CHAPTER ONE: A CHILD TORN FROM REALITY
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"We’re what?" I yelp as I spin around and look at Grandpa Troy. "You didn’t mention we were going to the Hunt four months ago when I planned this vacation?? And you're now telling me that we have to leave in two months the day before my eighteenth birthday during my planned vacation? Fine. I’ll go, because I know I need a circle myself, but don’t take that for me being happy!" I turn around and slam the cabinet door shut. "Look, I'm late to school as it is," I say to the cabinet door, grab a granola bar from the counter and then take a deep breath while counting to ten. I shift the amulet around my neck as I think about what has just been told to me. I slowly turn back around and tell him, "I know this conversation has to continue, but I've got to leave for class. Can we please deal with this later tonight? We can go over how to contact the Water Court about me then." I grab my backpack and kiss Grandpa Troy on the cheek.
He sighs, closes his light green eyes, and says, "Yes, dear one, we can deal with the rest tonight after your birthday party." He opens his eyes and looks directly at me. "Grandma Molly and Joni will expect you here no later than an hour after your class, please don't be late. Now shoo, you can't be late for school." He looks back at the newspaper and continues reading.
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I walk over to the bright red front door and pause before opening it. "You know I love you right? All four of you?" He nods and I nod back at him; I throw open the door and walk over to my 5-speed bike to start heading my way to school. As I pull out of my neighborhood, I wave to neighbors that I know and pointedly ignore ones that I do not. I reposition the necklace as it moves out of my shirt neckline and peddle faster knowing I have only a few more minutes to make it to school. I stop at the red light at a major intersection, hit the crossing button, and wait for the crosswalk light to come on. As I wait, I start humming a melody that Grandma Joni sang to me when I was younger. After the light turns on, I started biking into the 6 lanes of traffic after making sure no one was going to drive through anyway, and then I heard it, the sound of a car's tires squealing in an attempt to stop. And then as I flew into the air, my necklace gets warm against my skin and I get sucked through a multicolored tube that never seems to stop. I can almost hear static in the air as I travel through whatever this is. Then it was done! I am no longer moving and land on something soft and squishy.
"Kesmar’s bloody reefs!" A husky male voice says, before continuing with "Wait, she looks like my mother! Allani, is that finally you back??" I drunkenly whirl around with colors still swirling all around me as I try to stare at the male who previously spoke.
"Alann-?" I painfully try to say mama’s name as the colors swirl faster. And then darkness...