The Portal: Tales of Mentara, #1

PART ONE: THE OPENING

Prologue

The strap of the quiver felt foreign across her chest. She had only worn it a few times before today, and now she wished she had taken the time to really get used to it; especially running with the full bag thumping against her back. Charlotte ran almost silently through the jungle. Her senses alert, she jumped and kicked off the trunk of a tree, pushing hard and flying through the air until she connected with the purple trunk she wanted. Scurrying up the trunk, leaping from limb to limb like a monkey, she had the river back in sight within minutes.

Okay, stay calm, she thought. Breathe. The others are safe. You’ve been training hard. You can do this.

However, no matter what kind of pep talk she gave herself, she couldn’t help the cold feeling in her stomach. People would probably die today, and there would definitely be injuries. There was really no mentally preparing for a first battle. When the time came, she could only hope she would do what she had to do.

No, I won’t freeze up. They are counting on me to protect them. I have to be strong. I have to prove that I am valuable to them. That I am more than just a witch.

Charlotte swung the bow from her shoulder, the warm wood finding its spot in her palm like it belonged there. Taking a deep breath, she waited for the enemy to show their faces.

~ ~

Chapter One

School wasn’t supposed to be easy, but Charlotte thought science class was taking it too far. Just when she thought she understood a concept, when she felt her grades were finally leveling off, nope. The tests would have some phrase she didn’t recall from class or focused on something she hadn’t memorized completely. She was convinced that science itself was out to get her.

Only two more days of school next week, though. Just two more days and summer break would be here and she could forget about science for a time.

This teacher is trying to fail me, she grumbled as she traipsed down the hall. Most students were rushing past her. Locker doors slammed open and closed and the sound of stomping feet was everywhere. But Charlotte was in no hurry. She had no reason to look forward to the weekend.

A group of chattering girls passed her and a brown-tressed head popped out in her direction. Charlotte meant to ignore them, until she recognized the hazel eyes staring at her.

Hey, Fred and I are going to see that new action movie tomorrow, Lena said. Want to come?

Charlotte tried to appear nonchalant as she shrugged, but inside she was delighted. Lena always went out of her way to include her and it meant a lot to her.

Is it the one with dinosaurs or the one with spies? Charlotte asked.

Dinosaurs, of course. I know you hate spy movies. Lena held back from the group of girls, waving her goodbyes and giving hugs. Charlotte remembered when she used to be jealous of the fact that Lena had so many friends. Everyone loved her. How could they not? Running a hand through her own mop of dark red hair, she grinned to herself at the realization that she hadn’t been jealous of Lena in a long time. Charlotte didn’t need a ton of friends. The few she had were real, true friends, and that was what mattered.

Once the other girls were gone, after having completely ignored Charlotte, and the halls were less crowded, she and Lena strolled towards the front of the school together, talking quietly. Neither rode the bus home, so they could take their time leaving.

I heard that this movie is really cool. Groundbreaking, even. It uses some kind of computer graphics to make the dinosaurs look real. People have been talking about it for weeks, Charlotte said.

Computers making dinosaurs? I thought it was live-action, not a cartoon? Lena asked. She smoothed her straight hair back behind an ear and Charlotte smiled at her. Lena was one of those girls that was beautiful and didn’t realize it. It was part of her charm.

"No, it’s live-action. Like I said, it’s some ground-breaking stuff. Kind of like that one scene in Beauty and the Beast, in the dance hall. It’s partly computer graphics and partly animation. But this one has computer graphics with live-action. It’ll be awesome!"

"I’m still picturing Mary Poppins or Bedknobs and Broomsticks. You’ve lost me with all the computer talk. I just hope the dinosaurs aren’t too scary."

"And I hope they are really, really scary!" Charlotte said. The two girls grinned at each other as they exited the building and turned left at the highway in front of their middle school.

They’d gone about ten steps when Charlotte froze in place, her head whipping around to their right. Lena kept walking, not realizing that her friend wasn’t beside her. Meanwhile, Charlotte stared at a spot through the trees in the distance. Though Lena lived only a few blocks away, this rural area had more trees than houses. Charlotte’s eyes glazed over as she focused on the area, her face expressionless, her body stiff.

After a few minutes, Lena finally realized she was walking alone, and hurried back to her friend. Hey, what’s up? You see something?

Charlotte said nothing but slowly shook her head. At the sight of her blank expression and tense body, Lena’s brow creased and she laid a hand on her shoulder.

You feel it again, don’t you? That pull or whatever?

Charlotte nodded and Lena blew air out of her mouth in a raspberry. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Charlotte spoke first.

It’s close this time. Really close. Like, in town. It’s usually far away.

How far?

States. Oceans.

And you can feel it from here? The incredulous look on Lena’s face wasn’t lost on Charlotte as she shook off her dream-like state and came completely back to the present. Explaining these feelings to her friend was hard. Well, with most people it was, but Lena was one of the few people in her life that believed her about her abilities. She was also one of the few that had witnessed them first hand.

Tomorrow, I think. I can find out exactly what it is tomorrow. It’ll be even stronger then.

How do you know?

Charlotte shrugged and adjusted her backpack strap on her shoulder. I just know.

Lena blew a raspberry again and crossed her arms over her chest. "But what about Jurassic Park?"

Charlotte gave her friend a sly grin. Lena, forget the movie. We can see it anytime. This is a real adventure. I just know it!

~ ~

Chapter Two

The moon was only a sliver tonight as Charlotte gripped the waist-high fence with one hand. Even though the heat of the day had yet to fully wear off, the metal was cold to her palm as she jumped over. Leaves crunched under her feet as she landed. She had no real reason to be home tonight. Her mother’s new boyfriend was over and she was done with her homework, so sneaking out seemed the best option at hand. They wouldn’t miss that she was gone.

One streetlamp shined brightly over the town park, the playground area off toward the back left in shadows. Charlotte couldn’t quite see the old swing set yet, but she knew Daniel was there. The squeal of the swing moving back and forth gave him away.

Sprinting over, Charlotte plastered a smile on her face. She always wanted to appear in good spirits around little Daniel. Though only three years younger than her, he was so short and slight that she felt like she was meeting a kid she was babysitting. Not that Daniel needed a babysitter. As Charlotte approached, her eyes focusing on the boy and his too-large clothes, she let out a sigh. No, he needed a friend more than anything.

He waved when he finally noticed her presence. Hey, Charlotte! What are you doing out tonight?

Oh, the usual, she replied. Pulling a half-eaten candy bar out of her pocket, she tossed it at him. Daniel caught it easily.

Thanks.

No problem. She settled on the rusty swing beside him, her eyes focusing on the broken see-saws to their left. So, I’m going on an adventure tomorrow.

Oh yeah? His words were barely discernable over his chewing.

Yeah. If you want, you can come with me. If you don’t have plans, that is.

Daniel snorted at the idea of having plans. Charlotte finally faced at him, careful not to let pity show in her eyes. Well, you know, I have to ask, just in case.

They said nothing for a few minutes as Daniel polished off the candy bar. A slight breeze stirred their hair, making the broken swing next to Charlotte give its own little squeal of protest. She couldn’t help seeing the irony in this spot being the refuge that she and Daniel sought out. The dilapidated playground equipment and broken metal was a reflection of what awaited them back home.

She shook her head to get rid of such depressing thoughts. Concentrating on her palm, Charlotte squinched her eyebrows together as she focused her thoughts on creating fire. After a short time, a tiny flame came to life, flickering in the air a half inch above her skin.

Daniel grinned in the dark. Not bad. Maybe you can come by and bring me fire at night in the winter.

You’ve got to stop sleeping here, Daniel. Especially in the winter.

He merely shrugged at her. So, what kind of adventure are you planning for tomorrow?

Charlotte squeezed her fingers together, snuffing out the flame without burning herself. I’m not exactly sure. It’s something relating to my freakish powers, though. It could possibly be dangerous, I don’t know.

He grinned at her, his tiny face lighting up. I’m in.

* * * * *

Saturday dawned hot and humid. One thing Charlotte hated about where she lived was the humidity. Sure, it wasn’t as bad as, say, Florida or Louisiana, but it was still pretty miserable. If only