Morgana's Key

Chapter 1 - Rare voices.

"Jamie! You're going to be late!" Jamie's mother called, hurriedly getting him out the door before he was late for highschool. It wasn't exactly easy; despite his protest, Jamie and his mother had moved from Burgess to this strange town just two weeks ago. He hadn't even unpacked the boxes that scattered his room, books, clothing, whatever it was.

Jamie fixed his shirt as he rushed out the door, a simple dark green shirt, black joggers, red shoes, and hell, it was cold. Jamie grabbed his favorite fluffy beige jacket as he left the house. So much for a nice breakfast, he'd thought to himself, but he was in no position to complain, his mother was trying her best moving here with two kids. He glanced back at their new house, the half painted hale navy color and the other half the  original white paint, the exterior made him wince, he kept walking.

As Jamie briskly walked towards the school, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something peculiar about Arcadia Oaks. The town seemed to hold an air of mystery, as if it had secrets woven into its very fabric. As he approached the school gates, he noticed a group of students huddled together, whispering and glancing in his direction. Maybe just a new kid thing. Hopefully.

Jamie felt a mix of nervousness and curiosity. Being the new kid in town was never easy, but this seemed different. As he entered the school building, the rumors he had heard about trolls and knights echoed in the back of his mind. He chuckled at the absurdity of such tales and dismissed them as the product of an overactive imagination. North had gotten a good laugh when Jamie told the rumors to him.

As Jamie walked through the halls, he would glance over at the graduates of each year. 2006, 2010, 2012, 2016, even one for last year's graduates of 2020.

Though something was odd about 2016, it felt... off, moreso the 10th grades. He read the names; Darci Scott, Eli Pepperjack, Claire Nuñez, he had to admit, the names were odd but they look rather good in their pictures. Jamie eventually got to a pictureless frame, 'Jim Lake Jr' the name read.

"Mh.." Jamie hummed quietly, finding it odd they didn't put in a picture, but nevertheless, Jamie kept walking before he was late to his first class.

The day went on like any other typical high school day. Jamie attended classes, met a few classmates, and tried to navigate the maze-like corridors of the school. However, he couldn't ignore the occasional strange feeling he'd get, the call of his name he'd hear that was seemingly from no one that no one else heard. Jamie wondered if he was just going insane, probably just needed more water.

Days turned into weeks, and Jamie found himself gradually adapting to the rhythm of Arcadia Oaks. Yet, the mysterious aura of the town persisted, leaving him with a lingering sense of unease.

One afternoon, as Jamie was exploring the town after school, he stumbled upon an old bookstore tucked away in a quiet corner. The sign above the entrance read "Mystic Tomes." Intrigued, Jamie decided to step inside. The shop was filled with dusty shelves, each crammed with ancient-looking books and artifacts. Some newer books to appease the younger groups of course but the majority remained older books.

The bell above the door jingled as Jamie entered, and an elderly man with a long white beard emerged from behind the counter. His eyes sparkled with a knowing glint, as if he held the answers to the questions Jamie hadn't even asked.

"Welcome, young one. You're not from around here, are you?" the old man asked, his voice carrying a weight of wisdom.

Jamie hesitated for a moment before responding, "No, I just moved here with my mom." He didn't feel the need to tell the seemingly old librarian anything more, but somehow he felt as though the man already knew everything.

The old man nodded knowingly. "Arcadia Oaks has a long history, filled with mysteries and wonders. Some may call them rumors, but others believe in the ancient tales that whisper through the town's cobblestone streets."

Intrigued, Jamie asked, "Ancient tales? Like what?"

The old man motioned towards a dusty tome on a nearby shelf. "Take a look for yourself. The answers you seek may lie within the pages of these forgotten stories." The man spoke, a knowing but partially unreadable expression laying across his aged face.

Jamie found the man odd but nonetheless he picked through books and read as much as he could. Oddly enough, some books didn't make sense whatsoever, a language Jamie couldn't pinpoint. He'd never seen such text before, wasn't the latin alphabet, not chinese, not Arabic, Jamie just stuck to whatever he knew.

As Jamie continued reading, albeit barely, he suddenly heard a voice. "Jamie." a voice called,  but as Jamie looked up, nobody was there to call him. He glanced at the old man but the old man was busy nose deep in his own book, muttering away.

"Jamie." The voice called again just as Jamie looked back down, Jamie, who was sure this was just some prank, set the book down, walking outside to go find whoever was messing with him.

"Jamie." The voice called from down the street, Jamie followed. He followed and followed until he reached a forest, he hesitated but followed in anyway. The voice led to a pile of rocks, intricate designs etched into the stone that looked to be made thousands of years ago.

"Jamie." The voice called from the bottom of the rocks, and Jamie started reluctantly digging through the pile. Digging and digging until he found what looked like a... pendant? An amulet? A coin? It had gold coloring and glowed a faint warm tint. Jamie wasn't too sure what it was. Either way, he stuffed it in his pocket, looking around to see if anyone was around. None. Jamie started heading back.

He needed to get home.

( Hey! This is my first official fic. I am a student and midterms are actually beating me up right now so I might be slow to update but I promise I'm working on it! I hope you guys like it and I'll update when I can!! - GHROST )