Chapter 1

In a world where the sun is blue, the sky is pink, the people live amongst creatures in harmony, and magic rules the realm, there is a girl. Her hair is fire red, her eyes are steel-blue. She controls the elements and will one day rule her realm through peace, war, and eventually, complete and utter bliss. But, before that happens, she must battle a warlord, save her friends, kill the one she loves, and go through hell and back. This is her story, the story of Maggie the Magnificent.

She lives in a huge castle-like house on a hill. It's been there for years, used to belong to a Earl or something. Her family is rich; she had servants and butlers. She lives the life of a princess; only, she wasn't born in our world. She was born in her own realm, one on a different dimension than ours. But when her world was under siege, her survival was left up to her parents. They fled, through a one-way portal to our world, where they raised their daughter to know nothing of her world, her life, her destiny. She's gone through 20 years of ignorance, and in a week, she'll know everything about how she must save an entire realm from destruction.

"Come on, get your ass downstairs, we're gonna be late." Tyler Chambers calls up to his sister. Maggie is running late, as usual, but not without good reason. She hops downstairs, her shoes barely on, and her backpack covered in white goo.

"It's poop! Bird poop! Dad, my window still isn't fixed so I get birds living in my room, pooping everywhere!" Maggie's father, Duncan, eyes his daughter's backpack and calls Paul, the butler over.

"I'd like it to be fixed as soon as possible." Duncan says and Paul nods and quickly rushes off down the hallway.

"It'll be done." Duncan says as she kisses his daughter's forehead.

"It takes poop to be dropped for anything of importance to happen around here, huh?" Maggie takes her notebook and wallet out of the backpack and eyes a nice handbag by the stairs.

"I'll take good care of it." She says as her mother, Katherine, goes to protest. But before she has a chance to, Maggie and Tyler are out the door and off in Maggie's car.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. Why am I doing this?" Maggie asks as she hurries up the steps to her old, and Tyler's current, high school. Tyler leads the way to the large auditorium and shrugs.

"Beats me. I thought you'd for sure tell them to suck it when they offered the gig to you."

"Well I'm trying out this new thing, it's called maturity." She snarled as she fixed her pencil skirt and tucked her blouse in.

"Yeah, let me know how that goes for you." Tyler smirked then turned right and headed up into the seats, leaving Maggie in front of the backstage door. Suddenly the door opened and a skinny white haired woman with a snarl on her face appeared.

"Maggie, why are you always late? I see somethings haven't changed." The woman let Maggie in and ushered up to the curtains.

"Always a pleasure Ms. Smith." The old lady didn't seem to catch the attitude in Maggie's voice as she checked her clipboard.

The auditorium then echoed with applause as a figure walked off stage and greeted Maggie.

"Thanks again for doing this." Maggie's former principle quickly shook her hand and gave her a slight push on stage.

"And now, a real treat for you all. Today we have Miss Magitha Chambers, here to talk to you students about sexual encounters." The speakers sounded.

"WHAT?!" Maggie suddenly felt the lights of the stage on her and she made her way up to the microphone.

There was an awkward pause as she peered through the overhead lights to see the auditorium packed with students, and Ms. Smith grinning evilly from the wings.

"Alright, well," Maggie started, "I was under the impression that I was here to talk you to guys about picking the right career path. Another reminder of just how efficient our school is at communication." She got a few snickers from the crowd. "But like I know how to pick a career anyways. So there you go." She saw a few faces were blank, others looking interested and some were getting ready to shout obscenities at her and boo her off stage. She knew, because when she was in their place, that was her.

"Well, better you hear it from me than some old nimrod who'll make you take an abstinence pledge. There's the thing, if you're gonna have sex, don't be stupid about it. Don't do it in your parents' house, no matter if they are away for the weekend or not. Don't do it at your girlfriend or boyfriend's house, because chances are you'll get caught there too. Don't plan it, just let it happen. Use protection, and I'm not just talking about the guys. Girls, don't be stupid either, you know just how dependable guys are, don't make a huge mistake because there will be no one to blame but you. When you do do it, make sure you have a quick exit strategy because no one likes to get caught with their pants down." Some more snickers. Maggie knew this was the most embarrassing thing of her life, but she wouldn't back down and give old Smithy the satisfaction, and since no one had booed her off yet, she still had their attention.

"There isn't much to say, or at least I don't know if there is. I'm a virgin so my experience is pretty limited. I –"

"You're a virgin? How old are you? 25?" Some guy shouted.

"I'm 20 actually. And yeah, I'm a virgin. I'd had the same boyfriend since grade 9 and we haven't had sex yet. It just hasn't happened." Maggie felt slightly embarrassed that she was revealing such personal information to a bunch of high schoolers, but when she saw that some girls, and even some guys, look relieved, she knew it was worth it.

"Just one more thing, when you do it, whether it's today, tomorrow, next week, or in a few years. It's no one's business but yours. You don't have to advertise it to your friends, or your parents, or anyone else. It's a personal thing and if you want to do it just to say you did it, don't bother. But on the other hand, if you can't talk about it, you shouldn't be having it in the first place." And with that, Maggie waved once and walked off stage. A hand patted her shoulder as she passed through the wing.

"Good advice." Ms. Smith said, and Maggie noticed the small smile she received as an addition compliment.

"Guess what I just did?" Maggie smiled as she held her phone to her ear while opening her car door. "Nevermind, it was a rhetorical question. I just admitted to a whole room full of high schoolers that I was a virgin. I know. Look, I'm driving to work now. I'll see you there." Maggie headed onto the highway in the direction of the café she worked at. On stepping through the door, she was greeted by a smiling barista by the name of Michelle, and her boyfriend of six years, who was clapping his hands at a small table.

"What can I say; it was spur of the moment." She hugged him tightly and felt his strong arms around her waist.

"So it wasn't a planned confession." David Tavner, with his golden hair and enticing hazel eyes, was the perfect guy in all respects. He was the super jock senior and had every girl in the school pining for him. He was sweet, charming, sensitive, and thoughtful. He was her first love and she had plans for marrying him some day. He held her close, wrapping her in his arms, making her feel like the only girl in the universe. She pulled away and gave him a quick kiss.

"No, but it worked out. Anyways, what are you doing tonight?" Maggie released David, and walked into the backroom to get her apron. Once she was behind the bar, drink orders came in and David stood on the side, watching her.

"I was thinking we could do dinner and a movie." He flashed her that suave smile.

"Like a date?" Maggie asked while she finished making a cappuccino. She handed it over to the server who disappeared around the bar.

"Yeah, like a date."

"You guys are the cutest." Michelle admitted, staring at them dreamily.

Maggie's room was in the far West wing, the attic room. She managed to clean it out of old furniture and had it renovated for living in. She liked the privacy and it had a nice balcony, which made it easier for sneaking out in her teenage years. Tyler's room was closer in-house but still in the west wing. He moved there when he turned 13, liking Maggie's privacy initiative. Duncan and Katherine lived in the East wing, the master bedroom that resembled a throne room in the Middle Ages. The castle was modeled after the 1300's, with large grey stone walls, oil lit lanterns, thick curtains lining each massive window, high arched ceilings with hand carved engravings. There was heating units added all around the house but Maggie frequently changed in sweatpants and hoodies when lounging in her room. As Maggie headed down to the dining room, she found her mother and father already seated for lunch.

"How did the speech go?" Duncan asked without lowing the newspaper from his face.

"It went… well." Maggie decided not to announce her confession yet again, and remained content with filing her plate with grilled cheese sandwiches.

"I'm out tonight. I'll be back on Sunday." Maggie said as she finished her food. Katherine lowered her glass and Duncan his newspaper. Maggie stopped with her glass up to her mouth.

"I'm just going over to David's." Maggie shrugged and was about to leave the table when her father cleared his throat and she reluctantly sat back down.

"I don't think that's a good idea." He said. Maggie saw the disapproval in his eyes.

"I know, but I'm still going. I'm 20 years old, David and I have been together for 6 years, it's not like he's some stranger." Maggie would have liked nothing more than to leave the table without another word, but it was disrespectful to her parents, and they could only handle so much attitude.

With her parents, Maggie knew to test their boundaries, letting them know that she wouldn't just give in to their unrealistic parental rules, but she also knew that they paid for everything in her life, and they could make it extremely difficult for her to life contently. Over the years, Maggie had had a few jobs, but not enough to pay her own way. She relied heavily on her parents' fortune to keep her fed, sheltered, and clothed. So she sat at the table and let them know she was listening.

"I just don't see why you have to go there for two days. Can't you go for tonight, come back here and then see him again tomorrow?" Katherine asked, sipping her tea from a delicate china cup.

"I could, but where's the fun in that?" Maggie smiled but saw her joke didn't go over so well. She sighed and poured herself a glass of orange juice. "It's just to get out of here for a while. This place is too crammed for me."

"This estate is over 5 acres, too crammed? Go to the other side of the house then." Duncan said, a hint of tension in his voice.

Then the phone rang and Paul, who was standing silently behind Duncan, answered it.

"For you sir. It's Jennifer Colette." Duncan accepted the phone and Katherine turned to face her husband. Maggie knew this was their financial adviser, and her time to escape. Maggie grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table and before either of her parents could protest, she headed for the door.

Maggie hurried out the door with her overnight bag over her shoulder just as Tyler was coming in. His friend's car waved from the driveway and the two siblings stopped as they passed each other.

"I'm off to David's. I'll be back soon, call me if you need me." Maggie patted Tyler's head as she headed to the garage. Tyler watched his sister drive off and continued inside the house. Maggie drove into the city where David's apartment was. She parked underground and used her key to take the elevator straight up to his place.

"Guess who's here?" Maggie announced as she opened the door. To her surprise, not only was David there, but his father too. Royce Tavern was a shut in; Maggie had only see him once at David's high school graduation. But there he was, sitting on the couch like he was there every day. His hair was slicked back but a few strands fell over his face. His blonde hair matched his sons' but for a moment his eyes look purple. Maggie stared at them in wonder, remembering that when she had met him the first time he wore sunglasses. He quickly put the same glasses on again, and looked expectantly at David.

"Hey." Maggie smiled, taking her keys from the door and putting her bags on the ground.

"Maggie, you're early. I thought you said you weren't coming over until tonight." David was up on his feet, putting himself between Maggie and his father.

"I was, but then my parents got into it and I just had to get out of there. Is this a problem?" Maggie asked. She looked over David's shoulder and saw Royce putting what looked like a necklace back into his pocket. Maggie's eyes darted down to the table and she saw a small metal shard. Royce quickly picked up the shard and placed it in his pocket too.

"Don't worry Dave, I was just off. Nice to see you again Magitha." Royce patted his son on the back and left. Maggie was very confused and David looked even more so.

"What was that about?" Maggie asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question. Maggie, you said you were coming later, and then you just barge in here like you own the place." David started to pace and he quickly looked down at the table.

"You gave me the key, told me to come over anytime. Did I do something wrong?" Maggie asked. David then turned to her, his eyes softening and his hands reaching out for her.

"No, you didn't. I'm sorry I was just… nevermind." David pulled her into a hug but Maggie was still uncertain.

As they walked down the streets of the city, looking for a nice restaurant for dinner, David reached down and pulled Maggie's hand out of her jacket pocket and held it in his own. Maggie looked at him, but he shrugged and smiled. Usually Maggie loved it when David took her hand, but this time she felt like he was doing it to prove something, to tell the world that he was with her. Again, that usually wouldn't bother her, but she felt like he was doing it for a purpose, to warn someone. Maggie didn't feel watched or like they were being followed, but she felt like David was being overprotective of her. When they reached a nice restaurant, one with a patio so they could sit outside, David ushered her inside and into a corner.

"This looks like a nice spot." He smiled and pulled her chair out for her. She was facing the wall and David was looking out into the restaurant.

"I thought we'd sit outside." Maggie asked. The seating hostess did not protest and led them back out to the patio.

"That's better." Maggie smiled as she sat down in the last rays of sunlight. David, on the other hand, seemed anxious, nervous, fearful even. He continuously glanced around the patio, up and down the street, over his shoulder. He examined the waiters and the passersby carefully, and even questioned the certain ingredients on the menu.

"You think they poison the food?" Maggie joked. The waiter laughed but David didn't seem to find it funny.

"I think we should go." David stood up, pushed the waiter out of the way, and took Maggie's hand, pulling her up.

"But we haven't eaten. I don't want to go." Maggie resisted but David's grip on her wrist was painful and unyielding. He pulled her from the table and they hurried down the street. With his hand gripping her wrist, David pulled Maggie through the crowd and turned swiftly into an alley.

"David, what's going –" Maggie started but David threw her against the wall and pinned her arms down.

"Maggie, listen to me. There is someone following us. I'm not being paranoid. He's followed us from my apartment, he sat across the restaurant from us, and he's following us now. Brown hair, blue sports coat." David released Maggie so she could pop her head around the corner and she did indeed see a man of that description. He was standing still on the sidewalk, apparently looking for them. Maggie ducked back around the corner and caught her breathe.

"David." She said quietly. He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Come on." He took her hand and they continued down the alley, taking the backstreets. They came out a few blocks in the opposite direction and hailed a cab.

"Where are we going?" Maggie asked as she slid into the cab.

"Chambers Place, 1050 High Grove Rd. Step on it." David leaned forward to tell the driver. "We're going to your place, your parents will know what to do."