[color=royalblue]This is my first story, and I'm looking for some feedback. ^^;
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[center]Enchanted Dream- Episode 1
It Starts With?. A Homework Assignment?!?[/center]
A beautiful girl runs through a big field full of flowers. She wasn?t very tall, but not short either. Fair of skin, her white gown swished behind her as she ran. Her big, brown eyes dazzled as she gazed at the beauty that surrounded her. She suddenly stopped, and sat among them, smelling their heavenly scent. She then fell back gracefully, her long brown hair floating slowly behind her.
"This is perfect...It?s so peaceful..." she said dreamily. She sighed. "I wish I could stay here forever..."
She started to doze, when she thought she heard something in the distance.
"Mikia...Mikia..."
Mikia rose abruptly.
"Yes?" Mikia said, getting up to check her surroundings. "Who?s calling?"
Then she saw him. The most gorgeous guy she had ever seen in her entire life. Her jaw dropped and little hearts came into her eyes.
"Cutie!" Mikia cried, starting towards the guy. "Don?t go anywhere! I?m coming!"
"Mikia...Mikia..."
"Yes, yes! I?m coming!"
"Mikia..."
She finally got to him. She was immediately dumbstruck. He was quite handsome. He reached six feet, and was fair of skin. Long brown hair draped over his shoulders, growing down to the middle of his back. He wore a light blue shirt edged in what seemed to be gold at the wrists, collar and curling designs that decorated it. With it, he wore black pants that were tied in a square knot on the side with a navy blue sash. His shoes were of the same color as the pants, and slipper-like. But what had caught Mikia?s attention were his eyes. He had the palest blue eyes. They shimmered like turquoise pools in the sunlight?.
"Mikia..."
"Yes..."
"Mikia..." He moved in to kiss her.
"Yes..." She leaned in, lips pursed.
"Mikia..."
"Yes..."
"MIKIA!!"
Mikia woke from her beautiful daydream and opened her eyes only to see the agitated face of her teacher, the infamous Ms. Marahashi.
"Mikia Tsunari! Were you sleeping in class again?!" Ms Marahashi yelled no more than five inches away from Mikia?s startled face.
"Uhh..No, Ms. Marahashi! Of course not!" Mikia said with a sheepish look on her face, waving her hands back and forth. Mikia?s best friend Saisari, who sat next to her, bowed and shook her head.
"Not again, Mikia..." she mumbled.
"Good!" Ms. Marahashi said curtly, returning to the front of the classroom. "Then you can tell me what the assignment is for your winter vacation."
A sweatdrop appeared on Mikia?s brow.
"Uhh... Sure I can! Haha! It was...Uhh..."
"I haven?t given it yet!" Ms. Marahashi yelled. "If you?d have been awake, you would have known that!"
"Sorry, Ms. Marahashi..." Mikia said with head bowed.
"Now that everyone is awake and paying attention," Ms. Marahashi started, glancing in Mikia?s direction, "I can give you all your assignment. Over the break, you are to read a book of your choosing and write a five-page report on it."
Everyone in the class groaned at this, Mikia being one of the louder ones, while others sucked their teeth and a few swore.
"Don?t be so glum." Ms. Marahashi told then in that sarcastic cheery tone that teachers often use. "I could have chosen books for you. These reports are due as soon as you come in on the Monday after winter break. No exceptions. I?m especially looking forward to reading yours, Ms. Tsunari."
A loud gulp came from Mikia?s general direction. Luckily. The bell signaling the end of the school day sounded a few seconds later. Mikia quickly gathered her books, grabbed Saisari and raced out of the classroom as fast as her legs would carry her, with Saisari being dragged behind like a child?s doll.
"Mikia! Slow down!!" she shrilled.
Mikia only stopped when they had gotten to their lockers, where they quickly gathered the rest of things, put on their coats, and quickly walked out of school.
It was a nippy winter day outside. Snow was thick on the grassy parts on the sidewalk from the previous night?s snowfall. Snow shoveled and plowed from the street bordered them, making it seem as if one were walking down a snowy path in the mountains rather than a snowy sidewalk in the middle of a busy city. As Mikia and Saisari walked down the street, it began to flurry, but that didn?t stop Mikia from complaining about Ms. Marahashi.
"Why does she always pick on me?! I mean, there?s tons of other kids who sleep in her class!"
"Yeah, but you snore the loudest. And you talk in your sleep."
"I do not! And is it my fault she?s so boring? She could put a hyperactive seven-year-old in a coma, the way she talks!"
"That?s a bit of an exaggeration, don?t you think?"
"No!"
Saisari just shook her head and sighed, making her long black bangs fall into her eyes. Saisari was a bit shorter than Mikia. She had a slightly darker complexion, as she lived near the ocean a while before moving to her current home, which happened to be right next to Mikia. She has green eyes that sparkled behind her glasses, that Mikia often messed with her about, calling them ?Mimet glasses?, due to the make of the frames. She pulled her bangs back and turned to Mikia.
"So what are you going to do about her report?"
"I don?t know!" came Mikia?s shrill reply. "She?s the only teacher who ever gives homework during a vacation. Doesn?t she know that vacations are to get away from work?"
"She probably does, but you know how strict she is."
"Yeah..." Mikia said submissively. Then she angrily kicked an empty soda can down the street. "I don?t even know where to start looking for a book to read...Never could get into reading..."
"We could try that new little bookstore that opened up that?s nearby. Or the library."
"Eeeh! No way! Libraries really creep me out! Evil librarians always watching you like a hawk on a dormouse..."
"You?re too paranoid. Libraries are perfectly safe, and the librarians are not out to get you Mikia."
"Says you. You should see that way they look at me with those eyes...like doll?s eyes..."
Saisari groaned and rolled her eyes skyward.
"You said something about a bookstore. Let?s go there!" Mikia said enthusiastically.
"Fine. We won?t have to go far." Saisari replied, and then looked to her left. "In fact, it?s right here."
Both Mikia and Saisari stopped in front of a small storefront with two big glass display windows full of books. Mikia looked up and read the old wooden sign above the door.
"Odd that a new shop would have an old sign. ?Fantastic Fantasies. Where Your Wildest Dreams Come True.? Interesting. Let?s go in, Sai!" Mikia said grabbing Saisari by the arm and dragging her along.
"You?re gonna get tired of doing this to me sooner or later..." She mumbled darkly. Mikia didn?t heat her friend?s idle threat and pushed open the door, ringing the little bell at the top.
"Wow. This place is pretty empty to be a new store..." Mikia said glancing around.
"Yes, it is. People just don?t appreciate books like they used to anymore..." said a tiny voice from somewhere nearby. Both Mikia and Saisari looked around for the source, a bit startled by it. Mikia cautiously glanced over the checkout counter, and was shocked when a tiny old woman popped up. Mikia gave a strange-sounding yip and fell backward, crashing into Saisari and taking her down with her.
"Oh, my! I didn?t mean to frighten you, dear!" the kindly old woman said.
"It?s okay....Saisari broke my fall...? Mikia said dazed.
"Ho riffing! Geroffh!" came Saisari?s muffled yell.
"Here, girls. Let me help you up."
The woman helped Mikia to her feet, who was still a bit dazed, and then Saisari, who was mumbling something about Mikia needing to lay off candy bars. The woman brushed them off a bit and then smiled at them.
"There now! I?m Mrs. Tari, the shopkeeper here at Fantastic Fantasies. I hope you two aren?t hurt."
"We?re fine. My name is Saisari and this is my clutzy friend Mikia. It?s a pleasure."
Mikia glared evily at Saisari.
"Note to self:" she thought. "Put rubber spider on Saisari?s desk after winter break."
"How might I help you two today?"
"We?re looking for some good books to write reports on." Mikia responded.
"Well! You?ve come to the right place! I have a very vast collection of fantasy novels here. All very good reads!" Mrs. Tari said, waving her hand towards the books. Mikia had glanced around before, but now she took a good look.
The store was very old-looking, sort of like an antique store in a small town. It was dim too, including where she, Saisari and Mrs. Tari were standing, which struck Mikia as odd, because it was pretty bright outside. Books filled every shelf along the walls in the back and on the sides of the room, reaching all the way to the high ceiling. Rolling ladders sat against the to allow one to reach them. There were five tall bookcases that were double-sided sitting in the middle of the room, creating six rows to walk along and look at the titles stored in the many shelves of the store. The shelves of the bookcases were also crammed full of books of every size and thickness. On the top of the shelves stood small statues and busts. There were also globes and other oddities on the shelves. All in all, it looked pretty cozy.
"Feel free to look around, girls." Mrs. Tari said, interrupting Mikia?s observations. "I don?t close up for another two hours."
Mikia and Saisari thanked Mrs. Tari respectfully and split up to look at titles, each taking different directions. Mikia took the left side of the room, while Saisari took the right. It wasn?t long before Mikia started to complain.
"Aww, man..." Mikia moaned. "How am I supposed to find a book I?ll actually sit down and read?"
She looked over all the titles on either side of her, some catching her eye, until she read the summary on the flap, then she promptly put it back where she found it. It kept going like this for a time.
"Geez, how big is this place? I feel like I?ve been walking forever. Huh?"
On a shelf to her right, a book with gold gilted writing on it suddenly caught Mikia?s eye. It seemed to shine. That?s silly of course, given the darkness of the room, but it seemed in Mikia?s eyes, to glow mysteriously?
"Wow..." Mikia said dreamily, reaching for the book. She pulled it from the shelf and read the ttitle almost trance-like. "The Legend of Bynara..."
She looked over the cover of the medium-sized book. On the front, a handsome young man wielding a sword with his right arm was depicted fighting with another slightly older man. The latter was about five or ten years the former?s senior. They both looked determined to win their bout. In the background, five others watched, but Mikia couldn?t make out their details, just their silhouettes. They varied in height and two seemed to be reptilian, one a dragon, the other a snake. Above all, there was a figure that had large, feathery wings watching over all. Light seemed to emanate from it. Mikia stoked the figure and her eyes seemed to glow slightly for the briefest of moments. She then mumbled something incoherent to even her, and opened the book to read the flap. She quietly read it aloud.
"Imagine that you?re in a place where beauty surrounds you. Tall green grasses that flow and ebb at the slightest breeze of fresh, clean air and deep blue lakes that look like perfect mirrors surrounded by beautiful, densely wooded forests are everywhere. Mountains with caps as white as clouds line the horizon, and birds of every kind fly the skies. This is the land of Bynara, an enchanted land where beats of myth and legend roam freely. Along with these, all sorts of other beings live; Elves, Falcors, Humans, and others?They all live in this beautiful land, but not always in peace. Especially in this dark time. A dark cloud has settled over this beautiful world. An evil emperor has taken over, sending Bynara spiraling into chaos. He sends his minions to keep the population under his rule. Those who oppose him are slain. This makes his, Dairaiko?s minions, the most feared beasts in the land, even more so than mad dragons. But there is one who vows to end Dairaiko?s reign of terror. One who vows to take the life of the man that slew his family. He is Chirimi, the son of a true warrior who was slain by Dairaiko?s sword as he watched helplessly. He has sworn to fulfill the ancient prophecy of his people, the Legend of Bynara. It says that a great warrior who together with the other Sacred Warriors, under the leadership of the Great Protector, banish a great evil that overtakes the land and make it peaceful once more...This is his story..."
Suddenly Mikia was plunging into a bottomless pit. Darkness surrounded her, encasing her vision. Her screams were lost in the vastness of the dark abyss. Faster and faster she fell, not knowing what was happening or where she was going. Then, with a sudden jolt, she stopped. She groaned aloud, writhing slightly in pain.
"Where am I...?" she asked, a hint of both pain and dazedness in her voice.
"You?re in Bynara, of course. Are you okay?" a voice asked. It had a masculine tone to it.
"Huh?" Mikia tried to open her eyes, but the brightness of the midday sun made her shut them quickly. "I?m where?" she asked the voice.
"Bynara. Here. Allow me to help you."
Mikia felt herself being lifted by strong, yet gentle arms into a sitting position. She lifted her head and tried opening her eyes again. She managed it this time around and was greeted by the sight of the most handsome guy she?d ever seen?He looked just like?
"My dream guy..." Mikia said dazed.
"Huh?" the guy asked quizzically, but didn?t get a response because Mikia had passed out again from the headache she had. Before she had done so however, it dawned on her that she wasn?t in Japan anymore, and while she lay there unconscious, in her dreams she wondered how she would get home?.and if that guy had a girlfriend?
Next Episode:
"When Personalities Clash..."
Dream On, Beautiful Dreamer...[/color]