What's your favorite book series?
mine are the Warriors books, then there's the Pendragon books, and countless others. what about you guys?
Didn't you have a thread up like this one before?
This seems a waste of our time.
This seems a waste of our time.
Here, but it was a while ago.
But this is just series... One I forgot last time is the Flicka trilogy by Mary O'Hara, which is very good. And one I've read since then (twice) is The Dark Is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper, which is just incredible.
But this is just series... One I forgot last time is the Flicka trilogy by Mary O'Hara, which is very good. And one I've read since then (twice) is The Dark Is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper, which is just incredible.
i never knew about that post! i've never heard of the Flika trilogy, what's it about?
These sound like Zombie Series, are you sure you're not a Resident Evil fan?
Okay, seriously, what's up with people and the Dark Ages or whatever they were called..I mean like if you liked book series get Harry Potter or Nancy Drew or something. Good for your brain.
Zork, Fighting Fantasy Series, The Endless Quest Series... maaaan, I miss chose your' own adventures
books aren't for noobs! they show that people have SOME intellect.
Those people you're talking about are sitting in their homes, writing a couple of pages everyday, but mostly they're just sitting there and doing nothing. Intelligence!
Flicka is about a boy and his horses, or about the whole family and their ranch in Wyoming. Somehow I don't think they're your kind of thing 
Neither of them are about zombies
Neither of them are about zombies
whoops, i used the wrong word, lol. i think i've seen a movie that sounds like the books. i just recently obtained the 'Pendragon: Raven Rise' book, i started yesterday and i'm almost done! and btw, i write WAAAYY more then a few pages (maybe a chapter?) a day.
i LOVE the srarwars books! reading ROCKS!
I think Twilight is a pretty cool guy.
Twilight is a pretty good book series, but the last book was anti-climatic, y'know? i hate anti-climax,
Everyone here has terrible taste in literature.
I really like the books of Raymond E. Feist. His books are not a true serie in the exact sense of the word, but they all revolve around the same world, and also some characters remain key figures in all books, and théy develop as well, so in a sense I call them a series. How interesting...
Striker: 'Everyone here has terrible taste in literature.'
What's yours then?
Striker: 'Everyone here has terrible taste in literature.'
What's yours then?
i have read Carrie and Cujo, i've also read Icebound by Dean Koontz.
Well Striker, I was trying to troll this thread with Twilight. Apparently it didn't work.
what do you mean by 'troll'? (sounds like someone read a little too much Harry Potter.)
LOTR had trolls !
@ExDeth - In the South Island, yeah? 
He kick's up vampires and doesn't afraid of anything.
I am currently enjoying the heck out of Discworld.
AMEN! Good ol' Terry Pratchet
I had the first three books of the Diskworld series, but somehow they couldn't interest me... You may start your cries of blasphemy now.
i've never even heard of discworld! what's it about?
"Discworld is a comedic fantasy book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft and William Shakespeare, as well as mythology, folklore and fairy tales, often using them for satirical parallels with current cultural, political and scientific issues."
And Wiki is always right.
And Wiki is always right.
wiki isn't always right, i read an article about a certain plant that an official website said differently about, (i think it was monkshood, or Wolfsbane? i can't remember, i was looking it up for research.)
According to Wikipedia, I've been a professional snooker player for the last 3 years.
I'm not, by the way.
I'm not, by the way.
snooker? wtfh is snooker?
I don't know... maybe you should look it up on Wikipedia?
@Joycielaanie - BLASPHEMIIIIIIE!!
why didn't anyone just tell me that it was a derivative (probably) of Pool?
Google is your friend y'know.
meh, i find libraries to be very factual, y'know?
Yes, libraries are full of interesting stuff.
Like stairs....
Not really a series, but they all tie into the same genre, but anything by Heinlein.
Not really a series, but they all tie into the same genre, but anything by Heinlein.
eh, I wouldn't say *anything* by Heinlein. I remember reading a book where he gave up writing it halfway through, said "OMG TIME TRAVEL!" and then quickly finished off the rest of the story almost entirely through exposition. I was decidedly underwhelmed.
anyone ever heard of the 'Gregor the Overlander' book? it's the first in the series and it's a really great book.
Obviously the lord of the rings books were awesome but I am also a big fan of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony and the Sword of truth series by Terry Goodkind(although I have only read the first three or four).
In all seriousness, I just finished the 2nd book in the Song of Fire and Ice series, and I have to admit, I'm very impressed with it so far.
i'm reading the Remnants books right now, dunno what to make of it tho
I think I read the first three books in that series some years ago. I liked them for the most part, but kept losing interest in the storyline about the girl, to a point where I wanted to skip over those chapters like the songs in LOTR.
what girl? 2Face? violet?
I've been trying to finish reading the Wheel of Time series (it's pretty good). The next one I havent read yet is still on loan from the library though, and overdue.
Yeah, I'm guessing the stuff about Daenyrs (sp?)... yeah... her stuff is like an entirely different, less interesting story.
I finished reading a book called 'Quantum Prophecy: The Gathering' I have finished witing my Book, and are now typing it, if you wish to read a small excerpt, then i will post it in this topic. if not, then ignore it if someone does wat to read it.
I read "Dearly Devoted Dexter"
and "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay
Which were original, interesting,
Now I have to get the third book, hope the sequel is as good as the two first books
(My all-time favorite author still is "Boris Vian")
and "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay
Which were original, interesting,
Now I have to get the third book, hope the sequel is as good as the two first books
(My all-time favorite author still is "Boris Vian")
I'm up to reading Book 11 of the Wheel of Time series finally... THe prologue is longer than any chapter though.
that's messed up! i think the prologue should be, as my eighth grade social studies teacher would put it, 'short, sweet, and to the point.' in otherwords, it's small and explains a few things that the reader should know.
okay. here's what i have.
The Amulet: The Beginning.
Prologue
Dear Diary, Nov/26/08
I'm only writing in you because my teacher, Mr. Hendricks, wants us students
to write for a grade, and this is a Never-get-your-grades-back-up-if-you-fail
grade, so I have to write. Mr. Hendricks wants to get to know us better, 8th
grade is really gonna suck! he HINTED that we were gonna write a story after
a month of writing, "Be as specific as you can." he says. okay, I'll give him
specific! I'm a tall,brown-haired Fourteen-year-old with blue eyes and average
muscle tone, specific enough? today was as bad as ever. I got bullied on, nearly
humiliated, and my bus driver, who seems to hate me inexplicably, decided to pass
me by, as usual, at the bus stop! this day couldn't possibly get any worse! my dad
told me that he's gonna take me to an archaeological digsite to help him. Before he
met Mom, he was studying to be an archaeologist, he met Mom in college, soon they
started to travel the world for archaelogist things. They soon settled down and
had my older brother, Bill, then Me. years later, Dad quit the job he was currently
working at, he said it was killing his spirit. then, he started being an archaeologist
again. the times that he is here, is when he's not working. I've noticed that I've been
feeling very... STRANGE, like something bad is gonna happen,
-Tristan Daniels...
Chapter 1
'Welcome to Des Moines, Iowa'
AS SOON AS I finished writing in my diary, I picked up my favorite book. The title
read 'LONG SHADOWS', my brother gave it to me for my birthday last July, even though
my birthday was three months before that. I started reading these books since I was ten,
I'm one of the few kids in school who read books for fun. "Hey Tristan!" a Voice said, I
looked up from my book to see my brother, Bill, standing by the door. Bill is the 'BAD
BOY' of the family, He's a muscular Seventeen-year-old with reddish-brown eyes and
dark-brown hair. "What's the Combo to your safe?" Dad bought me a safe to hold stuff
that I wanted to be kept safe, I mostly keep money in there, almost a hundred dollars!
Bill grabbed the book out of my hands and said, "Well?" I sighed, 'NO WAY I COULD TAKE
HIM ON...' I thought, "twenty-four-thirtyfour." I said as I grabbed the book out of his
hand, "what do you need my money for?" Bill looked back at me with a pained expression
on his face, "I need it for something, that's all I'll tell you..." he trailed off as he
left the room. I heard the safe door creak open as he grabbed the money and closed it.
I saw him pass my door as he went to his room, then he started playing his CD's, 'UGH!
IM SICK AND TIRED OF IM LISTENING TO AKON OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON FULL BLAST!' I often
caught myself humming the song to myself. I decided to go outside, 'THIS IS AS GOOD OF
WEATHER WE'RE GONNA GET THIS MONTH.' I thought as I stepped outside, the sky was overcast,
making it look gray and dismal. I could hear Bill's music blaring on, making the many dogs
in the neighborhood bark loudly, 'AS IF WE NEEDED more NOISE!' I looked at the treehouse,
Dad said it was there when he and Mom moved in. I climbed up the ladder and looked at the
house 'I CAN'T BELIEVE DAD GOT ONE OF THE FEW TWO-STORY HOUSES HERE!' one thing caught
my eye, 'IS THAT BILL? CRYING?!?' I saw Bill hunched over, his shoulders shaking up and
down, I've never seen him cry since his freind had that car accident, 'HE ACTED LIKE HE
CAUSED IT...' I looked away, trying to forget what I saw. I picked my book up and started
to read, but my mind wouldn't focus on the words, 'what is he crying about...?'
Bill* I'M SO SORRY, COREY...' I never did forgive myself for what I did, 'I PUT YOU IN THE
HOSPITAL, I CAN HELP YOU GET OUT.' I remember telling Tristan that he got in a car accident
that is only half true, 'I SHOULD'VE NEVER WENT TO THAT PARTY!' I said to myself, another
voice said, 'THE PUNCH WAS SPIKED, YOU COULDN'T HAVE CONTROLLED THAT!' said another voice,
'I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS DRIVING, HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO stupid!' I remembered that party
like it was yesterday...
TEN MONTHS AGO
"C'mon, Bill! this party is gonna kick some serious ass!" my freind, Corey said, "I don't know,"
I said, uncertainty in my voice. "what if someone does something stupid? like spike the punchbowl
or get into a fight? I don't want to be arrested or beat up!" Corey laughed, "Nothing bad'll happen,
all we're gonna do is dance and do stupid stuff." I looked at my little brother, "who's gonna watch my
little bro?" "ask Katrina, we all know that you have a major crush on her!" it was true, Katrina Mathews
was the best-looking girl in school, she was skinny, tan, and her hair looked like it was spun gold.
every time I tried to talk to her, my toungue would twist and twist until I couldn't talk, "I- I guess..."
"Then go! she's sitting on her front porch!" I gathered all of my strength and courage, and walked
across the street up to her house. when I was standing on the Porch, she said "Hello, could you not
stand in my light, I'm trying to read." I looked at the book she was reading, 'SHE'S READING THOSE
CAT BOOKS,' I though, recognizing the title of Tristan's favorite books 'THIS'LL PRETTY MUCH
ENSURE THAT SHE'LL WATCH TRISTAN.' I took a deep breath, her perfume smelled like lilacs
"K- katrina, I- I was wondering i- if you would, you know, babysit my little brother for me." she
looked up in surprise, "Who, Tristan?" my heart raced, her blue eyes reflected the pureness of
the sky, 'BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT.' I reminded myself, "I- I have to do something that
requires me to not be at home, and im sure he'll behave. she looked like she started to think
about it, then said, "Alright, but you will have to do me a favor in return," "I'll do anything!"
I said, not even considering what she wanted me to do. "I want you to help my brother with
a little project that he's working on." I looked at her in surprise, Katrina's brother was younger
then me, but he is in my class. his name is Colby, he's pretty much a boy-genius, that's why he's
in my grade. "Okay, I'll help Genius Boy," I started to walk back to my house, "Bill! I meant right
now!" I sighed, "and don't call him 'genius boy', he finds it offensive." I followed her inside, not
knowing that it was going to be one of the strangest experiences in my life...
TODAY
I stood up and wiped my eyes, 'SUCK IT UP, YOU CAN DO IT.' I looked at the wad of cash in
my hands, 'I KNOW HE'LL MAKE IT, I JUST KNOW IT!' I turned the music off and left my room.
'TRISTAN IS PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT HOW MUCH OF AN donkey I AM.' I walked into the kitchen,
"hey mom!" I exclaimed, "back from the store?" my mom is a fourty-year old with auburn hair and
blue eyes. "hi Bill, yes I'm back from the store," mom turned her head towards me, "Bill, have
you been crying?" I saw concern written all over her face, "No, just kinda tired, stayed up
too late last night." mom TSKED, "you need your sleep, tomorrow Julius will take you to an
archaeological digsite," Julius is my dad's name, he isn't usually around, so he's gonna take
me and Tristan to a digsite. "it's a huge hole in the ground, at least fourty below sea level,
the oil company set up a drill, and the drill fell through, luckily no one got hurt!" mom started
putting groceries away as I snuck a box of pop-tarts out of the bag, "that stays in here, young
man!" my mom has eyes on the back of her head, I left the kitchen and went to my room again...
TEN MONTHS AGO
I can't believe it! im actually IN Katrina's house! I followed her up her stairs, "this is my
brother's room, hold on a sec." she walks over to her computer, she types in a word and the
wall behind me opens up! 'INTERESTING...' I think as I tenatively enter. "Katrina! what did
I tell you about letting people into my secret laboratory?!?" I see Colby walking up to us,
"he agreed to helping you with your... PROJECT." I shuddered at the way she stressed the word
'WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?' "oh. well, come in, come in!" he leads us into a fairly large
room, it is full of weird mechanical devices. "it's your choice, do you want to try out my Robot
controller? or do you want to try my Virtual Reality device?" I look at the dangerous-looking
robot, then I look at the small platform with a pair of goggles hooked into it, "the Virtual
thing." he presses a button and a platform lowers, "stand on the platform, then put the goggles
on." I do what he says and I'm suddenly in a familliar place, "HALO? you want me to play HALO?"
from somewhere in the room, Colby says, "it's the most popular game since Doom. so obviously
Halo has to be the game. now I have to do a few diagnostics..." he trails off as I hear several
beeps, "the Virtual-Reality Converter is normal, The Fluxuation charts look normal, and the
Emergency Eject is in pristine condition." the last words makes me a little scared, "Emergency
Eject? what do you mean?" I hear a sigh, then, "in case I get hacked. now move around, I'll
be able to see what you do," I start to move around, exploring my surroundings. Everything was
so LIFELIKE! I could actually FEEL the walls, "This is so amazing!" I exclaimed, "how am I
able to feel this if it isn't actually there?" I look down, a weapon is lying at my feet. "all I did
was a simple equation, if you build a matter generator and a matter decompiler, you can create
obstacles exactly like what you see." Colby's words are lost on me, "English poindexter?" after
some low muttering, Colby says, "I use a raygun to make what ever is in the game, except for
living creatures, and when those things are out of range, they disappear. Happy?" I can tell that
he's irritated, "yes, now that I know how some of these things work, can you start a program
or something so that I won't be bored as..." my voice trails off as I notice something weird,
"what the...?" I take a tenative step forward, stopping only to pick up the weapon on the ground.
"that weapon doesn't actually fire any rounds, it's actually like a laser tag gun, built in sensors allow
things like blowing up cars or killing aliens or what have you to happen." I ignore what he says, "and
this wormhole type thingy is?" I hear a shocked gasp, "someone's hacking into my system!" I hear a
few buttons being pressed, "the Emergency Eject is malfunctioning! but I can control where you are!"
suddenly, I'm standing in a small town, "oh no! THIS game?" I know this game perfectly, because it's
a game I can never finish, I shiver as I hear the eerie moans. "you HAD to pick the one game that I
never beat?" I realize that I'm still holding the gun, "a pistol won't do me any good against zombies!"
Im standing in the town in the game of House of the Dead...
TODAY
Tristan* I stood up and climbed down the ladder, 'WHY WAS HE CRYING?' as soon as my feet touched the ground,
the sky let go of the rain it held. I rushed inside, mom was cooking supper, "Hi Tristan, you mind
if you tell Bill that dinner's almost done?" even though I didn't want to see his face, I wanted to
know why exactly he was crying. "sure." I start off to the door when mom says, "and tell him that his
freind Katrina called, she said something about a game." I left the kitchen and went up the stairs.
I knocked on his door, "yes?" I opened the door and said, "mom says that it's almost supper, and I
want to ask you something." Bill looked at me, "what?" I took a deep breath. "I saw you crying from
the treehouse out back, why were you?" Bill took a breath and said "you know that car accident?"
his tone was sad, "yes, why?" he looked like he was on the verge of tears. "I caused it. it was the
day of that party Me and Corey went to..."
TEN MONTHS AGO
Bill* I was shooting the 'gun' at the zombies, "holy crap, holy crap!" I exclaimed every time one go too close
"are you trying to kill me?!?" Colby's voice said, "No! but this hacker is trying to! I'm trying to shut
everything off!" I recognized where I was, "you better hurry!" I yelled as the Final Boss showed itself
'THE WEAK SPOT IS THE CHEST!' my mind screamed, I shot off a few rounds, 'DODGE HIS ATTACKS!' the Boss
attacked, I jumped out of the way, 'THAT WAS SOOOO FREAKING CLOSE!' I shot off a few rounds and the
Boss fell, every thing went black, like a T.V. being turned off, I took off the goggles and looked
at Colby. "I suggest you get a firewall," I said as Katrina led me out of the room. I don't know how long
I was in there, was it hours? or was it only a few minutes? I didn't think of it. I only thought of the
party, 'THIS PARTY WILL BE MY DEFINING MOMENT, THIS PARTY WILL MAKE EVERYONE SEE THAT I'M NOT WEAK' these
thoughts swirled in my head for a few minutes. I left Katrina's house and crossed the street to my own.
"well?" he looked at me expectantly. "yes, she's gonna watch Tristan." Corey slapped me a high five "way
to go man!" the party would start in two hours...
TODAY
I didn't know exactly why I was telling Tristan this part, "I remember that day! me and Katrina had a very
interesting discussion on our favorite books!" he stared off into space, probably remembering that day.
"that day may have been good for you, but it was a horrible experience for me." "Bill! Tristan! supper!"
shouted mom from the kitchen. "we'll continue this after supper." I said in an emotionlessvoice, we got
up and left my room...
Chapter 2
'Preparations'
Tristan* BILL'S STORY UNNERVED me, 'I KNEW COLBY MATHEWS WAS SMART AND ALL, BUT HE MADE A laboratory?' my thoughts made
the story sound like something out of a cartoon, it was all I could do to not mutter "Ooooh! what does this button
do?" I chuckled out loud, Bill looked at me, his eyes judging. As soon as we sat down at the table, my dad said,
"The digsite looks stable, there should be no accidents of anykind." mom sighed in releif, "Do you think
there'll be booby traps?" I said, "there were no traps of any kind, but there are strange Heiroglyphs engraved
on the walls, they looked like the ones on that ring I gave you." my dad bought a ring from a strange merchant in
a green robe while he was searching for ancient tombs in Cairo, after he got lost. "I'm still working on those,
there are too many possibilities!" I always wore the ring for luck, and so that when dad would be gone, that some
small part of him was with me. "you'll have plenty of chances to crack it when we get there..."
Bill* I barely spoke at dinner, I ate very little. my mind wandered back to the party, "what if I could do it over again?
what if it never happened?" I muttered to myself. a knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. "come in!"
Tristan walked in, I took a deep breath, "as I was saying earlier, I was waiting for hours for Corey to caom back
so I could drive us there..."
TEN MONTHS AGO
"Where is he?" I muttered to myself, "ready to go?" said a voice from behind me, "there you are, let's get to that
party!" me and Corey slapped high fives, "yup! let's go!" we piled in and I drove us to the party, when we got there,
we ran into the house. "wassup my main man?" said the person throwing the party. Henry you sly dog! how did you get
your parents to leave for this one?" Corey always asked these types of questions, "they left on their own, something
about a high school reunion." soon I started to show off my dance moves to everyone, I stopped as soon as the song
ended. thirsty, I went to the table full of snacks, I grabbed a cup of punch. as I took a drink, I noticed that
something was... off. the punch tasted, different. but I didn't mind, 'MUST BE A NEW TYPE.' I thought. the rest of
the party seemed to go by fast. then, I was standing next to my car, everything was blurry, and my balance was screwed
up. "who's gonna drive?" said Corey, "I-I will." I hicupped, it took me a while to get the car turned on, the next thing
I know is that a car was speeding toward us, we collided. the world went black. when I woke, my arm was in a cast, and
it felt like someone was hammering nails into my skull from the inside. "I don't care! I need to see my son!" came a
muffled voice, "Madam, he was in a car accident, and his Blood Alcohol Concentration is, was, very high..." I knew
the voice was my moms, "are you insinuating that my baby was DRUNK?! my son knows better then that!" she sounded pissed
"Madam, I know it wasn't his fault, his freind told about some sort of party, I assume there may have been some sort of
alcoholic beverage..." my mom interrupted him again, "my son doesn't drink! he knows the bad things that happen!" the
Doctor was trying to get a word in edgewise, "Then I guess there was pop or something that someone spiked." I could tell
that he didn't want to be yelled at anymore. "I need to know that he's alright!" I heard the doorknob rattle, "Madam,
you will have to wait. at this very moment, he most likely has a hangover, probably having the time of his life." he
chuckled, then I heard a sound that sounded like a slap, "Don't you DARE say that about my son!" I heard the doorknob
turn and the door was suddenly open. "Bill! are you all right? does anything hurt? what happened?" I hate it when mom
gets this way, when something bad happens, like a cut or a sprain, mom and dad over-react. "i'm fine, I just have a
REALLY bad headache. I knew the punch tasted weird." mom's face slipped out of view as I fell asleep...
TODAY
Tristan* "let's see, I'll need my journal, a few pencils..." my voice trailed off, I had realized that I was talking to myself.
I was packing a few 'essentials', as my dad calls it, to take with me to the digsite. I picked up the ring again, 'I WISH
I COULD UNDERSTAND THESE SYMBOLS...' I absent-mindedly put it on and sorted through my clothes. as soon as I picked out
my clothes, I laid down on my mattress, and sleep took over... I was standing in a huge cavern, Dad and Bill were talking
about something over by a table laden with pottery and gold. I stood in the sunlight that came through the huge hole in the
cavern roof. I was holding something in my hands, I looked down to see a piece of jewelry, a necklace with a huge pendant,
in my hands. but it reflected the light so well, that I couldn't see what it was. the light seemed to glow brighter and
brighter, until it engulfed me. then, I was standing in a town full of...
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!" I screamed as I shot up in bed. 'JUST A DREAM, JUST A DREAM...' I thought as I breathed heavily.
the dream was so vivid and REAL! I looked at my clock, it was 10:25. I got up and got dressed, as I left my room, I
noticed that the air felt, weird. I entered the kitchen and grabbed a bowl, I was about to pour the cereal in when Bill
shouted from behind me, "Don't touch that!" I jumped, dropping the box on the floor. cereal spilled all over the place.
"it expired two days ago, I learned that the hard way." I couldn't help but laugh at Bill, but I stopped short as his
reddish-brown eyes held me. "I suppose you want me to get the broom?" there was something about them, it felt like looking
deep pits. "yes, and hurry. mom's on her way from the store." I grabbed the broom from the kithchen pantry, and swept
everything up, I was putting the cereal in the trash when mom walked in. "is everything packed?" she asked, "Yes. I've
got my clothes and I put my journal in it." I knew I was forgetting something. "and your book?" she held my book out
towards me. "Oh yeah!" I grabbed it and said a quick "thanks!" and ran upstairs. as soon as I got to my room, I felt a
weird feeling, like I was being watched. for a split second, I thought I saw one of those creatures in my dream...
Bill* "C'mon Tristan, we haven't got all day!" I said as I rapped on his door. 'FOR THE LOVE OF...' I opened the door to see
Tristan searching his closet. "C'mon! Dad's waiting for us!" Tristan gave up his search for whatever it is he was looking
for. "You ready?" I asked. "Yeah, just give me a sec." Tristan looked at his room one more time, like he was never gonna
see it again. "C'mon!" Tristan followed me down the stairs, through the front door, and into Dad's car. "Got everything?"
"No, I need you to stop by the Michelson's house real quick..."
Chapter 3
'The Dig'
THE DRIVE TO THE DIGSITE was long and boring. Tristan didn't complain, he had his book. 'MAYBE I SHOULD
READ A BOOK, THAT WAY I WOULDN'T BE SO BORED.' I thought about it for a minute. 'NAH, I'LL STICK
TO BOREDOM.' I snorted and hokked a loogie out the window. it hit the car behind us. I started laughing. "Huh?
did I miss something?" the expression on his face started me off again. when I finally calmed down, Dad started
scolding me, I barely paid attention. Soon enough, I was asleep. When I woke up, we were at the Digsite. the
only thing I saw was a huge, gaping hole with an elevator platform. "Where's the Digsite?" I asked. I inched
forward, and stared into the hole. "Holy cr..." the ground dropped out from under me. I started to fall, but
something stopped me. "Not on my watch!" muttered Dad. I was pulled up. I cursed under my breath, and
for once, Dad didn't get after me for it. "The Site's down there." He said, motioning to the Hole. I stood up
and followed him to the Platform. "Don't worry about this thing, I've used it many, many times." He shook
one of the railings. "I'd trust it with my life." I gave a snort of laughter. "This rickety old thing?" The
railings were covered in rust, it groaned under our weight. "Did you get this in the Eighties? Nineties?" Dad just
ignored me, and started it up. it made a horrible screeching noise. We all covered our ears. "Needs a little
oil." Dad muttered. We were halfway down when Tristan said, "I don't feel so good." He clutched his
stomach and backed into a rail. the next few seconds happened in slow motion, Tristan fell over the rail,
Dad screamed, "Tristan!" and I grabbed the rail and jumped over, I grabbed onto His shirt and pulled up.
"I've got him!" I tried to not look at the ground, but I did anyways. We were several feet above the ground.
I pulled myself over the rail, and Dad helped with Tristan. "He's out cold." The words barely registered in
my brain, I was feeling a little queasy too. but I wasn't worried about that, 'HOW'D I DO THAT?' I thought
as the platform lowered us closer to the ground, 'HOW DID I DO THAT...?'
Tristan* I was having the dream again. The Cavern, The Object, The Creatures... I woke up in a cold sweat. I was in
a hammock in a tent. "You awake?" asked a Voice, I looked over to see Bill. "Yes, what happened?" "You
fainted, you fell over the edge and I caught you before you plummeted into the ground. and by the way,
we're even for the money." we both laughed at that. "Dad's yelling at the lead Technician, It's kind of funny."
he laughed as Dad's angry voice came from outside of the Tent. "And another thing, you need to make sure
the Generators are in tiptop condition by tonight!" Dad walked in with a scared-looking man. "Tristan, are
you okay? did you get hurt? did..." I held my hand up and said, with a laugh, "I'm fine, Dad. I just felt a little
sick, probably some vertigo from being so high off the ground. lucky that Bill was there." I looked at the man
"and maybe you can lay off the poor guy, it's not his fault." I stood up and walked out of the tent. I gasped
as I saw the giantic cavern. 'JUST LIKE MY DREAM...' I thought. It was nearly nine-o'-clock when we left, I
guessed it was about lunchtime, because the sun was coming into view from the hole in the cavern ceiling
"Tristan," I turned around to see Bill smiling at me. "I found this in a Building-like place, I think you'll
enjoy deciphering it." He held out a book, it was bound in brown leather, the pages had a slight yellowish
tint to them, the cover was a little dusty, but you could clearly see the strange letters. "Thanks!" I said.
I was about to go back into the tent, when Bill stopped me. "And I got this for you." He held out a bag, the
kind that goes over your shoulder. "I don't know what to say!" "let's just say, I still kinda owe you, I still
feel a little guilty about what happened to Corey, that money could help him get better." tears glistened in
his eyes as he said this. "Dang it! all this dust..." he wiped his eyes. "we're even now. and don't dig yourself
a hole you can't get out of, okay?" Bill laughed, and said, "okay." I opened my bag to put the book in, and I saw
my Journal, my favorite book, and a candy bar. I put the book next to my Journal and closed the bag. I picked up
a shovel and walked over towards a place that looked undisturbed. I tripped over something and held the shovel out
so I wouldn't hurt myself. CLANG! 'WHAT WAS THAT?" I thought as I lifted the dirt and uncovered something. "Hey Dad!
I found something!" I looked over to the tent Dad was in and saw him running towards me. "What is it?" I picked up
the object. "looks like a necklace. the pendant on it looks roughly the size of half the circumference of a baseball."
I stared at him blankly. "what do those teachers teach you at that school?" he made some notes in a little notebook.
"Put it on the table over there..." he was interrupted by a man, "There's a problem, Mr. Daniels. The generator's
gone out." Dad looked around the Site. "where is that Technician!" he muttered to himself. I noticed the man
standing next to a table full of Artifacts talking to Bill. "I thought I told you to get the Generator online?"
I started walking towards the table he mentioned earlier. but something caught my eye. the naclace seemed to
be glowing. The pendant was gold, a green jewel that was remarkably like a cat's eye was set into it, letters
like the one on the book circled around it. "Why don't you take Tristan's advice and lay off him? it was funny
at first, but now it's getting annoying!" Bill and Dad were arguing. 'DEJA VU' I thought. I looked back at the
necklace, it seemed to be glowing even brighter, A strong wind blew past me. then the light engulfed me, "Tristan!"
Bill's voice was the last thing I heard before I vanished. I was now standing in the middle of a Town. A scream
caught in my throat. there were the Creatures in my dream, talking to regular people like me in a weird language
I screamed. One of the Creatures walked up to me and grabbed me by my shoulders. it said something that I didn't
understand, "Get off of me! Get away from me! Get away from me whatever you are!" The Creature looked confused.
The world started to spin from under me as I fainted...
Bill* "Tristan!" I rushed over to where Tristan was standing just a few seconds ago. 'HE'S GONE! JUST GONE!' I dropped
to my knees, I barely heard what Dad was saying to me. the only thing that existed was me, and the reality that
Tristan was gone. "He's gone into shock." said a muffled and distant Voice. "Bill! Bill! Snap out of
it!" "he's gone." was all I could manage to say, "Bill, I need you to stay strong with me, just sitting there
isn't going to help anyone." 'HE'S RIGHT.' I thought, as I stood up. 'I HAVE TO REMAIN STRONG. FOR TRISTAN!'
"I'm okay," I said. I looked at Dad, "I'm going to get him back, Dad. Whatever it takes, I'm going to get
him back." Dad just nodded, he thought I was just saying that, but I was going to find Tristan. no matter
the cost. I walked over to the table. I leaned against it to steady myself against the flow of tears. "He's
safe, your brother is safe." a Voice whispered. I whirled around to see that no one was near me. but I had
a feeling that the Voice was right. 'I'M COMING, TRISTAN. NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY, I STILL OWE YOU' I thought
this as I started helping Dad out again...
Tristan* I woke up in a bed. I sat up and thought, 'WHAT A WEIRD DREAM.' my room was dark, really dark. 'WHAT TIME
IS IT?' I asked myself as I looked for the alarm clock. it wasn't there. Instead, a bag and a necklace laid
on a table. 'THIS ISN'T MY ROOM.' I thought. that's when reality hit. "Finally awake?" said a Voice. I
fumbled for my bag. 'IF I CAN JUST GET THE BOOKLIGHT...' I opened it and reached inside. "Can you understand
me, Human?" I stopped, My heart raced as I asked, "W-who are you?" I looked around the room, I saw a dark
figure sitting down on something, its eyes glowed orange in the dark. "Ahh... the Human speaks! tell me,
why were you fighting me in the Town Center?" my hand closed around the booklight, I remembered the
creature, "I've never seen a... whatever you are before. I guess I freaked." The figure shifted itself
into a better position. "Tell me this, are you from Darius? your accent is strange." Darius? I never
even heard of a place like that. "No, I have no idea what Darius is, I live in Des Moines." I flicked the
switch on the light. "Ouch! what magic is this?" A Creature was sitting in a chair, it had fire-red scales,
wings, a tail, and looked like a Dragon. it was wearing something that looked like a shirt, something that
looked like pants, and wore a sword at his side. it was covering its eyes against the light. "What are you?"
I asked, diverting the beam away from it. "You don't know? tell me you haven't heard of Draconians?" its
green cat-like eyes focused on me. "Is that what you are? makes sense now that I can see you clearly, but
I thought Dragons didn't exist!" the Draconian, at least that's what I think it's called, laughed.
"Draconians are far away from Dragons in terms with appearance. tell me, where did you find the Amulet of
Draconia?" "What? this thing? I found it at an archaeological digsite that my dad took me to with my older
brother." the Draconian looked confused. "what does 'archaeological' mean?" "I'm not really sure, but my
Dad goes around the world digging old stuff up to learn about the past." The Draconian stared at me intenly,
then asked, "What is your name, Human?" "Tristan Daniels. what's yours?" "Artemis. we must go." "Why?" Artemis
got up and said. "To take you to the Elders." He said this as if it were the most widley known thing in the world.
He led me through the house, and took me outside. it was bright and sunny, the air was warm and full of Draconians
and Humans alike. "where exactly are we?" Artemis stared at me in surprise. "why, Florensia of course!"he completley
misunderstood me. "No, where exaclty are we, not town, not continent. where are we?" comprehension dawned on
him when I explained what I meant. "This world is called Draconia, if you don't know this, then what world
do you come from?" the best answer I could come up with was, "Earth." A thought occured to me as we continued
on our way to the Elders, a line from the very first book I've ever read. 'WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE.' I had
to stifle the giggle before I burst. "Here we are, the Elder's Hall."
what do you think?
The Amulet: The Beginning.
Prologue
Dear Diary, Nov/26/08
I'm only writing in you because my teacher, Mr. Hendricks, wants us students
to write for a grade, and this is a Never-get-your-grades-back-up-if-you-fail
grade, so I have to write. Mr. Hendricks wants to get to know us better, 8th
grade is really gonna suck! he HINTED that we were gonna write a story after
a month of writing, "Be as specific as you can." he says. okay, I'll give him
specific! I'm a tall,brown-haired Fourteen-year-old with blue eyes and average
muscle tone, specific enough? today was as bad as ever. I got bullied on, nearly
humiliated, and my bus driver, who seems to hate me inexplicably, decided to pass
me by, as usual, at the bus stop! this day couldn't possibly get any worse! my dad
told me that he's gonna take me to an archaeological digsite to help him. Before he
met Mom, he was studying to be an archaeologist, he met Mom in college, soon they
started to travel the world for archaelogist things. They soon settled down and
had my older brother, Bill, then Me. years later, Dad quit the job he was currently
working at, he said it was killing his spirit. then, he started being an archaeologist
again. the times that he is here, is when he's not working. I've noticed that I've been
feeling very... STRANGE, like something bad is gonna happen,
-Tristan Daniels...
Chapter 1
'Welcome to Des Moines, Iowa'
AS SOON AS I finished writing in my diary, I picked up my favorite book. The title
read 'LONG SHADOWS', my brother gave it to me for my birthday last July, even though
my birthday was three months before that. I started reading these books since I was ten,
I'm one of the few kids in school who read books for fun. "Hey Tristan!" a Voice said, I
looked up from my book to see my brother, Bill, standing by the door. Bill is the 'BAD
BOY' of the family, He's a muscular Seventeen-year-old with reddish-brown eyes and
dark-brown hair. "What's the Combo to your safe?" Dad bought me a safe to hold stuff
that I wanted to be kept safe, I mostly keep money in there, almost a hundred dollars!
Bill grabbed the book out of my hands and said, "Well?" I sighed, 'NO WAY I COULD TAKE
HIM ON...' I thought, "twenty-four-thirtyfour." I said as I grabbed the book out of his
hand, "what do you need my money for?" Bill looked back at me with a pained expression
on his face, "I need it for something, that's all I'll tell you..." he trailed off as he
left the room. I heard the safe door creak open as he grabbed the money and closed it.
I saw him pass my door as he went to his room, then he started playing his CD's, 'UGH!
IM SICK AND TIRED OF IM LISTENING TO AKON OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON FULL BLAST!' I often
caught myself humming the song to myself. I decided to go outside, 'THIS IS AS GOOD OF
WEATHER WE'RE GONNA GET THIS MONTH.' I thought as I stepped outside, the sky was overcast,
making it look gray and dismal. I could hear Bill's music blaring on, making the many dogs
in the neighborhood bark loudly, 'AS IF WE NEEDED more NOISE!' I looked at the treehouse,
Dad said it was there when he and Mom moved in. I climbed up the ladder and looked at the
house 'I CAN'T BELIEVE DAD GOT ONE OF THE FEW TWO-STORY HOUSES HERE!' one thing caught
my eye, 'IS THAT BILL? CRYING?!?' I saw Bill hunched over, his shoulders shaking up and
down, I've never seen him cry since his freind had that car accident, 'HE ACTED LIKE HE
CAUSED IT...' I looked away, trying to forget what I saw. I picked my book up and started
to read, but my mind wouldn't focus on the words, 'what is he crying about...?'
Bill* I'M SO SORRY, COREY...' I never did forgive myself for what I did, 'I PUT YOU IN THE
HOSPITAL, I CAN HELP YOU GET OUT.' I remember telling Tristan that he got in a car accident
that is only half true, 'I SHOULD'VE NEVER WENT TO THAT PARTY!' I said to myself, another
voice said, 'THE PUNCH WAS SPIKED, YOU COULDN'T HAVE CONTROLLED THAT!' said another voice,
'I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS DRIVING, HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO stupid!' I remembered that party
like it was yesterday...
TEN MONTHS AGO
"C'mon, Bill! this party is gonna kick some serious ass!" my freind, Corey said, "I don't know,"
I said, uncertainty in my voice. "what if someone does something stupid? like spike the punchbowl
or get into a fight? I don't want to be arrested or beat up!" Corey laughed, "Nothing bad'll happen,
all we're gonna do is dance and do stupid stuff." I looked at my little brother, "who's gonna watch my
little bro?" "ask Katrina, we all know that you have a major crush on her!" it was true, Katrina Mathews
was the best-looking girl in school, she was skinny, tan, and her hair looked like it was spun gold.
every time I tried to talk to her, my toungue would twist and twist until I couldn't talk, "I- I guess..."
"Then go! she's sitting on her front porch!" I gathered all of my strength and courage, and walked
across the street up to her house. when I was standing on the Porch, she said "Hello, could you not
stand in my light, I'm trying to read." I looked at the book she was reading, 'SHE'S READING THOSE
CAT BOOKS,' I though, recognizing the title of Tristan's favorite books 'THIS'LL PRETTY MUCH
ENSURE THAT SHE'LL WATCH TRISTAN.' I took a deep breath, her perfume smelled like lilacs
"K- katrina, I- I was wondering i- if you would, you know, babysit my little brother for me." she
looked up in surprise, "Who, Tristan?" my heart raced, her blue eyes reflected the pureness of
the sky, 'BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT.' I reminded myself, "I- I have to do something that
requires me to not be at home, and im sure he'll behave. she looked like she started to think
about it, then said, "Alright, but you will have to do me a favor in return," "I'll do anything!"
I said, not even considering what she wanted me to do. "I want you to help my brother with
a little project that he's working on." I looked at her in surprise, Katrina's brother was younger
then me, but he is in my class. his name is Colby, he's pretty much a boy-genius, that's why he's
in my grade. "Okay, I'll help Genius Boy," I started to walk back to my house, "Bill! I meant right
now!" I sighed, "and don't call him 'genius boy', he finds it offensive." I followed her inside, not
knowing that it was going to be one of the strangest experiences in my life...
TODAY
I stood up and wiped my eyes, 'SUCK IT UP, YOU CAN DO IT.' I looked at the wad of cash in
my hands, 'I KNOW HE'LL MAKE IT, I JUST KNOW IT!' I turned the music off and left my room.
'TRISTAN IS PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT HOW MUCH OF AN donkey I AM.' I walked into the kitchen,
"hey mom!" I exclaimed, "back from the store?" my mom is a fourty-year old with auburn hair and
blue eyes. "hi Bill, yes I'm back from the store," mom turned her head towards me, "Bill, have
you been crying?" I saw concern written all over her face, "No, just kinda tired, stayed up
too late last night." mom TSKED, "you need your sleep, tomorrow Julius will take you to an
archaeological digsite," Julius is my dad's name, he isn't usually around, so he's gonna take
me and Tristan to a digsite. "it's a huge hole in the ground, at least fourty below sea level,
the oil company set up a drill, and the drill fell through, luckily no one got hurt!" mom started
putting groceries away as I snuck a box of pop-tarts out of the bag, "that stays in here, young
man!" my mom has eyes on the back of her head, I left the kitchen and went to my room again...
TEN MONTHS AGO
I can't believe it! im actually IN Katrina's house! I followed her up her stairs, "this is my
brother's room, hold on a sec." she walks over to her computer, she types in a word and the
wall behind me opens up! 'INTERESTING...' I think as I tenatively enter. "Katrina! what did
I tell you about letting people into my secret laboratory?!?" I see Colby walking up to us,
"he agreed to helping you with your... PROJECT." I shuddered at the way she stressed the word
'WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?' "oh. well, come in, come in!" he leads us into a fairly large
room, it is full of weird mechanical devices. "it's your choice, do you want to try out my Robot
controller? or do you want to try my Virtual Reality device?" I look at the dangerous-looking
robot, then I look at the small platform with a pair of goggles hooked into it, "the Virtual
thing." he presses a button and a platform lowers, "stand on the platform, then put the goggles
on." I do what he says and I'm suddenly in a familliar place, "HALO? you want me to play HALO?"
from somewhere in the room, Colby says, "it's the most popular game since Doom. so obviously
Halo has to be the game. now I have to do a few diagnostics..." he trails off as I hear several
beeps, "the Virtual-Reality Converter is normal, The Fluxuation charts look normal, and the
Emergency Eject is in pristine condition." the last words makes me a little scared, "Emergency
Eject? what do you mean?" I hear a sigh, then, "in case I get hacked. now move around, I'll
be able to see what you do," I start to move around, exploring my surroundings. Everything was
so LIFELIKE! I could actually FEEL the walls, "This is so amazing!" I exclaimed, "how am I
able to feel this if it isn't actually there?" I look down, a weapon is lying at my feet. "all I did
was a simple equation, if you build a matter generator and a matter decompiler, you can create
obstacles exactly like what you see." Colby's words are lost on me, "English poindexter?" after
some low muttering, Colby says, "I use a raygun to make what ever is in the game, except for
living creatures, and when those things are out of range, they disappear. Happy?" I can tell that
he's irritated, "yes, now that I know how some of these things work, can you start a program
or something so that I won't be bored as..." my voice trails off as I notice something weird,
"what the...?" I take a tenative step forward, stopping only to pick up the weapon on the ground.
"that weapon doesn't actually fire any rounds, it's actually like a laser tag gun, built in sensors allow
things like blowing up cars or killing aliens or what have you to happen." I ignore what he says, "and
this wormhole type thingy is?" I hear a shocked gasp, "someone's hacking into my system!" I hear a
few buttons being pressed, "the Emergency Eject is malfunctioning! but I can control where you are!"
suddenly, I'm standing in a small town, "oh no! THIS game?" I know this game perfectly, because it's
a game I can never finish, I shiver as I hear the eerie moans. "you HAD to pick the one game that I
never beat?" I realize that I'm still holding the gun, "a pistol won't do me any good against zombies!"
Im standing in the town in the game of House of the Dead...
TODAY
Tristan* I stood up and climbed down the ladder, 'WHY WAS HE CRYING?' as soon as my feet touched the ground,
the sky let go of the rain it held. I rushed inside, mom was cooking supper, "Hi Tristan, you mind
if you tell Bill that dinner's almost done?" even though I didn't want to see his face, I wanted to
know why exactly he was crying. "sure." I start off to the door when mom says, "and tell him that his
freind Katrina called, she said something about a game." I left the kitchen and went up the stairs.
I knocked on his door, "yes?" I opened the door and said, "mom says that it's almost supper, and I
want to ask you something." Bill looked at me, "what?" I took a deep breath. "I saw you crying from
the treehouse out back, why were you?" Bill took a breath and said "you know that car accident?"
his tone was sad, "yes, why?" he looked like he was on the verge of tears. "I caused it. it was the
day of that party Me and Corey went to..."
TEN MONTHS AGO
Bill* I was shooting the 'gun' at the zombies, "holy crap, holy crap!" I exclaimed every time one go too close
"are you trying to kill me?!?" Colby's voice said, "No! but this hacker is trying to! I'm trying to shut
everything off!" I recognized where I was, "you better hurry!" I yelled as the Final Boss showed itself
'THE WEAK SPOT IS THE CHEST!' my mind screamed, I shot off a few rounds, 'DODGE HIS ATTACKS!' the Boss
attacked, I jumped out of the way, 'THAT WAS SOOOO FREAKING CLOSE!' I shot off a few rounds and the
Boss fell, every thing went black, like a T.V. being turned off, I took off the goggles and looked
at Colby. "I suggest you get a firewall," I said as Katrina led me out of the room. I don't know how long
I was in there, was it hours? or was it only a few minutes? I didn't think of it. I only thought of the
party, 'THIS PARTY WILL BE MY DEFINING MOMENT, THIS PARTY WILL MAKE EVERYONE SEE THAT I'M NOT WEAK' these
thoughts swirled in my head for a few minutes. I left Katrina's house and crossed the street to my own.
"well?" he looked at me expectantly. "yes, she's gonna watch Tristan." Corey slapped me a high five "way
to go man!" the party would start in two hours...
TODAY
I didn't know exactly why I was telling Tristan this part, "I remember that day! me and Katrina had a very
interesting discussion on our favorite books!" he stared off into space, probably remembering that day.
"that day may have been good for you, but it was a horrible experience for me." "Bill! Tristan! supper!"
shouted mom from the kitchen. "we'll continue this after supper." I said in an emotionlessvoice, we got
up and left my room...
Chapter 2
'Preparations'
Tristan* BILL'S STORY UNNERVED me, 'I KNEW COLBY MATHEWS WAS SMART AND ALL, BUT HE MADE A laboratory?' my thoughts made
the story sound like something out of a cartoon, it was all I could do to not mutter "Ooooh! what does this button
do?" I chuckled out loud, Bill looked at me, his eyes judging. As soon as we sat down at the table, my dad said,
"The digsite looks stable, there should be no accidents of anykind." mom sighed in releif, "Do you think
there'll be booby traps?" I said, "there were no traps of any kind, but there are strange Heiroglyphs engraved
on the walls, they looked like the ones on that ring I gave you." my dad bought a ring from a strange merchant in
a green robe while he was searching for ancient tombs in Cairo, after he got lost. "I'm still working on those,
there are too many possibilities!" I always wore the ring for luck, and so that when dad would be gone, that some
small part of him was with me. "you'll have plenty of chances to crack it when we get there..."
Bill* I barely spoke at dinner, I ate very little. my mind wandered back to the party, "what if I could do it over again?
what if it never happened?" I muttered to myself. a knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. "come in!"
Tristan walked in, I took a deep breath, "as I was saying earlier, I was waiting for hours for Corey to caom back
so I could drive us there..."
TEN MONTHS AGO
"Where is he?" I muttered to myself, "ready to go?" said a voice from behind me, "there you are, let's get to that
party!" me and Corey slapped high fives, "yup! let's go!" we piled in and I drove us to the party, when we got there,
we ran into the house. "wassup my main man?" said the person throwing the party. Henry you sly dog! how did you get
your parents to leave for this one?" Corey always asked these types of questions, "they left on their own, something
about a high school reunion." soon I started to show off my dance moves to everyone, I stopped as soon as the song
ended. thirsty, I went to the table full of snacks, I grabbed a cup of punch. as I took a drink, I noticed that
something was... off. the punch tasted, different. but I didn't mind, 'MUST BE A NEW TYPE.' I thought. the rest of
the party seemed to go by fast. then, I was standing next to my car, everything was blurry, and my balance was screwed
up. "who's gonna drive?" said Corey, "I-I will." I hicupped, it took me a while to get the car turned on, the next thing
I know is that a car was speeding toward us, we collided. the world went black. when I woke, my arm was in a cast, and
it felt like someone was hammering nails into my skull from the inside. "I don't care! I need to see my son!" came a
muffled voice, "Madam, he was in a car accident, and his Blood Alcohol Concentration is, was, very high..." I knew
the voice was my moms, "are you insinuating that my baby was DRUNK?! my son knows better then that!" she sounded pissed
"Madam, I know it wasn't his fault, his freind told about some sort of party, I assume there may have been some sort of
alcoholic beverage..." my mom interrupted him again, "my son doesn't drink! he knows the bad things that happen!" the
Doctor was trying to get a word in edgewise, "Then I guess there was pop or something that someone spiked." I could tell
that he didn't want to be yelled at anymore. "I need to know that he's alright!" I heard the doorknob rattle, "Madam,
you will have to wait. at this very moment, he most likely has a hangover, probably having the time of his life." he
chuckled, then I heard a sound that sounded like a slap, "Don't you DARE say that about my son!" I heard the doorknob
turn and the door was suddenly open. "Bill! are you all right? does anything hurt? what happened?" I hate it when mom
gets this way, when something bad happens, like a cut or a sprain, mom and dad over-react. "i'm fine, I just have a
REALLY bad headache. I knew the punch tasted weird." mom's face slipped out of view as I fell asleep...
TODAY
Tristan* "let's see, I'll need my journal, a few pencils..." my voice trailed off, I had realized that I was talking to myself.
I was packing a few 'essentials', as my dad calls it, to take with me to the digsite. I picked up the ring again, 'I WISH
I COULD UNDERSTAND THESE SYMBOLS...' I absent-mindedly put it on and sorted through my clothes. as soon as I picked out
my clothes, I laid down on my mattress, and sleep took over... I was standing in a huge cavern, Dad and Bill were talking
about something over by a table laden with pottery and gold. I stood in the sunlight that came through the huge hole in the
cavern roof. I was holding something in my hands, I looked down to see a piece of jewelry, a necklace with a huge pendant,
in my hands. but it reflected the light so well, that I couldn't see what it was. the light seemed to glow brighter and
brighter, until it engulfed me. then, I was standing in a town full of...
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!" I screamed as I shot up in bed. 'JUST A DREAM, JUST A DREAM...' I thought as I breathed heavily.
the dream was so vivid and REAL! I looked at my clock, it was 10:25. I got up and got dressed, as I left my room, I
noticed that the air felt, weird. I entered the kitchen and grabbed a bowl, I was about to pour the cereal in when Bill
shouted from behind me, "Don't touch that!" I jumped, dropping the box on the floor. cereal spilled all over the place.
"it expired two days ago, I learned that the hard way." I couldn't help but laugh at Bill, but I stopped short as his
reddish-brown eyes held me. "I suppose you want me to get the broom?" there was something about them, it felt like looking
deep pits. "yes, and hurry. mom's on her way from the store." I grabbed the broom from the kithchen pantry, and swept
everything up, I was putting the cereal in the trash when mom walked in. "is everything packed?" she asked, "Yes. I've
got my clothes and I put my journal in it." I knew I was forgetting something. "and your book?" she held my book out
towards me. "Oh yeah!" I grabbed it and said a quick "thanks!" and ran upstairs. as soon as I got to my room, I felt a
weird feeling, like I was being watched. for a split second, I thought I saw one of those creatures in my dream...
Bill* "C'mon Tristan, we haven't got all day!" I said as I rapped on his door. 'FOR THE LOVE OF...' I opened the door to see
Tristan searching his closet. "C'mon! Dad's waiting for us!" Tristan gave up his search for whatever it is he was looking
for. "You ready?" I asked. "Yeah, just give me a sec." Tristan looked at his room one more time, like he was never gonna
see it again. "C'mon!" Tristan followed me down the stairs, through the front door, and into Dad's car. "Got everything?"
"No, I need you to stop by the Michelson's house real quick..."
Chapter 3
'The Dig'
THE DRIVE TO THE DIGSITE was long and boring. Tristan didn't complain, he had his book. 'MAYBE I SHOULD
READ A BOOK, THAT WAY I WOULDN'T BE SO BORED.' I thought about it for a minute. 'NAH, I'LL STICK
TO BOREDOM.' I snorted and hokked a loogie out the window. it hit the car behind us. I started laughing. "Huh?
did I miss something?" the expression on his face started me off again. when I finally calmed down, Dad started
scolding me, I barely paid attention. Soon enough, I was asleep. When I woke up, we were at the Digsite. the
only thing I saw was a huge, gaping hole with an elevator platform. "Where's the Digsite?" I asked. I inched
forward, and stared into the hole. "Holy cr..." the ground dropped out from under me. I started to fall, but
something stopped me. "Not on my watch!" muttered Dad. I was pulled up. I cursed under my breath, and
for once, Dad didn't get after me for it. "The Site's down there." He said, motioning to the Hole. I stood up
and followed him to the Platform. "Don't worry about this thing, I've used it many, many times." He shook
one of the railings. "I'd trust it with my life." I gave a snort of laughter. "This rickety old thing?" The
railings were covered in rust, it groaned under our weight. "Did you get this in the Eighties? Nineties?" Dad just
ignored me, and started it up. it made a horrible screeching noise. We all covered our ears. "Needs a little
oil." Dad muttered. We were halfway down when Tristan said, "I don't feel so good." He clutched his
stomach and backed into a rail. the next few seconds happened in slow motion, Tristan fell over the rail,
Dad screamed, "Tristan!" and I grabbed the rail and jumped over, I grabbed onto His shirt and pulled up.
"I've got him!" I tried to not look at the ground, but I did anyways. We were several feet above the ground.
I pulled myself over the rail, and Dad helped with Tristan. "He's out cold." The words barely registered in
my brain, I was feeling a little queasy too. but I wasn't worried about that, 'HOW'D I DO THAT?' I thought
as the platform lowered us closer to the ground, 'HOW DID I DO THAT...?'
Tristan* I was having the dream again. The Cavern, The Object, The Creatures... I woke up in a cold sweat. I was in
a hammock in a tent. "You awake?" asked a Voice, I looked over to see Bill. "Yes, what happened?" "You
fainted, you fell over the edge and I caught you before you plummeted into the ground. and by the way,
we're even for the money." we both laughed at that. "Dad's yelling at the lead Technician, It's kind of funny."
he laughed as Dad's angry voice came from outside of the Tent. "And another thing, you need to make sure
the Generators are in tiptop condition by tonight!" Dad walked in with a scared-looking man. "Tristan, are
you okay? did you get hurt? did..." I held my hand up and said, with a laugh, "I'm fine, Dad. I just felt a little
sick, probably some vertigo from being so high off the ground. lucky that Bill was there." I looked at the man
"and maybe you can lay off the poor guy, it's not his fault." I stood up and walked out of the tent. I gasped
as I saw the giantic cavern. 'JUST LIKE MY DREAM...' I thought. It was nearly nine-o'-clock when we left, I
guessed it was about lunchtime, because the sun was coming into view from the hole in the cavern ceiling
"Tristan," I turned around to see Bill smiling at me. "I found this in a Building-like place, I think you'll
enjoy deciphering it." He held out a book, it was bound in brown leather, the pages had a slight yellowish
tint to them, the cover was a little dusty, but you could clearly see the strange letters. "Thanks!" I said.
I was about to go back into the tent, when Bill stopped me. "And I got this for you." He held out a bag, the
kind that goes over your shoulder. "I don't know what to say!" "let's just say, I still kinda owe you, I still
feel a little guilty about what happened to Corey, that money could help him get better." tears glistened in
his eyes as he said this. "Dang it! all this dust..." he wiped his eyes. "we're even now. and don't dig yourself
a hole you can't get out of, okay?" Bill laughed, and said, "okay." I opened my bag to put the book in, and I saw
my Journal, my favorite book, and a candy bar. I put the book next to my Journal and closed the bag. I picked up
a shovel and walked over towards a place that looked undisturbed. I tripped over something and held the shovel out
so I wouldn't hurt myself. CLANG! 'WHAT WAS THAT?" I thought as I lifted the dirt and uncovered something. "Hey Dad!
I found something!" I looked over to the tent Dad was in and saw him running towards me. "What is it?" I picked up
the object. "looks like a necklace. the pendant on it looks roughly the size of half the circumference of a baseball."
I stared at him blankly. "what do those teachers teach you at that school?" he made some notes in a little notebook.
"Put it on the table over there..." he was interrupted by a man, "There's a problem, Mr. Daniels. The generator's
gone out." Dad looked around the Site. "where is that Technician!" he muttered to himself. I noticed the man
standing next to a table full of Artifacts talking to Bill. "I thought I told you to get the Generator online?"
I started walking towards the table he mentioned earlier. but something caught my eye. the naclace seemed to
be glowing. The pendant was gold, a green jewel that was remarkably like a cat's eye was set into it, letters
like the one on the book circled around it. "Why don't you take Tristan's advice and lay off him? it was funny
at first, but now it's getting annoying!" Bill and Dad were arguing. 'DEJA VU' I thought. I looked back at the
necklace, it seemed to be glowing even brighter, A strong wind blew past me. then the light engulfed me, "Tristan!"
Bill's voice was the last thing I heard before I vanished. I was now standing in the middle of a Town. A scream
caught in my throat. there were the Creatures in my dream, talking to regular people like me in a weird language
I screamed. One of the Creatures walked up to me and grabbed me by my shoulders. it said something that I didn't
understand, "Get off of me! Get away from me! Get away from me whatever you are!" The Creature looked confused.
The world started to spin from under me as I fainted...
Bill* "Tristan!" I rushed over to where Tristan was standing just a few seconds ago. 'HE'S GONE! JUST GONE!' I dropped
to my knees, I barely heard what Dad was saying to me. the only thing that existed was me, and the reality that
Tristan was gone. "He's gone into shock." said a muffled and distant Voice. "Bill! Bill! Snap out of
it!" "he's gone." was all I could manage to say, "Bill, I need you to stay strong with me, just sitting there
isn't going to help anyone." 'HE'S RIGHT.' I thought, as I stood up. 'I HAVE TO REMAIN STRONG. FOR TRISTAN!'
"I'm okay," I said. I looked at Dad, "I'm going to get him back, Dad. Whatever it takes, I'm going to get
him back." Dad just nodded, he thought I was just saying that, but I was going to find Tristan. no matter
the cost. I walked over to the table. I leaned against it to steady myself against the flow of tears. "He's
safe, your brother is safe." a Voice whispered. I whirled around to see that no one was near me. but I had
a feeling that the Voice was right. 'I'M COMING, TRISTAN. NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY, I STILL OWE YOU' I thought
this as I started helping Dad out again...
Tristan* I woke up in a bed. I sat up and thought, 'WHAT A WEIRD DREAM.' my room was dark, really dark. 'WHAT TIME
IS IT?' I asked myself as I looked for the alarm clock. it wasn't there. Instead, a bag and a necklace laid
on a table. 'THIS ISN'T MY ROOM.' I thought. that's when reality hit. "Finally awake?" said a Voice. I
fumbled for my bag. 'IF I CAN JUST GET THE BOOKLIGHT...' I opened it and reached inside. "Can you understand
me, Human?" I stopped, My heart raced as I asked, "W-who are you?" I looked around the room, I saw a dark
figure sitting down on something, its eyes glowed orange in the dark. "Ahh... the Human speaks! tell me,
why were you fighting me in the Town Center?" my hand closed around the booklight, I remembered the
creature, "I've never seen a... whatever you are before. I guess I freaked." The figure shifted itself
into a better position. "Tell me this, are you from Darius? your accent is strange." Darius? I never
even heard of a place like that. "No, I have no idea what Darius is, I live in Des Moines." I flicked the
switch on the light. "Ouch! what magic is this?" A Creature was sitting in a chair, it had fire-red scales,
wings, a tail, and looked like a Dragon. it was wearing something that looked like a shirt, something that
looked like pants, and wore a sword at his side. it was covering its eyes against the light. "What are you?"
I asked, diverting the beam away from it. "You don't know? tell me you haven't heard of Draconians?" its
green cat-like eyes focused on me. "Is that what you are? makes sense now that I can see you clearly, but
I thought Dragons didn't exist!" the Draconian, at least that's what I think it's called, laughed.
"Draconians are far away from Dragons in terms with appearance. tell me, where did you find the Amulet of
Draconia?" "What? this thing? I found it at an archaeological digsite that my dad took me to with my older
brother." the Draconian looked confused. "what does 'archaeological' mean?" "I'm not really sure, but my
Dad goes around the world digging old stuff up to learn about the past." The Draconian stared at me intenly,
then asked, "What is your name, Human?" "Tristan Daniels. what's yours?" "Artemis. we must go." "Why?" Artemis
got up and said. "To take you to the Elders." He said this as if it were the most widley known thing in the world.
He led me through the house, and took me outside. it was bright and sunny, the air was warm and full of Draconians
and Humans alike. "where exactly are we?" Artemis stared at me in surprise. "why, Florensia of course!"he completley
misunderstood me. "No, where exaclty are we, not town, not continent. where are we?" comprehension dawned on
him when I explained what I meant. "This world is called Draconia, if you don't know this, then what world
do you come from?" the best answer I could come up with was, "Earth." A thought occured to me as we continued
on our way to the Elders, a line from the very first book I've ever read. 'WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE.' I had
to stifle the giggle before I burst. "Here we are, the Elder's Hall."
what do you think?
Does anyone know the Edge Chronicles by Paul Steward and Chris Riddell? The stories in itself are nice enough, but the illustrations are simply BEAUTIFUL!
Check the banderbear and the schrike for example
Check the banderbear and the schrike for example
@Krisknox: TL;DR
Also, favorite series: Dragonlance.
EDIT: And, that picture of the Schrike (Sp?) Totally reminded me of those things from The Dark Crystal that I can't remember the name of.
Also, favorite series: Dragonlance.
EDIT: And, that picture of the Schrike (Sp?) Totally reminded me of those things from The Dark Crystal that I can't remember the name of.
YAAAAY!! Love Dragonlance (anything from wizards of the coast = <3)
what does TL;DR mean?
TL;DR.
Also, too much caps. Just scrolling past it I think about 2/5 or 1/2 of it was in caps.
Also, too much caps. Just scrolling past it I think about 2/5 or 1/2 of it was in caps.
