Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's characters or places because, well, they are Tamora Pierce's characters and settings.
Hello. As you may have guessed from the description of this story, you will probably meet three girls that end up in Tortall. Crazy. This is only the first chapter so they don't start running around Tortall quite yet, but we're on the brink of it. The story tries to be all mysterious like "nothing weird is going to happen" but come on, it's totally predictable so I'm just going to tell you straight up that yes, they will end up in Tortall in the next chapter.
If you like this story, or even if you don't, I would encourage you to check out my other story Frozen: The Story of Claude and Kel...it's way different from this one, but, hey, I like it.
And if you are wondering if a deer would total a car or truck, then I must tell you that yes, it would. You would not be driving away in a vehicle that just had a collision with a deer. However, for the purpose of the story, we will assume that it's possible...which it might be, it just hasn't happened at any time in my experience. Anyways. I realize that one part's not quite accurate but there are also three girls going to a land that exists only in our imaginations so I don't think that it's that big of a deal in the scheme of things.
So enjoy the story and give lots of feedback. Thanks.
CHPTR 1 : A Beginning
"What do you mean you're still packing?"
A tired voice came from the ear piece of the phone, "Like I'm still…putting shit…in a bag."
Amy sighed, "You're kidding, right?"
"Uh…no."
"What happened to 'don't worry about it'?" she said, twisting a lock of hair golden blonde hair around her finger as she talked. "Last night you said that you were all ready to 'hit the road'."
A reply so murmured as to be incomprehensible followed. "What, Elena? I can't hear you." There was a click on the other end of the line. "Hello? Elena? Hello?"
"Is she ready to go, hun?" Amy's mom asked, stepping into the kitchen and pulling something out from under the sink.
"Uh," Amy said, looking at the phone for a moment before hitting the end button and setting it on the counter. "I think so."
"Good," her mom said, locating the dish soap and tossing it a box. "Could you grab the spatula for me?"
Amy glanced around the cluttered counter, lifting loose papers and empty CD cases until she found the spatula. The house had been in a state of complete disarray since her dad had broken his leg last week in a horseback riding accident. Her mom had been so busy getting ready for the trip and taking care of her dad that cleaning was a joke. At one point Amy tried to straighten up a little, but no matter what she did it seemed like the mess always overpowered what small amount she did, so she had stopped caring completely. She reached out to hand her mom the spatula, who grabbed it and tossed into the box after the dish soap.
"Tell Elena that we'll pick her up at eight."
"That's what I told her all last week, we'll just have to see if she listens, but I-"
"Uh huh," she said, scooping up the box and heading for the living room, calling up the stairs, "Blake! We need to pack your bag before the truck fills up, that means now!"
"-seriously doubt it," Amy finished, fully aware that she was talking to herself at this point. She set the phone back on the charger and wandered out into the living room, earlier it had been full of boxes, bags, a tent, and an few sleeping bags, but apparently her mom had been up early packing everything into the truck.
"That's what you're wearing?"
Amy looked up, her little sister was coming down the stairs, a sport bag slung over her shoulder and a pillow tucked under one arm.
She looked down at what she was wearing, she had selected a hunter green dress without sleeves and a low square neck. Under the dress was a long sleeved cream dress that made the ensemble a little more modest. "Yeah."
Blake snorted, "You're so not allowed to get out of the car."
Amy made a face at her. "You don't look all that normal, either."
"Why not? I'm not wearing a dress," Blake responded, zipping her black jacket with green stripes down the arms all the way up. The only visible part of her costume was the brown breeches tucked into scuffed black boots. With her high blonde ponytail she could almost pass as normal.
"Girls, are we ready yet?" their mom said, whisking into the room and taking Blake's bag. "Blake, hon, will you check to make sure that the cat has enough water?" Blake disappeared into the kitchen, still holding her pillow.
"Can you put this in the truck?" she said to Amy, holding out Blake's bag. "Remember, all our stuff goes in the truck and all the stuff for the store goes-"
"-in the trailer, I know, I know. We've been doing this for years," Amy said, taking the bag.
"But your father used to always be here when we went before. I'm just worried that I'll forget something."
"We won't, and if we do, who cares? We're resourceful."
"I'm glad you're with me at least," her mom said, giving her a one armed hug, "You're so responsible."
"Yeah, yeah," Amy said, brushing her off and heading for the door. The sun was barely stretching over the mountains in the distance, the dew shone on the unclipped grass. A few cars drove were out and a woman and her dog jogged by, but beyond that there wasn't much activity. Amy went to the truck that was parked in the driveway with a full trailer attached to the back. She pulled up the corner of the tarp covering the supplies in the back of the truck and pushed Blake's bag down, then covered it up with the tarp. She climbed into the passenger seat and opened the glove compartment and removed the stack of maps that had been stored in there. On top was one that depicted highways around the state, she took that one out and set it on the seat beside her. She flipped through a few old maps that were so old that they probably didn't map anything that still existed. At the bottom of the pile she found what she was looking for, a glossy brochure that read in large letters across the top, "Harloin's Annual Renaissance Festival." There was a picture of a traditional Renaissance dance and at the bottom in light blue print it announced that Harloin's festival is the "largest annual Renaissance festival in the Midwest." Amy's family had been going to Harloin's Renaissance Festival since she could remember. Her mom loved to sew clothes but not many people were interested in wearing homemade clothes these days (especially Amy and Blake). However, she discovered a huge demand for Renaissance clothing when she went to her first Renaissance festival with her husband and the three year old Amy. Since then the family had never missed Harloin's festival because the fabric was costly, but they could make it back it back, plus a decent profit at the festival.
"Hey, let me in," Blake said, tapping on the truck window.
Amy looked up from the brochure. She opened the door and slid her seat forward so Blake could climb back.
"What are you doing?" Blake asked, setting her pillow on the seat beside her.
Amy held up the brochure, "Looking for directions. The festival moved to a new location this year because it was getting too big for the old location."
"Oh yeah," Blake said, "It's about time. The last place had that interstate like right next to it and people were driving past all night long."
"I know, the new place is supposed to be pretty isolated. The only problem is that it's going to be hard to find…"
The driver's side door opened, "Got everything?" their mom asked, turning the keys in the ignition.
"Do you have your cell?" Amy asked.
She dug it out of her pocket and set it in a cup holder between them.
Amy nodded. "Charger?"
"In my bag and, yes, I brought the charger that plugs into the car because we don't know if there will be power outlets at the fair."
"Okay," Amy said, "That's all I can think of."
"Good," Blake said irritably from the back, "Can we go now?"
Their mom slid the shifter into reverse and the truck pushed the trailer back into the street. They were driving minutes later, Amy checking the review mirrors every few seconds in case something had worked its way out from under the tarps, her mom flipping through radio stations, and Blake wedging her pillow between the window and her head. They drove through town, coming to a stop in front of a stucco house with large clay pots sitting out front. The lawn was composed of chips of red rocks except for a few weedy looking plants that were sprinkled across it. Amy slid out of the truck and marched up to the front door, hoping that Elena had used the time since she had hung up to pack. She pushed the door bell and could hear it echoing somewhere inside the house. Amy crossed her arms across her chest and looked at her wrist to see what time it was, but realized that she had taken her watch off and left it in her bag because it didn't fit with the whole costume thing. Sighing, she looked back at the door, it was still closed. She rang the doorbell again.
"What?" an irritable Elena said, throwing the door open. Her long black hair spiraled down around her face and shoulders in loose curls and she was wearing a peach gown that wrapped around her shoulders and hugged her curvy body before falling delicately to the ground. She adjusted the pearl necklace hanging from her slender neck and smiled at Amy, "Hey babe, what's going on?" The change from the tired and murmuring Elena on the phone was remarkable.
"Uh, well-" Amy started to reply, but was cut off by Elena.
"Let's go before anyone sees me like this," she said with a laugh. "I don't even want to know what the neighbors think every year when I come out dressed like-" she paused, trying to think of a word.
"-an anachronism," Amy supplemented.
"What?" Elena said, flipping her black hair over one shoulder as she reached for her suitcase.
"An anachronism, something that is out of place in time, you know, like you're dressed in Renaissance clothing but we're in the twen-"
"Yeah, whatever," she said. "Where is there going to be room for this?" she gestured to her suitcase as she wheeled it out of her house and toward the truck.
Amy went to the back of the truck and peeked under the tarp, there were a few spaces, but nothing big enough for Elena's suitcase. "The suitcase is a little bigger than we thought it would be," Amy said.
Elena rolled her eyes, "So where are we going to put it?"
Amy shrugged.
"Just put it up front then," Elena said, already climbing into behind the truck behind the driver's seat.
Amy looked at the suitcase. "There won't be enough room between you and Blake back there."
"Duh," Elena called from inside the truck, "It's going to have to go up front with you."
Looking at the suitcase, Amy sighed, and hoisted into the truck. She slid it around so she could have as much leg room as possible, but the suitcase took up nearly all the space.
"Oh, and be careful not to put your feet on it," Elena said, flipping open her cell phone. "There are breakables."
Amy fit her legs into the narrow crack between the suitcase and the door and pulled the seat belt across her lap.
"Everybody ready?" her mom asked, shifting the truck into gear.
They were a few miles down the road when Elena's phone snapped closed, "Hey, Blakey, you want to move your feet? They're taking all my leg room."
Amy had her head rested on her fist and she pretended to be asleep.
"No, Laney, I really don't want to move my feet," Blake replied, her voice flat.
"I'm loosing feeling in my legs."
"Good for you," Blake retorted, "Write another text message or something to take your mind off it." She fluffed her pillow and closed her eyes again.
"What are you, like ten years old? Move your freaking feet."
"Eleven, actually. What are you, like five years old? Get over it."
"Girls, girls," Amy's mom cut in, eyeing them via the rearview mirror. "Settle down. Blake move your feet so Elena can have some more room. Why don't you both just try to get some sleep?"
Blake moved her feet an inch or two and closed her eyes. Elena opened her phone and began text messaging again. The two had been at odds with each other for years, they were just too different to find any common ground.
Amy and Elena had been friends since third grade, when they had started the tradition of going to Harloin's festival every year. Around the beginning of high school Elena and Amy, who at one point had been inseparable, started to part. Elena had discovered the world of parties, boys, and cute shoes. Amy hadn't. Now they were sophomores, Amy fifteen and Elena sixteen, and they had almost never hung out. The only remaining bit of their friendship was the annual trip to Harloin's.
"What road am I supposed to be on, Amy?" her mom asked.
"You're on it, just keep driving straight, I'll tell you where to turn," Amy replied, suddenly awake and alert. If anyone noticed that she hadn't really been sleeping they didn't bother to mention it. Three hours later, Amy was staring out of the window, Blake and Elena were sleeping in the back and Amy saw the sign for the turn off.
"Hey, mom, this is it coming up," Amy said. The road turned off of the interstate and wound up a thickly forested mountain, out of sight.
"It's certainly out in the middle of nowhere this year, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Amy replied, leaning forward in her seat to get a better view. "This place is amazing though, I bet the turn out will be outrageous."
"Hopefully," her mom said, "I've made enough dresses to drown in."
"No kidding." Amy laughed, she and Blake had been the models for most of the clothing.
"Not to mention all the shoes and accessories," she continued, pressing the gas and guiding the truck up the hills. Already the interstate was hidden behind a thick screen of trees and they were riding over a dirt road, rocks were clunking against the side of the truck as the wheels flung them up.
"They'll all sell," Amy assured her, looking down at a pair of slippers made by her mother, they were beautiful, green to match her dress with creamy embroidered vines wrapping around the front and sides of the slippers.
Her mom smiled at her, then looked back at the road. "I hope that your father is doing alright." He was still in the hospital after the broken leg incident.
"I'm sure he is. If he wasn't, someone would call."
The phone rang. The little electronic jingle filled the small space of the truck cab eerily. Amy stared at it, too surprised to move. Apparently her mom did the same thing because when Amy looked back up they were headed straight for a deer. Amy screamed, "Mom! Watch it!"
Her mom looked up from the phone, eyes wide. She tugged at the steering wheel, but it was too late. With a screech of tires they collided with the deer, sending Amy flying forward against her seatbelt.
Elena was screaming in the backseat when Amy looked up next, her shoulder throbbing from the yank of the seatbelt. They were off the road, just inches from the hood of the car to the nearest tree. "Mom, you alright?" she said, reaching over to her mom.
Her mom nodded, her eyes still wide and terrified. Opening her door, Amy slid out of the car and pulled the seat forward. "Blake?"
"Yeah, I'm alright- I'm fine- what happened?" Blake pulled off her seatbelt and climbed out of the truck. Amy wrapped her arms around her little sister, happy beyond words that she was safe.
"We hit a deer," she said, releasing her sister and reaching back into the car for Elena. "Elena, you alright?"
Elena nodded, her brown skin flushed from all her screaming. She took Amy's hand and slid across the seat to crawl out of truck as Blake had just done. Her hands were pressed against her lips and for once she was silent.
"Mom?" Amy called, worry making her throat catch. "Can you get out?"
Her mom slid across the seat, coming out of Amy's door like Elena and Blake. She hugged Blake while Amy walked around to the front of the car, winding her way around the trees. Under the front tires she saw brown fur matted with blood, a hoof stretched out into view, making her stomach lurch.
"Is it dead?" her mom asked as Amy returned to the side of the truck where they were standing.
"Yeah," Amy said.
"Are you sure?"
Amy nodded. There wasn't any doubt in her mind that the deer was dead. She rubbed her shoulder, her mom was reaching into the car for the ignition key to turn it off, Blake was sitting on the ground, her jacket on the ground beside her and her ponytail drooping. Elena was standing in the road, arms crossed. "What now?" she asked.
Amy shrugged, looking to her mom, who was digging through the trailer. "Everything looks alright, it was tied down well enough that it hardly even shifted," her mom said.
"Mom?" Amy said, "What are we going to do now?"
"I don't know, we're all okay and the trailer's fine. What about the car?"
Amy stepped back to look at the car, the hood was dented pretty badly, but it didn't look completely demolished. "I've seen worse," Amy reported. "We might be able to drive out of here."
"What about the trailer? Can the truck pull it do you think?"
"I don't think so," Amy said, "I wouldn't want to risk it anyways."
"So what do we do with the trailer?" she mused.
"What if we wait here with the trailer and you see if you can get the car fixed, or at least get a rental or something."
"I don't want to leave you alone out here in the middle of nowhere."
Amy shrugged. "It's not a big deal. We could even pull the trailer into the fair while you're gone. It wouldn't be that hard." The trailer had a low wooden rail that kept all the boxes of clothing on the trailer and it had two wheels that were constructed to make the trailer easy to pull, obviously by car, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to try to pull it themselves, especially when there was only clothes in it.
"I'm not sure-"
"Mom, you'll be gone for a few hours max. We can't just sit here and do nothing."
"I could call a tow truck," she said.
Amy made a face, "Why bother? There's a town like three miles from here. You go, drop the truck off at the repair shop, pick up a rental, and meet us at the fair. Then we can all go get some dinner or something before lighting the campfire."
She frowned, trying to decide. "I don't know-"
"Or we could all sit around here all day and do nothing, I don't care," Amy said.
"Fine, let's make sure it at least runs. If not we'll have to make a plan B."
Amy unhooked the trailer and with the help of Blake moved it to the other side of the road. While they were moving the trailer their mom had started the truck and backed it off the deer's corpse.
"It seems like it's working just fine, the damage is superficial," Amy said, eying the car.
"Yeah," her mom replied, "it's running all right."
Amy crossed the road to stand next to the driver's side window. "Thanks for taking care of things," her mom said. "You're so good."
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about us."
"I'll be right back, Amy. Bye, girls!" she said, waving at Blake and Elena. They waved back and watched the truck drive away, leaving a cloud of dust on the dirt road as it passed.
"We're not going to have to pull that thing, are we?" Elena said, staring at the trailer.
"It's not that heavy," Amy said, "and it shouldn't be that far to get to the fair."
"Plus, like maybe as like we're pulling it like some totally hot guys will like stop and help us," Blake remarked, her voice high pitched and mocking.
Elena rolled her dark brown eyes. "Shut up, Blake."
"Hey, knock it off," Amy said, "Let's just pull this." She picked up the front of the trailer, Blake grabbed the other side and reluctantly Elena pushed from the back. The started down the road at a steady pace, Amy looked back at the crushed deer along the side of the road one last time. She could've sworn she saw the outline of a hand stretched out among the mangled fur. Shaking her head, she looked back at the road in front of her, she supposed that she was imagining human characteristics because she felt bad that it had to die like it did.
They had been pulling for about fifteen minutes when Elena let out a groan. "Damn it, I left my phone in your mom's car. And, just so you know, my feet hurt like a mother."
Blake turned to stare at her and Amy set the front of the trailer down. "Why are we stopping?" Blake complained.
"Let's take a break," Amy said, for the benefit of Elena.
"We've only been walking for like ten minutes-"
"Longer than that," Elena objected. She twisted her long black hair up and held it off her neck. "And it's like so hot out here."
"We play games in ninety five degree weather; this is nothing," Blake replied. She played on the soccer team at her middle school and even though she would only be a seventh grader next year, the coaches were considering making her captain of the team.
"Good for you."
Amy poked through the contents of the trailer wondering if they had thought to bring snacks or maybe water. Of course not, that would be way too smart. Amy sighed and sank to the ground, fortunately choosing a spot off the road. "I thought there would be more people," she said, "I mean, there is a festival going on, after all."
"Are we even on the right road?" Elena scoffed. "Or are we going to be stranded out here?"
Amy had been studying the map closely before the accident, she was sure that they hadn't gone astray. "It's the right road."
"Oi! You up there!" a voice called out from further down the road that they had just traveled.
The three girls looked up at the speaker, unsure how to respond.
"Did you gals kill the beastie back there on the road?"
