The Dragon Princess Chronicles Book Two Chosen One

Welcome to May Falls

August Nineteenth, Nineteen Ninety-Nine

Mercy Hospital, Canton, Ohio

It was mostly a normal night at the hospital. People were coming and going, ambulances were parked in the emergency vehicles only parking lot and it looked like it was going to be another night just like any other night.

That was until a small storm cloud, invisible to the normal eye, formed over the hospital. Even though it rumbled with thunder, no one heard it. If someone had seen it, they would have also seen two orbs of light, one crimson and the other blue, fly out of the storm cloud and through a hospital window. The window they flew through was a part of the maternity ward where babies were being born. The two orbs split in two different directions, invisible to everyone there.

The crimson orb entered a room where a young woman was about to give birth. There were several doctors and nurses around her. The baby was a few days late but the woman didn’t want a C-section. She was scared something bad would happen. After all, something bad had happened to her mother and grandmother when they had had a C-section. She was determined to deliver the baby the normal way. The doctors and nurses though were ready in case the woman changed her mind.

“Come on Amy, another push.” One of the doctors who was holding her hand said. The nurse at the end of the bed had her hands out, ready to help the baby when he came out.

The crimson orb hovered over Amy. It could sense that she was the right one for what it was carrying. Her baby was having trouble, trouble that the crimson orb could take away. It entered her and merged with the baby boy. The boy glowed for a second before the glow vanished.

“Here he comes.” The nurse at the end of the bed said as Amy gave one more push. She gently helped the baby before wrapping him in a blanket. The nurse stood up. “It’s a baby boy.” The nurse told Amy.

Amy gazed at her new child. She had a look of pain in her eyes. It wasn’t just because she had just given birth. She knew what she had to do even if she didn’t want to do it.

“Do you have a name picked out?” One of the doctors asked as he opened a file on the counter.

Amy nodded and held her arms out to the baby. The nurse gently placed the baby in her arms. Amy gazed at her baby boy lovingly. A name came to her. One that she had never thought of using but it just sounded right. “His name is going to be Leon.” She replied before she held the baby out to a doctor.

The doctor took the baby and looked at Amy. He knew what she was doing. Even though he had helped deliver so many babies and had seen many mothers do what Amy was doing, it still was hard to accept. “Are you sure that you want to give him up to the foster system?” He asked.

Amy nodded as tears came to her eyes. “I can’t raise him on my own.” She answered before she cried.

The doctor looked at Leon. The baby boy was asleep. He would never have any memory of what his real mother looked like. “Are you sure you want to give him up?” He asked Amy again. There was still time for Amy to changer her mind.

“Without his father here to help me, I can’t raise him.” Amy replied before she looked away and cried.

The doctor looked down at the sleeping baby. “Very well.” He said before he carried the baby out of the room, leaving the mother to cry while the nurses and the other doctors took care of her.

In another room, a woman was about to give birth to a baby girl. Her husband was with her, holding her hand. She didn’t have as many doctors and nurses as the other woman had had. There was a doctor on her other side and a nurse at the end of the bed.

The man gazed at his wife. “Come on Allyssa.” He said to her. “You’re so close.” He could sense that the baby was about to come.

The blue orb entered the room, still invisible to everyone. It hovered over the woman. It could sense that the woman was the right one and that the baby girl in the woman was the one it should merge with. It floated into the woman and merged with the baby girl. The baby girl glowed blue for a moment before the glow vanished.

“Here she comes!” The nurse announced as Allyssa pushed again. The nurse gently held the baby girl as she came out. She quickly wrapped the newborn in a blanket and stood up. “You have a baby girl.” She told the couple before she smiled.

Allyssa and her husband smiled and both felt so happy as the nurse handed the baby girl to Allyssa. It was clear that the baby girl was taking after her mother already with the little bit of black hair on top of her head and brown eyes. Already the baby was looking at Allyssa.

Allyssa gently kissed the baby girl’s forehead. “Say hello to your daddy, Raine.” She told her newborn.

Robert gazed at his daughter. He wasn’t sure where Allyssa had come up with that name. It wasn’t one that they had chosen but it just felt right. He gently kissed the top of Raine’s head.

“Her name is going to be Raine?” The doctor asked. That was the first time he had seen a baby at that hopsital being given that name. He wondered if there was a specific reason for that.

Robert nodded. “Welcome to your family Raine Phillip.” He said to his daughter. The name sounded perfect being said.

Raine was still looking at her parents before she yawned and fell asleep.

Allyssa held her daughter close to her chest. She still couldn’t believe that they finally had a child after trying so hard for years.

The doctor looked at the baby for a moment before he looked at the couple. “You’ll be able to take your new daughter home in a couple of days.” He told them. “We just need to make sure that she doesn’t have any health issues.”

“Of course Doctor Thompson.” Robert said before he looked at his wife. “We’re finally parents, Allyssa.” He said.

Allyssa smiled and gazed down at her baby lovingly. She could already tell that her daughter would do great things.

In the nursery, the doctor laid Leon down in a crib. The baby boy looked so peaceful there. Part of the doctor wished that he could take the baby home with him. He had been in the foster system himself and didn’t want the boy to risk being put in a bad home Of course Leon was a baby though so he would have a better chance at finding a good home. The doctor knew that there was a process though and that he would have the chance to adopt Leon once the boy was in the system and he had been cleared to be a foster parent.

A nurse joined him. “What will happen to him now?” She asked the doctor.

The doctor turned to the nurse. “He’ll be in the foster system, a ward of the state, until they find him a good home and parents who will want to adopt him.” He replied.

They both looked at Leon.

“I better call Child Services and let them know about him.” The doctor said. “You’ll soon be in a good home Leon.” The doctor left the nursery and took out his phone.

Outside the hospital, the storm cloud vanished. It had completed its purpose and was no longer needed.

Fourteen years later…to the day

Dayton, Ohio

Raine was riding her bike down the street of her hometown. The girl had gone from a tiny infant into a lovely young teenager. Her black hair had grown long and reached halfway down her back. Her chocolate brown eyes were still just as bright as they had been when she had been born. Now though, they were also filled with kindness.

People did notice that Raine seemed to stick out a lot. She never once got violent or said anything mean to others. She always offered to help people in need. Some people, mainly students she went to school with, just said she was living a sheltered life. Others thought it was just because of who her dad was. Robert Phillips was a member of the police force but he usually only drew his gun if it was absolutely necessary. He was the least violent police officer.

Raine had been riding her bike for most of the day. The summer weather was perfect for a bike ride. She had school in a couple of weeks and she wanted to have as much fun as she could before that happened. She also wasn’t ready to start high school. The middle school was right next to the high school so it was impossible to miss all of the drama that came from the high school.

Raine heard her phone start to ring. She stopped her bike before taking her phone out of her pocket. Her father, being a protective father, had been hesitant about getting one for his daughter. He didn’t think teens or kids really needed them because of how distracting they could be in school. He knew though that Raine wasn’t like other kids and that she would do what was expected of her in school.

Raine was very responsible when it came to school work and she always got good grades. Her classmates thought she was a teacher’s pet because of it but she did have a few friends still. It didn’t bother Raine though. She just did what she thought was right.

She looked at her phone To her surprise, it was her dad. She knew he was working that day at the police station. She wondered why her dad was calling her. She answered her phone. “Hey Dad, what’s up?” She asked.

“Raine, your mom and I were wondering when you were going to be coming home today.” Her dad replied.

Raine looked at her watch. It was already late in the evening. She realized she must have lost track of time. “I’m on my way home right now.” She told her dad.

“That’s good. Your mom and I want to take you out to your favorite restaurant for your birthday.” Her dad explained. “You do want to celebrate your birthday, right?”

Raine couldn’t help but smile. She knew her dad was only joking with that question. She loved going to George’s Family Restaurant. It was her favorite birthday tradition. They did it every year. This year though, something seemed different. She had felt it when she had woken that morning. She wasn’t sure how to describe it though. Normal people might say it felt magical but she didn’t really believe in magic. She hadn’t believed in that since she had been eight. When she was little, she used to read fairy tales a lot. She used to wonder what it would be like to have a fairy godmother. But everything had changed when she had turned eight. It was hard for her to explain at the time but she had just stopped believing that magic was real.

“I’ll see you soon.” Raine told her dad before she hung up and pocketed her phone before she started to ride home.

As Raine rode, she passed a red Ford Taurus. There was a woman in the driver’s seat and, if Raine had noticed, the woman was watching her. The woman had a suitcase and a computer bag in the backseat of her car. The woman had her reason for watching Raine. It was a reason no one would believe in. The woman waited until Raine had gone around a corner before she pulled away and went in the opposite direction. There would be a time to talk to Raine later on.

After a few minutes, Raine reached her home on the outskirts of town. Her family’s home was a small home. It didn’t bother any of them though. There were just the three of them after all. Raine used to want a little sister when she was younger but her mother couldn’t have any more kids. Two years after Raine had been born, her mother had been in a car accident. Even though she had survived the car accident, her internal scars and the surgery she had had taken her ability to give birth again. Raine knew her parents had thought about adopting but they never did get too far with that conversation.

Raine saw that her dad’s police car was parked in their driveway next to their family car. She didn’t see her parents outside though. They must have still been inside. She stopped her bike and got off before walking it into the garage.

Raine went into her home through the door that connected the garage to the kitchen. “Mom, Dad, I’m home!” She called out.

“We’re in the front hallway.” Her dad said.

Raine smiled and rushed to the front hallway. Her parents were standing there getting their shoes on. They were both dressed up. Her dad had his police jacket on over his nice outfit. No doubt in case he had to help interrupt a disturbance while they were out.

Mrs. Phillip looked at her daughter. “Do you want to get changed.” She asked Raine.

Raine looked down at herself. She was in shorts and a t-shirt with sneakers on, not exactly the best outfit to wear to a fancy restaurant. “Just give me a minute?” She asked her parents before she ran up to her room.

Raine changed her clothes so she was in her blue denim skirt and blue denim jacket, black tights and her favorite red shirt. The outfit was her favorite thing to wear when her family got dressed up. She put on her small heels. Now she looked ready to go to George’s Family Restaurant. She rushed back down the stairs. “Now I’m ready.” She told her parents as she rejoined them.

Mrs. Phillip smiled. “Let’s get going then.” She said.

A few minutes later, the three were eating their supper at a table in George’s Family Restaurant.

Raine noticed that her parents were unusually quiet this time around. Usually, they would try to have some sort of conversation about something like school coming up or about possible family reunions. There was something off this time. “Is something wrong?” She asked her parents. She couldn’t stand not knowing.

Mr. Phillips looked at her as he wiped his mouth. “Raine, your mother and I have something to tell you.” He told their daughter. “Something very big and important.”

Raine felt herself get excited. “Are you two going to adopt a girl? Am I going to have a sister?” She asked. Did her parents finally talk about it and decided to go through with that plan?

Mrs. Phillip laughed a little. “No, we’re not going to adopt a daughter. Maybe another time.” She told her daughter before she stopped laughing. “Raine, there isn’t any easy way to put this but we’re going to be moving to a new town.”

Raine wasn’t sure how to respond to that. That would definitely explain why the day felt different. “We’re going to be moving?” She asked. She suddenly didn’t feel so hungry anymore.

Her father nodded. “We were going to tell you in a few days once we had everything taken care of but I was called today and my new boss wants me to start working there before the end of the week.” He explained.

Raine thought about it. That didn’t give them a lot of time to pack. “What about school?” She asked. “I’m supposed to be starting school in a couple of weeks.” She had been hoping to go to school with her friends that fall.

“I’ve contacted the school in the town we’re going to and explained to them about you.” Mrs. Phillip replied. “They are getting copies of your transcript sent to them from your school here. They believe you’ll be able to have no problem starting high school there.”

“What is this town we’re moving to?” Raine asked. She was really hoping it wouldn’t be small and in the middle of nowhere.

Her parents looked at each other before they turned back to her.

“It’s called May Falls.” Mr. Phillip replied. “It’s a small town in West Virginia, nestled in a valley area.”

“May Falls? Never heard of it.” Raine made a mental note to look up May Falls on a map later on to see exactly where it was.

“The people there, according to my new boss, usually keep to themselves.” Mr. Phillip explained. “It’s a small place but it does have quite a bit to offer.”

“What job did you get there?” Raine asked her dad. It must have been something that her dad’s new boss didn’t think anyone there could do.

“The sheriff of the town was looking for a deputy. I saw an advertisement in the newspaper and decided to apply there. I didn’t expect the sheriff there to call me though. He called me a few days ago to see if I wanted the job which I accepted immediately.” Mr. Phillip explained. “I told my boss here about how we would be moving. The boys at the station want to throw me a goodbye party tomorrow. Today was my last day on the job.”

Raine thought about what her dad had told her. Leave it to her dad to find a job opening in the newspaper. She had told him a few times to try to bring the news up on his phone but her dad liked reading the newspaper.

“What’s the sheriff’s name?” She asked her dad.

“It’s a bit of an odd name but his name is Sheriff Horus.” Mrs. Phillip replied. “It sounds strange but apparently several people there have unusual names. Names that were passed down through their families for hundreds of years.”

That was odd. Raine wasn’t sure if she could really believe that. She remembered reading Egyptian mythology the year before. There was an Egyptian deity named Horus. Did this sheriff really have the name of an Egyptian god?

“So Sheriff Horus, who was named after an Egyptian god, needed a deputy and just happened to pick you?” She asked. She didn’t want to insult her dad but it sounded a bit far-fetched. Part of her wouldn’t be surprised if they moved down there and it turned out to be a huge prank by some teens.

Her father nodded.

“When do we leave?” Raine asked. It sounded like her parents were set on moving to May Falls and she knew she wouldn’t be able to talk them out of it.

“We would be leaving in three days if things go according to plan.” Mr. Phillip replied.

Raine looked down at her food. That was very soon. It didn’t give her family a lot of time to get ready and say goodbye to all of their friends in Dayton. She wasn’t sure how she felt about all of this.

Mrs. Phillip gazed at her daughter. She could tell that their news wasn’t exactly what Raine had been hoping for. “Come on Raine, how about we finish eating up and then we can head out for the rest of your birthday and do whatever you want.” She said. It was the least her husband and she could do for dropping the big news on Raine.

Raine smiled a little but she felt like her entire life had just been changed.

Late that night, Robert and Allyssa were talking in Robert’s study. Raine was already asleep so they didn’t have to worry about her hearing them. They were both on a couch. In front of them was a small table. The only thing on it was a small old book. On the cover of it were three words: The Dragon Princess. They didn’t know who had given it to them. It had just appeared mere days after Raine’s birth when their church had thrown a celebration for Raine’s birth. The two of them had read the entire book. At first, they thought it was just some fictional book but the more they read, the more they came to realize what it was really saying.

“Are we sure we’re doing the right thing here, Robert?” Allyssa asked her husband. “Moving our entire life to May Falls just because of this?”

Robert nodded. “We are, Allyssa.” He replied. “After all, it’s important that Raine fulfills her destiny.”

They both looked at the manuscript. Neither of them had believed much in magic but after they had read it, they were willing to believe in it. According to the book, their daughter had a destiny that she needed to fulfill.

Robert picked the book up. “We need to give this to Raine.” He said. “After all, her first life is in this. Raine needs to know the truth.” He knew that their daughter didn’t believe much in magic but maybe the book would be able to help her believe in her past.

Allyssa shook her head. “I wish we didn’t have to do this so soon.” She said. If the story was true, their daughter’s greatest enemy was in that town and he had several allies.

“I know but Raine has reached her fourteenth birthday. According to him, it’s supposed to begin on her fourteenth birthday. She needs to fulfill her destiny.” Robert reminded his wife before he smiled a little. “Besides, she won’t be alone. Remember, there will be others there, including us, who will be able to help her.”

Allyssa took the book and read the prologue again. To anyone else, it was just the narrator trying to get the attention of the reader. She knew it was really a message. “Who all will be there to help her?” She asked.

“A believer who believes that this is true as well.” Robert replied. “There will be both of us of course. Her adopted older sister and their friends.” Raine would have quite a few allies.

Allyssa flipped through the pages. “The boy she used to love in her past life will be there.” She told her husband. “Do you think she’ll remember him or think there’s something familiar about him?”

“I don’t know all of the answers, Allyssa. I’m not the Mythical Being.” Robert replied. Part of him wondered how the Mythical Being could deal with knowing everything. Robert took the book and placed it on the table before he took his wife’s hands in his. “We’ve done everything we can for her but we can’t keep her hidden from May Falls anymore. Sooner or later, this would find her.” If he had learned anything from the movies about prophecies, it was that trying to avoid a prophecy usually led to it being fulfilled.

Allyssa sighed. “I still wish that we could keep her away from all of this.” She said. She didn’t want to put her daughter in danger.

“I do too Allyssa.” Robert said. “But we can’t anymore.”

The two of them looked down at the book.

In Raine’s room, Raine was asleep, completely unaware of what her parents were talking about. If she had been awake though, she would have noticed she was glowing a sapphire blue. It had been fourteen years to the very minute that she had been born.

Three days later, Raine looked at the empty house. Every single thing was in the moving truck that her family had rented for the move. She was somewhat surprised that they had managed to get everything packed up in just three days but they had managed it. She looked at her dad as he got into the driver’s seat of the truck. He would be driving the moving truck while her mom and she took the family car. The plan was for them to find the house first so they could tell Mr. Phillip where to go once he arrived.

Mrs. Phillip joined Raine. “Are you ready to go?” She asked her daughter.

Raine looked at her mother. “I guess so.” She replied. She wasn’t sure how she felt about moving still but she was trying to be as upbeat about it as she could for her parents. She saw her mom smile. Raine had a feeling that her mother was trying to cheer her up.

The two got into the family car.

“I’ll see you two in May Falls.” Mr. Phillip told them from the truck.

Mrs. Phillip smiled at her husband. “See you soon Robert.” She told him.

“See you soon Dad.” Raine said.

“May Falls, here we come.” Mrs. Phillip said. She started the car up and drove away.

Raine looked out the window at their old house. She was going to miss being there. It was the only home she had ever known. She thought about everything that had happened to her in that house. Now they were going to a new unfamiliar house. She looked ahead as they drove out of town. She decided to try to make the most of the move. Seeing how they had a few hours on the road and her mom had her blue-tooth phone in her ear, Raine closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Raine saw a vortex traveling toward a large castle. There were what looked like people trapped in the courtyard. She flew through the wall into a backroom. There was a boy, maybe about her age holding a girl in his arms. To Raine’s surprise, the girl looked exactly like her, just a couple of years younger. If Raine had to guess, the girl was possibly twelve. She would have to look at her pictures from when she had been twelve herself to make sure.

Even though the girl looked exactly like her, Raine noticed that the girl looked like a princess with two large wings coming from her back. Raine wasn’t sure what type of wings they were but they were clearly not bird-like. More like a reptile’s wings. As Raine got closer, she saw that the girl had a large red stain over where her heart was. Seeing how the boy was crying as he was holding her, Raine had a feeling that the girl was dying.

“Raine, I love you.” The boy told the dying princess.”

Raine’s eyes widened. The princess and she had the same name. She started freaking out. She had never had a dream like this before.

Raine heard someone begin to laugh as the sound of footsteps could be heard. “How sweet.” The person said. Raine could tell it was a man but she didn’t see who it was for at that moment, someone was calling her name.

“Raine, wake up.” Raine slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in her family’s car. It looked like they were on a road in the middle of a forest. She never thought that there could be this many trees in one area. It looked like the trees went on for miles in each direction. “What were you dreaming about?” Mrs. Phillip asked her daughter.

Raine shook her head as she thought back to her dream. “I’m not entirely sure.” She replied. “It was really weird though.” She wasn’t sure how to describe her dream.

“Really? What was it about?” Mrs. Phillip asked.

“I was at some castle.” Raine replied. “There was a boy holding a girl that looked like me.” She thought back to that part of her dream. She wasn’t sure how but that girl definitely looked like her.

Mrs. Phillip smiled. “Was it your wedding day?” She asked teasingly. “Maybe we should let your father know that you’re dreaming about getting married.”

“It wasn’t my wedding day.” Raine told her mom. “Trust me, my wedding day will be in a church and not some castle. Besides, I doubt May Falls has a castle.” Raine wasn’t sure if there were any castles in the United States of America that looked like the one from her dream. “The scary thing was, the girl was either dead or dying still and the boy was crying. Almost as if someone had tried to murder the girl.” She explained before she shivered. She hoped it wasn’t a sign that she was going to get killed.

Mrs. Phillip didn’t say anything. Now that Raine had said that, she knew what it was that Raine had had a dream about. It had been in the last few pages of The Dragon Princess. It had been part of the reason why she didn’t want to go to May Falls. If the town was really filled with all of the characters from the book, the man who had murdered Raine would be there. She decided not to tell Raine that. The last thing she wanted to do was scare her daughter and telling her that she had been killed in a past life would do just that.

Mrs. Phillip saw a sign on the side of the road appear as they drove around a bend. The sign read: Welcome to May Falls! Mrs. Phillip smiled. It was time to forget about the dream and move ahead. There would be time to figure things out later on. After all, the book never did say exactly how Raine would fulfill her destiny. “We’re here.” She told Raine before she looked at her daughter for a brief moment. “How about you call your dad and let him know that we’ve reached our new town.”

Raine took her phone out. She could think about her strange dream later on. She dialed her father’s phone number.

After a few minutes, Mr. Phillip answered. “What’s up Raine?” He asked.

“We’ve reached May Falls.” Raine told him. As she spoke, buildings started to appear. “Well let you know when we find our new home.”

“Great, I should be there in about an hour or so.” Mr. Phillip said. “Tell your mother that please.”

“I can do that.” Raine told her dad before she hung up. She looked at her mom “Dad thinks he’ll be here in about an hour.” She told her.

“He must have taken another way to get down here.” Mrs. Phillip said. She wasn’t surprised. Mr. Phillip didn’t always use the best route recommended by the GPS. Mrs. Phillip looked around as they drove. It looked like they were in the part of the town where people lived. There were so many homes here. She wondered if the schools were in this part of town as well. They soon reached a T-intersection. In front of them was a tall building. There was a sign in front of it that read: City Hall.

Raine looked at the building as her mom pulled to the left and down the street before parking in front of a small restaurant. The building had a sign that read: Samantha’s Diner.

Mrs. Phillip looked at the restaurant. “Perhaps someone there might know where our new home is.” She said. Sheriff Horus had never given her husband the address to their new home but surely there were people who knew about new arrivals somewhere in town.

Raine was about to say something when there was a tap on her window. Both her mother and she jumped before they turned to the window. A man was standing there. Based on his outfit and the badge attached to his belt, Raine had a feeling that he was the Sheriff. “Or we could ask Dad’s new boss.” She told her mom and she lowered her window.

The Sheriff looked at them. “Are you two new here?” He asked. He sounded nice but Raine could hear the suspicion in his voice. Her parents weren’t kidding about the townspeople keeping to themselves.

“Yes we are.” Mrs. Phillip replied as she got out of her car. “Are you Sheriff Horus by any chance?”

“I am.” The Sheriff replied. “You are who again?”

Mrs. Phillip smiled. “I’m Allyssa and this is my daughter, Raine. My husband, Rovert, is your new deputy.” She explained. Her husband’s boss seemed nice. Maybe a little protective of his town but she didn’t expect anything less from the Sheriff.

Sheriff Horus smiled and, if Raine didn’t know any better, looked relieved. Raine wondered why that was. All she knew was that the man, despite having the name of an Egyptian god, looked very normal. She got out of the car.

“Nice to meet my new deputy’s family.” Sheriff Horus said.

“Can you help us?” Mrs. Phillip asked. “We’re trying to find our new home. Do you know where it is?”

“That’s what I forgot during that phone call.” Sheriff Horus said as he shook his head. “I knew I had been forgetting something but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’m so sorry about that.” Sheriff Horus pointed down the road. “Turn left at the next intersection, drive five blocks and then turn right and go another three blocks. Your home is on the street corner on the left side. It’s very big and nice so it’ll be hard to miss it.”

“Thank you.” Mrs. Phillip told the Sheriff.

Sheriff Horus looked at the two. “Always happy to help out the people of this town.” He told them. He looked down the road behind the car. “Is your husband here?” He asked. He was hoping to meet his new deputy.

Mrs. Phillip shook her head. “He’s still coming with the moving truck.” She replied. “We came here ahead of him to find our new home so he knew how to get there.”

Sheriff Horus turned to Raine. “What grade are you going into?” He asked.

“I’ll be a freshman this year.” Raine replied. She had a feeling she knew what Sheriff Horus was about to say.

Sheriff Horus pointed down the road behind them. “If you drive past City Hall and keep driving that way, you’ll be able to see all three schools.” He told them. “It’s a good school with no trouble. I’ve never had to go down there to take care of a problem.”

“Hey Sheriff Horus.” Sheriff Horus, Mrs. Phillip and Raine turned to see a boy walking toward them. Raine noticed that the boy looked like he was about her age. Raine wasn’t sure why but he looked familiar for some reason. She shook her head. She was probably just missing her old school.

Sheriff Horus smiled. “Hello Leon, here to see your father?” He asked even though he already knew the answer. There was only one reason why Leon would be there at that time.

“Yes Sir.” Leon replied before he looked at Raine and Mrs. Phillip. “Are you guys new here?” He asked.

“Yeah, we are.” Raine replied. Maybe she would be able to be friends with Leon. He would be the first friend she had made there.

Leon smiled. “Welcome to May Falls.” He told them before he looked at his watch. “I need to get going. Don’t want to be late with meeting my father.”

“Of course. We wouldn’t want you to be late on my account.” Sheriff Horus said in what sounded like a grave voice.

Raine wondered if Leon’s dad was that scary, whoever he was. He definitely seemed like someone that Sheriff Horus didn’t want to get on the bad side of.

Leon looked at Raine. “Looking forward to seeing you at school in case we don’t meet up before then.” He told her before he ran off to City Hall.

Mrs. Phillip watched Leon enter City Hall. “Who was that?” She asked.

Sheriff Horus looked at City Hall. “That is Leon Anderson.” He replied. “His dad is the Mayor of May Falls. Mayor Renard Anderson.”

Raine and her mom looked at the Sheriff.

“He seems nice.” Mrs. Phillip said.

Raine wanted to ask Sheriff Horus if Leon’s dad was scary enough to intimidate him but she decided not to. She didn’t want to get her dad in trouble before he started working there.

“Leon is for a kid whose dad is very strict and doesn’t joke around.” Sheriff Horus told them. “Like I said, Renard is the Mayor of May Falls. He takes everything very seriously.”

Raine knew that her dad would need to know that. Mr. Phillip did take his job seriously but he also had a sense of humor and would try to ease the stress some of his old coworkers had been dealing with.

“Of course you’ll all be meeting the Mayor soon enough.” Sheriff Horus continued. “He’ll no doubt want to meet you all. It’s not every day that we get new arrivals. The last time we did was…” Sheriff Horus trailed off. He couldn’t actually remember the last time that May Falls had had new arrivals. “It’s been a very long time.” He said.

Mrs. Phillip wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to meeting Mayor Renard. With the way he sounded, she wasn’t sure if they would get along well. “I look forward to meeting him.” She told Sheriff Horus with a forced smile.

Sheriff Horus’s phone began to ring. He took it out and looked at the screen. “I have to go.” He told them. “I promised the animal shelter I would help train their new workers.” He smiled. “With how little crime we get here, your husband will probably be helping with paperwork at the station, patrolling and helping at different businesses.” He said to Mrs. Phillip.

“Sounds like that will be fun.” Raine said. It was definitely different from what her dad used to do as a police officer back home.

“It can be.” Sheriff Horus replied. “I look forward to meeting my new deputy.”

“I know he can’t wait to meet you too.” Mrs. Phillip told the Sheriff. “Hopefully he’ll be able to meet you today if he arrives in time with our furniture.”

Sheriff Horus smiled at them before he walked away.

Mrs. Phillip and Raine got back in their car.

“You’re dad’s new boss seems nice.” Mrs. Phillip told Raine. That was a good thing.

Raine nodded as she watched the Sheriff get into a police car and drive away. “Do you think that the Mayor is as strict as Sheriff Horus said he was?” She asked her mother.

Mrs. Phillip wasn’t sure how to answer. She knew who the Mayor was from the book and that didn’t give her any hope but she couldn’t scare her daughter. “I’m sure that he’s just trying to do his job and take care of the town.” She replied. She thought about Sheriff Horus. She knew who he really was from the book. The only person she wasn’t sure about was Leon. She didn’t remember a character from the book with that name. She would need to reread the book to find out who he had been. “Let’s get going to our new home.” She told her daughter. There would be time later on to read the book.

A few minutes later, they arrived at their new home. They looked at it. Sheriff Horus had been right. It was a very nice house. It was just two stories but it did have four small towers at the corners of the house and a nice looking porch that looked like it went around the entire house.

“This is our new home?” Raine asked. It reminded her of the Victorian manors back in Dayton. She wondered if the person who had built it had been a wealthy person. Definitely nothing like their old home.

“Looks like you won’t have any trouble with choosing your own room.” Mrs. Phillip told her daughter. She was also impressed with how the house looked. It wasn’t what she expected.

Raine laughed. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“How about we start unpacking the car?” Mrs. Phillip asked Raine. “You can take this time to figure out which room you want to be in so when your father arrives, we can start moving things in a lot easier.”

Raine nodded and got out of the car. She went to the trunk, opened it and took out a couple of her bags. As she got them out, she looked around at the neighborhood. She didn’t see a lot of kids or teens outside. She wondered if they were getting ready for school. She knew it started in a few weeks there. At least that’s what her parents had said. She didn’t know the exact date though. She made a mental note to ask her parents once her dad was there.

That was when she saw a fancy car driving up to the house across the street before it stopped. Raine watched a young man, maybe in his late twenties or early thirties, get out of the driver’s seat of the car. He looked fancy in his black suit. The odd thing was, the man had a cane and walked with a limp. Raine wondered if the man was the richest in the neighborhood or if he had a large family. His house did take up an entire block.

“That’s Mr. S.” A young girl’s voice said.

Raine turned to her left. There was a young girl, maybe about ten years old, standing there. The girl was looking at the man with the cane. “He’s one of the most powerful men in the entire town but I think he got that power by being scary and intimidating. He works for the Mayor at City Hall.” The girl continued before she looked at Raine. “You’re new here, aren’t you?” The girl asked.

Raine nodded. She wondered if everyone was going to ask her and her family that question. “My mom and I just got here. My dad is supposed to be showing up soon with the rest of our stuff.” She replied.

The girl smiled. “You’re my new neighbors then!” She cried excitedly. “I’m Evelynn Wind.” The girl pointed at the fancy house right next to Raine’s home. “That’s where my dad and I live.” She told Raine.

“My name is Raine Phillip.” Raine told Evelynn. Evelynn seemed nice and excited that she was going to have neighbors. Even though Evelynn looked like she was just a kid, Raine couldn’t help but feel welcomed.

“Evelynn, come back here!” The two girls heard a man shout. The girls looked at the house. There was a man coming out of the house.

Evelynn sighed. “It’s my dad.” She said. “We’re about to head out to do shopping for the upcoming school year.” She looked at Raine. “Are you going to May Falls High School?” She asked.

“I am but I have no idea when school is starting.” Raine replied. “I don’t suppose you know.”

Evelynn thought about it before she remembered the answer. “It starts in two weeks.” She replied.

So much for having time before the school year started. Raine didn’t like to be rushed but she guessed that with a new town, there would be new rules that had to be followed as well and that she was going to have to learn them if she was going to survive just school.

“I have to get going.” Evelynn told Raine. “I’ll see you later.” With that, Evelynn took off to her dad’s car.

Mrs. Phillip joined Raine at the back of the car. “I let your dad know how to find the house.” She told Raine before she looked at Evelynn as she got into her dad’s car. “Who was that?” She asked.

“Evelynn.” Raine replied. “Her dad and she are our new neighbors next door.” Raine turned to the giant house that took up an entire block across the road. “According to Evelynn, Mr. S lives there.” She added.

Mrs. Phillip looked at Raine. “Mr. S?” She asked. She didn’t remember there being a “Mr. S” in the book. She figured that if the man came by to welcome them to the neighborhood, she would be able to figure out who he really was. “Did your new friend say what the “S” stood for?”

Raine shook her head. “Probably something that is very hard to pronounce.” She replied before she walked to the house with her bags.

In his police car, Sheriff Horus was looking at his cell phone. He knew that the Mayor would most likely be waiting on a call from him. No doubt Leon had told his dad that there was a new family in May Falls. Mayor Renard had told him to call once the new family had arrived. He couldn’t help but wonder why the Mayor was so interested in the new family. It might have been because they had never had new people come to May Falls for as long as he could remember.

Sheriff Horus dialed the Mayor’s office phone and waited a minute before the Mayor answered. “Mayor Renard, Mrs. Phillip and her daughter, the family of my new deputy, have arrived.” He became silent as he listened to the Mayor say something to him. “According to them, Mr. Phillip will be here soon. They do seem friendly enough.” He became silent again as the Mayor said something. “The daughter said she was going to be in Ninth Grade.”

Sheriff Horus looked around. No one was paying any attention to him which was good. The last thing he wanted was for people to start spreading rumors. “I was just letting you know like you requested me to.” He told the Mayor. “They live on the corner of Hudson and Saint. In the house next to the Wind Family and across the road from Mr. S.” There was another moment of silence as he listened to the Mayor. “Of course, I’ll let you know if anything new comes up.” With that, he hung up.

Sheriff Horus couldn’t help but wonder why the Mayor was so interested in the family. It seemed weird that he had asked to know what grade Raine was going to be in. Sheriff Horus knew that he could just write it off as wanting to know if there was another girl for Leon to have a possible crush on, after all, the boy was going to be in Ninth Grade as well, but there was something off about all of it.

Sheriff Horus shook his head. He was probably over thinking things. He started his car up and drove away.

An hour later, Mr. Phillip pulled up to the new house. As he got out of the truck, he saw his wife and daughter coming out of the home. “This is our new home?” He asked as he looked at their home. “It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be.”

Mrs. Phillip hugged him. “If you think our house is big, you should see our neighbor’s house.” She told him, looking past the truck.

Mr. Phillip turned around and his eyes widened. “You’re not kidding.” He said as he looked at the block size house. “Who lives there?”

Raine looked at the giant house. “Mr. S.” She replied.

Mr. Phillip looked at her. “Who’s Mr. S?” He asked. He didn’t remember there being a “Mr. S” in the book.

“Apparently the second most powerful man in the entire town.” Raine replied. “At least that’s what our other neighbors said about him.”

As if on cue, Mr. S came out of his house and began walking toward them. He had what looked like a smile on his face.

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip looked at each other. Now that they could see him, they could tell who he had been in the book. Mr. S was really Skytus, the Dark One from the other world. They both turned to Mr. S and managed to smile. They couldn’t let their daughter see that they were worried.

Mr. S went up to them. “Welcome to the neighborhood.” He told Phillips. “I’m your neighbor from across the road.” Mr. S pointed at his large manor. “My name is Mr. S.”

Mr. Phillip was relieved. Mr. S seemed very different from when he had been Skytus. Almost harmless even. Maybe he wouldn’t be such a bad neighbor. “It’s nice that we have friendly neighbors.” He said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of you here in May Falls before. Are you new here?” Mr. S asked. He couldn’t remember the last time there had been any new arrivals in May Falls.

Mrs. Phillip nodded. “This is my husband, Robert, my name is Allyssa and this is our daughter, Raine.” She told Mr. S.

Now that Mr. S was closer to them, Raine thought he looked scarier. She could see why Evelynn had been scared of the man. He seemed harmless but there was something about him that made her believe that he couldn’t be trusted.

“Very nice to meet you all.” Mr. S told them. “It’s nice having new neighbors after so many years.” Mr. S looked past them at their home. “I hope you like your home and living here.” Mr. S turned to Raine. “You’re here right in time for the new school year.” He told her.

Raine wasn’t sure what to say.

“Raine will be a freshman in high school.” Mr. Phillip told Mr. S. “According to Sheriff Horus, school starts in about two weeks so we’re hoping that she’ll be ready for it.”

Mr. S looked surprised. “Sheriff Horus was here?” He asked in a worried voice. “Did something bad happen?” He didn’t remember hearing police sirens.

“No, Sheriff Horus is my new boss.” Mr. Phillip explained. “I’m his new deputy.”

Mr. S wondered why the Sheriff had hired someone from outside of the town to be the new Deputy. There were several people in town who were qualified. It didn’t bother him too much. After all, it wasn’t really any of his business. He took a business card out of his suit jacket’s pocket and held it out to Mr. Phillip. “If any of you have questions about the town, feel free to call me.” he told them. “I work over at City Hall for Mayor Renard and know just about everything about this town.”

Mr. Phillip took the card and looked at it. He noticed that Mr. S didn’t have his entire name on the card. “I hope you don’t mind me asking but I was wondering what the “S” stood for.” He said to Mr. S.

Mr. S smiled. “Everyone does.” He replied before he laughed a little. “Truth be told, it’s an old Greek name that not a lot of people can say. After missing so many appointments because no one could spell it or say it right, I decided to just go with the “S”.” He looked at them all. “I should get going.” He told them. “There’s a meeting at City Hall later this evening and I need to get ready for it.”

“Of course.” Mrs. Phillip said. “We need to unload the truck before it gets too late.”

Mr. S looked at the truck. “Good luck with that.” He told them. “Once again, welcome to the neighborhood.” Mr. S walked over to his car.

Mr. Phillip looked at his family. “Let’s unload the truck.” He told them. “While we still have the light of the day.”

That evening, Mr. and Mrs. Phillip were setting up the final pieces in the living room. It had been a long few hours but they were nearly done with the living room and had gotten done with moving the bedroom furniture to the two bedrooms they would be using. There were boxes in other rooms but most of the furniture for the different rooms was still in the moving truck.

There was a knock at the front door, breaking the silence in the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Phillip looked at each other.

“Who do you think that is?” Mrs. Phillip asked her husband.

“I’m not entirely sure.” Mr. Phillip replied. “Maybe some other neighbors who wanted to welcome us to the neighborhood.” No doubt word of a new family in May Falls had spread all over town. “I’ll go check it out.” He told his wife and he went over to the front door. He opened it.

To Mr. Phillip’s surprise, a well-dressed man standing there. He was wearing a black suit complete with black fancy shoes and a long black coat. He had short black hair and piercing brown eyes.

“Welcome to our small town.” The man told Mr. Phillip and he held out his hand. “I’m Mayor Renard Anderson.”

Mr. Phillip realized who Mayor Renard was but he forced a smile. “My name is Robert Phillip.” He told the Mayor. “I’m the new Deputy here.” Mr. Phillip looked into his home. “Allyssa, Raine, can you both come to the front door?” He called out.

Mayor Renard frowned for just a second before smiling again before Mr. Phillip turned to him again. “You have a family?” Mayor Renard asked, hoping that he sounded more friendly than rude.

Mr. Phillip nodded. “Yeah. Just my wife, my daughter and me.” He replied. At that moment, Mrs. Phillip and Raine came up to the front door and joined him.

Mayor Renard looked at them. He wasn’t too alarmed at first when he saw the wife but when he saw Raine, he nearly gasped. An image of a girl in a silver dress with a wound where her heart was flashed through his mind. He managed to keep smiling. “Now nice to meet you both.” He said. He turned to leave but thought of something. He turned back to them. “I have a son, Leon. He’ll be a freshman in high school.” He told them.

“My mom and I met him earlier today.” Raine said. “We’re both going to be freshmen in high school.”

The image of the girl with the wound flashed through Mayor Renard’s mind again but he managed to stay calm. He made a mental note to keep his son away from Raine as much as he could. The last thing he wanted was for his son to be hanging out with the Dragon Princess if Raine was that girl.

Raine noticed that it looked like the Mayor seemed nervous about something. She wondered what was wrong.

Mayor Renard looked at Mr. Phillip. “Did Sheriff Horus tell you when you would start working?” He asked. “He probably told me but I forgot.”

Mr. Phillip smiled. “I’m starting later this week.” He replied.

“That’s a relief.” Mayor Renard said and he laughed a little. “May Falls could always use more protection.” He looked at his watch. “I should get going or Leon and I will have a late supper.” He looked at the family. “Welcome to May Falls.” He said before he walked away.

Mayor Renard got into his car and drove away. As he drove, he shook his head. “Raine.” He said told himself. For the last fourteen years, there hadn’t been any sign of the lost Dragon Princess. For a while there, he had thought that she was gone for good. Now that she was there though, Mayor Renard had a feeling that things were about to get a lot worse for him.

He thought about the book that he had gotten his son. The first time he had seen it, he had gone outside the town to a small store. It had just been there with a handful of small books. Mayor Renard had read it first. Even though it had really been about the town’s real past, it had also been a good read. It was part of the reason he had gotten it for his son. Leon didn’t show any signs of believing that any of it had really happened and that was what he wanted.

Mayor Renard wanted to keep things that way but he knew that if Raine was there, things were about to go in a way that he didn’t want them to. He couldn’t remember everything that the book had said at the part about her return. He would need to borrow the book from his son.

Mayor Renard arrived at his home. Like Mr. S’s home, it took up an entire block and was four stories high. He didn’t really need it since it was just his son and him but it felt good living like a ruler. After all, he was the Mayor. Mayor Renard parked his car and went into his home. He walked up the staircase to the second floor.

“Leon?” Mayor Renard called out. He hoped that his son was home.

A door opened and Leon came out of his bedroom. “Yeah Dad?” He asked.

Mayor Renard smiled and went up to his son. “Do you still have that book I got you? The Dragon Princess I mean.” He said.

Leon nodded. “Yeah, I do.” He replied. “Why?” He was curious why his dad was interested in a fantasy book. His dad was the Mayor of the town. Mayor Renard wasn’t interested in magic or fantasy.

“I just need to borrow it for a little while.” Mayor Renard explained. “Now hand it over and don’t question your father.” He had hoped by now that his son wouldn’t question his orders.

Leon went into his room and came back out with the book. “Here it is.” He told his dad. He still wanted to know why his dad wanted the book. He had a feeling it had to do with the new family. After all, the story in the book wasn’t normal.

Mayor Renard took the book and looked at it before he looked at his son. “I’ll return this in a little while.” He told Leon before he went to his private study. He closed the door and locked it. That would keep Leon from walking in. He went over to his armchair and looked at the book. The image of the Dragon Princess was nearly an exact copy of the new Deputy’s daughter, just a couple of years younger. After all of these years, his past really was catching up to him. He opened toward the end of the book and started reading.

“Renard will rewrite our lives, making each of us live a lie and a miserable unhappy life. We will be torn from the ones we love. And we can’t do anything about it.” The Mythical Being explained.

Denthro shook his head. “Is there anything that we can do?” He asked. The spell sounded confusing but he wanted to know as much as he could.

The Mythical Being looked at them. “There is only one person alive who can stop his plans.” He turned to Princess Raine. “You’re the only one who can save us from this.”

Princess Raine shook her head. “How can I save you all?” She asked. Defeating Gigantes was one thing but breaking a spell in another world without her memories was another.

The Mythical Being shook his head. That was where it got tricky and some of it was concealed from him. “I cannot say. All I can tell you is that on your fourteenth birthday, the spell will begin to weaken, and you will save us all.” He told them.

Princess Raine and Denthro looked at each other. “We only have two years until Renard casts his spell?” Denthro asked.

The Mythical Being shook his head once more. “He’ll cast his spell before then. We’ll be doomed until your fourteenth birthday Princess.”

Princess Raine looked at Denthro. “We have to get going.” She said. “We need to let Lilianna know what’s going to happen.”

Mayor Renard closed the book and gazed at the cover. Raine was supposed to save everyone when she turned fourteen. He had never really thought about that since he had killed her back in the other world when she had been twelve years old. He thought that that had taken care of the only one who could break his spell. He now realized that, if Raine was fourteen now, she had a chance at defeating him. He couldn’t let that happen.

Mayor Renard stood up and walked over to one of his windows that overlooked the town. “Raine, you have to go.” He said. He wasn’t sure how he would get rid of her in this world but he wasn’t about to let her defeat him.

Later that night, Raine was sitting at her desk by a window in her bedroom. Quite a few of her boxes had been unpacked but there were still some boxes left to be unpacked. She wasn’t thinking about the boxes though. She was writing in her journal, something she did whenever something big happened in her life. This time, she was writing about the move.

Raine saw something out of the corner of her eye. She looked out the window. To her surprise, there was a small young doe. The doe was looking at her. Raine didn’t move. She knew that if she moved, it would most likely take off running. She wondered why the doe was in her backyard. Her home wasn’t that close to the forest.

Raine watched the doe turn around before it ran away. Raine couldn’t help but wonder why the doe had stared at her. It was almost as if the doe knew something about her. Raine shook her head. She was just over thinking things.