The Crijan Kingdom chapter 1

Chapter One

Fairbell, Pennsylvania

         

It was a late spring afternoon when the sky started to turn an eerie shade of dark gray and the yellow glow of the sun slowly began to hide behind the billowy clouds that moved towards town. The only movement was a young girl who just got off the big yellow school bus by a field wrapped by a wooden fence.

    Sophia Lane’s soft black hair flew wildly in the wind as she picked up speed walking the dirt road that led to the house she and her grandmother lived in. Today just wasn’t her day, and she couldn’t wait to arrive in the safety of a warm, loving house. Just like every other day Sophia felt alone and all she wanted was to curl in her bed and have the same reoccurring dream of a place full of hope. She had her best friend Clair, but she never really understood what it is like to feel like an outsider. Clair was loud and obnoxious and always got them in trouble, but she had the killer supermodel good looks. Hair that was the color of golden honey and eyes so green that you felt like you were looking into the sea always left her with boys chasing her and attention everywhere they went.

    Today started off with Sophia waking up late, missing the bus and arriving at school without completing her math assignment. This then lead the teacher to humiliate her completely in front of the class, it did not help that Clair for some unknown reason skipped school today otherwise the series of unfortunate events wouldn’t have mattered as much. Clair always found a way to cheer her up so that life was tolerable. As the days charades passed through Sophia’s thoughts, she barely registered the first drop of rain that fell onto her black paint splattered designed shirt. She picked up her speed and landed on the front porch just in time before the downpour.

     Sophia looked around to see if her Aunt was home from her part-time job as a seamstress and noticed a letter in her handwriting was placed on the kitchen table stating she would be late and to just heat up the leftover from the night before if she was to get hungry. She loved reading the little notes that were left for her. This was the first home in a long time she felt she was loved in and growing up with a flighty mother who moved from place to place didn’t help her. It was a blessing that her mother left her in the care of her aunt since she was five. Janet went out of the way for her buying new clothes and shoes even when money was scared. She never even got mad about having to take care of Sophia and just said that her mother was just too young to handle the responsibility of a little one at that time in her life.

    As the night went on and her chores around the house where done Sophia slid into a nice warm, relaxing bath. She felt such at ease in the water. Enjoying the time alone she immersed herself in it and just laid there. Ever since she was tiny, she was able to stay under water for extended amounts of time and even scared Janet once after staying under for more than two minutes. After years of pushing herself, she is fully capable of holding her breath up to five minutes and sometimes swears she can almost breathe under the water. It was the same feeling she got when the wind would blow ferisly on a stormy night like she could grow wings and fly. Finally, after some reflection time under the water she came up for some air she heard a loud noise from downstairs. Thinking that it was her aunt, she quickly got dressed and rushed to the front door.

    As she reached for the handle, a loud thunderous bang filled the silences with a quick flash of lighting that lit up the whole house and a two tall figures pushed their way into her house and scared her stiff.

    “Are you okay?” Asked the first person who had a musical voice that had a trace of humor to it.

    “You are going to ask if she is okay.” Said the second man in warm, husky voice. “Yeah, she seems perfect look at her. She can’t even talk.” He added agitatedly.

    Sophia looked back and forth between the strangers standing in her kitchen to shock to be able to speak. As the two men stared at her and bickered between each other, she finally was able to come to her senses a little to ask in a shaking voice with her arms wrapped around her for comfort “Who, Who are you and what do you want?”

    The smaller guy took a small step forward into the light shining from above the kitchen sink as Sophia took a deep breath unsure of what was about to happen. “Step back.” Ordered the other “You are going to frighten her if you bombard her like that.” The man took a step back and grunted like it was a burden to do such a thing. “Here have a seat and let us explain why we are here Sophia.” Said the man with the musical voice.

    While she reached for the kitchen chair closest to her she looked at them both and asked “How do you know my name?” her question startled her. I mean any rational person should be running away from strangers not conversing with them she thought to herself.

    “My name is Kellan, and my companion here is Zeke. We have been granted with the honor to bring you home to the Kingdom of Crijan. Your mother has asked us to protect you on our journey back home Princess.” Said the big Greek God looking man as the other one snickered behind him.

    “ARE YOU CRAZY?” Sophia screamed. “You come here stating that my mother wants me to be protected and taken to a place I have never even heard of with two complete strangers. How stupid do you think I am?” she asked looking at the both of them. She studied them trying to see if they were on drugs but was taken aback by their calm deminer. “My mother doesn’t want me she is somewhere in New York with some new boyfriend and hasn’t seen me in almost ten years, not some place called Crijaaan.”

    In almost a taunting voice the second man looked at her and said “Honestly, you believed these lies. You are not from here we are to take you home with us. We have traveled far, and I am not in the mood to argue with a child over the matter.”

    Standing up and feeling insulted she starred at the smaller man supposedly called Zeke and said “Listen to her you crazy lunatic, first off I know better than to go running off with strangers, and prefer not to die. Secondly, how dare you call me a child I am almost seventeen and deserve some respect consider for the looks of it we are the same age and big guy over here is maybe at the most twenty years old, so don’t think for a minute you can push me around.”

    Kellan smirked and tried to contain laughter at the sight of the young girl holder her own against a shapeshifter no less. Zeke, on the other hand, was not amused by this tirade and was trying his best to keep his emotions in check since he tends to shift when angered. He slowly backed away hoping that space would calm the tension without wanting to bite Sophia’s head off.

    Just when Sophia thought things could not get any worse, the lights from her aunt’s truck danced through the windows. Now not only does she have to be concerned about her life but now her aunt as well. “Look, I don’t want any trouble and as you can see my aunt is about to walk in that door and call the police because of your rampaging about taking me away. So the way I see it you can leave now through the back door and never come back or deal with the law.” She said standing with her hands placed on her hips, hoping it would see as though she was taking control.

    The over the top forceful one seemed to be contemplating the options she gave them because he didn’t even want to be here anymore when the Greek God just held a finger in the air as if to say just wait. After a minute had passed in silence that felt like an eternity passed before them, the doorknob turned and in walked Janet Lane staring at the scene in front of her. She looked at Sophia and then at the two men and said what would forever stay in Sophia’s mind. “You’ve come to take to take us home?” Janet asked with hope laced with a bit of sadness in the question.

    If the moment wasn’t already confusing, enough Sophia busted out in uncontrollable laughter. “This is a joke, right? You are in on this too then?” she asked clinching her sides as tears rolled down her face. Janet bent down towards the girl she called niece for twelve years and wiped her tears.

    “I am sorry my sweet child. I have loved you for many years but what they say is the truth.” Staring off into the distance for a short second she came to her sense and looked at her. “I guess it is time for me actually to tell you the story of how you came to live with me and why these two are here for us.” She said taking a hold Sophia’s hands and led her to their living room couch.