Faerie Underworld

Chapter One

Sara ran up the steps of the high school, trying to eat a donut and tie her shoe at the same time. She was going to be late. Again. She ran down the main hallway and skidded into her history class just as the final bell rang. “Glad you could make it Sara.” Mrs. Fletcher said, glaring at her through horn rimmed glasses.

“Sorry…” Sara mumbled and took a seat at the front of the class.

“So why were you late this time freshman?” a girl behind her snickered.

Sara rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the sophomore girl behind her. She was in sophomore classes for History and English and she had already been labeled the freshman nerd in both classes, after only a month of school.

The girl poked Sara’s back with a pencil, “why were you late freshie?” she repeated, “Mommy forgot to wake you up?”

Mrs. Fletcher glared at Sara, apparently not noticing the pencil-poking girl.

“As I was saying to the class, we will be going on our New York trip early this year,” Mrs. Fletcher said “there’s a new exhibit on the empire State building I would like you all to-“ there was a knock at the door and Mrs. Fletcher stopped, mid-sentence to open it, “Yes?”

“Uh… is this Mrs. Fletcher’s history class?” a male voice cam e from the hallway.

“Yes, you’re late; I was in the middle of an important announcement.”

“Sorry, I’m new here.”

Mrs. Fletcher sniffed, “well then, take a seat.”

As the new guy walked into the class Sara’s breath caught in her throat, he was the most outlandish looking person she had ever met. He was tall and pale, with jet-black hair, a leather jacket over a black turtleneck, and black jeans. He had chains hanging from his jeans and neck, and Sara thought she saw an earring in his ear. NO one in small town Cherry, Connecticut looked like they had just stepped out of a Harley Davidson commercial; this guy looked like he owned a Harley Davidson. As he walked down the aisles of desks Mrs. Fletcher glared at him, she had found a new victim.

“Would you like to introduce yourself to the class,” Mrs. Fletcher asked the new guy.

“Actually I’d rather not…” The entire class winced simultaneously; he was going to be on Mrs. Fletcher’s bad side for life, he was in for living hell.

“That was not a question, that was an order,” Mrs. Fletcher said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, well in that case, my name’s Ryan August and I come from New Jersey.”

Mrs. Fletcher raised an eyebrow, “Then you’ll be familiar with New York City. I have been trying to explain to the class that the trip has been rescheduled to next week instead of next month, due to a new exhibit on the Empire State building I want you all to see.”

A blonde girl, Stacy, raised her hand, “So, um, we won’t be going to the like, mall there?”

Sara tried to contain her laughter, Stacy Sommers was the only blonde she knew that was as dumb as “dumb blondes” were said to be.

“No, we will not be going to the ‘like mall’ or any mall of any sort.” Mrs. Fletcher said, clearly on her last nerve, “We are there purely for education.” She turned to Sara, “Sara, will you pass out the permission forms please?”

Sara nodded and took the permission forms from Mrs. Fletcher’s desk.

“Your parents will have to sign these, no forgeries!” Mrs. Fletcher glared at the class, “I will know if these are forged. You will also need to enclose a check for 100 dollars when you return this, we will be staying overnight in a hotel the night before the opening of the exhibition so we can stay in the city until 5 the next day.”

Just then the bell rang and the class bolted out of the room, grabbing permission slips from Sara as they left.

“Damn half days…” Mrs. Fletcher mumbled to herself.

Sara grabbed her books and stuffed her permission form in a folder, walking into the mazes of hallways to her next class. The new guy, Ryan, caught up with her at her locker.

“Hey, are all the teachers like that?”

Sara bit her lip, she wasn’t good at talking to boys, “no, Mrs. Fletcher is just… old I guess.”

Ryan laughed, “You can say that again. She’s some bitch…”

Sara paused, “excuse me?”

Ryan sighed, “Ah… you’re that kind of girl…”

Sara turned around angrily, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know your type, you hate guys like me. You’re opposed to all that guys like me stand for. But you can’t tell a guy with shit for brains from a guy like me. I’m used to girls like you.”

Sara’s jaw almost dropped, for a new guy he was confident, “And what do you stand for? Hmmm? Intelligence? Because you just ooze intelligence.” She said sarcastically.

Ryan rolled his eyes, “whatever, I shouldn’t have even tried, see you later.”

“Let’s hope not.” Sara retorted, slamming her locker.

“Oh you don’t know how much I hope we don’t meet again.” Ryan said, stalking off.

Sara glared after him and then turned on her heel to her math class.

Sara walked home from school at noon, thinking about her conversation with Ryan. How many guys like that do you meet everyday? She wondered. And he had the nerve to talk to her like that, like she didn’t know anything. You don’t know anything, a part of her brain told her. He was right, you’re afraid of anyone different from yourself. She shook her head, she was thinking crazy things; she just needed some sleep. She walked up to her door wondering if she could get to her room without running into her mother when the door opened, “Hi Sara, I’m just going to the store,” her mom said, walking out of the house, “you can be alone for a little while, right honey?”

Sara sighed, “Yeah Mom, I’m fine.” She walked up to her room, a plain and simple room. It was pink, even though she hated the color. She had a desk in the corner and a table next to her bed with her phone resting on it. Just as Sara was about to drop down on her bed and take a nap, the phone rang, she sighed and picked it up, “Hello?”

“Hey Sara!”

“Roberta!” Sara smiled, excited. Roberta was her favorite cousin, she was like the sister she never had.

“What’s up Sara? I haven’t talked to you for….” Roberta laughed, “For a long time.”

“Nothing much…. High School sucks.”

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad.”

Sara laughed bitterly, “At my school it is. I have no friends, and you know how I told you I was taking sophomore classes?”

“Yeah…”

“They suck the most; all the stupid sophomores love to tease me, non-stop. And my history teacher… I never thought I’d meet anyone as evil as her.”

“That bad huh?”

Sara sighed, “Yeah… and today, oh my god, this new guy came up to me and was like ‘Mrs. Fletcher is such a bitch.’”

“Taking a walk on the wild side Sar?” Roberta teased.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sara asked grumpily.

“I’ve never heard you swear before, that’s all.”

Sara rolled her eyes, “I was quoting someone.”

“Sure, whatever. Tell me more about this guy.”

“He looks like he’s from a gang and he was really rude…”

“What a jerk.”

“Well he didn’t come off that way… I guess I gave him the wrong impression…”

“Sounds like you like him” Roberta laughed.

“What?! No way! He’s a jerk with a temper…”

“If you say so Sar, anyways, I gotta go, see you later!” Roberta hung up.

Sara sighed; Roberta’s phone call didn’t make her feel much better. Her last thoughts before she took a nap were; my life sucks…

“Honey!” Sara felt herself being shaken, “Honey, wake up, it’s dinner time.”

“Hmmm?” Sara opened her eyes to see her mother staring down at her.

“You’ve been sleeping for hours Sara, it’s almost six.”

“Oh… Sorry, I was kinda tired…”

“Honey, I’m worried about you, excessive sleeping is a sign of depression.”

“I’m not depressed Mom, just tired.”

“Alright Sara, if you say so. You can tell us why you’re so tired at dinner.”

“Sure, what’s for dinner?”

“Spaghetti.”

“Cool, I’ll be right down.”

“You sure you’re alright hon?”

“I’m fine Mom, I just want to brush my hair.”

“Right, well we’re only going to wait for so long.” Her mother said, leaving the room.

Sara sighed, grabbing a hairbrush from the nightstand, what made her mother think she was depressed? Was she depressed? She shook her head, more crazy thoughts. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“You missed Grace Sara” her dad said as she sat down.

“Sorry, I was brushing my hair.”

“It’s alright honey.” Her mom smiled, piling spaghetti onto Sara’s plate. “So how was your day?”

“It was okay. We’re going on a field trip next week and I need you to sign a permission form…”

“Sure, where are you going?” her dad asked, looking up from his spaghetti.

“Uh… New York…”

“City?” her mom asked, surprised. “The school wants to bring you to the city?”

“Yeah, it’s for history, there’s an exhibit on the Empire State building next week.”

“New York is dangerous honey…” Her mom said uncertainly.

“I’m going to be with my teacher and few chaperones the whole time mom, it’s okay.”

“I’m not so sure…” her mom glanced at her father, “What do you think Bert?”

“Well the city is dangerous, but she’s 14, and she’ll be with her teacher, like she said.”

“Right” Sara said, “It’s perfectly safe.”

“And it’s only for a day right?”

“Uh…”

“It’s an overnight?” Her mother’s eyes widened.

“Uh… yeah… But there are plenty of chaperones, Mrs. Fletcher would never let anything happen to us.”

“I don’t think so honey, an overnight in New York… Anything could happen, and you’re with sophomores honey, no one your age… I don’t think we should let you go, it’s too dangerous.”

“It’s just a field trip Mom!”

“Just a field trip! It’s New York City Sara, there are creeps out there you don’t even know about!” Her mom said, tears springing to her eyes, “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Just because something happened to David doesn’t mean something’s gonna happen to me Mom!!” Sara burst out.

“Sara!” her dad stood up.

Sara bowed her head, “I’m sorry daddy that was out of line…”

“Maybe next year,” her dad said, “now eat your dinner.”

“Sure Dad, maybe next year…” Sara looked down at her plate and began to eat her cold spaghetti.