Chapter 1

I Found You Lost...

'Mother! Why didn't you wake me up?!' shrieked a girl of around fifteen,
flinging her belongings around as she hunted on her floor for a pair of clothes. Yanking on a pair of wrinkled blue jeans and an even more wrinkled black shirt, she huffed in frustration. Her mother had yet again woken her
up late, too drunk to remember what time it was. She brushed her auburn
hair back and tied it up quickly; brushed her teeth and yanked on her combat boots. Black eyeshadow and lipstick was thrown on sloppily, before
she pulled on her many rings, spike bracelets and the like.

Her mother was passed out on the couch before she was even out the door, dragging her things along. Muttering a 'Love you, Mom...' she lurched down the sidewalk, running as fast as she could. She was going to be late, and it would be her mother's fault entirely. Not that her teacher would believe
her. She'd be screwed either way.

'DAMNIT!' she yelled angrily as, just as she entered the school and brushed
past the stoners and the like that were ditching class, the bell rang.
Skidding into her classroom, she ignored the few snickers from the cheerleaders near the front. 'Glad you could join us, Miss Daniels. Mother wake you up late again?' asked the teacher, smirking. She gave a sheepish nod, flushing and biting her pierced lower lip. 'Fine. Take a seat.' the
teacher sighed.

'Great mom, freak.' one of the cheerleaders grinned as she passed. 'Atleast my mom doesn't sleep with a new man every night while daddy's gone.' she hissed back, sinking into a back seat and sighing. 'Damn, Minerva! Again!' exclaimed her closest friend, Joey Sanderson. 'I know...' Minerva sighed, wiggling down in her seat. 'Sorry, M. I'll help you clean up after school.' Joey said with an apologetic smile. 'Thank, JJ...' she murmured, smiling
back.

~

'Minerva! Where the hell have you been?! You're an hour late!' her mother
exclaimed, drunk again and wobbling on her feet. 'Like you give a damn! Here. I bought you another bottle of whiskey so you'd get the hell off my
back.' Minerva snapped, glaring. She hated it! Every time her mom got drunk, and she always took out her problems on her. 'You little bitch!' her mom hissed, moving to smack her. It wasn't too hard to knock her mom over, and she then rushed to her room, looking her door behind her and sinking
onto her bed.

She hated her life. She wished, for once, something would go right...

~

Later that night, she was out the window and then over the backyard fence
after her mother was out again. Lips pursing, she began towards Mm. Lezime's Charms, her favorite store. Everything there was odd, from another
country or holding some mystical power. Minerva had to admit, she was gullible and she soaked it up like a plant taking in water after a drought.

Entering the glass-pane doorway, she was greeted with the thick smell if
incense and spices. 'Greetings, child.' called a woman from behind her counter laden with strange things. 'Hello, Lezime!' Minerva smiled, moving to lean on the counter. 'What's new for today?' she asked after a moment of
looking about. 'I have a new jewel in the back. It allows time travel,
should it recognize the power within you. I thought you might like it.' Lezime smiled, motioning with a ring-laden hand to the back of the shop.

'Thank you!' Minerva exclaimed, bouncing happily towards the back of the shop. She noted the new jewel, leaning over the glass case to peer at the
pale violet stone. Eyes wide, she glanced over her shoulder then slowly extended her fingers to touch it. She felt an odd tingling in her fingers
as they neared it, and when her flesh came in contact with the smooth
surface she felt a strange sensation sweep through her. It was like the
shock you got when you were stupid and rubbed your socks on the carpet,
then touched someone else's hand.

'Lezime? Are you sure it's not radioactive or something?' called Minerva,
glancing over her shoulder. 'Of course it is not!' exclaimed Lezime, laughing slightly. 'Why?' 'I just feel something weird when I touch it...' Minerva murmured, looking back to it. 'Do not touch it!' Lezime exclaimed
suddenly, trying to move from behind the counter. Too late was she,
however, when the jewel began to glow.

Minerva winced, trying to pull her hand back but finding it stuck somehow. 'Lezime! Help me!' she screamed, feeling something pull her forward. She squeezed her eyes shut, before she fell through what felt like a hole in the ground. Eyes slowly opening, her breath caught in her throat as she saw her surroundings. Violets and blues swirled around her. Everything looked oddly like the pictures you saw of the universe. It was becoming harder and
harder to breath...

For a moment, she panicked, sure she was going to suffocate and die in this strange place. But before she knew what was happening, she was dropped form
wherever she had been, landing ungracefully on the ground. She was in a large, grassy field, trees surrounding her. Various flowers danced in the soft breeze. It really would have been beautiful if she wasn't terrified. Gazing around in shock, she shivered then, wrapping her arms about herself.
'Hello? Is anyone there?' she called in a frightened voice.

'Master! Come quickly! A human just dropped from a portal!' cried a nasal, very annoying voice. She looked for its owner, finding a small, toad-like
creature jumping up and down and waving a two-headed staff. They both
stared at each other, before she screamed and scrambled back a bit. The toad thing yelled, running over the hill calling for 'Master'. Panting, she
remained where she was, still trying to get hold of herself.

'Who are you that has frightened my servant so?' asked a slightly deep,
male voice from behind her. She blinked, afraid to turn around. Slowly
looking over her shoulder, she gulped. Oh, damn... She was screwed...