BRRRIIIINNNNGG!
Skye sat up, startled by the sound of her new alarm clock. For a moment she sat there, dazed, the annoying buzz making her cringe. Glancing over, she squinted at the bright red LCD display, barely making out a 6, a 3, and a 0. Disgusted, she slammed the snooze button and fell back on her pillow. She had never been a morning person, and being jarred out of a deep, enjoyable sleep always rendered her nearly unapproachable in the morning. She sighed unhappily at the thought of getting up for school and stared up sleepily at her white ceiling fan as it turned…and turned…
"Skye!! Did you not set your alarm? Get up, you're going to be late!"
"What? But I did set…ohh."
Feeling guilty, Skye rolled out of bed with a groan and hurriedly pulled on some jean shorts and a t-shirt. She threw her auburn hair up into an untidy bun and slipped her feet into some flip flops before running into the kitchen to down some Frosted Flakes and orange juice. Within minutes she found herself outside, waiting dejectedly for the bus and wishing for the millionth time that she was old enough to drive. Luckily the bus ride was relatively short, but she spent it staring gloomily out the window at the shopping centers and fast food restaurants that had taken over her hometown. Suddenly she remembered that she needed to see Mr. Trebond about changing her seat in class, and decided that it would be best for her to go before school, just in case he was too busy before class later that afternoon. As soon as the bus pulled up in front of the school, she made her way through the crowd and struck a path towards the English hall. She took a moment to look once more at the mystical creatures lining the doorway before she pulled open the door and hesitantly stepped inside.
Mr. Trebond was sitting at his desk, busily writing something down. He was an older man, Skye guessed him to be in his fifties, with patches of gray in his shaggy brown hair. He didn't look up as she came in, and she stood before the door, waiting expectantly for him to acknowledge her. After a minute she gave a polite cough and he looked up, startled.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize anyone had come in," he said, putting his pen down. "You must excuse me, I get very caught up in my work. So what is it I can do for you Miss…Skye, is it?"
"Yes," she replied, amazed he had remembered her name. "Um well, I was wondering if there is any way that I could switch my seat to a place over away from the air conditioner, I was pretty cold yesterday."
"Of course. I'm not one for cold myself, as a matter of fact. How about that third seat over by the window?" he asked, pointing.
Relieved that he had bought her story, she grinned. "That's fine sir, thank you. See you in class later."
She turned to go, but as she did a picture above his desk suddenly caught her eye. It was a sketch of a winged creature with the body of a lion and the head of a hawk. Curious, she took a step closer to see it better. Mr. Trebond turned to see what she was looking at, then stared at her intently for a moment.
"That's a griffin," he said as she continued to gaze at it. "Are you interested in fantastical creatures?"
She turned to him, a look of surprise on her face. "Not particularly, although I have never seen anything like this," she admitted. "Wouldn't it be great if creatures like this could be real? It would make life so much more exciting."
Mr. Trebond chuckled. "Oh, I supposed this world would be alright with a few griffins." Suddenly his eyes seemed to stare past her and he sighed, his face growing serious. "There are other creatures, though, that you would never want to wish upon our world."
"Don't worry, I'll just stick with griffins for now," Skye said quickly. "What do they do, anyway?"
Mr. Trebond stopped staring off into the distance and looked at her once more. "No one can tell a lie around them. If you open up your mouth to tell one, no sound comes out. We could use a little more of that in this day and age, eh?" He smiled grimly and picked up his pen to begin writing once more.
"Yeah…I suppose," she said slowly, not sure whether this was a sign that he wanted her to leave. After waiting a moment longer, she turned and started towards the door.
"Wait, Skye?" She turned. He hesitated, then continued. "If you could spare another moment, I think I have something you might enjoy."
"Oh okay, sure." He got out of his chair and she followed him over to a bookcase filled with classics and famous fiction. He searched a minute before pulling out a worn paperback from the top shelf which he held for a moment, affectionately wiping a light layer of dust off its cover. Finally he handed it over to her, almost reluctantly, and stuck both hands in his pockets. "I think you'll have a good time reading that," he said, indicating the book she held. "It's no classic, but it's good…real good."
Skye glanced at the cover, which had a picture of a young girl, bright red hair cropped short, who was holding the reins to a beautiful golden horse. The title read "Alanna: The First Adventure."
"Hmm, I think I've heard of this before," she said after a moment. "Well thanks, Mr. Trebond. I'll start reading it right away, it looks interesting." She had turned and opened the door when Mr. Trebond called her back once more.
"Skye, just one more thing…be careful."
She faltered a second before grinning, realizing he must have meant be careful with the book. "I'll take good care of it, I promise." With that the bell rang, and she slid the book carefully into her backpack before heading off to first period.
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Authors Note: I'm sorry this beginning hasn't been very exciting, but I promise it will get much better