Imagination 1: Into the Necklace

Prologue

"Honey, we need to go now! She's coming!" Panic ran through the Gomez house like a dragon on the hunt. A small child played with dolls in the corner, not understanding what was happening. She was only three, so she took no notice while her mother packed up the families' belongings.

The little girl watched her mother fly through the house, taking their heirlooms and their clothes. Meanwhile, her father packed food, supplies, and money.

She glanced down at her dollies. After a moment of consideration, she took off the little ribbon that she wore wrapped around her waist. She had always demanded to wear it so that she could look like a princess. The little girl placed it on the ground, then gathered up all of her dolls, placing them on the cloth. She up the ends of the ribbon just as she was lifted into the air with strong arms.

"Is Mommy okay?" she asked her father as he turned her around to face him. She clutched tight to her little bundle. As far as she knew, that was all that she needed, as long as she had her parents. Even so, she somehow knew that her mother was stressed, panicked, rushed. She couldn't figure out how.

"Mommy is fine," he replied, tearing toward the front door, grabbing a small satchel on his way. Her father quickly grabbed her bundle of dolls, shoving it into the bag. For a moment while it was open, she spotted some of her clothes, with a small pack of coins and a bag of food. The thing that she couldn't figure out, though, was that none of her parents' things were in there.

"Do you have Mystical?" Her mother yelled into the house. She was waiting outside with a satchel of own, with another in her outstretched hand.

"Yes," he replied. He then took the satchel that the girl's mother was handing him, and hugged the child tightly. "Oh, Mystical, don't worry, you will be just fine."

He reluctantly passed her to her mother, who hugged her as well. "Don't miss us too much, they will take good care of you. Someday you will see us again."

They both seemed calm, yet Mystical couldn't ignore the pained expression on her father's face and the tears trickling down her mother's. She was suddenly filled with a feeling of longing, of grief of parting. They weren't her feelings, but she couldn't tell where they were coming from. She looked left and right, but the only people there were her and her parents.

At least for a moment.

A terrifying-looking woman was at the end of the path. "You can't hide from me!" She screeched. The little girl's mother screamed, and her father, normally calm and courageous, looked scared as well. Searing purple beams shot past them, making the area light up in flames.

Another man appeared at the other end of the path, beckoning to her parents.

She didn't know how, but somehow she knew that her life was about to change. She didn't want it to change, but deep down she knew that she had to for her parents to survive. Terrified but determined, she kicked off from her parents, giving herself an extra boost as they threw her to the man that she didn't know.

Then everything blacked out.