A/N: Hey! I know I'm supposed to be writing 'HP and All The Confusion' but when a plot bunny comes along; you just can't ignore it, can you? So here's a new story for you guys and I hope you like it. It starts becoming a 'HP' story from the next chapter onwards.
Summary: When a young girl's ability to 'book travel' (travel into any story or book and be a part of it) is unearthed, her life becomes completely complicated. What happens when she starts to travel into her favorite book and starts to get attached to the characters? HBP Spoilers.
Chapter 1: The Party
Keya Taylor was driving her new car down an open road that was surrounded by the most beautiful gardens she had ever seen. Keya stopped the car at the side of the road and got out of her car. It was a glorious day. The sun was shining brightly, the air was crisp and clean and everything looked ten times better than usual. Keya was very happy. She made her way towards one of the surrounding gardens and started walking towards a cluster of flowers, all bright red in color. Keya began to pick the flowers, one by one, until she had picked the whole bunch. Then, she made her way back to the car. But when she got back to the road, her car wasn't there anymore. The day had deteriorated in an inexplicable rapidness. The sky was overcast with thundering clouds, the wind was howling and the world looked ten times worse than it usually did.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew Keya off her feet. As she landed in the same garden she had just come from, Keya distinctly heard one of the flowers say 'Why did you pick us?'
Keya looked at the flowers in her hand in disbelief. She picked out the one that had spoken and looked at it. It had a face. A very familiar face…
"Oy! Wake up, Keya!"
"Wha…?"
"Wake up! It's Friday!"
Keya woke up to her sister's excited voice. She had been having that dream again. She had that dream very often.
"What's up?" her sister asked "You look pale."
"I had that dream again." Keya said.
"The talking flower dream?" Delta asked
"Yeah, that one." said Keya
"Well, you're not gonna sit and analyze it today, like you do everyday…" said Delta
"That's right," said Keya smiling "Because today is your birthday."
"Right," said Delta "and we have so much work to do! I mean there's decoration and food and the drinks and the DJ will be coming over early to set up…"
Keya laughed. Her sister was even more excited than usual today. After all, turning 14 was a big thing for Delta. Keya loved Delta. She was one of Keya's favorite people in the world even though they were as different from each other as chalk is from cheese. Delta was 14,exceedingly pretty with brown hair and eyes while Keya was 17,average looking with dark hair and dark eyes. Delta was peppy and outgoing while Keya was quiet and introverted. Keya, unlike Delta, loved to read and was always stuck in her own fantasy world. But the main differences between Keya and Delta were much deeper than what could be seen. Delta was often insecure, while Keya was her guide to life. Keya could often face her problems head on. She could also be very conniving and convincing if she wanted to be, which was sometimes an asset, and sometimes a hindrance as this was one of the reasons people preferred pretty and popular Delta to her.
But Keya didn't really care about that. Her life was quite good. She had an awesome sister, a really cool mother, great friends (who were mostly related to her…but what did it mater?) and a nice comfortable life in the suburbs. Keya was happy. Or so she told herself.
"Hello? Keya have you been listening?" Delta asked.
"Sure," said Keya. "Let's get dressed and then we'll get everything ready."
"Great!" said Delta. She made her way towards the door.
"Hey, Del?" Keya called.
"Yeah?" said Delta
"Happy Birthday."
Delta smiled and made her way back to her own room.
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The party was in full swing. Delta had invited everyone from two whole grades at school so there were about 60 people partying in the Taylor living room. Keya and Delta's mother, Charlotte was the kids' only chaperone and it was as if the kids didn't really have a chaperone because Charlotte was as cool as they come. She was basically letting the kids do whatever they wanted.
Keya looked around the room. It was full of 14 and 15 year olds who thought that having a good time meant dancing on the couch. Keya smiled to herself. She wondered whether she would have been like this at 14 if she had been more popular. Keya hardly got invited to parties when she was younger. And even now, Keya didn't enjoy parties all that much unless she actually knewthe people there.
"Hey, Keya," said a voice.
Keya turned around to see Carrie Hoffman and Alan Whitman, two of Delta's best friends. Carrie was the second most popular girl at school (after Delta) and Alan was the second most popular guy at school (after Delta's sort-of boyfriend, Riley). Yet they were not the popular type at all. Alan was a sports player, alright. But he was also a bookworm who got top grades and was a part of the drama club. And Carrie wore glasses and was always quoting Shakespeare. Keya thought they were the best people in Delta's grade. Delta's school was so great. It didn't care about clothes and looks all that much. Carrie and Alan were popular because they were really fun people. Keya shuddered to think what their situation would be like in Keya's old school. Keya's old school was quite the snob school. If you weren't rich or pretty, you were pretty much persecuted. People like Keya, Carrie and Alan were completely looked down upon in Keya's old school.
Keya smiled at the two 14 year olds. "Hey," she said. "Are you guys having fun?"
"Loads," Carrie said, grinning. "Delta and Riley are quite entertaining."
Keya looked over at her sister and Riley. They had usurped most of the dance floor and were doing a complicated sort of dance in the middle of the floor.
"That's my sister, for you." said Keya with a shrug.
"Oh, there's Cassidy," said Carrie, as she had spotted one of her friends. "I'll be back in a sec." she said.
"Keya," said Alan "I need to talk to you."
"Okay," said Keya. "Go ahead."
"Not here," said Alan "Outside. Don't want to be overheard."
Keya raised an eyebrow. What could be so important that Alan, who always required a large audience for one of his stories, didn't want to be overheard?
Alan began to walk towards the door. Keya followed him outside into the small, well kept garden that the Taylor's owned. But Alan didn't stop at the garden; he turned into the vegetable patch at the side of the house and waited. Keya followed him into the patch, all the while wondering what her sister's friend was upto.
"So," said Keya as she approached Alan. "What's this about?"
Alan looked at Keya and said "I heard about your dream."
"Okay," said Keya, wondering where this was going.
"We were discussing dreams, earlier," said Alan "and Delta mentioned your dream and how you kept on having it."
"It's recurring, yeah." said Keya
"And the flowers were red? And they talked?"
"Yes." said Keya. She had tried to analyze the dreams meaning so many times, but could never figure out what it meant.
"And the weather was really good…but as soon as you picked the flowers…"
"It became horrible." said Keya, wondering why they were discussing her dream in the vegetable patch instead of inside the house.
Alan was quiet for a moment. Then –
"Give me your left hand." he said.
Keya gave him a strange look and held out her hand. Alan took it and pushed Keya's sleeve a little upwards. There, on the crook of Keya's arm was a mark shaped like a diamond.
"It's a birthmark." said Keya, as if offering an explanation.
Alan, it seemed, wasn't listening. He held out his own left hand and showed Keya the crook of his arm. On it was the same mark Keya had.
"We have the same birthmark?" asked Keya
"It's the traveler's mark." said Alan
"Traveler's mark? I've never really traveled. Not really.' said Keya.
"But you will." said Alan. "You're a newbie. I'm surprised that I would be the one to tell you. It's traditional, you know. It's written in our destinies. One day, you will have to tell another traveler about the power."
"If I didn't know better," said Keya "I'd say you were on crack. But you're too sensible to get into drugs. That too, at such an early stage."
"There's only one way to show you," said Alan. "I need a book."
"A book?" asked Keya
"Yes," said Alan "A book. Any book. Just get me a book and meet me in the kitchen."
"Ok." said Keya, wondering why she was complying with Alan's request.
Keya dashed upto her room and grabbed her copy of 'Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince'. Then, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen where Alan was sitting at the table waiting for her. Keya's mother was taking some soda out of the refrigerator.
"Are you kids reading at a party?" Charlotte asked, spying the book in Keya's hand.
"We just have to check something." said Keya.
Her mother shrugged and headed out of the kitchen.
"Alright," said Keya "Here's your book."
"Ah," said Alan. "The Half-Blood Prince? Excellent choice! Although it might be a little overwhelming for your first travel, but never mind that now."
Keya sat down at the table next to Alan. She wondered whether Delta had known all along that her best friend was crazy.
"Right," said Alan. "I've never done this with another person, but I think I know how it works. Open the book to the last page. I think it will be better to start from there."
Keya gave Alan a weird look before opening the book to its very last page.
"Ok," said Alan "Touch the book with your travelers mark."
Keya did as he said. Then Alan took the book from her and did the same thing.
"Now what?" said Keya
But before Alan could reply, Keya felt a jerk behind her navel (a feeling much like when one takes a portkey) and suddenly, Keya's surrounding's were completely different than the second before. She felt Alan fall in beside her. Keya took a good look around at her surroundings. There were tons of people all seated around a white tomb. She could see Ron, Hermione and Harry standing near a tree, talking. She was at Dumbledore's funeral, right at the end of the book.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Alan asked.
Keya looked at him in disbelief. "How…how did this happen?"
"You traveled," said Alan "into you're favorite book."
And as Keya looked around her, she felt a sense of belonging like she had never felt in all her life. She was here. This is where she was meant to be.
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A/N: Ah I hope you liked it. I'll explain more stuff in the next chapter. Until then, REVIEW PLEASE!
