A little girl walked down the hall, a library pass in her hand. She wore blue jeans with pink floral print near the foot and a blue elbow-length shirt that had a butterfly made of sequins on the front. Her long, waist-length brown hair was in two cute, high pig-tails. Her white sneakers squeaked as she walked. Her name? Hannah. Otherwise known as the Nightopian Princess. And this is where our story begins. In a little elementary school, when our little princess was in the fourth grade, headed towards the library, humming a little Christmas carol...

Hannah smiled to herself as she walked down the hallway towards the library. Man, it is so good to be out of there, and going to the library and being able to think! I've had a really rough past. I mean, look at last year. I didn't have many friends then, but look now! I've got Kasey, Mikayla, Kyle, Chase, Ashely, Savannah, Allison, and a few others! That's a start, right? Hannah sighed. "Man, I wish that none of that stuff from the past had happened to me..." she whispered, looking up as she walked, remembering.

FLASHBACK:

A boy with a black afro pushed her down by the merry-go-round. "What was that for, Brandon?!" Hannah exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes. The boy laughed and walked off, leaving her in the dirt to cry.

END FLASHBACK

Tears formed once again in Hannah's eyes. She shook her head hard and sighed. "Snap out of it! That was last year! This is the fourth grade now! I am not gonna be a big crybaby anymore!" Her eyes gleamed with confidence. Her stride became longer, and she quickly walked to the library. She pushed the large door open and walked the the desk. She signed the check in-check out book, then headed to the computers. "Now, let's see if the have the book in today!" Hannah said, typing "Magic Tree House: Pirates Past Noon". a list came up on the screen, but so did something else. "Huh?' Hannah said, leaning closer to the screen. A purple jester-like figure was floating in the corner of the computer screen. It's purple eyes shined brightly. "Come help us, Chosen One..." it said, before dissappearing out of sight. Hannah's eyes opened wider and she nearly screamed, and she would if she weren't in a library. She got up, walked over to another computer, and typed in a different book. The jester came back, only this time it said, "Please, Chosen One, only you can beat Wizeman in this time of darkness..." But this time, instead of dissappearing, the jester stayed. Hannah gasped. "A-Are you talking to me?" Hannah whispered, leaning closer to the screen. The jester nodded, then suddenly, a portal-like thing appeared on the screen. "Are you willing to help the Nightopians?" it said. Hannah thought for a moment. I've got nothing better to do, besides ballet. "All right, I will." Hannah said, smiling at the jester. Suddenly, the portal came to life. It pulled Hannah in, leaving her spinning in darkness.

"Oof!" Hannah exclaimed when she finally landed. She pushed herself onto her elbows and proped herself up. "Well, at least I know I'm not dreaming," she said, standing up. She saw floating windmills and the grass around her, she noticed, was a dark, lush shade of green. "Wow, this place is so beautiful..." Hannah whispered, taking a step forward. She looked at both of her hands. Her skin had gotten lighter, and her sleeves had dissappeared. Her entire outfit had changed to become a black and purple tube top that showed off her middrif, with black and purple pants and skirt and purple and black shoes. She noticed a pond and ran over to it, and looked at herself. Her eye color had stayed the same, and her hair still stayed the same, but the rest of her seemed different. She now had a jester hat on her head that curled at the ends. Her lips were plum, and her face was as pale as her hands. She reminded herself of that computer jester. "What's happened to me?!" Hannah exclaimed, backing away from the pond, biting her nails. She bumped into something, and looked up to see the jester behind her, a smile on its face. "Hello, Chosen One..."

"H-Hello," she managed to stammer, feeling frightened. "Do not be afraid," the jester said, "I am your friend. My name is NiGHTS." Hannah nodded, unsure of what to do next. "I-I'm Hannah" she whispered, shaking his hand, which she noticed, floated out of his sleeve. "Welcome to Nightopia, Hannah," NiGHTS said, gesturing to the land around them. Hannah gasped in amazement. "Wow," she exclaimed, "it's so pretty around here!" She took a few steps forward, and took in all of the beauty around her. "Yes, it is, and hopefully it will stay that way longer..." NiGHTS sighed, his eyes full of sorrow. Hannah turned to him, confused, and said, "What do you mean 'hopefully it will stay that way longer'?" NiGHTS sighed again and replied, "Come with me..." He started flying slowly, Hannah running closely behind, until they came across a large cave. They slowly walked into the cave. "NiGHTS," Hannah said, pushing away a spider web, "what's going on? What's in-" She gasped at the site. Another jester stood before them, this one a girl in a beautiful genie outfit. There was one problem though: she was incased in stone.

"Wow..." Hannah whispered, taking another step forward. The features became clearer. The girl jester's hair fell elegantly down her shoulders and onto the floor of the cave. Her eyes looked full of sorrow, and her hands were clasped together as if in prayer. "NiGHTS," Hannah said, turning to the purple jester, "Who is she? Did you know her? What happened? Please tell me!" NiGHTS chuckled slightly and replied, "All right, I'll tell you. You'd have to hear it sooner or later. Her name is Tsuki. I met shortly after I betrayed my former master, Wizeman. She is, or rather was, a magical genie formed by the dreams of young children. Unlike me, she was pure Nightopian. I'm a Nightmaren, like you've become." Hannah nodded her head, sitting criss-cross on the cave floor, and said, "Well, yeah, but how did she become that way? And who's Wizeman?" NiGHTS sighed and replied, with a smile, "So many questions. Wizeman is the ruler of Nightmare, the land of bad dreams. He's the reason nightmares were formed. He was my creator and former master. When I figured out that he planed to destroy Nightopia and rule the waking world, I betrayed him and became one of the good guys. I met Tsuki shortly after. There was one thing, though; my only weakness." "What was it?" Hannah whispered. NiGHTS turned to her and said, his voice slightly lighter than before, "I fell in love with her."

END OF CHAPTER 1