Chapter 1

"Libby!"

My manager's voice drifted over to me. I was currently kneeling on the floor, restocking the baby socks on one of the displays. I sighed and stood up.

"There you are!" my manager, Shelby said. "Can you run to the cafe and get me a drink?"

"Sure," I replied. It was a little annoying that I always had to go on drink and food runs because I was the newest one there, but it meant I got to leave the store for a few minutes. Which meant I would get to enjoy a few short moments without hearing a baby screaming.

"I'll have a-"

"Medium Mountain Dew, half ice?"

Shelby grinned, "This is why you're my favorite."

She handed me her debit card and hurried to the register, where a line was forming.

While I loved working at the baby store, it was not always easy for me. I was eighteen years old and not in school. I graduated high school, of course, but I was not in college. It wasn't that I couldn't get into a school; In fact, with my good grades and community service hours, I could probably get into plenty of schools. It was just that I wasn't a big fan of school. To me, learning about things irrelevant to my life was boring and a waste of time. The only subjects I enjoyed in high school were English and Music. Music was my passion. I wanted to sing and perform for others. Through music I could be anyone; I could live any story. Despite my shy nature, performing came natural to me. It was my way of expressing myself.

Reading was also a big hobby of mine. I had always loved fantasy worlds. They were an excellent escape from my boring life. I found myself relying on my books more than ever now that all my friends had gone off to school, leaving me to spend most of my days working.

I sighed to myself. I didn't mind working. It gave me something to do all day and people to talk to. But it was a long and sometimes hectic day and it wasn't what I truly wished to be doing with my time. It was frustrating that I had to work in retail in order to make money. I should have been spending my time working on my singing career. I found myself doubting if it would ever happen.

I ordered Shelby's Mountain Dew at the cafe next to the store, and hurried back. The autumn wind blew my hair around my face, so I kept my head down and walked as fast as I could. Suddenly I bumped into something solid and began to lose my balance. I toppled backwards, the Mountain Dew flying out of my hands as I prepared to catch myself.

"Oh my!" came a soft voice.

I looked up to see a very tall, elderly man peering down at me with wide eyes. He looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him before. He reached down and pulled me up with surprising strength.

I felt tears forming in my eyes when I realized that I would have to explain to my manager that I had spilt her drink. Sometimes I felt like I could do nothing right.

I sat down at one of the outdoor cafe tables and tried to collect myself. I felt my breaths coming in short gasps. Great, I was having one of my panic attacks. I had developed an anxiety problem in the beginning of the year, and it had been growing worse since my friends left for school. I felt like the world was crashing down around me.

"Now, now," said the man, sitting down across from me. "There is no need to cry over spilt milk...or whatever that was."

"Mountain...Dew," I said in between gasps. "For..my manager."

"Ahhh, I see."

"This isn't what I thought my life would be like!" I blurted out, resting my head on my hands, trying to control my breath.

"And what is it that you want your life to be like?" asked the man, stroking his long grey beard and observing me through deep blue eyes.

"Something exciting," I said. "I want to be able to travel and do the thing I love. I want my life to be an adventure. I want to live a life worth living."

"Hmm... I believe your life my turn around soon. You could possibly be living out your fantasies sooner than you think."

I actually believed the man...until I realized that he was probably just trying to calm a crazy girl down. He had been so kind to me. I really wanted to believe what he had told me, but I knew better than to let my imagination go too crazy. I felt like I had talked to him before, but I couldn't remember when.

"Have we met before?" I asked him, feeling quite shy and embarrassed now that my panic attack was coiming to an end.

"I believe we may have meet once or twice before...Good morning," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He stood up, bowed his head, and walked away.

I gawked at his back as he walked, but I did feel better after speaking with him. Then I sighed and decided to deliver the bad news about the Mountain Dew to my manager. I looked at the table and gasped.

On the table where the old man had been sitting, was a medium Mountain Dew, half ice.

"What took so long?" asked Shelby, taking the drink from my hand.

"There was a long line," I lied, feeling very strange.

"Okay, can you just hop on the register now, please. There is a long line of people here waiting to be rung out."

Finally at ten o'clock, after a long day of work, I had showered and eaten, and was in my bed with a good book. I tried to ignore the dull ache in my feet that matched the one in my head.

After staying up too late, like always, I had finished my book. I shut off my light and laid back, imagining myself in a fantasy world.

I would be braver than I was now and I would know how to sword fight. I would also be beautiful, with shiny hair and a perfect figure. I would use my skills to defeat the bad guy. Not to mention the handsome prince who would help me save the day and then sweep me off my feet. Why couldn't my life be like that? My mind continued to wander as I drifted off to sleep.