The Cage, first book in The Birthright Series

Chapter One -- Rude Awakenings

Sam Brown leaned her bird-like frame against the building

wall, trying to get warm in a sliver of morning sunlight. Gripping

her sketch pad as blood-red ink dried around her freshly finished

poem. Sam’s eyes were glued to the front door of a portable

classroom down the hill from where she stood. There, she would

spend the next four weeks repeating English 102.

A low roar caught her attention as a tall, brown-haired man

rounded the corner of the portable classroom on a skateboard. No,

it was not a normal skateboard; it was longer, the kind kids used

to travel distances. Sam was shocked when she realized how old he

looked. What was he, thirty? Who did this guy think he was? Some

kind of wannabe teenager? Then, to her surprise, he jumped off the

longboard and headed up the steps to the portable classroom, unlocking

the door with a key from a jingling chain. This idiot was her

teacher? This was ridiculous. How was she supposed to learn anything

from a guy who rode a longboard to class? Sam had only been

at McQueen High School for one semester, but had certainly never

seen a teacher this young before, and never one riding a longboard.

Sam wondered what her teacher would think of her if he could

see her. She tried to see herself from his perspective, a small creature

in black clothes. Hair dyed jet black, falling across a pale face. Skin

cloaked in a thick, severe mask of makeup. He’d see her as a freak.

Everyone saw her that way.

It didn’t matter to her, she just had to retake this stupid class, get

a better grade, and get out. She could put up with a lame teacher for

four weeks. After all, she had put up with worse. Glancing down, her

eyes scanned the new poem silently.

Closing The Cage Door

The cage door slammed shut when I was young.

The monster cat trapped me inside,

smacking his lips in anticipation of the kill.

This bird would fly no more,

Wings were not the only things clipped that day.

Dreams, hopes and heart were also ripped away.

No one heard the cries, or thought to listen.

Only one lesson was learned

Only one is still needed.

No one cares.

Sam stood watching as students started filing into the classroom

below. Finally, when she could wait no longer, she trudged down the