Chapter 1

The man is dressed in a dark blue suit and the woman wears the most beautiful dress you'll ever see, her long chestnut-coloured hair waving in the wind. She's holding flowers in one hand, her other hand tangled in one of his. His other hand lays on her belly, indicating the one she's starting to get; She's been pregnant for, what, three and a half months now, maybe four? The man and woman are looking at each other, happiness shining in their eyes. Little do they know their happiness won't take any longer than a year from the moment this photo was taken.
                As I put the photograph back in the small box, I hear someone storming upstairs. Quickly, I put the box in my closet. Just in time.
                "I've been calling you for five times now!" Nance, my foster mother, stands in the door opening. “If you’re not coming downstairs in the next thirty seconds, you won’t get any food!”
                “Fine.” I say. I’m not hungry anyway.
                “And don’t think you can come downstairs later tonight to grab some food out of the fridge!”
                “Okay.” Challenge accepted. No really, she’s been saying this a lot, and every time I know to sneak out of my room when she and Will have fallen asleep. It’s not hard to fool Ethan, the son of Nance and Will. I’m not calling him my brother on purpose; these people have never felt as my family. The only family I’ve got is my best friend Abigail.
                “Really, you should get off the floor once. You never come out of your room. It’s almost like you’re mental.”
                Ugh, is she still here? Why can’t she go away? “Thanks.”
                “And buy some new clothes. You look like a hobo. You don’t get fifty pounds a month to buy drugs.”
                She called me a hobo. A mental one. Great. “Yes, thank you. Are you done ranting about how I can’t do anything good? I’ve got some crack right under my bed and I’d love to use it.”
                Nance is even more pissed right now. “Violet Ramona McKenzie! You’re grounded for the rest of the month, plus no internet or television!”
                “For the rest of the month?”
                “Do you want me to make the period any longer?”
                “Oh, I’m fine with it, but I thought you wanted me to go out and shop for new clothes?”
                “There are web shops.”
                Ha, that’s funny. “True, but you just gave me an internet prohibition.”
                It’s really hard not to burst out laughing. Nance is just standing in the door opening, not knowing how to answer. “Well... If you don’t shut up I’m going to buy you clothes.”
                Okay, that’s not fair. That means I’m getting the cheapest and ugliest clothes you can imagine, even though Nance and Will are rich. Luckily I’ve got scissors and needles. “Okay."
                It stays quiet for a second, but then Nance shuts the door and I can hear her walking back downstairs. I walk to the door and put the lock on it. Nance would’ve killed me when I locked the door before she came running up the stairs. I lay down on my bed and stare at the ceiling. I painted it dark blue a while ago, with tiny white spots like stars. It makes me feel like I’m staring at the night sky. Like I’m away from this place. I smirk. Will probably closed my internet connection by now. How I love to see his face when he figures I hacked his computer, though he will never know. He’s just too dumb for that. I mean, who’s password is ‘password’? Or 1234, the code of his safe. Like he thinks he’s being clever by choosing codes that are so simple no one will ever think of them. Idiot. Just wait until he notices the few 100 pounds being gone. It’s not much in comparison with the amount of money that’s actually in the safe, so it’s hard to miss.
                I grab my laptop. Yep, no connection. I open The Sims. The start menu appears on my dash and I click on the icon that says “Start game”. Instead of The Sims, a program called Drudged starts. I click on the tab “Wireless” and a list with all the computers in the house pops up. I click on Will’s computer and a small banner pops up. “Password?” I type in ‘password’ and my laptop makes connection with Will’s. The dashboard of his computer appears on my screen. I look at the note in green in the bottom right of the screen. “This computer is currently inactive.” Great. I open the network centre and make connection with the internet. I open internet to make sure it’s connected. The website of BBC News opens. Yes. Done it again. I check Will’s dashboard once again. No banner pops up to say I made connection. I close the dashboard and minimize Drudged, so there’s only the small icon of The Sims left in the toolbar.
                A sudden vworping sound indicates an incoming message.

“All right, I took the quiz, and it turns out, I do put career before men”

I laugh and start typing.

                               “That’s cool. Want some jam?”
                               “No thanks. I just had a jar of mustard.”
                               “How you doin’?”
                                “Not good. Someone stole some Ben & Jerry’s out of my freezer.”
                               “Err.. Yeah, that would’ve been me. Sorry, I’m a twat.”
                               “Seriously, Joey, stay out of my freezer!”

I just love how Abby and I can have a whole conversation by using quotes.

                               “That reminds me, how come we don’t have jam at our place?”
                               “Because the kids need shoes.”
                                “Dude, stop talking crazy and make us some tea!”
                               “Hahaha. Oh, I love this.”
                               “I know, me too.”
                               “So... How are you?”
                               “Hm... I’m grounded... Again.”
                               “*sighs* Joey, what did you do?”
                               “Chandler, I swear, it was nothing. I refused to come downstairs for dinner.”
                                “Ah, I see. You must be starving.”

I’m actually starting to feel hungry. I lean towards the small cupboard next to my bed and grab a Twix out of the middle drawer.

                               “I got a Twix.”
                               “Where did you get it from?”

I sigh.

                               “I bought it, I swear. I only steal Nance’s money. And food from the fridge.”
                               “Okay, then it’s cool. By the way, why did you refuse to come to dinner?”
                               “I wasn’t in the mood to be in their company. Also, Nance called me a mental hobo who uses drugs.”
                               “You’re kidding. Wow, that’s harsh.”
                               “Oh well, it’s not that bad. I’m used to it. Besides, it gave me the opportunity of a good comeback.”
                               “What did you say?”
                               “I asked her if she was done ranting about how I can’t do anything good and told her I have some crack under my bed. She was astonished.”
                               “Ha. Brilliant. But if you’re grounded... Are you still planning on going to the cemetery tomorrow?”

Tomorrow. The 17^th of March. Tomorrow it will be seventeen years ago my parents were found dead. They always told me they died in a car accident, but I know that’s not true. I don’t know what really happened though, but I’m trying to figure it out. Abby is the only one who knows about my little investigation.      
                Another vworping sound gets me out of my thoughts.

                               “You okay?”
                               “Yeah, sorry. I was somewhere else with my thoughts for a sec. Yes, I’m still going to the cemetery. Nance can’t forbid me to go. I’ll go right after school.”
                               “Have you already found something new?”
                               “Not yet.”
                               “You know I’m always here for you, right?”

I smile.

                               “Yes, I know. Thanks. Hey, I think I’m going to bed. I’m a bit tired. Okay?”
                               “Sure. See you tomorrow.”
                               “Bye.”

---

                “Oi, Joey, wake up.” Someone pricks with her finger in my side.
                “How long do we still got?” I mumble.
                 “Fifteen minutes.”
                I look up. “You’re kidding me.”
                “No, sorry.”
                “Did Mr. Smith notice I was asleep?”
                “No.” Abby answers. “But even if he did, he wouldn’t care.”
                “True.” Mr. Smith is, like, the coolest teacher in the whole school.
                “Okay, because everyone worked so hard today, I’m letting you go home earlier. So grab your stuff, class is dismissed.” Mr. Smith suddenly says. Everyone grabs their stuff and gets out of the classroom quick. Abby and I follow.
                “Are you going to the cemetery immediately?” Abby asks when we grab our coats.
                “No, I’ll go visit Fleur’s Flowers first.” Fleur’s Flowers is this really adorable flower shop, owned by an originally Dutch woman named Fleur Vermeulen. She’s really nice and sells the most beautiful flowers you can imagine. It’s kind of cliché though, knowing that ‘Fleur’ is the French word for ‘flower’. Oh well, it’s catchy.
                “Do you want me to come with you?”
                “Err... No, I think I prefer this to do alone. But thanks, really.”
                “Okay.” Abby hugs me. She knows how much I love to hang out with her and understands when I want be alone. “Just call me if you need anything, eh?”
                “I will.”

                “Afternoon, Fleur.” I say when I walk into the flower shop. It’s a small space overflowed with flowers. You can barely walk through all the different kinds of flowers and plants, it’s sort of like a jungle, but all these colours together just make you happy.
                “Goedemiddag, Ramona.” Fleur appears from behind a few gigantic plants with dark green leaves. “Wait a second. I already made you a beautiful bouquet.”
                “You... You already made a bouquet?”
                “Yes, of course. I know it’s an important day to you.” I hear some stumbling in the backroom before Fleur shows up once again. “Here.” She hands me a bouquet of beautiful black roses with a few yellow ones in the middle.
                “Wow. These are  beautiful.”
                “Thanks. I already thought you would like them.” She smiles before she goes on. “The, err, black ones symbolise farewell. They are very rare and so incredibly beautiful, just like your parents used to be.” Fleur stops for a second. I know she and my mom used to be very good friends. She told me a few years back. “The yellow ones symbolise friendship. They’re saying ‘I care’. It’s a total of eleven roses. Giving someone eleven roses mean that the recipient is truly and deeply loved.”
                “They’re incredible, and that’s such a beautiful meaning. Thanks. Does the giving of roses have a special meaning too?”
                “Well, a rose represents love, but I mostly picked them because I know your mother loved them. After I opened this shop, she came to buy one rose every week. Most of the time she bought an orange one. They were here favourites.”
                “You and my mom were really good friends, weren’t you?”
                “Yes. Ever since she stood up for me in high school we were best friends.”
                “She stood up for you?”
                “Yes. I was bullied a lot because of the accent I used to have back then. Chelsea thought my accent was rather cute and told my classmates I couldn’t help it because I just moved from the Netherlands. The bullying stopped after that and we hung out a lot. She was a very strong woman who stood up for what she believed in. You are a lot like her.”
                I smile. Fleur is, after Abby, the person I love the most in the whole wide world. She’s so nice and always knows how to cheer me up. I love listening to her stories.
                Suddenly I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I take it out and look at the caller ID. “Crap.”
                “Nance?”
                “Yeah. I’ve got to go. How many for the bouquet?”
                “Nothing.”
                “Nothing?”
                “Yeah. They’re free. Oh, and here.” Fleur hands me a single orange rose. “For you. Now go, you don’t want to make Nance even more angry and you still have to go to the cemetery.”
                “Thanks.” I walk towards the door and grab the handle.
                “If you ever think of running away, you can always come to my place.”
                I turn back around to face Fleur. “Thanks. You’re a wonderful person. I’ll remember that.”

I walk on the small pad that leads to the other side of the cemetery. There are flowers lying on most of the graves, though the persons who laid them there are not around. It’s quiet. There’s no bird singing his song. The only sounds you can hear is the sound of my feet on the gravel path and the sound of the wind running through the leaves of the oak tree. You can’t even hear the cars and the other noises of the city. I actually don’t like silence, but I have to say it feels quite beautiful right now.
                As I reach my parents grave, I feel my eyes tearing up. I don’t try to fight them, I know I can’t hold them up anyway. I read the words on the memorial stone. “Life might have left us, Love never will. Chelsea Wright, 15 September 1972 – 17 March 1995, & Nicholas Taylor, 1 February 1972 – 17 March 1995.” I think the quote’s beautiful. Simple, but so strong.  Even though I never knew my parents, I love them. I miss them. When I was little, I used to imagine about having them in my life, living in a real family, visiting grandma with my mother, playing soccer with my dad in the backyard, listening to my mom’s voice as she read me a bedtime story. I pretended my real life was just a bad dream, and that my dreams were reality. It’s a shame it never meant to be. I have no parents, no grandparents, no aunts and uncles, or at least, not that I know off. I have nothing. No, wait, that’s not true. I’ve got Abby and Fleur. They’re my family. Maybe I should take Fleur’s offer and runaway. I spared money, so I could help her pay the bills. And Fleur would be okay with me getting a job.
                My phone starts vibrating again. I don’t need to take a look at the caller ID to know it’s Nance. I close my eyes. When is she ever going to leave me alone? I open my eyes again and lay the roses on the grave. “I miss you.” I whisper, and I walk away.

As I leave the cemetery I hear rumour coming from the streets; Car’s horns are beeping and people are shouting. I walk out of the street towards the centre of the city. Cars stand crosswise on the junction of five streets, forming a full circle. In the middle are standing four horses and their riders, who are dressed very old-fashioned. The woman wears a dress that looks like it’s from the Dark Ages. The three men are wearing a sort of, what is it, armour? They all look confused. I wonder if this is some sort of act, or a stupid joke.
                “Oi! Move away! You’re standing in the middle of the street!”
                “I’m getting late! Move!”
                “I’m calling the police!”

Prologue

“Where… Where are we?” The girl looks around diffused, her blue eyes flickering around, taking in every bush and every tree.
                “What do you mean? We’re just in another part of the forest. Come on, we have to move on if we want to arrive in Taykon in time.” One of the men says. He’s young, but the oldest of the four and obviously the leader of the group.
                “No, Cade, you don’t understand. We’re not in the Forest of Fertroué anymore. Didn’t you see it? That light?” There’s a slight sound of panic in the girl’s voice.
                “That was just the sun shining through the leaves.”
                “I think Valora is right.” The young man on Cade’s right gets off of his horse and grabs a bit of the sand. “I swear we were on a grass path one minute ago.”
                “Felix, get back on your horse! We don’t have time for this!” Cade orders.
                “No, Cade, listen. We were following a straight path, right? Look over there,” The fourth man points to a turn. “does that look straight to you?”
                “Shut up, Aiden.”
                “Oh, guess who’s pissed now. What’s wrong, your highness? Have you fallen off of your horse?” Felix teases.
                “Really, Felix, if you’re not shutting up you’ll find yourself in the stocks when we’re arrived in Taykon.” Cade looks angry at Felix before turning back to Aiden. “What are you trying to say? That we suddenly moved from Fertroué to a magical world?”
                “Err, if you say it like that it really sounds unbelievable.”
                “Exactly. Then why should I believe it?”
                Aiden raises his shoulders. “I don’t know. Sire.”
                “Of course you don’t know. It’s all nonsense! The sun probably made you a bit dazed, that’s all. Now, Felix, how many times do I need to ask you to get back on your horse? It’s not like...” Cade’s voice gets drowned out by a weird, almost  roaring sound. Felix’s horse prances when he grabs the reins, and Cade, Aiden and Valora try hard to calm down their horses. The next moment, something appears out of the bushes, crushing them at the same time. The thing looks like a big machine, one the four strangers have never seen before. It must need a lot of manpower to get one of these moving. But then, what’s that noise?
                As Cade rides towards Felix and helps him to calm his horse, the noise stops and the machine stands still.
                “Shouldn’t we...”
                “No.” Cade says determined, not waiting for Felix to finish his sentence.
                Something looking like a door opens and a man shows his unshaved face right above. “Oi! Move away, mate! We’re trying to work here! If you wanna play hide and seek you better go to a playground or something.”
                “Excuse me, but who are you calling mate, mate? Do you even know who I am?” Cade asks.
                “I don’t care who you are, even if you were the prince of England. I’m trying to do a job over here, and I can’t do that if there are four teenagers blocking my path playing King Arthur.”
                “We’re not playing King Arthur. Really, why on Earth would I pretend to be one of my ancestors?”
                “Your ancestor? Ha, now you got me! I must say you’re almost convincing, with those horses and those weird clothes. But really, mate,” the man says, spitting out the word ‘mate’, “move out of my way and go buy some new clothes or something. You’re in twenty-first century England, not in Runescape.” Without waiting for Cade’s comeback, the man goes back in the machine and the thing starts making the roaring noise again. Another noise sounds for a second, like someone blew a horn, and Cade turns his horse and rides away.
                “Cade, wait!” Valora yells. Cade lets his horse slow down a bit until Valora and the two men catch up. “What do you think he meant? Are we really in... in the future?” She asks carefully.
                “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a set up of a nemesis. But what I do know is that we should move away quick and find out what’s going on.”

Writer's note: Funny, when I read this over I kinda read Cade's sentences in the voice of Bradley James (Arthur Pendragon in the BBC series Merlin), Felix sentences in the voice of Colin Morgan (Merlin in the series), and funny enough, the voice of the 21st century man in the voice of Kai Owen (Rhys Williams in Torchwood). I must say this is all pure coincedence. 

Info

Hello!

On this blog I'm posting my new story "The Time Task" (I'm not sure about the title though). It kind of started with this very weird dream I had in which people from ancient times landed in the 21st century and me and my best friend tried to let them fit in and then suddenly we were in, what, 1800? Anyway, it was really strange, but it also gave me the idea for this story. So, yeah, I hope you like it.

Please note: That I'm writing this new story doesn't mean I'll stop writing Magical Mischief. I really love that story and I love all of your comments. I'm working on new chapters, so you'll hear of it again very soon. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check it here.

Small summary: Four people suddenly land in the 21st century. Only one girl can help them win the game.