I'm completely new to fanfiction writing, so be gentle. I don't own anything but the characters of Katy and Sarah...

Chapter 1

With her last ounce of strength, Katy lifted her suitcase off her bed and onto the floor. Well that's everything, she thought, as her eyes swept her room for anything she may have missed. Her mum had insisted she made a list of things to pack, but she had got half way through the list before she realised her time would be better spent actually packing than thinking what to pack. It wasn't like she wouldn't be able to buy anything she may have forgotten to bring with her - it wasn't as if she was going anywhere that wouldn't have shops!

Her gaze landed on a map of the world, neatly folded up next to a pile of guidebooks on South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand. She couldn't quite believe that the departure date had finally arrived. Her best friend Sarah had been the one to first come up with the idea: 6 months travelling the world after they had both graduated from university, the perfect trip before they both started their grown-up, full time jobs as teachers. It had been the ideal push when the long days of classes and endless hours of studying started to get to them. Rough maps and routes had been scribbled on the back of envelopes, before they purchased proper maps and guidebooks, and that's when the plans really started to take shape. Fly to New Zealand then travel back towards London via Australia, South Asia and Africa. There were times when it felt like they were never going to actually leave, that it was all just thoughts and ideas, but tomorrow, finally, herself and Sarah would be getting on that plane.

Katy's thoughts were interrupted by the raised voices of her parents downstairs. When she had first told them about her travelling plans, they had been slightly bemused by it, probably not really believing it would actually happen. She wasn't exactly good at saving money, and they were used her and Sarah coming up with crazy ideas. But as the trip became more and more real, Katy could see that her mum and dad were starting to get a little nervous. She had never really been away from home for any length of time, having studied at a university about an hour from her parents' home. Sarah's parents had reacted in a similar way, and both girls had been given lectures on common sense and safety first at every opportunity. I mean really, they had both thought, what do they think we're going to get ourselves mixed up in?

As Katy made her way downstairs, the doorbell rang, and her mum scurried off to answer it.

'I swear, if that's another double glazing salesman then I'm gonna tell him to stick his windows where the sun don't… oh hi Sarah, come on in!'

'KATY! SARAH'S HERE!' she bellowed, before realising Katy was already halfway down stairs.

'Oh, there you are, honey. Now remember, your dad and I want to spend at least some of this evening with you before the pair of you go gallivanting off to the other side of the world, so don't stay out too late, ok?' Her mum had that worried look on her face again.

Katy gave her a reassuring smile.

'Please don't worry, we're only going for a quick drink to toast our adventure, I'll be gone no more than an hour'.

Sarah grinned from behind her mum.

'I promise I'll wait until we've left the country before leading Katy astray'

Katy and her mum both gave Sarah a sharp look, but before either of them could say anything, Katy's dad shouted from the living room.

'For goodness sake, Margaret, let the girls go out for a bit, you're going to have to get used to not seeing them for a while!'

'Thanks dad!' Katy said as she gave her mum a quick peck on the cheek. 'I promise, I'll be back in an hour'.

As she and Sarah went out the front door, she could hear her mum berating her dad for letting her out of the house so easily.

'You're parents sound exactly like my parents. My mum almost had a heart attack when I went up to the loft earlier and she couldn't find me for twenty minutes.' Sarah said, as the two girls set off down the street.

'I know, the way they're acting, you would like that we didn't know where we were going. I'm sure they'll be fine once we've arrived in New Zealand'.

Sarah stopped suddenly, grabbing Katy's arm. 'What is it, Sarah?'

'We're actually doing it,' Sarah sighed. 'Can you believe it? Tomorrow we'll be out of here and on an adventure!'

Katy grinned back at her friend. 'I know, I'm so excited! Just think of all the places we're going to, the people we'll meet.'

'You mean the hot guys we'll meet' said Sarah.

Rolling her eyes, Katy started dragging her friend along the road to their local pub. 'I knew it wouldn't be long until you started on that again'

Sarah looked indignant. 'What? We're both single, what's the harm in some innocent flirting? And who knows, we might the men of our dreams!'

'Yeah,' Katy replied, 'On the other side of the world!'

'Ok, now you're starting to sound like your mum', Sarah said as they entered the pub.

One bottle of wine later the girls left the pub, having loudly toasted the start of their adventure. Katy was pretty sure that everyone in the pub was sick of hearing about it. As they turned to walk back to their homes, Sarah stopped suddenly, noticing some brightly coloured lights a short distance away.

'Were those there when we came here?' she said.

Katy thought for a minute.

'I don't think so, I'm pretty sure we would have noticed them'.

Sarah once again grabbed Katy's arm, dragging her in the direction of the lights.

'Come on, let's see what it is, call it the start of our adventure'

'What', Katy scoffed, 'an adventure around here?'

As they got closer the lights, they realised they were walking towards the derelict football field. When Katy and Sarah were younger, it used to be full of kids running around and playing football, but recently it was more of a hangout for local gangs of teenagers. Right now, though, it was unrecognisable. The two girls stood by the gate, looking in at a brightly lit, laughter-filled fun fair.

'Where on earth did this come from?' Sarah exclaimed.

'Beats me,' Katy shrugged.

The two girls looked at each other for a couple of seconds, before grinning at each other and running through the gate. Sorry mum, Katy thought, I'm going to be gone slightly more than an hour.

The fun fair was full of children and adults, but no one either Sarah or Katy recognised. They wandered aimlessly for a bit, before Sarah spotted a sign for a fortune-teller.

'Fancy finding out if we're going to meet Mr Right on our travels, Katy?' she smirked, dragging her friend over to small tent.

'Really? Since when did you want to have your fortune read?' said Katy.

Sarah shrugged. 'Just a bit of harmless fun. What's the worst that could happen?'

Before letting Katy answer, Sarah stepped into the tent, followed somewhat reluctantly by her friend. The place was full of lit candles, and in the centre of the tent was a low table, behind which an old woman sat. She looked up quickly as the girls entered, and smiled softly at them.

'Come sit down, dears, and I shall tell you of your future'.

Katy leaned into Sarah. 'Are we actually going to pay her money for this?' she whispered.

Without answering, Sarah pulled out some coins from her bag and marched over to the table.

'Guess that's a yes then', Katy muttered, joining her friend.

Sarah handed over the money, and old woman began shuffling cards. There was some strange muffled music coming from the back of the tent, and it only added to the unsettling feeling Katy was having.

The old woman started turning over some cards.

'I see distance. And travel. And many new experiences.'

Ok, give the old woman some credit, that's not a bad guess, thought Katy.

'Yes! We're both going travelling tomorrow! Sarah exclaimed, 'do you see any potential romance on those cards?'

The woman's eyes darkened, and she looked up at Sarah sharply, before turning over some more cards.

'Romance? Perhaps. But also danger.' Please don't tell our parents, both girls immediately thought.

The woman continued. 'You will encounter many different people and strange creatures. Not like yourselves. Open your minds, to wizards and goblins.'

Both Sarah and Katy looked blankly at the old woman, the same thoughts running through their heads.

Wizards?

Goblins?

What is this, Harry Potter?

Sarah decided to voice these thoughts, somewhat angrily.

'Are you serious? Wizards and goblins? Let me give you some advice, stick to the real world and leave the fantasy stuff to JK Rowling. And can I get a refund?'

Sarah stood up and reached her hand out to the woman.

'No refunds. You asked for your future, and I gave it to you,' said the old woman, as she gathered up the cards.

'Stupid old bat….' Katy heard Sarah mutter as she marched out of the tent. Suddenly Katy realised she was still sitting down.

'Sorry about my friend, I guess she was looking more for Prince Charming than Dumbledore' Katy said apologetically, as she quickly left the tent.

Stepping outside, she couldn't see where Sarah was. Katy started to look for her phone in her bag to call her friend, when she spotted her, chatting away to a handsome guy at a food stand. Rolling her eyes, Katy went over to them.

'Katy, there you are, this is David, and he was just telling me how lovely these caramel apples are!' Sarah beamed at her.

'I'm sure he was,' Katy replied, smiling at them both.

Sarah kept talking without taking her eyes off David.

'Do you know anything about the weird old woman in that tent over there? She charged me five quid to tell us that we'd be meeting some wizard on our travels! I know it's not actually possible to read someone fortune, but you would think she would want to keep it a little bit more realistic?!'

As soon as the words left Sarah's mouth, the smile left David's face.

'Mina knows what she is talking about. She never fails to see exactly what lies ahead' he said darkly to both girls.

Before Sarah could reply, Katy quickly stepped in.

'You know, we really don't mind what she said. No harm done. We'll just take the apples and leave you alone', she said, handing over some money.

Katy pulled Sarah away, who still looked like she had something to say to David.

'Let's go home, we've got an early start tomorrow, ' Katy told her friend, as she started eating her caramel apple.

Sarah took one last look at the fortune-teller's tent as they headed for the gate, and saw the old woman staring at them, muttering under her breadth.

'You're right, this place gives me the creeps', Sarah said, quickly marching ahead of Katy, 'Plus, your mum is probably going to have a go at me for keeping you out so late, she probably has some last minute safety tips to tell you'.

Sarah laughed, turning back to Katy. 'Katy, are you ok?" noticing that her friend had turned white as a sheet.

Katy shook her head. 'I don't feel so good'.

Sarah groaned. 'Oh god, we don't need you to get sick before our flight tomorrow. Not the best start to our adventure. Come on, let's get you home to bed.'

She stepped towards Katy, taking the first bite out of her apple. Katy looked at her, eyes widened. 'No, Sarah, I think it was the apple!'

'What?!'

But before either girl could say or do anything more, the world around them started to spin, and they both landed heavily on the ground, just outside the entrance to the fun fair. The old woman, having watched the girls faint, slowly made her way back into the tent, with a small smile on her face. Let's give them an adventure they will never forget….