WIP (Jules And The Hidden World Of Magical Creatures

Hello, again guys!

Another WIP I am not sure about here (I have been looking through all of my book starter ideas)
This one is a Harry Potter-ish sort of idea, without everyone being witches and wizards. Very different, but the idea of another world hidden within our own is what drove this idea home for me. Let me know what you think please people! And more writing is coming soon! (Today probably)
So, as always, forgive any mistakes.
This is "Jules And The Hidden World Of Magical Creatures" Enjoy!


Chapter One

“Alright! Up! Come on! Up!”

The sound of Mrs. Grand shouting from the corridor woke Jules with a start and was as tender to the ears as nails down a chalk board.
With a groan, she pulled her pillow over her head, knowing what came next.

Bang bang!
Mrs Grand rapped her walking stick against her bedroom door, and continued to shout.

“Up! Up! Come on!”

Jules sat up with another groan as the footsteps, and tapping of the walking stick against the floor moved off down the corridor to wake the other girls. Jules could still hear the shouts, and wished she had a better way to wake up on a morning. Like an alarm clock, the kind with two huge bells that clatter and make it jump until it falls over, she saw one on television, and the woman backhanded it of her bedside table in frustration when it would not stop ringing. Or maybe a rooster? A rooster sitting on the fence outside, waiting for the first sign of sunlight to cockadoodledoo.

they are surely better than Mrs Grand and her walking stick.

One day she would have an alarm clock she decided, roosters may need looking after, and you can turn an alarm clock off, she knew she could never turn Mrs Grand off, her voice had no off switch and a battery that never ran out.
She wiped crusted spittle from her cheek and stretched with a long yawn. Swinging her legs around, and placing her feet on the hard cold floor, she sucked in her breath, and whipped her feet back up, like she had stood on snow barefoot.
Slippers. One day I will have fluffy warm slippers, or a carpet where your feet sink down, just like the one Mrs Grand has in her bedroom. Jules and some of the other girls had to act as nurses for her a few months earlier when someone spilled water in the kitchen and she fell, breaking her arm. They had to bring her meals in bed, and generally be at her bedside constantly as she asked for a newspaper or a drink. Jules did not mind, she got to feel the soft carpet beneath her feet and watch the huge television.

“One day I will have them” she said aloud while opening her small draw and pulling out thin socks. She put them on and got dressed in her old second hand clothes, which was a gray jumper that was big on her, and black trousers that were short on the legs.

“Summer dress” she said adding clothes to her wish list, “red with flowers” She had an overwhelming certainty that she would have everything she desired one day, and she constantly made mental notes about all of the things she would have when she finally left the orphanage. Maybe she would even get a job at that lovely store in town that has beautiful dresses and shoes, that would be nice.
The shoes she had were the only thing she did not mind, they fit her and were comfortable. Slipping them on, she walked over to her window and got down on her knees. Listening for sounds coming her way, and hearing none, she pulled up a loose floor board where she hid the two most precious things she had. Smiling, she pulled out a card she was given for her eleventh birthday, it was the only one she had ever got. It simply said.

Happy Birthday, hope you enjoy it, H

It was left on her windowsill along with a gift, a telescope. She looked at the card everyday and looked from her window every night with her telescope. Jules suddenly heard the familiar steps and taps of Mrs Grand coming along the corridor, she panicked as she put the card back on top of her telescope in the floor, and slammed the plank of wood back in to place just before her door burst open.

“What are you up to?” the old lady asked spitefully with her broken and cracked voice, like she smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Jules was now sitting on her chair next to the window, with her legs crossed, chin on hand and elbow on knee, looking defiant, and guilt free.

“Nothing” she answered passively with an innocent smile while drumming her fingers on her cheek.

“Get up out of that chair, and get in to that kitchen, the porridge will not cook itself, and brush your hair! You look like a witch” She said angrily while pointing the walking stick at her.

“Yes, Mrs Grand” Jules answered in her most polite voice as she fluttered her eyes and smiled, mocking the old lady and making her growl. The old woman continued moving along the corridor and shouting at some of the girls who had not yet left their rooms. Jules let out a breath of relief. She would be utterly devastated if she no longer had her telescope and card, they were the only things she loved, and they meant everything to her.

Who “H” was she had no clue, she only knew one person who’s name started with a H, Harriet, a nine year old girl who could never get her hands on shoe laces never mind a telescope, and even if she could, she would not give it away. Tomorrow she would be twelve. Maybe H will bring me another gift? Maybe it is a distant relative? She thought. Jules had no family that she knew of, being in an orphanage it did not seem likely that the gift was from a family member, if it was, then why leave her there. All of her thoughts had to be pushed to the back of her mind, the mysterious H entered her thoughts way too much, and dreaming about all of the things she wanted just made her feel sad, but also determined, and she had breakfast to cook.
Jules decided to keep her gift a secret from everyone, nobody could be trusted, Mrs Grand had a way of bribing the girls with boiled sweets to give her information on the girls doing things they should not be, or to be more accurate, doing things she did not allow.
Jules eventually left her room to go to the kitchen to cook breakfast for everyone, just like every other day, and life was hard. All of the girls worked, some did laundry and others cleaned, Jules cooked and cleaned the bathroom. After another long day had ended, she entered her room with a tired sigh, and plopped down face first on to her bed and lay there for several minutes before sitting up. Exhaustion was completely normal for her and the girls, but Jules always felt it more than everyone else because she stayed awake very late every night to gaze out of her window with her telescope. It was the highlight of her life, and fatigue was the small price she did not mind paying. Slipping in to her huge mans football jersey she used as a nightgown, she got in to her bed and gazed at her window, and told the sun to hurry up and go away so that the moon and stars could come out and keep her company. Eventually the sunlight faded, and the moonlight took its place. Jules waited for complete silence in the house, Mrs Grand liked to walk the halls and listen for anyone who was still awake, she would bang her walking stick against their door, and growl at them to be silent. The time ticked away slowly and Jules forced herself to remain in her bed, there was no way she would risk being caught with her telescope, and proved herself quite correct to be cautious, because she could hear somebody outside of her room, listening for a sound, and trying to catch her out. Mrs Grand was relentless in her pursuit of catching Jules doing something she should not be. Jules waited two whole hours after hearing her outside of the door, before sneaking out of bed and taking her telescope out of its hiding place. It was after midnight and it was technically her birthday now.

“Thank you” she whispered to the sky as she gazed out of the window with her birthday present from the year before, imagining the moon and stars were wishing her many happy returns.

“You be a lot welcome” a voice whispered to her in response.

Jules backed away from the window in fright, too scared to make a sound, not only because a voice spoke to her, but always because Mrs Grand would be in her room swiftly, she always had that terrifying thought rattling around in her mind at night. Spinning around, she scanned her room looking for the source of the whisper. Nothing.

“Who said that?” she asked in another whisper spinning back around and looking out of the window once more.

“My name are Hatfield” the voice said from behind her, it was a smooth and well spoken voice, like someone high born or from a rich English family. Jules hesitated before slowly looking over her shoulder to see what appeared to be a short bald old man with a top hat and pin striped gray suit sitting on her bed. He held a cane made of marble with a golden ball on top that shone in the moonlight that was coming through the open window. Jules was shocked and span around quickly as she saw him.

“What do you want?” she asked him in an unsure and shaky low voice.

“To tell happy birthday, and ask her if her is ready to be gone, from here place” Hatfield answered kindly.

“What? I do not understand what you are saying” she said with less fear, there was something about him that made her feel comfortable.

“Forgiveness, I be learning your speaking” Hatfield held up his hands in apology, and smiled shyly.

“Oh, you are learning my language, where are you from? Did you give me the telescope? Thank you” She walked towards the strange little man who nodded.
He was strangely dressed, and she looked at him more closely, he could not have been much more than four feet tall. He had what looked to be an old mans face at first glance, but at closer inspection he did not look old at all, his skin was a pale gray, and he had lines that could be easily mistaken for wrinkles, only these wrinkles were long, and not short like other wrinkles. His eyes were a perfect blue and his lips were a strange shade of green that strangely seemed to match his skin tone. A smell of lavender filled the room and Jules thought the smell was beautiful. Hatfield lifted his cane and pointed out of the window before saying.

“Up” and continuing to smile.

“Up? You mean space?” she said excitedly and trying to keep her voice down.

“No, no breath in space, world, up and out, far” He whispered and prolonged the word far, like it was an amazing mystery.

“Another planet? That is brilliant! What is it like?”

“Gone now, but not much seconds to be talking, I and she must be gone with fast” Hatfield gasped as he stood up and walked up to Jules, taking her hand, and moving towards the window.

“What? You mean leave? by going out of the window? Do not be crazy, I do not know you, and it is too high to climb down” Jules said pulling her hand away.

“Trust, or be staying with horrific madam” He said pointing at the bedroom door. Jules could here someone coming along the corridor, Mrs Grand had heard her, and was coming to her room.

“Lets get out of here” she answered quickly picking up her clothes and telescope that Hatfield placed inside his top hat making them disappear like a magician, before they took each others hand.

“Time to being magic, Jules” he said grandly as he took several steps back from the window, and ran hand in hand with her towards it.
They both jumped out and were gone as the bedroom door burst open. Mrs Grand looked around frantically and went to the window as fast as her walking stick could help her. Jules and Hatfield came out of nowhere and flew past her, scaring the life out of her and making her fall backwards with a yelp. They laughed gleefully before flying off in to the distance, leaving the orphanage behind.