Nowhere: Book 1 of the Steorra Trilogy

Prologue

Only a sliver of the moon gleamed in the night sky, casting deep shadows over the city. Fog coated the streets, concealing the hustle and bustle of the evening. In London, the traffic never stopped, and its people were always on the move. Even in the dead of night, you could hear somebody chatting and laughing. Doors slammed, dogs barked, music blared, London never slept.

Four stories above it all, two boys sat side by side by the window of the old Gregory Orphanage.

"Mavric?" The first boy whispered, "Don't you ever wonder what it would be like to get out of this place? To go somewhere amazing?"

"Well, ya... doesn't everyone?" Mavric answered.

The first boy sighed, "I know you haven't been here long, but I've been here for years! I don't know..." He ran his fingers through his hair. "What if... I never get anywhere else. I've barely seen past this street. There has to be so much more out there."

Silence hung between the two for quite some time. The first boy sat gazing at the same starry sky he'd wished upon for thirteen years.

"There is, Jack," Mavirc whispered. "And I'm 400% sure you'll get there. You're the most persistent person I've ever met."

Jack cracked a smile. "I don't know how you do it."

"Do what?" Mavric answered.

"Always know what to say!"

"I guess I'm just naturally gifted," Mavric said through a laugh.

Jack grinned, "Well, Mr. 'Naturally Gifted,' you seem to know way more than I do. What's out there?"

"Well, um, there's cities, and buildings and... cities."

"That's obvious."

"What do you want me to say?" Mavric cried.

"Something! An adventure or a story or something!"

-CREEK-

The two immediately stopped talking, freezing at the sound. Jack strained his eyes searching the dark room. Everyone was asleep. He counted off the boys, all ten boys in row one, twelve in row two, and twelve in row three. Everyone except them. Somebody must have just turned in their sleep.

"How about this," Mavric whispered, "Once upon a time-"

"Oh, come on Mavric! It has to be something real."

"It's the best I can think of, so, shhhhh!"

Jack sighed but continued to listen.

"As I was saying, Once upon a time, there was a place.

"Wow, " Jack laughed, "A whole place! Very descriptive."

"You couldn't even let me finish a whole sentence could you?" Mavric said.

"Nope. Are you going to continue?" Jack asked eagerly.

"Maybe"

"You can't just leave it at, 'there was a place'," Jack protested. "That's worse than saying nothing! Mav-" 

 It was so far away," Mavric interrupted, "That the water forgot which direction to go. Instead of going down, it went up, traveling up to the top of anything it could find. And... It's sky had moons that always stayed-"

"Wait," Jack interrupted, "Moons, as in plural?"

"Yes," Mavric said flatly, "Lots of them, could you stop interrupting me?"

Jack grinned and whispered, "Fine."

"As I was saying... You could see beauty for miles. Huge snow-covered mountain ranges, with peaks that pierced the clouds," He said, pointing his hands towards the sky. "Hills covered in flowers ablaze with so much color it was hard to comprehend, stunning glowing forests that lit up even the darkest nights. No matter where you were, you could marvel at everything around you."

"Its cities were the most beautiful though, made to stand high with the clouds and represent the place they stood. The cities near the mountains used an array of stones to build their homes, and places in the hills painted everything in vibrant colors to match their flowers."

"It was a place for everyone, and nothing was impossible. Even things as crazy as magic."

Jack and Mavric quietly made their way back to their cots. By now, they had both memorized the way back to their beds in the dark.

"It sounds amazing," Jack whispered, looking down the row at Mavric. "And what are you going to call this fantastical place?"

"I think I'll call it... Nowhere," Mavric answered.