chapter 1

when a new kid shows up at meranda's school people start to act funny. even weirder, is that meranda is drawn to him. she trusts him more than her own best friend, and then he shows her the truth.....

authors note: me using genesis as a name has nothing to do with the bible. i promise this is not to offend people, it is only for the characters purpose, as i stated, the greek meaning of genesis is the beginning, and that is all i am using it for. just thought i would add this to let some people know that there is no intend to bring the bible into this story.

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the world had changed since the war. the earth became covered in land. the ocean had dried up, only leaving about 300 lakes behind. technology was destroyed and humans went back to the old ways. a huge forest covered the land. leaving only small area left were 16 town dotted the forest. people were too afraid to enter the forest because of the weird monsters and creatures the lurked there. to get to the other towns a channel of underground tunnels was created, with small areas for rest.

   then the fairies were born. this discovery of the first one was a huge change, which caused chaos. most people were afraid and feared that there would take over the world. she had been turning 18 the day it happened. during school she had started to feel sick, so they sent her to the nurse. i had been 3, but I've heard the rumors. she had never made it to the nurse, they say. somewhere in the hallway, she just collapsed screaming. people ran out of the classrooms and watched as 2 long gashes appeared in her back in the shape of an upside down v, blood seeping onto the tiles. out of the cuts came 2 huge colorful wings, brighter than anything they have ever seen before. so they exiled her, and every year since 1 was born every day, of course not all in the same town.

then 3 years ago something far worse happened to cause fear. it was my older sisters birthday and we where out in town when she screamed and fell. it happened just like the others, but her wings were bigger, brighter. i fell next to her crying, trying to keep the other people away from her,but it was no use, they exiled her. right before she entered the forest she turned to the town people.

" you will all regret this. fairies deserve better! my name is now genesis! it means the beginning, do well to remember it, because i am the beginning of something great! something powerful! you all will all regret how you treated our kind!" but as she talked, her wings and dress gradually turned black. when she finished she turned and flew away.
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i sat and my desk, staring at the clock. 2 minutes. i started to tap my foot to the beat of the second hand of the clock. tap tap tap tap tap tap tap. the guy next to me cleared his voice and glared at me. i gave him a sly smile and taped louder. tap tap tap tap.

"meranda! stop disrupting the class!" Mr. Wilson yelled in anger. i sighed rolling my eyes, and stopped. 1 minute. i looked back at my best friend Sam and winked. as the bell rang, i sprung out of my seat making it out of the classroom before anyone else. i hated history, though it was sam's favorite subject, he especially was interested in the international war that ruined our planet.

i leaned against the wall out side the classroom to wait for him while he stopped to talk to the teacher for a few minutes. then, suddenly i saw him. he was down the hall to my left, he was dressed in a very intimidating outfit, complete with a animal skin jacket. everyone dresses in the old fashion because we try to forget the fashion of the 21st century. his dark hair was tousled to one side showing of the scar on his cheek.

but the weirdest part of him was that he wasn't from here. no one ever moves. ever. yet here was a new kid walking towards me. well i guess he could be just walking past me but i fantasized any way. as i went to look away he caught my stare and watched me. he smiled slightly and walked up to me. well so much for a fantasy. 

   "hey i was wondering if you could help me. i just moved here from river creak, and I'm new here so I'm kinda lost. my names tanner." he said reaching out his hand. i was speechless for a moment but managed to shake his hand. i hope he didn't notice me blushing. " um, sorry we don't get many new people here. so what do you need help with?" i replied with a shaky voice. he laughed " i see, i've gotten many weird looks so far, and you looked kind so i decided to try. so um, i need help finding ms. herry for math, can you help?" i smiled "yeah down the hall, to the left first door on the right, you'll see it." 

he look down the hall, then back to me " thank you for your help, i greatly appreciate it." then he leaned in to my ear, setting his hand on my arm, and whispered. "ill see you at lunch meranda." he winked then brushed past.

 i rubbed my arms and shivered. something about him was different, which made him dangerous. difference and change was always bad. i had to stay away from him, for my own good.

"who was that?" someone said behind me. i jumped about 2 feet into the air and turned around, hand on heart. i stared into the angry face of Sam, he must have overheard some of the conversation. suddenly i found myself blushing. i don't know why, its not like anything happened, i just told him where to find his class. and even if something did happen, he had no place to say anything, i could take care of myself.

"no one. just a new kid that needed directions. so he asked me." 

"a new kid? we don't get new kids. and why would he ask you you're an outcast, he must have heard the rumors." his words stung. hes supposed to be my best friend, why would he say that? " and why the hell did he say he would see you at lunch? are you ditching me for a stranger? and how did he know your name?" 

i'm not ditching you, i didn't make any plans with him, he must have just assumed he was welcome to join us. and he must have learned my name from someone else! now please stop hounding me! i can talk to him if i want to!'' but as i turned around Sam grabbed my arm making me look at him. anger flashed through his eyes and for a second i was scared, this wasn't the Sam i knew. "i don't want to see you talking to him again, you hear me?" and with that, he straitened, looking like himself again. " lets get to class." and for a second i was almost convinced that i imagined it. almost.

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later that day me and Sam were at lunch eating pizza when i saw him again. he looked the same as before. cool and selective. once he walked in he had everyone's attention. as he reached the middle of the room, Mathew our school jock, stood up.

"your new here right? well let me give you a little piece of advice. if you want to be someone in this world, you got to hang with us." he said gesturing to the people next to him. tanner smiled, "thank you for the advice, but i think i'll be someone without your help, thank you. "then he walked to our table,leaving Mathew behind looking stupid. Anyone sitting here?" he said pointing to the seat next to me. "oh, no, you can sit there." i replied. again, it felt weird to talk to him, i was cautious of everything.

so, hi im tanner, i met meranda earlier but i don't think I've met you." he said sticking out his hand to Sam. Sam looked at it and then looked back to his pizza. i rolled my eyes as tanner dropped his hand. "well than, what's new?" he said turning to me. "nothing much, but i do want to ask you some questions, you didn't tell me much earlier, only that you moved here."

"well ok, im fine with that. ask away."

"so why did your family move? i mean no one has ever moved since the war."

"oh, well we had a little problem with my brother at my old town, so my mom wanted to try a new place. start fresh." he said taking my piece of pizza.

"what kind of problem?" Sam was so quiet i almost didn't hear him. i turned to him. he had set down his food and was now watching tanner with dark scary eyes. i have never seen him like this and it scared me.

tanner gave a heavy sigh and looked back to Sam. "my brother changed. 2 weeks  before i moved i lost the person closest to me. my mom wanted to forget, i dint, so we moved. my dad left us. so now its just me and her."

"and where do you live?"

"SAM!" i yelled " that's enough, don't pry into his personal information, what's wrong with you?!" sam smiled and then looked back to me. "so what are we going to do this afternoon. we could go back to the library again."

sams sudden change of personality confused me. why was he acting like this? "um sure...." i said uncertainly, i wasn't sure if i really wanted to be around him by how he's been acting. 

"um may i suggest something?" tanner asked.

"sure" "no" me and sam said at the same time. "SAM! what's wrong with you?! stop being a jerk!!!" i yelled hitting him on his chest. i turned back to tanner "now you can say what you want." 

 "ok, well really its a question, why dont yall go into the forest and explore? its realy cool in there." 

"are you insane?! no one goes in their! its dangerous! didn't anyone ever tell you that?! every town knows thats where they live!" sam yelled standing up. i rolled my eyes. personally i wanted to go in there but sam always stopped me. it wasn't against the rules or anything, they just believe that its dangerous because thats were the fairies are. "sam sit down! you'll call attention to use! what's your problem? are you seriously scared?! come on just once! please?" 

sam sat down glaring at tanner for a moment longer then he turned to me. "no meranda, you know how dangerous it is. especially after... after..." he said, not quite finishing his sentence. "after what?" i asked, tears filling my eyes, even though i knew what he was about to say i wanted to hear it from him.

"after genesis, meranda. im not letting you go in there with someone like her in there!" suddenly i felt tanner tense up next to me, but i barely noticed, the tears were now flowing down my cheek. "yah, i remember, i remember real well. i was right there when it happened. how can i not remember the last memorie of my sister?! and she is not genesis! her name is merisa! do good to remember it!" then i turned away from his angry and surprised face. "do you know your way around the forest here?" i asked tanner. "uh, yeah, yeah um i've been there many times." he said in surprise. "good, meet me at the front of the school at the end of the day, your going to take me into the forest."

wait no! meranda! you cant do that! im sorry for being a jerk but don't go off and do something reckless because of it!" sam yelled.

well its to late, i'm going. i'm tired of being afraid." and with that i stood up and left.

who did sam think he was?! telling me not to do something! im tired of being bored and not having anything to do. the forest has always been thought of as dangerous and forbidden, even if there was no written rule.