A Wager in Time chapter 1

This is a story I am writing simply for the fun of it, starring me and two of my friends. It seemed like a neat way to help get me into the flow of writing again as I have been dealing with a major block. I won't be stressing over it so if you see a lot of mistakes feel free to leave me a review, they are always welcome; good or bad but don't be too upset if I don't go back and fix them.

.          Chapter one.

            "Why can't guys like Jacob Kensling be real?" Megan sighed and put the book back on the shelf. Jennifer just shook her head.

             "Because this is the twenty first century and Jacob Kensling is a fictional character from the eighteen hundreds. Why do you pick up books you already own to look at when we go to a book store anyway?" She asked.

         Megan shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, because their my favorites I guess." She grinned. "That one is one of your favorites also, you wish he was real to, don't deny it."

         Jennifer didn't deny it instead she glanced around at the small bookshop the two had found.

         "This place is really neat, small but it feels kind of old doesn't it? I wonder how come I never noticed it before."

         "I know I like it too. I mean most of these books look really old yet they have a copy of The Gypsy and The Gentleman. You know I go down Michigan Street all the time and never noticed this place before either, maybe they just recently opened." Megan said.

         They rounded the corner of a shelf and Megan's eyes lit up. Jennifer smiled at her Megan was a little bit of a diva so the glass case that appeared just a few feet away containing no doubt lots of store trinkets and things was like a magnet and Megan was a shiny piece of metal.

         She nearly skipped over to the counter and began scanning its contents. Jennifer followed her friend and was surprised to discover that instead of leather note books and pretty page markers the case held an amazing display of jewelry. Jennifer looked up and down the row of the store. They were at the back of the store and this last wall seemed to be designated to display candles, knickknacks and other things. She thought most of them looked old. The pieces in the glass display might perhaps be costume jewelry she thought, because if most of it was real it could be worth a fortune.

         "Wow Megan this stuff is really nice." Jennifer said as she continued to look.

          There were so many different designs and no order to the layout so it was impossible to see anything similar in any two things unless of course it was a set of earrings. She continued to look until her eyes landed on a small round silver piece.

         "Oh my god I love it, it's the most interesting and beautiful charm I think I have ever seen." She had never seen anything so intricately made with small gem stones, it seemed to scream out at her and she desperately hoped it didn't cost too much.

         "Hmm . . .” Megan pulled herself away from the bracelets she had been admiring to see what her friend was talking about. Jennifer was a picky person, it wasn't that she was difficult or spoiled she just had a very unique taste. Megan was aware that her friend shared her passion for old things, even if for Megan it didn't always relate to her fashion sense; it did however make sense that her friend would find something here she liked.

         Just then a woman stepped out from a doorway behind the glass. The doorway was covered only by long strands of colorful beads that hung down from the top until they hit the floor, yet oddly neither of them had noticed it just moments ago.

         "Hello ladies, is there anything perhaps you might want to get a better look at?" She asked them.

         Jennifer studied the woman as she spoke, her voice held a thick accent that she couldn't place and though the woman had to be about fifty she seemed as vibrant as a teenager. Their eyes met and the shop woman held her gaze, then for just a moment she felt stuck, as if the woman's chocolate brown orbs held some power over her. It made her shiver; it was like having someone spy into you. The moment passed and the woman looked away smiling at them both now. Jennifer looked over at her friend; Megan didn't seem to have noticed anything, so she thought perhaps she had just imagined it.

         "Yes, my friend would like to look at that charm there please." Megan replied, still happy that they were shopping for jewelry.

         "Oh that one is a special piece. You have very good taste my dear." The woman said pulling the charm out.

         She held it in her palm on a piece of red velvet and motioned for Jennifer to take a look. Jennifer quickly forgot the weird stare from the woman and asked if she could hold it.

         "Why of course you can. I’m having a sale today and would be willing to sell it for eight hundred.” The woman said.

          “Oh wow, I didn’t think it would cost so much. I can’t afford that.” Jennifer said.

         She lowered her hands and watched as the woman began to slide the charm on its velvet bed back into the case.

         Megan felt bad that Jennifer couldn’t buy the charm so she began asking the lady about other pieces and some of the prices in hopes that they might both find something else they liked and could afford.

         Jennifer interrupted the pair suddenly and Megan realized that her friend hadn’t looked away from the piece of jewelry.

          “I’d like to see the charm again please.” Jennifer said.

         The shop keeper seemed surprised and reluctant to reply. Megan noticed and though she thought it odd she assumed it was because she didn’t want to have someone trying on pieces that they weren’t going to buy.

         Megan put a hand on Jennifer’s shoulder getting her friends attention.

         ”Jen it cost too much why not see if there’s another charm you like.” Megan said.

         Jennifer knew her friend was right but she couldn’t get rid of this insane feeling that she actually needed to touch the damn thing. She wondered what had gotten into her and noticing that the lady hadn’t moved to get the piece yet she decided to admit defeat and leave the charm where it was without being able to hold it. The shop keeper having decided to speak up at that moment didn’t give Jennifer time to say it though.

         ”Of course you may see it again but I have to warn you first that this is a special charm. I can only sell it to someone it wants to go with." The woman said in her thick accent. 

         "What? What are you talking about; that's just crazy, if you don't want to sell it then you shouldn't have it out here in this case." Megan was trying to berate the lady but she didn't seem to care.

         The woman behind the counter opened the case slowly; she watched Jennifer as if waiting to see if the girl would change her mind and when she didn’t the woman lifted the red velvet with the charm on it and held it out for the pretty brunette.


         Megan stopped talking since it was obvious neither of them were paying attention. She looked at her friend wondering why she was acting so odd; Jen was just standing there staring at the thing in the lady’s hand. She stepped closer deciding to get a better look at the thing herself. Then something occurred to her that she hadn't realized before.

         "Hey I've seen this charm before!" She declared.

         "What? That's impossible, there is no way that you could have ever seen this charm before, or any like it." The lady frowned at Megan.

         "OK well maybe I never actually saw it for real, but look", Megan pointed out, "Look Jen it's exactly like the one they describe in the book. You know The Gypsy and The Gentleman.You know before Marissa puts it on and it turns all blue the gems are four different colors just like this one. Blue, red, green and white; and even the design kind of matches the way the author described."

         Jennifer was trying to remember the necklace in the story that Megan was talking about, she hadn’t read it as many times as her friend but had read it more then once. The book said that the magical charm had four stones, one for each of the elements. It was supposed to be small, round and she knew it mentioned something about the pattern though she couldn’t remember exactly what it said. In the story when the gypsy lady put the charm on a necklace and wore it she somehow connected with the element of water and all the gems turned a shade of blue.

         "You're right, it does match the description of the one Marissa has in the book." She turned to her friend smiling. "How neat is that, I could have a magical charm necklace just like the gypsy in our favorite book." Jennifer wiggled her eye brows and grinned, "And who knows maybe next we will find your Jacob Kensling."

         She teased Megan; she didn't really believe that the thing was magical. She was an open minded person but not that open. Megan rolled her eyes at her.


         "Whatever, are you going to buy it?" Megan asked then she looked at the shop lady.

         "I guess I should say can she buy it?"

         The lady had annoyed her and she didn't see any point in pretending niceness. "Or does the thing not want to go with her?"

         The lady looked at Jennifer then she said something that confused them both.

          "I'm not sure, you do look right but" The woman stopped and seemed to scrutinize Jennifer.

         She had thought the woman was only talking fluff before about being able to sell the charm to a certain person; now Jennifer was beginning to wonder about this woman.


         "What do you mean she looks right? Look if you don't want to sell it", Megan began but was quickly cut off.

(indent) "I told you already, it is not entirely up to me." The woman turned to Megan then meeting her eye.

          Megan felt a strange shiver start in her and found that she couldn't look away. She was caught in the gaze of a pair of deep set eyes, and suddenly she felt far to exposed. She didn't know why nor could she explain the sudden emotion but as soon as the woman looked away it was gone.

         Jennifer was still wondering about the woman’s odd comments when she noticed that Megan kept blinking her eyes and looking from her to the woman. She remembered how she had felt earlier and decided enough was enough. It was time for them to leave, the woman was beyond weird and she decided that if she wanted to play games to sell her jewelry than she could do it to somebody else. She was on the verge of telling the woman just that when once again the woman managed to speak up just before Jennifer could say anything.

          “Here, why don’t you hold it for a minute and we’ll see what happens.” The woman said.

         The woman outstretched her hand to Jennifer with a look that made Megan nervous. Jennifer however wasn’t concerned with the woman at that moment because once the charm had been thrust before her eyes she once again couldn’t seem to focus        on anything else. She was being stupid she told herself; it was only a piece of jewelry. She wondered how everything had become such a big deal since the moment she asked to see the thing. She really liked the jewelry but seeming to come to her senses decided too much time and drama was being spent on something that she knew she couldn’t buy.

         ”You aren’t afraid to touch it are you?” The woman suddenly said.

         She looked up at the woman who was clearly calling her a coward and angrily snatched up the piece of silver. She intended to put an end to things by holding the silly thing and looking it over then handing it back and telling her she didn’t want it anymore so they could just leave. Things didn’t happen that way though. 



Note from the author;  Hello and thanks for reading my little story. I am currently editing all the chapters and just wanted to clarify to those of you that might go on to read the next chapters that you will notice they don’t really match up because I am changing things up a bit and trying to add a little to the story while speeding it along a bit as well. So if you like the chapter and want to continue with the story please do but make sure to check back as I intend to edit all the chapters and then continue with the rest of the story.
Thanks again, J.L.R.