Mew-Universe

A prayer in a garden

"Thy will be done"

Bleeding, trembling,

From every pore

Being bound, spit on, mocked on all sides

Being whipped unjustly

Crowned with thick thorns

Forced to carry, unsteadily,

A beam to the hill

Being nailed, hand, wrist, and foot

To suffocate on a dark wood cross

"Thy will be done"

All this, He said, and did, for us

His brothers and sisters

Within our universe, there is Yin and Yang – black and white, female and male, darkness and light. In everything there is and must be balance to prevent chaos. Ancient Egyptian legend tells of the seven Millenium Items, created with the powers of darkness to keep the world from falling to darkness, and of the brave Pharaoh that locked himself in the Millennium Puzzle to save the world from chaos. However, known to none of our day, there was an eighth Item created – one imbued with light to balance with the dark powers of the first seven. If dark forces were to attain the other seven items and unleash chaos on the world, this eighth item would be used to vanquish the chaos and restore balance to the world.

However, to protect the Item from being taken by those unworthy of it, all records of this Item were destroyed, and this Item was hidden separately from the other seven. Not even the current protectors of the seven Items or the guardians of the Pharaoh's tomb know of the eighth Item's existence. The only one aware of the Item's very existence and powers is the young woman sealed within it- a outsider adopted into Egyptian society and trusted with their secrets.

With all knowledge of this Item erased from all except her, it is left up to Fate or a Higher Being to place the Item in the hands of one worthy of it. This is the story of the girl sealed in the eighth Item, the Millennium Bracelet, and of the girl in our time with whom the Bracelet is entrusted to. Their bond to each other is crucial for keeping the Bracelet hidden, and to eventually find and aid the Pharaoh in his endeavors. We begin our tale in an average-sized town in America, on the day the Bracelet's power becomes known to a second person...

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The bell rang through the red-brick junior high building, signaling the end of the final period of the day. "Remember to read chapters six and seven in The Count of Monte Cristo by Friday!" the Honors English teacher, Ms. Shiff, reminded the ninth-grade students in her classroom as the chatter increased.

A freckle-faced girl with long curly red hair stood and stretched her arms up. "Alright!" she said cheerfully, lowering her arms. She turned to her friend Vanessa reading a book in the seat next to her. "The end of another great day, Nessa! Time to head home!" she announced with a wide grin.

"Huh? The bell rang?" The blonde, responding to her nickname, looked up from her book and and her blue eyes scanned the room. "Oh, yeah, it did, of course! Thanks, Amber," Vanessa replied to the redhead with a half-smile.

"Welcome!" Amber beamed as another girl with short light brown hair, her and Vanessa's friend Miranda, joined them.

"Hey, you guys heard that famous Egyptian exhibit in New York is coming to our state?" Miranda asked excitedly.

Amber stared at Amanda and gasped. "No way! Really? I love ancient Egypt!"

Miranda laughed. "That's why I remembered to tell you about it! It's going to be displayed in a museum up in the capital for about a month."

"Ooo, we should head up there sometime!" Amber bounced on her feet excitedly, the long white skirt she wore brushing Vanessa's desk.

"We should!" Vanessa agreed, standing up. "Oh, we're going to see the movie tomorrow, right, Mir?"

"Hopefully, unless my dad makes me help him with yard work." Miranda stuck her tongue out at the thought.

"Ouch, I'm sorry," Amber said with slight sadness. She herself hated yard work.

Miranda shrugged. "It's ok. Anyways, let's head!" The three girls picked up their bags and headed out the door.

Later, the three girls stepped off the yellow school bus with the other kids in their neighborhood. "See ya tomorrow, Vanessa! See ya, Miranda!" Amber called to her two close friends as they began walking away.

"See ya!" The two girls chorused back. Amber then turned around and walked home, walking the opposite direction of Vanessa and Miranda.

Humming a little tune to herself, Amber skipped along happily under the partially cloudy sky. A soft wind blew, blowing her skirt and peasant-style top in small waves. Her sneakers squeaked as she slowed suddenly. A plain white building caught her eye, one she had seen many times before without a second thought. Now, though, for some reason she felt like she should investigate it. Large red letters reading 'INFORMATION' labeled the rectangular building on the short side with the door. "Isn't that building abandoned?" she wondered to herself, approaching it slowly. "That's what everyone else says, at least." A happy, wry adventurous smile crossed her lips. "Then I should look around for anything interesting!"

She jogged up to the building. A golden flash streaked her vision, and she skidded to a stop. "Huh? What's this?" she asked, looking over at the trash can where the flash had originated from. Slowly she stepped towards the trash can and removed the lid that had been half on the can.

Amber's eyes widened. "Wow..." she muttered. On top of a tied up black trash bag was a golden chain inside a Ziploc sandwich bag. A couple links on it were broken, and on both ends of the chain were what looked like two halves of a circle. "Fascinating little piece of work," she said with a chuckle, reaching in and grabbing the Ziploc bag.

"Hey! Whaddya doin'?" a scratchy old voice bellowed from the doorway.

"Agh!" Amber yelped, quickly yanking out her hand with the chain in it. She turned and looked at the bald old man the voice belonged to. "Sorry, I just-"

"Don' ya be goin' through my stuff, lil lady!" the man grouched, leaning on the broom in his hand. He stared at her hard with squinty eyes. "I'm tryin' ta run a business, ya know!"

Amber blinked. "Come again?" She leaned to her right, peering past the old man into the shadowy room behind him. "A pawn shop?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Yep, an' I don't appreciate de likes of ya-"

"But sir!" Amber protested, holding out the chain in the bag towards him. "I just found this in your trash, and I was going to ask if you threw it away on accident!" She looked at the chain with a hint of longing. "It's too beautiful to be junk," she said softly. Sunlight sparkled off the broken ends of the chain as her hands shifted slightly. I feel... oddly attached to this piece of jewelry. Why, though?

The man raised an eyebrow at her. "Pretty it may be, but it ain't valuable. Had it on my shelf for years- nobody's bought it!"

Amber stared. "Oh," was all she said, still with her arms out in front of her. I'm surprised you've got customers at all- I never knew this old place had anything in it before today.

Suddenly, the old man threw his head back and roared with half-squeaking, half-rumbling laughter. "If ya want it, little lady, feel free- take it for all I care!" He waved his hand dismissively.

A wide grin broke Amber's face. "Really?" She clutched the chain to her heart tightly. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" She nodded and darted away excitedly towards her house.

The man chuckled, watching the excited young girl run away. "Strange one, she is," he muttered as he began sweeping his porch. "So taken wi' a piece of junk..." He paused, looking up after her again. Slowly a frown curved his lips. "Yet, that jewelry had an odd feelin' to it. Kinda bothered me. Pro'lly means nothin', though." He shrugged, continuing in his sweeping.