Chapter 1- Veetâ„¢
" I can't believe you put Veet in Crystal's hair conditioner!" Rae squealed in excitement, clutching at Sabra's arm.
" She definitely deserved it after what she and her pack of cheerleaders did to Eugenia last week," Sabra replied with a smirk. "The poor girl hasn't shown her face in school since."
"Not to seem out of the loop here," Sabra's bestie, Zack, cut in "But what is 'Veet'?"
" Hair removing cream," Rae supplied "Didn't you hear Crystal scream? Man, I heard her from the library."
" I heard her vowing for vengeance all the way from the football field." Sabra laughed.
Everyone Lewisham College had heard about the debacle and everyone Sabra passed in the halls slapped her high fives or stopped to congratulate her. Sabra acknowledged her growing fame with a winning smile, not feeling even a spot of guilt at what she had done to the captain of the cheerleaders. Even super hot, captain of the tennis team, Ryan Dellmar, had actually noticed her and asked her out to a movie that Saturday. All just because she had given Crystal the payback she deserved. All was good in life today.
Well, until she realised that she had left her amulet back in her locker. Turning back, she told her friends to start walking to the park without her and that she would catch up with them. Twirling her locker dial, she prayed that nothing had happened to the necklace since it was a gift to her from her late grandmother. No such luck. In place of her amulet, there was a single sheet of paper.
Your necklace for my hair.
Fair trade, don't you think?
If not, meet me at the park.
Under the big apple tree.
Crystal.
Sabra crushed the piece of paper in her hand and threw it into a nearby bin. Running to catch up with Zack and Rae, she silently cursed herself for being stupid enough to leave a family heirloom in her school locker. As she met up with her friends at the park, she explained what was going on hurriedly, all the while walking as fast as she could towards the apple tree to save her precious.
In front of the tree was a small burnished plaque stamped with jet black letters :
'This tree was planted by Professor Digory Kirke. In memory of his mother, Mabel Kirke.'
Sabra did not pay any attention to it having seen it dozens of times before this, choosing to focus her energies on the demon in the shape of a cheerleader who was standing in front of her. Surprisingly, Crystal was only flanked by two cheerleaders instead of the usual two dozen. Sabra smirked at the sight of the huge hat covering her head but frowned when she saw her amulet dangling from Crystal's bony finger; its blood red ruby winked in the sunlight.
"Give that back, cheerleader," Sabra said loudly.
"Why should I?" Crystal sneered.
"Does me adding a black eye to your already wonderful hair sound like a good enough reason?" Sabra threatened.
Crystal scowled but took a few steps backwards.
"If you want it, go get it," she said flinging the necklace high up into the branches of the tree.
Satisfied, she walked away with her flunkies. Sabra sighed and set her school bag down on the ground. She walked up to the tree and tried to look for her amulet. Heaving another sigh, she prepared to climb the tree. Zack and Rae silently agreed to set up watch while she scaled the thing in search of her necklace. Bending her knees, she leaped and caught hold of a branch. Hauling herself upwards, she began her tiring hunt for her amulet among the interlaced branches of the apple tree.
Finally, after about half an hour of searching, Sabra caught sight of her family heirloom as it glinted in an almost friendly way at her. Trying not to look down, since she was a far way from terra firma, Sabra stood up gingerly on a steady branch and tried to reach for the necklace. Grabbing another nearby branch for stability, she stretched herself to the limit. As she felt her hand close over her prized possession, the branch she grasped in her other hand snapped and she was aware of herself falling through the air. The ground came up to meet her.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
When she came to, her head throbbed like the time she had been hit in the head with a cricket bat during p.e.. Looking around, it became clear she wasn't in the park anymore. The apple tree was still above her but the park benches, pavement and, most disturbingly, the people were missing. Instead, there were acres and acres of forest. Sabra breathed in the air and even that seemed different.
Walking around, she stumbled into a clearing. Dorothy, you ain't in Kansas no more... she thought, walking towards a pool of water. She kneeled by the water's edge and peered into its looking glass-like surface. Splashing some water on her face, she tried to straighten out this mess.
"Where am I?" she asked aloud.
She felt a cold blade press into the back of her neck.
"Don't move," a cold voice whispered.
For the second time in as many moments, Sabra felt her consciousness slip away.
