Audentis Fortuna Iuvat!
Summary: A 16 year old girl is on the brink of a strange adventure. She is set for a long journey which slowly leads her to question everything she has believed in. Is there a dividing line between dreams & reality? A modern fantasy tale with a whole lot of surprises.
Chapter One
There was a blinding flash of light. "Gotcha!" a male voice cried.
Valentina Corelli pushed up the sleeves on her denim jacket & frowned. "Al, stop being so juvenile ok? I've just given a horrible test paper & am in no mood for a photo shoot!"
Alden looked up grinning from his digital camera. "That's just the thing I wanted to capture my dear, somber expressions after one of Ms Trent's famous Chem. paper & yours was priceless!"
"Whatever", Valentina said rolling her eyes "I'm totally wiped out."
Alden lightly punched her on the shoulder as they continued walking down the corridor. "Don't worry," he said comfortingly. "You'll ace it as usual. You always do."
"With the 14 pages of senseless matter I managed?"
"You wrote 14 pages in an hour?"
"Uh-huh. I didn't know anything so I had to write a lot. If I had studied it properly, I probably could've gotten away with five to six pages".
Alden laughed. "At least your sense of humor is ticking as usual. That's a good sign".
"You got a meeting right now?"
"Yeah Ed's sure to be on the prowl soon. In about another 30 minutes. Today's your day at Curio's isn't it?"
"Yeah & I'm late. Guess I'll be running. Jade's place at 7 remember?"
"Sure, see you later"
"Later" Waving goodbye Valentina slung her bag more securely on her shoulder and took off towards the exit of her school.
Curio's at the town's local Shopping Mall had always had a strange air about it. It was an artifact shop which sold decorative items, sculptures, paintings & some very strange items of art. The shop looked fascinating and sales had always been good. Some browsed, some purchased. There was something about the air in the shop. Something unexplained & ethereal.
Mr. William Stone was the manager. He was nothing like the shop he owned. He was an ordinary middle aged gentleman who always had a friendly word of advice for all his customers. He genuinely liked meeting people & many would sometimes just drop in to chat. Nevertheless he was a very keen observer. Nothing escaped his attention. He had eyes that could see everything.
On that Friday afternoon, the mall was deserted. Not many were out. The crowds usually picked up in the evening anyway. The occasional students filtered in but they headed right to the coffee house. Outside a steady wind was blowing through the trees.
Mr. Stone had always found this the best time to do a little mid-day inventory. He loved tinkering around his shop & checking on his stock. But today worry lines creased his forehead making him look much older than his years. "It is time", he thought. "The wheels must be set in motion. Waiting longer would be folly. The purpose has to be served. I know she is ready for it." Looking up at the clock he smiled. Valentina Corelli would be there soon.
Thanks a lot for reading! My current fascination is on Greek Mythology so my story will definitely focus on it. (Although nothing about it has been mentioned in the first chapter) This is actually the trial chapter. I'd just like to know the response. Is the beginning good enough? Please review & let me know. This is my first fanfic & I'd really appreciate all who'll review this chapter.
Cheers,
Trianica.