This was a spur of the moment, middle of the night story. Can't remember much, not even the full plot… wait. Yes I do.

The Necklace

Erin threw her backpack on her bed. It was only her first week and she was in danger of getting expelled. It wasn't her fault Mrs. Veanipe had bumped her and Erin had spilled a cup of water all over her teacher. Erin hade even wanted to go to this school. It was just the only choice after she had gotten expelled at Thornvalle High School. Which, Erin had been framed, at. She just didn't get along with people her age. The in crowd had decided to make her life miserable after her first week of being a freshman there.

Alison ran into the room and jumped on her older sister's bed. Alison was five years younger then Erin and looked up to her. She was scared of their aunt, Anne, which they had been living with for the last two years. Their parents had been divorced and Erin and Alison had been living with their mother. She had died during a car crash and their dad had disappeared, so Erin and her sister were sent to live with their mother's sister.

Anne was very different from her sister. Anne wanted everything clean and perfect. Erin and Alison had been living in the same room when they were with their mother and now they were in separate rooms. Erin didn't like her aunt at all and would have left if it weren't for her sister. Anne knew that and held it over Erin's head, whenever Anne wanted

Something.

Erin took herself back to the present. "Yes?" she asked her sister, "How was your day at school?"

"It was great," Alison started to tell her sister. "After lunch Mrs. Green told us we get to do book reports. And you know how much I love to read. I want to do a book that no one else will do," Erin smiled as she let her ten year old sister ramble on. "Can I borrow one of yours?" Alison looked up to her sister. Alison knew her sister loved books and would have some somewhere. She didn't know that Erin had a huge stash somewhere only she knew.

A bit after they had moved in with their aunt, Anne made a rule that Erin couldn't have any books unless she approved of them. Erin had realized it was only a rule that Anne had created to control Erin. Erin started to sneak books to a secret hiding place where no one could ever find. She now had books by

authors like Tolkien, Atwater-Rhodes, Rowling, Lee, and many others.

"Yes Aly," Erin tried to think of a way she could have her sister read the book without Anne finding out.

"Erin! Alison! Get down here now, it's time for dinner!" Anne screamed at them to go downstairs. Erin looked at her clock. It was already five and she still hadn't started her homework. Now she would most likely have to stay up all night to finish it.

"Get down here now!" Anne yelled one more time. Alison was already running down the stairs. Erin grumbled and walked down the stairs. Anne was sitting in the kitchen. Erin quickly set the table and got the food on the table. She made sure there was nothing else to do before she sat down.

Erin quietly said grace in her head. Anne was again saying grace at the table and they had found that out the first week they were their when Alison had started to say grace at dinner. Anne exploded and screamed at Alison and Erin yelled at Anne because of it. There was a huge fight and after that it wasn't even mentioned. They only ate dinner in silence.

After dinner, Erin washed the dishes as Anne went upstairs to watch TV. She glanced at the clock, she still had to do her homework and they weren't supposed to have their lights on after ten. She hurried through the dishes and ran upstairs.

Erin finished her homework and ten-thirty with the help of a flashlight. She spent the next half hour staring up at the ceiling. Alison quietly came in. Erin let her curl up on her bed without a word. After they had moved in, Alison started having nightmares. Alison started coming in to be calmed by her older sister. After a while it was an often occurrence, they just had to be careful Anne didn't find out. Erin soon fell asleep, thinking about what could be different.

An alarm clock rang. Erin sat up and looked around. She was in her room. Alison was curled up next to her. Erin smiled and carried her little sister to her own bed. She rushed back to her own room and quickly got dress. Erin scooped up all her school stuff she took out of her backpack last night and dropped it back in. She checked the time and ran downstairs grabbing a quick breakfast.

The school day went by pretty fast. She had gotten most of her homework done and hadn't gotten detention, so Erin decided to stop by a store that had caught her eye. It was an old antique shop. She had seen on the way to school her first day. Erin loved old shops and had wanted to stop by this one. Now she had the time.

A bell rang as she walked into the shop. An old man stood behind the counter. He looked up as she entered, "Looking for anything particular," he asked. Erin shook her head and looked at the jewelry. She picked up a necklace that had caught her eye. It had a silver chain and was pretty ordinary except the sapphire like gem it held. Erin was reminded of the necklace in a series. The sapphire seemed to glow and looked very unusual? She tried to think of a word for it. Magical? Magickal? That worked, she thought.

"A beautiful necklace, isn't it?" Erin jumped. While she had been entice by the strange necklace the old man had come behind her. "It was suppose to be some type of travel devise," he continued. "If someone were suppose to wish hard enough while standing above a pool of water it would take them away to a far off place," the man shook his head. "Not that I've tried. I am very happy here."

Erin barely heard. A far off place? She could get away from Anne and school and everything. She decided to buy it. Even if it didn't work, it was still some type of hope. Erin left the store with the necklace on. She didn't have a lot of money left now, but it was worth it. Erin broke into a run. She still had to get to her job before she was fired.

Erin worked at a music store a few blocks down. She had made sure she did start right after school in case she had detention. Erin didn't really like the job, but it got her money. She and her boss didn't get along a lot. But at least she could sell instruments faster then some people. Which at points it didn't seem to matter.

Erin sat down in her normal seat, ready for the day ahead. While she waited she thought about the necklace she was wear. It would be wonderful if it really worked. She could go to somewhere new without having to worry about everything here.

It would be perfect. No worries, no people telling her what to do.

"Erin! Get back to work," Erin's boss broke her out of her thoughts. But for the rest of the day she had the hope of the necklace.

Far Away

Erin stood at the edge of Clearglass Lake looking at her reflection. She was sick of home. Last night when she had come home Anne started a huge argument. Luckily today is Saturday, Erin thought, I won't be missed for a while.

Erin was so sick of everything. Doing the same thing everyday. Nothing ever different. She might not ever be able to go the collage in a few years.

Erin checked to see if her necklace was on. She then wished that she could go to a far off place. It didn't work. She tried a few different ways until she gave up.

"Stupid necklace," Erin muttered. The last thing she remembered was throwing the necklace into the lake.

Erin woke up in so type of grassland. She looked around quickly and found her necklace a few feet away from her. She got up slowly and looked around her. The colors were brighter, she realized. Also, the sky was actually blue. At home the sky was always smoky and grey. She smiled. It had worked. Now she would never have to go back. But now where would she go? Erin's smile faded. "I'm in a new place and I don't know the way around," she said to herself.

She turned in a circle, looking around. In the distance, behind a tree, she saw a castle. I'll just head for that, she thought. If it were a fairy tale a handsome prince would come and save her.

An hour later, Erin was still walking toward the castle. She was about a half mile away. She looked down at her clothes and noticed how different she probably looked. She was wearing blue jeans, muddy from her travel, a black shirt that said Evanescence, and her dark red hair was reached a bit higher then her shoulders. She was filthy.

As she reached the castle's walls, Erin saw that the doors o the keep were open. In one of her books, it had a bit about castle layouts. Erin was finding that knowledge very useful. A noble on a horse rode out as she reached the door.

"A traveler?" the man asked, "Let us hear of your journey." He dismounted his horse and walked her to the inner keep. There one of the stable hands took the noble's horse.

Erin walked nervously, not sure what was expected of her. She was a girl from a different world; she was completely unaware of any of the customs here. She wasn't even sure what the castle was called.

The noble sent Erin off with a maid. The maid took her to what Erin thought might be a guest room. The room had a smaller room connected to it. It that room was a wooden tub, which she thought might be that bath, filled with water. The maid left, saying she would be back with clothes. Erin quickly washed herself.

By the time she was done the maid was back with a shirt and breaches. Erin put it on with out really thinking about it. She was fine with wearing breeches though it would be fun to wear a dress. Erin went though her dirty clothes and took out her necklace. She slipped it on so it wouldn't show.

The maid brought her to what Erin guessed was the great hall. The noble and what she guessed was the king sat at a table at the top of the room. Servants brought food in that Erin had never heard of, much less seen. The king motioned for Erin to sit down. Erin walked over and sat down in the place she was offered. She fidgeted, waiting for some order or something. She looked at her hands, hoping someone would say something.