A New View

Prologue

I had a particularly stressful day. It's complicated and I don't want to share exactly what happened. As I enter my room I locate the book I have been reading. It is my favorite book the false prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I have read it at least three times. I sit on my bed, adjust my hoodie, and opened the book at the beginning, and read the opening lines:

"If I had to do it all over again, I would not have chosen this life. Then again, I'm not sure I ever had a choice."

As I read those lines my eyes started to get heavy.

"Shoot' I whisper. I did not want to sleep as I said I loved this book and wanted to keep reading it. Before I could put the book away my body went limp, and I fell asleep sitting up with the book in my hand.

When my eyes open again I and lying down on a hard surface. I sit up and take in the scene around me. I lie on a grassy hill with a house on top. My hand finds a simple green dress with long sleeves in place of my hoodie, and a brown bag on my side.

"Who are you," someone behind me asks.

I turn around to a woman in older, raggy clothes I don't know her so I use the first name that comes to mind. "Phillipa"

"well then hello Phillipa," she said, "my name is Hellen, don't mind me asking but what are you doing on my lawn?"

"Oh, sorry," I said. Noticing that Hellen's accent sounded familiar "but I don't exactly know where I am?"

"Why, we're just outside Carchar," said Helen

I recognize the name, it's from the false prince. it's the town where Sage stayed as an orphan. But it can't be that Carchar so I ask Helen "What country are we in?"

"Carthya," she said giving me a confused look.

My mind races as I put the pieces together. "I must be dreaming," I say to myself.

"Phillipa are you alright?" asks Hellen

"Yes," I said thinking 'I'm dreaming, I have to be'

"Hellen," I ask" can you point me in the direction of Carchar?''

She pointed to a road that I could only assume led to Carchar. "Thank you, Hellen," I say as I start down the road. When I can no longer see the house I start running. As I run I think about what I've learned, after I read the book I was curious about the accents. so I did some research and found out that the Carthian accent is inspired by the British accent so I practiced it. I actually irritated my father a few times because I talked to myself. That's why Hellen's accent sounded familiar.

I see the town buildings in the distance, close enough to make out windows in the building. I start to notice the thumping on my thigh, and I remember the bag on my side. I open it and find a small bag full of coins, some paper, pencils, and a leather-bound book. I take out the book, there is no title on the front or sides and open it. On the inside is a handwritten composition, I noticed the first line and my heart stopped. I quickly shut the book, I knew the line by heart. It was the opening line to the false prince. I carefully put the book in my bag and kept walking.

Before I knew it I was in the center of town. I was looking at the buildings when I felt someone slam into my side. I fell to the ground with a thump. "ohh," I groaned. And as I stood up a sharp pain pricked my side and I instantly knew that this was no dream.