Chapter 1: The beginning

Margaret Thatcher sat on a small hard wooden stool facing the off white walls of her bedroom. Her mother, Julia Thatcher, impatiently paced behind her with angry words spewing from her mouth. Apparently Margaret's behavior was 'unacceptable' and she needed to be punished. Her mother was at wits end and didn't know what else to do with her. Margaret's grandmother, Elizabeth, had warned Julia about "that child." She may have only been five years old but she was just like her father.

While Julia was busy cursing the name of her late husband for bestowing his 'unruly' genes onto her youngest daughter, Margaret sat swinging her legs, allowing the tops of her MaryJanes to just barely tap against the wall. Had her mother been watching her closely, she would have seen the small mischievous smile grace her daughter's deceivingly angelic face. She would have heard the barely audible whispers escaping the young girl's lips.

"Well, I did what you asked Jonathan. Will you please show yourself now?"

"You have to apologize first, Margaret. It was part of our deal."

She sighed and rolled her big brown eyes. "I am sorry, Jonathan. I shouldn't have asked you to stay when I knew you'd get in trouble if you did. It was rude of me and I promise not to do it again."

"You're forgiven, Maggie."

She turned her head slightly to the right and was met by his baby blues. The smile on her face broadened and she was tempted to leap out of her seat and throw her small arms around the frame of Jonathan. Luckily, Margaret thought she'd gotten into enough trouble for one morning, so she stayed compliantly in her seat.

"Margaret," Her mother's voice was soft and almost caring. "Your time out is over now, but you will stay in your room until your grandmother's guest leave. Do you understand?"

Slowly, she turned to face her mother, her expression the pinnacle of innocence, and nodded. "Yes mother." She answered as politely as she could, desperately trying to keep the disgust out of her voice.

Julia patted the top of her daughter's head before leaving the room. As the door clicked shut, Margaret jumped up from her seat, landing on her best friend.

"I missed you, Jonathan. You've been away for a terribly long time."

He shrugged her off and stood in front of her with his arms folded across his chest and his head titled downward, his eyes locked with hers. "Do you think I didn't visit because I didn't want to? Do you think I wouldn't have come if I could? It's your fault I wasn't here; you and your brilliant ideas." He sneered.

Margaret folded her legs underneath her and prepared herself for the tirade that was coming. A small smile played on her lips as she looked up at the remarkable boy in front of her. He was her world and nothing would change that.

"So what did they do?" She asked, interrupting his rant.

Jonathan glared momentarily at her before answering. "What do you think?" He growled.

Margaret gasped, covering her mouth with her small hands. "They didn't put you in the chamber…did they?"

His anger died down as he took a seat a few inches in front of her. Margaret noticed his dejected expression and moved closer to him, throwing her arm around his shoulder.

"You've been there all this time? It's been nearly two weeks." She stated quietly.

Slowly Jonathan's head bobbed up and down. With her free hand, Margaret wiped away a stray tear that had landed on his cheeks. "I'm so sorry." She whispered before placing a light kiss on his cheek. "I won't ask you to stay again. I promise."

It was the last week of summer. Margaret and Jonathan were playing in the backyard doing summersaults and back flips. Her mother was sitting under the big umbrella playing cards with grandmother. Her siblings were out with their father. He had picked them up hours ago. He was taking them to the beach. Margaret wasn't allowed to go. It was a family thing.

"You can't swim anyway, Maggie. You'd end up drowning or being carried away by a large wave."

"I would've stayed on the beach and built sand castles." Margaret argued.

"You would've gotten sand up your shorts and in your eyes. Trust me; you're having much more fun here with me. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to come."

Margaret nodded. "You're right, Jonathan. I wouldn't want to go if you had to stay behind."

"Let's go climb the tree in Mr. Jameson's yard."

Margaret rolled over onto her stomach and looked up at Jonathan. "You know I'm not allowed to climb trees, Johnny. Julia says it's not lady-like."

"You're mother's a sissy." Jonathan spat out venomously.

"All the same, I don't want to get in trouble."

Jonathan's eyes narrowed as he looked at Margaret. "Do I have to remind you of how much trouble I got into the night I stayed with you even though I wasn't supposed to?"

Margaret's head dropped; ashamed.

"I didn't think so." He pulled himself off the ground and held out a hand to help Margaret up. "Come on, let's go."

As they walked into Mr. Jameson's yard, hand-in-hand, Margaret couldn't help but feel a set of nervous butterflies in her stomach. If she got caught her grandmother would make sure her mother punished her severely. Chills crept up the small girl's spine as she thought of what punishment her grandmother would think up.

"You won't let me fall?" Margaret asked for the fifth time. The two had been standing in front of the large oak tree for nearly ten minutes now and Jonathan was getting impatient.

"I swear, Maggie. Will you just get up there? I'll be right behind you. I won't let you fall. I promise."

Twenty minutes later, Margaret was in an ambulance being rushed to the hospital.

"Maggie. Wake up. Come on, Maggie."

Margaret slowly opened her eyes to see a very worried Jonathan looming over the hospital bed. His normal bright blue eyes were dull and tired and small dark circles had formed under them. Margaret could see the limp body of her mother slumped down in a chair. Her eyes were closed peacefully with her hands folded loosely in her lap. By contrast, sat Grandmother, her body rigid, her eyes alert, and her hands tightly gripped the arms of the chair. She was staring at Margaret with such scornful disdain that Margaret could feel her skin scorch under her grandmother's fierce gaze. Elizabeth shook her head before getting up and leaving the room.

"Maggie, are you alright?" Jonathan brushed the wispy bangs from her forehead.

She almost nodded but stopped when she felt the throbbing pain in her head. "What happened?"

It was a moment before Jonathan answered. "I'm sorry. I let you fall."

"But you promised!" Margaret shouted outraged. "How could you?"

"I'm sorry, Maggie. Shush." He hissed. "You're going to wake up Julia."

"I don't care. I trusted you, Jo-"

"If she wakes up, I can't take you with me."

Margaret's anger turned to curiosity. "Take me where?" She whispered leaning forward.

Jonathan smiled. "To the castle."

"You said I wasn't allowed, that you weren't allowed, to bring guest."

"Well, I asked the Sire and he said that since it was my fault you got hurt, he thought it would be alright just this once."

"Really, Jonathan? Should I pack my things? How long will we be gone?"

"Maggie, you won't need to pack anything. I don't know how long we'll be gone, but there are clothes for you at the castle. Besides there's no time. We're leaving now."

"Now?"

He nodded happily and moved closer to her. Taking her hand in his, he whispered for her to close his eyes. Margaret looked around the room once more, her gaze landing on her still sleeping mother, before she shut her eyes tightly.

That was the beginning of the end for Margaret Thatcher. Her first trip to Jonathan's world, at age five, marked the start of her descent into darkness.