Chapter 1
The cold wind blew as Wren sat outside with her brother and grandma waiting for the library to open. “Are you sure there are no seats inside?” Her grandma asked in Chinese. “No.” Wren said. “For the millionth time.” She pulled a book from her bag. ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix’ Wren suppressed a sigh. Her dream was to go on adventures like in the books. But unless she had superpowers or fell down a rabbit hole- she was pretty sure it was impossible. It was a childish dream for a thirteen-year-old, other girls at her school dreamed about becoming famous social media stars or something. She let a curtain of brown hair fall and opened the book. “Uh, excuse me?” Wren looked up and a man in a long coat and bowler hat stood in front of her. “When does the library open?” He asked in a posh English accent. “It opens at 10.” She said. The man nodded. “Well, I best wait for I bit, shan’t I?” He took the seat next to her and Wren slightly shifted feeling uncomfortable. “You know in Germany I used to go and watch movies and it would be a dollar for a movie! So, I would go every week.” Wren nodded awkwardly as her mind screamed STRANGER DANGER! STRANGER DANGER! She glanced over at Ethan who hadn’t even noticed a stranger siting with them. The man continued, “So when I went to America and movies where only 10 cents, I was very shocked.” He said enthusiastically. Wren slowly leaned until she could see the library door and wondering if she could climb through the metal chute. “What movies do you like?” At that moment a librarian came out with a warm smile and Wren mentally thanked the universe for saving her from the awkward conversation. “The libraries open now!” The librarian nodded at them. The man stood up and brushed himself quickly, “Well I must be going now.” He tipped his hat politely and walked off. “Well that was weird.” Wren mumbled, still slightly stunned. She tugged on Ethans arm impatiently. “Libraries open now. Let’s go!” She half walk - half ran- into the library eagerly. Wren inhaled the familiar smell of books and coffee. As expected, Ethan immediately went to the superhero comics. Wren walked over to the bookshelves fingering the spines of the books. A book caught her eye, as its gold lettering shimmered in the light. The Secret Garden. She gingerly opened the book and a glittering charm fell out. Wren bent down and picked it up. It was shaped like a key encrusted with crystals and was attached to a slightly tarnished charm bracelet. “Wow.” Wren whispered in awe. She hooked it onto her wrist, admiring it. Wren walked over to an empty table and sat down looking over at the enormous library with couches and tables, a small café that sold the best brownies and the world of worlds tucked into bookshelves. She was halfway through a chapter when a woman started speaking to a phone loudly. Wren looked up annoyed. “Hello, yes- this is Detective Lawson. Who is this?” Wren’s voice caught. Detective? She angled her book so it hid her face but just enough so she could see the detective. “Ok- I will be right up.” Her voice sounded worried. She walked out of the library and up the stairs that led to the row of conference rooms on the second floor. Without thinking, Wren abandoned her book on the table, grabbed her phone and raced after her.
She watched as the detective turned the corner up the stairs and disappeared. Wren ran up the stairs worried that she had lost the detective. The second floor looked empty; Wren sighed. Just as she was about to go back to the library a glint of light caught her eye. The wall with a sea mural painted in blues and purples was rippling. Wren held in a gasp. She reached out to touch the wall, but her hand fell through it. Panicking, Wren pulled her hand back quickly. She looked at her hand stretching healthy looking fingers. She pushed her hand back through, it felt cool like putting a hand through cold sand. At this point of her story book heroes’ story, they would have gone through. Wren sucked in a breath. This is your dream, Wren, just do it. She thought. Before she could change her mind, she pushed her body through as cold grains touched her skin making her shiver. Wren opened her eyes. She stared out at the dock in front of her, stretching out to a glowing sea. Wren stared, amazed. She had seen it online before. Bioluminescent waves. The wood underneath her slightly creaked as she walked across the dock. As she reached the end of the dock, the waves slowly parted, revealing a small hidden path. Wren glanced around, unsure if she should go down it. She had already come this far. Hesitating slightly, she jumped off the dock to the path. The sand crunched beneath her sneakers, and the cold sea wind blew. Making Wren regret not bringing her jacket. She stared up at the deep glowing walls around her, and turned around to see a wave of water blocked her from going back. She bit her nail. If she swam back she was giving up a chance to fulfil her dream, and she would probably freeze to death in her tee-shirt and jeans. So the only choice was to keep going. Wren walked on the soft sand, until she reached a small clearing where the water seemed to just fade away. Which was impossible considering you couldn’t get a whole ocean to disappear. Wren gasped. She was staring at tall snow peaked mountains with lands of scattered glowing gems, castles dawned upon them, and everything there screamed fairytale. Small glowing orbs that looked a bit like- “Suns, beautiful aren’t they?” Detective Lawson smirked as she stepped out of a small nook of shadows Wren hadn’t noticed before. Wren stifled a silent scream. “Hello Wren. I’ve been waiting to meet you.”
