Prologue

            “Come on, Tess!” A little girl screamed with delight.

“I’m coming!” A shout replied.

A moment later, a head of blond tresses bobbed out from behind a bush.  The girl, Tess, looked to be about seven years old.  Her eyes still held innocence within their blue-green depths.  Pale, fair skin as smooth and cream peeked out from her costumed dress.  The green frills and dark azure sweeps of fabric complemented her slight build and overall looks.  Even at her young age, she looked every inch a princess.

The other girl curtsied in her own crimson-and-gold dress.

“Nice to see you, Princess Tess,” she said solemnly.

“And you too, Princess Miranda,” Tess replied with the same curtsy.

With a shared grin, the two girls broke out into a fit of giggles.  They toppled onto the soft cushion of the lawn together.  As their laughter subsided, Tess stood up.  Miranda followed suit and brushed gr*censored* bits off of her elegant gown, and then off of Tess’s, too.

“We should go ,” said Tess suddenly, looked at the forest that the lawn melted into.

“Yes, we should,” agreed Miranda, raising her head to stare up at the soaring tree tops above her.  Miranda’s dark brown hair curled in tiny perfect ringlets around her face as she grinned again.  “Well, what are we waiting for, milady?” she inquired, then the two raced off into the forest.

A few moments later, a shout was heard throughout the towering trees:

“I am Tess, princess of  Aexaryn!”

Chapter One

            Have you ever believed in fairy tales?  Of monsters and faeries and dwarves and elves?  Of sea serpents, unicorns, dragons, and ogres?  I have.

            Perhaps it’s just me, but does one, in their childhood, not make their own fantasyland filled with creatures of their imagination?  I know that I did.

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            My name is Tiffany Garrenslow, but I like to be called Tess.  I’ve always hated my name.  It’s not that I have anything against the other Tiffanys of the world, but the name has never seemed to fit me.  My slim, fair build, five-foot-nine-inch height and blue-green eyes might fit the name to some, but my personality sure doesn’t.  I’m what most would call a tomboy.  Myself, I don’t like to cl*censored*ify others into childish categories like that, but others may do as they wish. 

I love anything outdoors—hiking, running, fishing, and taking walks.  I love to explore.  I always have.  I have always lived in our suburban home, with the adjoining swimming pool and hot tub, and large lawn.  But my favorite has always been the forest.  Our lawn has always met its sprawling borders.  Since I can remember, I have always loved going in there, exploring there, being myself there.

Some of my best memories are there, too.  That’s where Miranda and I met.  I had been wandering around after a long day of tree climbing.  I had found myself drifting deeper and deeper into the forest, until I stumbled across a large outcropping of rocky granite boulders.  Delighted, I had scrambled over them.   The gray flecked with sparkling bits of black had always been one of my favorite types of rocks.  I had just been admiring it, when another girl appeared.  She had had an angry scowl on her face, and had questioned me on why I was there.  I explained, and had watched in amazement as a dazzling smile spread over her face.  She invited me to see her fort, and I had accepted.  We were six and-a-half years old then.  We had been best friends ever since.

The forest had also given me another treasure: Aexaryn.  It was the mythical land that Miranda and I had created together.  It was what had sealed the deal in our friendship.  We had been the twin Princesses, separated at birth—fraternal, of course.  Aexaryn, filled with magical creatures and beautiful landscapes, had occupied my childhood nearly to its full.

But, as all things must, Aexaryn had to come to an end.  Miranda was the first to grow out of it.  She had been ten.  Out of loyalty to her, I pretended to go along with it.  But in my heart, Aexaryn was still very real to me.  I promised the unicorns and the faeries that I would stay true to them forever—even if my twin was lost.  But, when I was eleven, the mythical creatures and magical senses of Aexaryn began to fade for me, too.  Perhaps it was odd that I took so long to grow out of it.  Perhaps it was odd that we believed in Aexaryn at all.  But I didn’t think so.

Miranda and I are fifteen now—I’m nearly sixteen.  For some, the nonexistence would have been the scissors to their friendship.  It was not so for us—if anything, it made us stronger.  We’re into more “mature” stuff now, as our mothers would call it—clothes, boys, and gossip magazines.  I daresay we’re even popular now.  I still go into the woods, though.  Miranda chides me to stop, but ancient trees and calming darkness offer a serenity to me that nowhere else offers.  So I still go.  But not nearly as often.

Max: Thanks.  Hopefully you'll have time to read the rest of it later~

~Bump~