Underbridge High

Chapter 1 - Moonlight

Cold...

Moonbeams erupted from the sky and stars illuminated the unchanging air. Nights were cold in this part of town. Especially without parents. The orphan troll twins, Ulric and Evelyn, were moonbathing underneath the clear night-time canopy. Breeze brushed against their beautiful scaly skin. They got up in sync - of course this was part of twinhood - and sauntered, with no small swagger, into the college they spent their days at. It was a mountain of hope for trolls - who, usually, were frowned upon by the other supernatural beings. A safe haven under Brooklyn Bridge where no one except for trolls bothered to visit. Well, apart from ogres, that is.

Dating back thousands of years, the trolls and the ogres have always fought against each other. Every war, every disagreement between everyone, the trolls and ogres fought on opposite sides. This was the biggest family fued to ever exist.

The twins, however, thought quite the opposite. Agreeing that nobody should have to suffer war, they were destined to put a stop to all the fighting. Thousands of years' worth of warring for dominance over the land, nothing had ever changed. But the twins wanted nothing but change. For them and their friends and colleagues to be able to grow up without fear of being attacked by the ogres. For they knew that the ogres were stronger. That the ogres would destroy their species. That the ogres were the more powerful creatures. Such a shame they were creatures of darkness.

Ulric and Evelyn arrived at the college. There was a plaque inscribed with the words "Underbridge High". A giant statue of the founder - Sir Murray Underbridge - towered over the college grounds and its presence lingered over everything. Doors as large as dragons grew from the frames; they had doorknobs that twisted in a graceful manor. Who knew that a species as clumsy as trolls would be able to build something so elegant? Stone walls burst into bricks
and gold. Windows were fashioned in an extraordinary way. It really was a Garden of Eden for trolls.

A bell echoed through the hallways. "Great," Ulric muttered in a sarcastic tone. Evelyn nodded in agreement - lessons had started. Luckily the first lesson was Phys Ed (meaning both Ulric and Evelyn would excel). This was going to be fun.

At Underbridge High, the pupils play a very confusing sport, called Grizzlesquirt. The trolls rode polar bears and carried sticks called Prumpsots (although they resembled baseball bats). There would be teams of 8 and the players would have to catch a shuriken with the Prumpsot and carry it through the other team's goal. Of course, it was dangerous. With the obvious dangers of rabid polar bears, falling off and the shuriken hitting someone in the face - there were casualties and injuries at almost every match. But it was for entertainment, so surely it was okay?

The game started - Ulric and Evelyn were positioned on the wings of the Grizzlesquirt pitch, literally. The pitch was a giant dragon. The goals, of course, were fastened around the neck and tail. And as the dragon was flying, the goals were harder to score in. 'Ah, the joys of being a troll.' They both thought. Suddenly, the shuriken was released into the air and the madness started. Ulric rushed towards the "ball" and Evelyn chased down the defenders. It was a tense game already and it had only just started. Ulric took possession of the shuriken and started carrying it whilst Evelyn bashed anyone who tried to defend off their polar bears. The duo were unstoppable. Everyone lost focus on the other 6 players and all eyes were on the twins as they approached the goal. Score! Everyone cheered. Well, everyone except for one. A certain troll called Margaret who always wanted the spotlight felt jealous that the attention wasn't on her, and by default kicked off a fuss. She screamed and stomped her feet and said: "WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT THEM?! THEY'RE LOSERS! EVERYONE LOOK AT ME!" The typical school cheerleader.

Cheering was shattered by a deafening silence. Grey clouds billowed over the dawn sky, and darkness poured into the seemingly lighter moon-lit pitch. Thunder echoed as lightning struck, leaving destruction in its wake. A bolt of lightning threw itself down onto the clock tower of the school campus - jolting the church below it. All suddenly became calm, but not over. Dr Ludwig Stoneling, the headmaster of Underbridge High, rushed to the smoking church with great worry. Something bad had happened, and the troll twins were soon to find out what it was.

Stoneling's voice was heard from within the church - "Would Ulric and Evelyn Rockhunt please report to the church?" Triggering their awareness very easily, the twins ran towards the blackened building to talk to the headmaster. What they saw was beyond any belief...

Cautiously, they tiptoed along the stone floor. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings and an organ played itself in the corner, although it was out of tune. A troll altar stood at the front, tall and proud. Trolls might have been supernatural but they were still religious. Gold decorations lined the walls. Stained glass windows were positioned all throughout the hallway; there was one big stained glass window at the front, although that had lost its colour and there seemed to be indents in it. Stoneling paced formally towards the twins, which meant trouble. He spoke clearly and with power:

"Ulric, Evelyn - you made it!" A sigh of relief beamed on his face.
"Why are we here Sir?" Ulric asked. "I called you to express some important news," Stoneling replied, "The power shards have fallen out of the main window." "How do you mean?" Evelyn questioned, inquisitively, "We've never heard of the Power Shards." "Well let me tell you," the headmaster sighed.
"Once there was a great power hidden within this land. A great evil power that nobody could stop. After it moved along to another place, us trolls took over the land to build the school, a safe haven for trolls. It was powered by the power shards, but now they have gone missing. Please will you two find them? You are our most trusted students."
"But this is a death trap. We'd never be able to do it!" Ulric exclaimed in pure shock.
"Don't worry. I'm trusting in you. Go."
"We will, Sir"