he just liked being with her. He continued his walk home smiling to himself about this girl knowing that she is the reason he felt this way.

When Finn got home he went straight up to his room to try and write a letter to Amanda. He had to admit that the plan was a good one. Writing a letter meant he could say what he needed to without having to face Amanda for real. The only problem was he still couldn't figure out the right thing to write to her. Twenty minutes and ten pieces of paper later Finn's mother came into the room.

"What are you doing honey?" Mrs. Whitman asks her son curiously, "You have been locked up in your room ever since you got home from Maybecks." Putting his pencil down on the unmarked paper Finn sighs to himself, and starts to tell him mom about what he was trying to do.

"Hmm, that is a little tough now isn't it," Mrs. Whitman said, "You say you are having a hard time writing Amanda a letter, but I think you are just over thinking this." Finn Whitman looked up at his mother with a blank look on his face not quite understanding what she was getting at.

"Let me explain," she stated, "All you have to do is write what is in your heart. How you see her and what you feel when you are around her. Get it?"

"I think so," Finn replied. Giving him a kiss on the cheek Mrs. Whitman left her son in his room to try and write the letter again. Finn crumbled up the paper on his desk, threw it towards the waste basket across the room, and pulled out a fresh new paper to start to compose his letter to Amanda Lockhart. This time he was pretty sure he knew exactly what he was going to write.

Well there it is. What did you think? I would love to hear. R&R

-WD