The Friendship Trials

Chapter 1

The Start

(3rd Person POV,Syd)

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  It was a cold, dark day for the beginning of August. 16 kids stood in front of a large, cobblestone wall that supposedly keeps visitors out. The sun was just rising as the thin cold fog licked their feet.

One girl, a blonde haired one with a neon green streak like Lightning, lifted her foot at the touch of the fog. She shivered a bit and eyed the ground, which was hidden among the fog. She sighed while slowly putting her foot down. She looked over to her friend, a purple haired girl with random black highlights here and there. "Is this the place?" The girl asked.

  The purple haired girl looked over at her friend and gripped one of the straps of her Purple bookbag. She swung the bag over her shoulder and onto the ground with a noticeable thud. The girl crouched down to unzip on of the black zippers and shoved her hand in the bag. Her hand shifted around until she hit a piece of paper, Well..More like a envelope. She pulled out the light purple tinted envelope and flipped open the already open seal. The girl eyed the letters and looked back up to her friend while saying, "I'm pretty sure, I mean what other place in Pittsburgh is named Red Row Mansion?"

  The blonde shook her thoughts away,since she was watch her friend every move. She smiled." Yeah, I guess your right." She sighed and turned towards the rest of the group.

  14 other faces stared back as they all stood on the long mulch path that slowly disappeared into the dark,dense woods. She blinked a few times then jolted around, to look at the silver gates towering ahead.

  The gates were about 30-feet high and rose above the 20-foot square hedges that covered the cobblestone wall. The gate had a strange design on it, like a 2-year-old designed it with a sheet of paper full of swirls and curves. Apparently, this was to make the mansion more fancy looking. At the top of the gates were sharp, pointed spikes. At the very tip of the 2-foot spikes was a bit of rust that glittered a bit in morning sun.

  The blonde haired girl could see her breath as she walked up to the gate, her own little cloud that disappears into pieces. She gripped on of the metal bars with her exposed hand and shivered. The cold seemed to crawl up her arm, so she jolted back to open the gate.

  The gate creaked to life as it slowly moved,in a semicircle, to the wall and crashed into it,silently. The blonde haired girl sighed, another cloud forming in her face. She slowly walked forward, the mulch turning into gravel that crunched beneath her feet. The fifteen other kids followed behind.

  They all walked through a field of wild flowers that was growing in the area where the wall and the mansion was feet apart. They finally reached the mansion's matching cobblestone steps. There were only a few steps, two or three, that were falling apart at the edges holding up a set of large wooden doors that were about 7 feet high.

  The blonde haired girl walked up the steps and to the doors while four kids, including the purple haired girl,behind her did the same. When the kids moved forward, the kids that were still on the path took a step forward.

  The blonde haired girl stared at the golden door knobs that reflected her turquoise eyes back at her. She blinked a few times as she thought Should we really do this? She clenched her teeth, gripping the golden door knobs and swung the doors open, almost hitting the four kids behind her.

  Almost immediately, the kids were overcome by a cloud of dust. They all coughed and gagged a bit as they entered the room.

  The room was a rather large library with tall, dark wood bookshelves that held millions of books. Each book, and the top of the shelves that were pushed up along the walls, were covered with dust. Four large Glowstone lamps with no known source of electricity, no cord or plug either. Dust was in every inch of the room, including the dark red carpets. The dust left in the air was flying around, giving the room a snowy affect.