The Beginning (Fantasy Or Reality Series)

Chapter One

A/N: I would just like to point out that characters are more like their canon selves in this series than their fanon selves. Thank you

It was a normal beginning of a school day. Ten to nine, Beth went to tutor. Twenty five past nine, she went to her first lesson. At break though, every school building crumbed in on itself. People shouted and screamed. Beth covered her ears, her bright blue eyes clenched shut. Her brown waves flapped in the wind from the falling buildings. Teachers ran around trying to restore order and calmness. Hope, the school dog, barked at something rising from the ruins. The something was black and seemed to be midway between gas and liquid. Silence fell. Beth reached for her girlfriend's hand. Ashley was short, blonde and hazel eyed. Said eyes were wide. Needless to say, Beth's squeeze was returned.
The something became an enormous man. A man made of shadow. His eyes were glowing gold. More screams. The shadow-man laughed. It was a deep, evil laugh. With a click of his fingers, nearly everyone disappeared from the field. Now, Beth screamed. She spun around to see who was still there. Ashley. Cain, tall, short black hair and greenish blue eyes. Rosie, tall, long wavy brown hair, freckled and brown eyes. Elliot, tall, Rosie's brother, with short brown hair, brown eyes and freckles. Emily, tall, long blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Ailsa, short, dirty blonde hair, and dark brown eyes.
Oliver, an old friend. Dirty blond hair and tears falling from dark grey eyes. Then there was the shadow-man. He smiled an evil smile at them,
"Well done, chosen few," His voice was deep, "You have been selected to return your reality to normal."
"What the f*ck do you mean?!" Emily screamed. The shadow-man laughed again,
"Let's just say you'll be dealing with your fantasies."
With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared and so did the field. Instead, they were placed in a forest. There was no hint whatsoever as to where they were. Ashley reached into her blazer pocket for her phone. She sighed and shook her head. Beth studied the forest around them. Her eyes widened with shock for the second time. A black arch with the same purple state as the shadow-man stood in a little nook.
By now, Oliver had wiped his eyes,
"So, where does everyone think we are?"
They all agreed that they were somewhere in someone's minecraft server. Rosie, Elliot, Cain and Ashley agreed that it was nowhere anywhere on SMP world that they had watched. Out of natural habit, Beth had put her hands in her pockets. Only to find something there that hadn't been before. She pulled it out and gasped. Five gemstones were being held together by gold and black linings.
"I think I know where we are," She whispered, a grin beginning to form. She grabbed a set of vines and climbed a small but steep hill. The others, knowing that she couldn't be left unattended for long, soon followed.
A stone temple stood before them. Well, the remains of a temple that had been hastily rebuilt and reinforced. The amulet sat proudly at the front of the temple. Vines hung from various bricks. The group stood in silent awe. Somehow, the presence of the temple was enough to calm them. They could have stood there for seconds, minutes, perhaps even an hour. The sound of hooves drew them from their reverence. A man with blue armour, dark skin, chocolate brown eyes and an even darker beard sat upon a black stallion. He must have heard Beth's draw of breath for he looked up sharply, revealing dark circles beneath his fierce eyes. The other teenagers gave her a look of Good f*cking job! She smiled sheepishly. The man glared,
"What are you doing here?" His deep voice was suspicious. Then he noticed the amulet, "How did you get that?!"
The group flinched. Emily involuntarily shoved Beth forward. The girl gulped, just able to hold the man's gaze,
"W-We.... We..." She took a deep steadying breath, "It's a long and unbelievable story, to say the least."
Silence.
"Our school collapsed in on itself. Some guy made of shadows showed up, vanished everyone and sent us here." She was oddly matter of fact. The man's eyes were wide. He closed them, took a deep breath and opened them again. His expression was hard to read but eventually he gestured for them to come down. Warily, the teens did so. The stallion walked forward and nuzzled them. Ashley, Oliver and Emily tensed. Cain, Elliot and Ailsa looked confused. Beth and Rosie stroked its nose, causing a happy whinny.
The man regarded them skeptically before entering the temple. The teens shrugged and followed. Needless to say, there was a very awkward and tense silence. Beth found herself wishing that her fiddle toy was able to exist here. After a while, the man spoke,
"I expect an explanation as to how you got that amulet and how you know this temple's location."
The teens nodded.
He led them up a flight of stairs. Silently, he walked over to the edge of the second floor and gazed at horizon.
Beth took in her surroundings. There was an enormous map on the wall, a pedestal (for the amulet presumably), a few levers and a tall bookshelf. Her friends walked over near it. She followed. Oliver was hyperventilating while Ashley desperately tried to comfort him. Cain answered Beth's unspoken question,
"He's frightened, just like the rest of us."
Eventually, the blond boy calmed down somewhat, "A-Anyone know who he is?"
Beth nodded, "This is the Original Order of the Stone's temple. That's Gabriel the Warrior. I expect he's waiting for Ivor and Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer or Magnus the Rogue. Hopefully not Soren the Architect but I have a feeling he'll show."
It felt odd to be saying their names and titles. She was so used to calling them by their names.
"So," Elliot said, "We're waiting for people who are very good at certain aspects of minecraft."
"That is the long and short of it, yeah."
Rosie, apparently bored of the conversation, walked over to the bookshelf. She scanned the titles and raised an eyebrow,
"These... Aren't from our world." She said slowly. To everyone's surprise, Gabriel gave an impatient sigh,
"Well, of course they're not! You're not from here so why would your history be?"
The teens shut up.

It was afternoon by the time someone entered the temple. She had short brown hair and dark red armour with gold highlights. She eyed the teens suspiciously but made no comment. For the first time, Gabriel smiled,
"Ellegaard, finally! What kept you?"
"I was looking for survivors when Redstonia collapsed."
Gabriel placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder,
"At least you're all right."
Ellegaard turned to the teens, fixing them with a cold stare,
"What are they doing here?"
"I've said they can explain fully once you and Ivor were here."
Ellegaard hummed, her face unreadable, "They are kids." She muttered. Gabriel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose,
"Have you forgotten Cassie Rose? She wasn't much older than Jesse."
"Gabriel, they're in uniform! If they had weapons, they would have been confiscated."
It seemed that the warrior couldn't find a response. He opened his mouth and closed it again.
Beth studied Ellegaard. Did she really have their side or was it merely well disguised pity? Before she had time to think, a tall, pale man came up the stairs. His black hair hung lank down his back. His eyes widened as he saw the teens,
"What are they doing here?" He hissed. Gabriel's eyes hardened as he too looked at them,
"Don't worry, Ivor. All three of us are here now; they have to explain themselves."