Note: I must thank my Beta, DreamsCyrstal. You have done so much for me and I really appreciate it, Thank You!

Chapter One

I pushed open the door to my dorm room and stumbled inside, trying not to drop any of the books I was carrying. I had just gotten back from the library where I had discovered several mythology books that I hadn't checked out yet. I had spent the better part of an hour reading and trying to select which ones I wanted before I decided to just check out the whole section. The library was my favorite part of the campus- it had the largest and best updated section of mythology and fantasy books than any other libraries I had ever seen.

I closed the door with my foot and turned around to place the books carefully on my desk. "I swear Celeste, if you brought home more of those books again, I'm going to burn them," Alice, my roommate and best friend, teased as she walked into the room. She walked over to the giant pile of books and picked up the top on, skimming over the pages quickly.

"There's nothing wrong with books," I protested, grabbing the book out of her hands. "If you would try reading every once and a while, you'd see that."

"And miss out partying? I guess the sayings true; blondes really do have more fun," she said, flipping her hair for better effect.

"Blondes just think they're having fun," I said playfully.

"Don't you say another word," Alice warned, her tone still teasing. "If I hear one more insult about my hair color from you, I'll be forced to take drastic measures."

"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes even though she couldn't see. I picked up the phone, and dialed my parents' number. It had been a while since I'd last called them, and I knew they were probably worrying about me.

Someone picked up, but the voice on the other end wasn't familiar. "Hello, may I please speak with my parents?"

"I'm sorry dear, but I think you have the wrong number. No one at this number has any children," the lady answered.

"This is 574-3256, right?" I asked, trying to remember if I had dialed correctly.

"Yes, that's our number," she replied; I could hear the impatience starting to work its way into her voice.

"But, I just called this number a few days ago," I protested. Surely the lady on the other end was mistaken...

"I'm sorry, but we've had this number for ten years. You may have gotten your numbers mixed up," she replied quickly. Her voice was followed by a soft click as the other line went dead. I stared at the phone in shock for a moment. What was that all about?

"Umm… Celeste," Alice said, sounding a bit worried. "You told me you were an orphan."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, staring at her now.

"You said your parents died when you were five; that they were in a bad car wreck or something like that."

"What are you talking about Alice? I showed you the pictures of my parents last week." Dead? How on Earth could my parents be dead? And since I was five? There was no way; I'd seen them just a few days ago.

"Celeste… I think you need some sleep." She paused a moment before correcting herself. "No better yet, you need to stop reading those books; they are starting to get to your head."

I shook my head, murmuring, "I'll prove to you I have parents." I headed straight for the picture I kept on my nightstand- the one my family took a year back during Christmas. It was a lovely family photo, all of us smiling and laughing. I picked it up and…

They weren't there. I was standing alone in the picture, my parents nowhere in sight.

"Celeste?" I heard Alice call. I ignored her, grabbing my jacket and making for the door. "Where are you going?"

"To find my parents," I called over my shoulder as I headed out the door. Something had happened to my parents, and I was going to find out what.