Chapter 1

MEET THE JENKINS.

napping awake, Jenni lay motionless as she felt

her heart race wildly in her chest. This is not my room. She thought as her body took in her surroundings. The smell and temperature of the air, the feel of the sheets and mattress that she was laying on; nothing was right. With controlled breaths, she turned her focus on the last memories she had. te!t from her parents, pi""a, a flash of light, and then# nothing. With a growing sense of danger, Jenni cracked open her eyes and scanned the room around her. $ooks, %undreds and hundreds of books were stacked, piled, and leaned against one another on the floor in front of her. &arge shel'es that co'ered e'ery inch of the room(s outer walls were also filled with books of 'arying shapes and si"es.

The faded co'ers formed muted rainbows that stretched up to the high ramparts of the ceiling. The rungs of the sliding ladders that where connected to the bookshel'es also housed a medley of books and papers, as did the o'erstuffed chairs that where nestled in the dark corners of the room. Jenni didn(t recogni"e the library she was in, which was unusual because she had become well ac)uainted with the libraries of the many schools she had attended. %ello, she called, *s anyone there+ ,rowing an!ious for answers, Jenni kicked the thin blanket off her legs and sat up.

- .ear/ came a muffled 'oice, drawing Jenni0s attention towards a bookcase on the far side of the room that had swung open, re'ealing a hidden doorway. *t(s much too soon for you to be up and mo'ing, said a soft female 'oice as a child pushed the door wide open and stepped into the room. Jenni sat in stunned ama"ement as the child hurried to her side, its features( morphing from what she originally thought was a young girl of si! or se'en years of age, into that of an old woman. s the woman drew closer, Jenni disco'ered the blond hair that was pulled into a tight bun, was really gray and deep set wrinkles filled the areas around her eyes and mouth. Strange as it was, something about this little grandmotherly woman seemed 'aguely familiar to Jenni, as if she had seen her someplace before. &ay back down/ the woman demanded in a tone that was a perfect mi!ture of lo'ing mother and cell1block warden. 2ou need a lot more rest, and that in3ury is no where near ready for you to be up and about, she added, as she remo'ed a tiny pair of s)uare shaped glasses from her apron. What in3ury+ Jenni asked; turning her arms and legs this way and that, in search of a wound. 2our head, you smacked it a good one, the old woman replied, as she leaned in and inspected the area abo'e Jenni(s right eye. %er old face morphed into a series of painful

e!pressions as she glanced from one side of Jenni(s head to the other. ARTWORK

.oesn(t it hurt+ the old woman in)uired. 4o/ Jenni offered, causing the old woman to let out a deep belly laugh. nother testament to the abilities of my special mi!ture. * ha'e yet to find a being it won(t work on, she gushed. $ut *(ll need to get another dose in you soon, the effects will be wearing off now that you(re up and mo'ing, she added. Turning back towards the open door, she called, %oney, our young guest is up/
The fact that she had sustained some type of head injury should have sent Jenni into a panic. But her mind was currently occupied with the strange old woman, and the growing feeling that she knew her somehow. Her circling thoughts were interrupted by several thuds near the open doorway. A small figure emerged, but this time she didn t mistake him for a child. The tiny person, scooping up papers and re!shelving a few books, was an old man. The long white beard, tangled up with the pile of disheveled papers he was trying to regain control over, was an obvious giveaway of both his age and gender.

Still, it was his strange outfit that ga'e Jenni pause and peaked her interest. 5nee length shorts, one piece knitted pull o'er shirt, and wide strapped sandals ga'e the man a sort of hippie, stoner 'ibe. Jenni imagined him dri'ing an old 6W bus heading to a ,rateful .ead or 7hish concert, where he would sell handmade peace sign necklaces and tie1dye t1shirts. $ringing her attention back up to the man(s face, she half e!pected to find his hair knotted into unmanageable dreadlocks or pulled back under a bandanna. *nstead, she disco'ered the entire top of his head co'ered by a large red hat that stood up straight, ending in a perfect point. 2ou(re a ,nome/ Jenni blurted out. 2es, we are ,nomes, the old man said, shooting the tiny woman a )uestioning look, as if Jennie should ha'e already known that fact. $ut ,nomes don(t e!ist, Jennie murmured. nd * thought they were smaller, she continued.

nd yet here we are, taller then you may ha'e e!pected, but still 'ery real, the man said in a playful 'oice, holding his arms open wide as he circle, allowing Jenni spun slowly in a to take him in fully.

8orathi and &illy Jenkins, he added, pointing between himself and his wife, as if a formal introduction was all that was needed. Jenni ga'e an uncertain shrug and winced, putting her hand to her head. &illy knelt beside her and took Jenni(s hand. She placed two fingers on Jenni(s wrist checking her pulse. &illy raised her other hand to Jenni(s forehead; causing her to flinch back with reawakening pain. .oes she ha'e a fe'er+ 8orathi )uestioned, wondering if that would e!plain her confusion. * don(t know, &illy answered, she feels a little warm, and her heart rate is up a bit, but that could 3ust be from the e!citement. 7erhaps her in3ury was more e!tensi'e then we originally thought, 8orathi commented, as he leaned in to ha'e a closer look. %is ad'ancement caused Jenni to slide across the mattress and throw up her arm, blocking the old man(s face with her hand.
9TW-95

That(s close enough, Jenni huffed. %onestly, since when was a little bump on the head an open in'itation to in'ade someone(s personal space. &et(s all 3ust take a few steps back, ok, she snarled, glaring at the man. The gnome couple took a step backwards, as Jenni reached up and gently probed the area right underneath her hairline. Stiff straps of cloth crumbled as she picked and poked the wound, causing spider webs of pain to stretch across her forehead. What ha'e you done to me+ Jenni shouted, sending both 8orathi and &illy retreating back a few feet more, shocked by her outburst. 4othing, * swear, 8orathi soothed, you had already sustained your in3uries when we found you unconscious in our orchard. &illy(s face reddened with anger as she insisted; We would ne'er harm a child, no matter what stream they were from. The old Woman said, the strangeness of her comment causing Jenni(s face to distort in confusion. What are you talking about+ Jenni asked, What stream+ She had a feeling they weren(t talking about water. Was stream some sort of strange reference to her race or nationality+ *nstantly her mind raced back to &udwig who had warned many times about people who would try to kidnap her. %e said that her parent(s fame and line of work would make them targets for two types of criminals. -ne group would be

after her parent(s money in the form of a ransom, the other would simply try and hurt her parents because they ob3ected to there line of work, both present and past. *('e been kidnapped, she whispered in disbelief. 5idnapped+ 8orathi and &illy replied in unison as if it was the strangest thing they had e'er heard. That0s it, isn0t it, Jenni stated as she broke out in hysterical laughter, causing &illy and 8orathi to e!change worried glances. *t(s perfect, *(ll gi'e you that much/ Jenni concluded. 2ou drug me, or hit me o'er the head to knock me out. Then, wham1o bam1o, * wake up here in this strange room. nd all *(ll be able to tell the police is that * was kidnapped by a couple of ,nomes. Jenni got the words out 3ust before erupting in laughter once again. 2ou don0t understand/ 8orathi started to say. 4o, * think it(s you who doesn(t understand, she said gi'ing the two an e'il glare. The only way my parents will gi'e you a dime is if *(m returned :4% 98;., Jenni emphasi"ed the last word as she pointed to her own forehead. We did not harm you, and you ha'e not been kidnapped. 8orathi promised. Then you won(t mind if * see myself out, Jenni drawled, as she stepped from the mattress and headed for the opening in the book cases.

2ou can(t 3ust lea'e, &illy cried, panic filling her 'oice. 8orathi, do something/ she continued falling in behind her husband, who was already hot on Jenni0s trail. S)uee"ing through the opening, Jenni stepped into a smaller room that looked to be a pri'ate study. *n the center of the room were thirteen o'erstuffed chairs arranged around a large round table. There was a warm glow coming from the fireplace to the left of the table and bookshel'es dominated the outer walls. Jenni spied a large ornate wooden door directly across from her and took a hesitant step in that direction. 2ou need to stay here and let us protect you, 8orathi demanded, stepping into the room behind Jenni. The only protection * need is from you two, Jenni retorted, as she hurried around the table aiming for the door. 4ow she was wishing &udwig was around to sa'e her from this situation. She hoped he was okay since she couldn(t remember how she was kidnapped. %e could be hurt or e'en dead, although she didn(t think these two could ha'e gi'en him much of a fight. %e must ha'e been taken by surprise somehow. Stop, &illy yelled, There are dangerous creatures out there. $eings that would do you harm. Jenni paused as she reached for the door handle. * can take care of myself, she declared. She was pretty confident in her martial arts; she(d been learning to defend herself since she

could walk, and had taken down more them one full grown adult without any problems. 4ot out there you can(t, 8orathi argued. Jenni shook her head in disbelief, and yanked the door open. She took one step forward and collided with a solid wall of fur that blocked the entire doorway.