I awaken to bright light blinding my shut eyes and unbearable heat suffocating my body. I gasp for air feeling as though my breath was taken away from me. I look over the area my room now converted to a tent, my bed switched for a hard mattress on the ground, my sanity traded for delusion!

WHERE AM I!?

I thrust myself out of my bed and stumble outside groaning as the sun blinds me with its searing rays. My eyes adjust and see a... camp? The area is filled with tents as mine and people walking about assuming their duties. As a man passes me, he stops and looks at me with surprise before hurrying away. As I watch him run away, dread begins to wash over me...will I ever be able to get back home?

Before I can begin to explore this camp, a man walks up to me his whole body covered his face being the only thing uncovered yet shaded with a wide hat. He offers his hand and I hesitantly take it, watching him with suspicious eyes. He smiles and gestures to the camp with a proud sweep of his hand

"This here is my camp! Good thing you're finally awake! I was beginning to think you didn't survive the journey!"

"Excuse me wha-?"

"Come follow me the others are waiting for you and they aren't very patient."

He begins to lead me to a large tent my objections drowned by his constant babbling. Inside reside 3 others, all looking about my age, and all turning to me with disappointed looks for being late. They all surround a table, a colorful map laid on it. I study the map, once I approach the table, different regions colored in bright colors like is a unicorn threw up all over it. I look at the other teens for clarification, but they only look back at me with the same confused looks. The old man clears his throat.

"Now that we have everyone here, we can start. I know you are confused so let me explain. This here land is called the Desert of Many Colors, each color marks a different region all filled with different people and deserts. We all lived somewhat in peace until a king from a different land came, taking over and pitting us against each other, looking for a rock, that we all thought to be only a story within my camp, that not only gives power to the individual but also allows them to travel to your home."

We all gasp and look at each other with fear. All that from a rock? How?

"Sooo...why are we here?" Asks a girl, she wears a matching pajama set her hair tied into a messy ponytail.

The old man nods and takes a deep breath.

"In the story, once the conqueror conquered a region and set fighting within the lands and peoples, the rock summoned four kids from a nearby world and they traveled across the 7 regions found the rock, and with it defeated the conqueror."

...is that why I am here? Because of a rock!? How does this man expect us to "traverse" through 7 regions and defeat some king!?

"So, what do you want us to do? Follow this story? Just so we can all go home?" the guy retorts crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"Not everyone made it out alive." The old man responds quietly

The guy shakes his head in disbelief, "You can't expect me to follow a DUMB MADE-UP STORY! Just take us home and leave us alone!"

We all nod are heads in agreement, and the old man looks at us before slamming his hand on the table. "ENOUGH! The only way any of you are returning home is if you find the Pandil! It is NOT a made-up story but in fact a prophecy long converted into an old story! Now you four will either follow as was prophesized or you can die here never returning home!"

The silence that followed weighed heavily upon us like a suffocating blanket. As the realization donned on me, great dread took hold of me, its claws digging into my heart.

The old man, much more relaxed, sighed as he looked at us.

"We will equip you with your needs and our best guide. You will leave in 5 days."

And with that he exited the tent leaving us alone and hopeless.

More Information:

The land is split into 7 different deserts (or regions) each with their distinct colors and types of environments. The place the characters reside would be your typical desert, with hot days and scarce water unless you know where to find it.

Violet (the perspective the story is written in): she is cowardly and is more of a thinker rather than a fighter. Struggles with confrontation and does all the confronting in her head.

Boy 1: short tempered and has a hard time of getting along with others

Girl 2: she speaks her mind and is the one with the sarcastic remarks and is great with people

Boy 2 or girl 3 feel free to be creative with the 4th character!

The Guide A man around his early 30s or late 20s. He cares deeply for the teens and acts as a father figure to them protecting them and guiding them (even though they might not like it) Although they might not care for him at the beginning they soon learn to love and care for him.