Chapter 1
The Appearance
The sun shone brightly through her window, a shaft of light hitting her face causing her eyes to squint. Her face screwed up as she slightly opened her eyes, temporarily blinded. She picked her head up just enough to grab the pillow underneath and bury her head under it, trying to shut out the light. However, before she was able to drift back to sleep, escaping back to a world where nothing was as it seemed, a loud buzz filled her ears making her groan.
Damn alarm clock.
She wearily pushed the pillow off her face, her bones creaking, and sat up, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes. She hated Mondays. They were the worst of days for her. Only one thing happened on Monday. School.
The bed called to her, its blankets reaching out to wrap her in their warmth and security. The pillow whispered her name, beckoning her to come lay upon it. Every muscle within her screamed at her brain to give in to the bed's urgings, but their cries were drowned out by the insistent shriek of the alarm.
"I'm up, I'm up."
The bed gave one last plea for her to come back before silencing as she wearily reached over and turned off her alarm. Why did today have to be Monday? Sunday had been so nice, enabling her to finish a rather splendid book she had been drawn into.
She had always been labeled as a 'brain' simply because of her love for reading. No one truly understood her lust to learn. They simply thought she was strange. After all, none of them seemed to ever read unless they were forced to in school, and even then, it was with a reluctance that meant very few would actually abide by the assignment. Of course, her family had always told her she was beyond her years. She was not like most teenagers her age. Sure, she went to the mall just like any other 16 year old, but her taste in clothes changed rapidly and was more sophisticated. Instead of the short skirts and tube tops preferred by many, she went for a classier look, following pencil skirts and button down shirts with matching bag and shoes. Something no teenager, aside from herself, would ever think of wearing of her own free will.
Yet, there was something inside of her, some bright shining aura around her heart, which managed to slip out at times. While her front of sophistication was a wall surrounding her, the true being inside of her managed to slip through the cracks occasionally. When that happened, it was as if another persona entirely had taken over. No longer was she the rational, classy girl, but rather a wild, energetic child. Nothing seemed impossible to her then, there was no obstacle she was not able to overcome. Everything in life was purely sweet and nothing could ruin her happiness. Those rare moments brought out her true good-natured, optimistic self.
She stretched for a moment as she rose from the comfort of the bed, her muscles straining and her bones creaking. Managing to wake up, she made her way to her dresser. Hooking her fingers under the ornately carved patterns of ivy and trees, she gave the dresser a tug and rolled it open. Her uniforms sat there-crisp, clean polo shirts in burgundy and white along with her navy blue pleated skirts and pants. She glanced over at her window, checking the temperature. The mercury liquid had risen up to 80°F, indicating that pants were not to be worn. She grabbed a burgundy shirt and skirt, grabbing a pair of denim shorts for underneath, and went to the bathroom to change.
She had just finished dragging on her socks, thinking about what boring things she'd be learning today when the bus drove past her window.
*Crap, I'm gonna be late!*
???
*Oh great. Another lesson on atoms. You'd think after already taking it for two years they'd give it a rest.*
Her eyes could barely stay open as her science teacher droned on about electron clouds and isotopes. She half expected him to hand out sheets on balancing equations. Looking down at her note-laden paper she began to doodle along the edges, praying that they'd be able to leave early so she could go home.
"Would you like to join the rest of our class or is your daydreaming more important?"
The teacher's brown eyes met her green ones as they snapped up from her drawing and she mumbled a small apology. A fleeting glance at the clock told her that she need only wait fifteen more minutes and then she'd be free.
Of course, no one would ever really believe what happened next. But then again, who's really believe that an owl had just smashed through the window, landing on her desk and dropped a small envelope before her, as though nothing had happened?
The Appearance
The sun shone brightly through her window, a shaft of light hitting her face causing her eyes to squint. Her face screwed up as she slightly opened her eyes, temporarily blinded. She picked her head up just enough to grab the pillow underneath and bury her head under it, trying to shut out the light. However, before she was able to drift back to sleep, escaping back to a world where nothing was as it seemed, a loud buzz filled her ears making her groan.
Damn alarm clock.
She wearily pushed the pillow off her face, her bones creaking, and sat up, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes. She hated Mondays. They were the worst of days for her. Only one thing happened on Monday. School.
The bed called to her, its blankets reaching out to wrap her in their warmth and security. The pillow whispered her name, beckoning her to come lay upon it. Every muscle within her screamed at her brain to give in to the bed's urgings, but their cries were drowned out by the insistent shriek of the alarm.
"I'm up, I'm up."
The bed gave one last plea for her to come back before silencing as she wearily reached over and turned off her alarm. Why did today have to be Monday? Sunday had been so nice, enabling her to finish a rather splendid book she had been drawn into.
She had always been labeled as a 'brain' simply because of her love for reading. No one truly understood her lust to learn. They simply thought she was strange. After all, none of them seemed to ever read unless they were forced to in school, and even then, it was with a reluctance that meant very few would actually abide by the assignment. Of course, her family had always told her she was beyond her years. She was not like most teenagers her age. Sure, she went to the mall just like any other 16 year old, but her taste in clothes changed rapidly and was more sophisticated. Instead of the short skirts and tube tops preferred by many, she went for a classier look, following pencil skirts and button down shirts with matching bag and shoes. Something no teenager, aside from herself, would ever think of wearing of her own free will.
Yet, there was something inside of her, some bright shining aura around her heart, which managed to slip out at times. While her front of sophistication was a wall surrounding her, the true being inside of her managed to slip through the cracks occasionally. When that happened, it was as if another persona entirely had taken over. No longer was she the rational, classy girl, but rather a wild, energetic child. Nothing seemed impossible to her then, there was no obstacle she was not able to overcome. Everything in life was purely sweet and nothing could ruin her happiness. Those rare moments brought out her true good-natured, optimistic self.
She stretched for a moment as she rose from the comfort of the bed, her muscles straining and her bones creaking. Managing to wake up, she made her way to her dresser. Hooking her fingers under the ornately carved patterns of ivy and trees, she gave the dresser a tug and rolled it open. Her uniforms sat there-crisp, clean polo shirts in burgundy and white along with her navy blue pleated skirts and pants. She glanced over at her window, checking the temperature. The mercury liquid had risen up to 80°F, indicating that pants were not to be worn. She grabbed a burgundy shirt and skirt, grabbing a pair of denim shorts for underneath, and went to the bathroom to change.
She had just finished dragging on her socks, thinking about what boring things she'd be learning today when the bus drove past her window.
*Crap, I'm gonna be late!*
???
*Oh great. Another lesson on atoms. You'd think after already taking it for two years they'd give it a rest.*
Her eyes could barely stay open as her science teacher droned on about electron clouds and isotopes. She half expected him to hand out sheets on balancing equations. Looking down at her note-laden paper she began to doodle along the edges, praying that they'd be able to leave early so she could go home.
"Would you like to join the rest of our class or is your daydreaming more important?"
The teacher's brown eyes met her green ones as they snapped up from her drawing and she mumbled a small apology. A fleeting glance at the clock told her that she need only wait fifteen more minutes and then she'd be free.
Of course, no one would ever really believe what happened next. But then again, who's really believe that an owl had just smashed through the window, landing on her desk and dropped a small envelope before her, as though nothing had happened?
