Chapter 1

The world is a wide and vast complicated mix of mundane and mystical. There are those who live their whole lives in blissful ignorance of the deep mysteries of the world, either purposely or having it forced on them by someone or something else. While this is the way of things, there are times when the unknown will simply find it's way to you. Prepared or not, the life you live can be stripped away at a moment's notice, and you have two choices. You can choose to turn away from this change, to return to your life as before and pretend as if nothing happened. Or, you can embrace the chance you have been given, and discover what life can be if you just let it take you.

Ariel Winehouse is a normal eighteen year old girl from a medium sized town in the midwest of the United States. She goes to school, gets good grades, and is looking forward to collage; even if it is just the local community college in her home town. She has a small group of loyal friends and two loving parents. From the perspective of a person from the outside, she would have a perfect life.

The screeching blare of the alarm clock pulled her from her dreams, a groan escaping her lips as she rolled over and whipped back the blankets on her bed. With practiced movements she clicked the small plastic switch on the back of the alarm to silence the grating noise. Bare feet touched the carpeted floor and she was up and getting ready.

Dressed for the day with her long dark brown hair brushed, Ariel grabbed her bag and headed downstairs to the kitchen where she could already smell breakfast cooking. Mary, her mother, hummed her current favorite song as she flipped pancakes and diligently watched over the bacon in a pan. Ariel skipped over to her mother and kissed her on the cheek as she snatched up a strip of bacon.

"Get a plate, young lady!" Mary playfully chastised as Ariel grinned, her stolen treasure trapped between her teeth as she retrieved a plate from the cabinet. The dish was loaded with more bacon, scrambled eggs with onions, and finally pancakes. Ariel slipped into a chair at the table and dug into her food as her father finally came into the room.

"Good morning Sweet Pea." He greated Ariel, as she shoveled a large bite of food into her mouth.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to take such large bites. You are going to choke." Mary handed her husband a plate of food. He was a tall man with short cropped black hair and rich brown eyes.

Ariel swallowed and just smiled at her mother. "I have not choked yet." And another large forkful of food vanished. Mary shook her head at her daughter and began to plate her own food. She was shorter than her husband, with dark brown hair and calculating blue eyes. Ariel loved her parents and always felt nothing but joy when watching them together. The idle chitchat in the morning about their lives away from one another was something she always looked forward to.

Mary worked in a flower shop on this side of town, and her husband Justin, worked down in the factory. They made ammunition there and he was always coming home smelling of metal and gunpowder. Ariel would sometimes tease him about how the smell made her nose itch. When she was a child he would tease her and tell her that he was going to toss her into a barrel of the stuff, to make her itchy all over. She would them scream and run away giggling as he chased her through the house.

"Ariel, are you listening?" Mary had risen her voice and Ariel blinked as she pulled her mind back from the memories.

"Sorry, Mom. I was just remembering when Dad used to say he was going to throw me into the gun powder." Ariel replied, her mother and father both smiling at her. Mary put a hand on her husband's and he leaned in toward Ariel.

"You're not to big for me to still do it." He growled playfully, to which Ariel picked up her fork, brandishing it like a sword. Her father did the same.

"Not with syrup on your forks! You two are going to get my table all sticky!" Mary raised her hands and held off the battle, Ariel and her father both glaring playfully at one another.

"You shall live, Father. For now." Ariel grinned, finishing off her food and scooping up her plate.

"Don't forget your vitamins!" Mary called to Ariel as she placed her clean dishes in the strainer. Ariel moved over to the cabinet next to the fridge and pulled it open.

"Mom, Becca asked if we could go to the movies after school today." Ariel said as she picked up the bottle, stopping when she pulled it down. A puzzled look crossed her features.

"Sure, hun. What movie where the two of you planning to see? Oh, Will Jane and Oscar be there too?" Mary asked, sipping her coffee.

"Uh, yeah. They will. We wanted to see that dopey rom-com 'Nobody's Perfect.' Hey Mom, did you get to the pharmacy yesterday?" Ariel turned to face her mom, shaking the bottle in her hand. Not a sound. No pills. The bottle was empty.

At first Mary seemed confused, but at spying the bottle concern flashed across her face.

"Oh shoot! I did. I forgot that they were all out of your vitamins. The train that carrys them to town was wrecked and the whole shipment was lost." Her voice and the look on her face grew more distant as she spoke. Justin placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Do they know when another shipment will be in?" He asked.

"Was anyone hurt in the crash?" Ariel asked, placing the bottle down as she moved over to her mother, worried about her and the people on the train.

"Oh, yes. Some of the workers were injured, but they will all make a full recovery." She smiled at Ariel and patter her hand, but there was a strange emotion behind her mother's eyes. It was something akin to worry and fear, but it was deeper than that. It was almost like it was something older.

"Well that's good." Ariel mumbled.

"But there won't be another shipment for at least two more months." Mary looked pointedly at her husband who visibly tensed.

"Two months? The children are supposed to go that long without their medication?" Ariel had never seen her father look so concerned before.

"Its okay, Dad. I'll be fine. I can just adjust my diet a little to accommodate." She replied, doing her best to give her parents a reassuring smile. Her father simply looked grim as he got up from the table and the smile her mother gave her was hollow.

"We will work on a diet plan when you get home." She agreed, getting up from the table as well.

Ariel felt that there was more to it they were not saying. Most of the kids in town had to take vitamins. The town itself suffered through a time with heavy metals in the water and many of the children were sickly when they were young. The adults in the town had rallied together and forced the mayor to fix the problem through peaceful protests; and no one going to work. It was an awe inspiring story that most of the kids hated hearing, but Ariel loved it.

She grabbed her bag and headed out, shouting an 'I love you' to her parents before going out the door. They didn't respond. Though they almost always did, she figured the new of the train derailment and the lack of medication for the kids was distressing and distracting to them. She could forgive just once.