Chapter 2

The plane flight to London was a very long and boring one. It took more hours than Marissa had hoped and she was so glad when they arrived. This isn't so bad, she mused. It was a very wonderful place, though she wasn't used to the weather. She wrapped her newly bought coat around her more tightly and followed her parents to get their luggage.

Once they had everything, including a restless Berkeley, they headed to the exit of the airport where Marissa feasted her eyes on the closely packed buildings and smooth streets and right-side driven cars. She was amazed at how different it was from her own country.

"Dad, aren't we gonna hail a cab or something?" Marissa asked as she noticed her parents just standing there, apparently waiting for something.

"No need," her father said, as a black limousine rolled up in front of them.

Marissa's mouth dropped. Why on earth is there a limo here? For US? She saw small flags attached to the front of the limo, but before she could see them clearly, her father prodded her to go inside the limo and she did.

The inside was even better than the outside. The seats were leather and it had wood paneling. There was a small TV, telephone, refrigerator, and a mini bar inside. She was gazing open-mouthed at her surroundings.

"Don't look so surprised, Marissa," said Albert. "The embassy takes very good care of us."

Marissa nodded her head slowly and looked out the window. She was once again taken by the wonderful scenery whizzing past her. This is just great, she thought, the hint of sarcasm absent.


The limo stopped in front of a huge manor. Marissa guessed it to be somewhere a bit away from the city as she noticed that the buildings lessened as they got nearer the manor. They got out of the limo and stood breathless at the foot of the stone steps that led to the huge oak doors.

"So, this is the embassy?" Marissa asked.

"No," Albert said slowly, putting an arm around his daughter. "This," he paused for effect, "is our new home."

"WHAT!" Marissa exclaimed. "You have got to be kidding me! This… THIS? This is our new home? OUR house? This is where we're gonna live?" She ran up the stone steps, followed closely by her parents. "Oh my goodness it's amazing! I can't believe it! It's so huge! And look!" she said, pointing towards the forests that lined the extremely long driveway, "We have our own forest! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!"

"Looks like you like it here," Suzanne said, her eyes twinkling.

"Like it?" Marissa said, wide-eyed. "I LOVE it!" she cried and ran into the manor, Berkeley at her heels.


It has been three days since she first stepped into the manor, and she still hasn't finished exploring. The manor had hundreds of rooms, even some secret passages to her delight. Every inch of the manor was beautiful, but she thought it was too big for the three of them. Her usual company was Berkeley since her father and mother seem to be away doing something all of the time.

"Mom doesn't even have a job," she said to herself. It was fast becoming a habit. With no one to talk to but herself or Berkeley, she usually found herself whispering or muttering absently.

Today, she decided to investigate the forest. She never went in too far, always making sure that she could still see the driveway from where she was in case she got lost. She loved the forest because it was always peacefully quiet, not the foreboding silence in the manor.

As she was strolling along, watching Berkeley dig his nose around the dirt, she heard a twig crack behind her. She whipped around and peered through the large trees around her. She saw nothing. Slightly shaking her head, she walked on. Another crack, and this time, she turned her head so abruptly that she felt dizzy, but she saw a very small figure run across two trees. She hurriedly went to where she saw the figure, but she saw nothing again.

"Berkeley," she whispered, and he obediently came to her side. Marissa peered around the forest again, but it was now deathly silent. "I think I just saw an dwarf," she said incredulously to Berkeley, who in turn just stared absently back. "I'm going crazy," Marissa said quietly, shaking her head and slightly laughing at herself.

She decided to go back to the manor. Maybe a cool drink would get her back to normal. Berkeley ran ahead of her and was out of sight in a flash. As she made her way to the driveway, she heard a swishing sound behind her. Before she could turn, she heard a raspy voice and saw a bright light. She didn't have the chance to run, not even to scream. She felt something hit her hard in the back, intense heat flowed through her body. She fell to the ground, gasping for air. The last thing she saw was a huge pair of scared eyes, and everything went black.