The Mill Pack is an upper middle grade fantasy/heist novel. A boy awakes to find he is tied up, set for execution, and remembers nothing about who he is or how he came to be in this situation. Luckily, he is saved by a young group of kids who call themselves the Mill Pack. They are one of many groups of kids living on the streets of Averia, where the queen rules with control of the Hexes- magic users that steal memories for the royal castle’s gain. Who is the boy, why were the boy’s memories stolen, and can the Mill Pack protect him from from the Hexes?

Here are the first 5 chapters:

Chapter 1

The Boy

Where am I?

The boy opened his eyes and was surprised to find that it made no difference— All he could see was black. He tried to move, only to realize his hands were cuffed behind his back.

“You see that?” A high pitched voice squealed. “I think he just moved!”

“Shut it,” a much deeper voice answered. “I’m trying to sleep.”

A brief silence filled the room. 

The boy tried to take in his surroundings, but was paralyzed by a painful pressure that radiated from his head. Am I upside down? He was inside a bag of some kind.

“How come we have to guard him?’

“Your ears don’t work? I said I’m trying to sleep!” 

“But, I mean, how come we don’t just throw him into the streets like normal? Or just kill him?”

“That ain’t our business. The Hex said we gotta watch him, so we watch him. You wanna argue with a Hex?”

The first man’s voice squeaked as he spoke. “N-n-no way. I’m hopin’ that after this job I never see another Hex as long as I live.”

“Good. Now be quiet and let me sleep.”

The boy tested the chains around his wrists. They were well made. He ran his fingers along the side and felt a keyhole. No way he was going to pick these.

“You see that?!” The high-pitched voice cried. “He’s trying to get out! He’s movin’!”

“It don’t matter! Just let him dangle there. He can’t get out of those cuffs anyway. Not without breaking his hands.”

The boy tried to pull his hands free from the cuffs and found, unfortunately, that the deep-voiced man was right.

“He wiggled again! I think he’s waking up. Should I go thump him? Knock him out cold until the Hex comes back for him?”

The deep voice answered with a frustrated grunt. “Fine, if it bothers you so much! Just be quiet about it!”

The boy tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his head. He began to wriggle and twist, trying to free his wrists.

“Yup, he’s awake. Hand me that bat, will ya?” 

Panic swam over the boy. 

Calm. 

Calm.

Control your fear.

The boy took a deep breath and focused on his hands. If only I could somehow- As the thought entered his mind, he heard a pop in his right hand and It easily slipped free of the shackle. The bone in his hand then popped right back into place. He shot his hands up to protect his face just as something hard bashed into his fists.

Stars filled the boy’s vision as his head screamed in pain. He felt himself beginning to lose consciousness…

Focus!

Focus.

Stay awake. 

“Huh?” The man had leaned forward so that his sour breath wafted through the bag. “Sorry boy, guess you need another thumpin’. I’ll do it harder this time.”

The boy gritted his teeth, and prepared for the worst. 

BANG!

Chapter 2

Fat and Slim

The boy opened his eyes, confused. Nothing happened?

BANG!

“Someones out there!” The deep-voiced man screamed. 

BANG!

This time the sound was followed by a chorus of footsteps, screams, and surprisingly, laughter.

The deep voice boomed over the din. “Bring that bat! We got some little-“ His voice cut off with a guttural moan.

“Hey don’t-” The high-pitched man’s voice ended abruptly as his body crashed into the boy, causing him to start spinning by his feet, adding nausea to his pain and confusion. 

“Whoo! What we got, Fat? Was all this worth it, or what?” It was a young girl’s voice, perhaps 13 years old. Though the voice was soft, it held a sharp edge, as if she was used to people listening to her when she spoke.

The spinning suddenly stopped, causing the boy’s stomach to lurch. The bag ripped open and his eyes tried to adjust to the incoming light. 

“Uh, Slim? We got a problem.”

”What’s wrong? Not a lot of dough or what?”

”Uhh… No money. There’s a kid in here.”

“A kid? What do you mean a kid? Like, a kid, kid?”

The boy’s eyes finally adjusted to the light enough for him to make out a face that made him wish he were still hidden in the bag. The young man’s face was covered in bruises to the point that he seemed to take on a purple hue. The few areas that weren’t bruised were blemished with old scars that mapped out a terrible history of violence. In fact, one of his eyes was partially swollen shut so severely that it seemed it would never open fully again.

“You ok kid? Don’t worry, I got you.” With a quick and smooth motion, the young man sliced the rope that had been holding the bag. He lowered the boy with one hand as if he weighed nothing. From this angle, the boy could see the unconscious bodies of two men lying to the side of the room.

“Are you serious?! A kid? We came all this way for a kid?”

“He’s hurt,” the young man answered as he untied the boy’s legs. 

“Great. This is just great. We went through this whole heist for nothing. Let’s get out of here.”

The young man helped the boy sit up. “I’m Fat.”

The boy struggled to speak through a painfully dry throat. “You are… what?” He looked the young man up and down, noting that there was not an ounce of fat on him.

“That’s what they call me. I’m Fat. What’s your name kid?”

“It is… uh…” the boy paused, stunned to find that nothing came to mind. “I- I do not know?”

A dark cast fell over Fat’s eyes. “He’s had his pages ripped out…”

A girl came over and leaned on Fat’s broad shoulder. She had a shaved head, and wore a cloth over her mouth and nose, making it difficult to read the expression on her face. She turned her nose up to the boy and grimaced. “Just let him go, Fat. We can’t take care of him.”

“What pack you belong to?” Fat asked. “Maybe we can at least drop you off.”

“Pack? What is that?” Finally being right side up seemed to be clearing the boy’s head. “Where am I? What has happened to me?”

“Something’s wrong with him, Slim,” Fat said, looking the boy up and down. 

“Yeah and he talks kinda funny.” The girl, apparently named Slim, pushed Fat aside and squatted beside the boy. “How much got ripped out, kid? What can you remember?”

The boy just stared at her in confusion. 

Slim reached down and inspected the shackle still attached to one wrist. “These come from the castle. Super fancy. What did you do to get yourself caught?”

“Nothing! I mean, I do not know. I do not remember. Where am I?”

Slim leaned forward, her eyes uncomfortably close to the boy’s. “Don’t lie to me, boy. What can you remember?”

The boy leaned back in discomfort. “Nothing! Really, I do not know. I just woke up in that bag. Those two were arguing or something. They said they had to guard me, and that they were waiting for a Hex to come pick me up, whatever that is.”

“A Hex?!” Slim and Fat both said in unison and they jumped in alarm. 

“That’s it,” Slim said as she stepped over one of the bodies. “If there’s a Hex involved we’re out of here.”

“Can you walk?” Fat asked as he helped the boy to his feet. 

“Are you serious?! Leave him. If there’s a Hex on the way we gotta scram. Now.” She continued through the door of the room, which the boy only noticed now had been knocked off its hinges.

“Come with us,” Fat said as he followed Slim. “Don’t worry. I think she likes you.” He gave the boy a little wink through his already swollen eye. 

Not sure what else to do, the boy followed Fat toward the door when Slim came flying back into the threshold.

“We gotta go!” She said, terror on her face. “The Hex is almost here!”

Without even looking back, the two of them sprinted from the room, leaving the boy to follow, struggling to keep up.

Chapter 3

Rip

Forcing himself on shaking legs, the boy ran, or rather, hobbled out the door. He found himself in an alleyway, lit by a sickly pale light struggling to shine down through gray-green clouds. Fat and Slim were nowhere to be seen. The boy turned to the right and began running.

“Hey, boy!” Slim called from the opposite direction. “It’s this way, dimwit!”

Dimwit? The boy turned and followed to the best of his ability. He rounded the corner and watched as Slim and Fat turned down another small alley, once again out of sight. By the time he finally turned the corner, the alley was empty. The boy rushed forward, afraid that he may have been left behind when he heard a whistle from above. 

He craned his neck and saw a thin silhouette standing at the edge of the building. The silhouette pointed ahead at another nearby alley, then ducked out of sight. Not sure what else to do, the boy trusted the silhouette and ran down the alley as directed. 

Unfortunately, the alley was empty. The boy slowed, wondering where to go when another whistle drifted down from the nearby rooftops. The silhouette ran along the edge of the building, stopping only briefly to point at another alley, before leaping away.

The boy followed, happy to find that as he ran through the maze of buildings, the silhouette always came to guide him just as he felt he was lost. This continued until the boy was abruptly grabbed by the collar and yanked inside a broken doorframe. 

“Wow, you did great! Slim didn’t think you could keep up,” Fat said as he patted the boy on the shoulder. “This way!” He walked up a set of rickety wooden stairs, his giant frame threatening to send them crashing down at any moment. After a painstakingly long climb, they reached the last stair and exited to the roof of the building.

“I told you he could do it!” Fat said as he stepped onto the roof.

Slim’s eyes furrowed above her face covering. “You know these streets pretty well kid. You been here before, yeah? Seriously, what pack you with.”

The boy shook his head. “I am sorry. I do not know what a pack is…”

Slim stepped close to the boy, leaning so far forward he had to lean back to keep their faces from touching. “How much got ripped out?”

The boy only stared in confusion.

“What’s your name?”

As before, the boy opened his mouth, only to realize he didn’t know what to say. 

After a silent moment of staring, Slim pulled back. “Weird. He ain’t ain’t lying.”

“How’s that even possible?” Fat asked.

“The Hexes. This is the worst I’ve ever seen.”

“The worst I’ve ever even heard of,” Fat added.

“What are you talking about?” The boy cut in. “The worst what? What are Hexes? What are packs? Who are you? Where am I? Who was-”

The boy was struck dumb as Slim pulled down her mask, revealing a thin face covered in old scars. They crissed and crossed nearly every inch of her, making her face seem as if it were decorated with frenzied slashes of design. He wanted to say something, but his already empty brain struggled to even remember how to breathe.

“You ok?” Slim asked.

The boy realized he had been staring at her scars and he quickly adjusted, already knowing that he had failed to be subtle. “Um, yes. I am fine. I… um…”

“He’s a lost cause,” Slim said over his babbling. “We gotta just leave him, Fat.”

“Let’s take him with us! I think it’s worth the risk,” Fat argued. “He somehow got out of that shackle, which is pretty cool right? And he was able to follow us.”

Slim crossed her arms. “I dunno… Maybe we can test him.”

Fat failed to hide a frown. “Well, ok. If you say so. In the meantime, what should we call him?”

“I dunno. He’s got no name. Seems he’s got no memory at all.”

“Looks like they ripped out all his pages.”

“Guess that’s a good a name as any,” Slim nodded. “We’ll call you Rip for now, boy.”

Chapter 4

Not Fancy Enough

Rip looked down and once again felt his stomach angrily threaten to expel its contents. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and continued walking.

“Not good with heights, eh?” Slim mocked as she skipped backward along the tall building’s edge. “You ain’t even been tested yet and you’re already failing.”

“Aw, don’t be mean,” Fat said as walked alongside Rip. “I’m kinda afraid of heights too.”

Slim whirled around on her heel,— a feat that would have been difficult even on solid ground, much less while dancing along the precipice of death. “You don’t count. You’re afraid of everything.”

“Not everything, just stuff that can kill me.”

Slim scoffed as she leapt from one building to the next. She spun as she did, landing perfectly on the opposite ledge and somehow balancing there, arms crossed. “Don’t be a coward, Fat. Only the brave live long enough to be remembered.”

Fat jumped with no flourish. He landed on solid feet at Slim’s side. “There’s a difference between being brave, and being stupid.” With that he turned and held his hand out toward Rip. “Gotta jump across, Rip. Sorry.”

Trying not to let his fear show, Rip leapt, much further than he needed as well as off target, crashing into Slim. She caught him, frowning down as he struggled to regain his feet. “My apologies, lady. I-“

“Lady?” Slim released Rip, leaving him to catch himself on shaking feet. “What’s wrong with you, boy? Why don’t you talk right?”

“He sounds all fancy,” Fat said. “Like how they sound up where people got money.”

“Yeah. Maybe his parents will give us a reward for him or somethin’? Good for you, kid. You may not be worthless after all!” Before Rip could retort, Slim grabbed his hands, turning them up to observe his palms. “Wow. I was too busy lookin’ at these fancy cuffs earlier. Check out his hands, Fat! They’re all soft like baby butts!”

Rip pulled his hands away, feeling his face turn red.

“Hey, don’t feel bad, kid,” Slim said, rubbing her own coarse palms together. “This could be good! We drop you off with your fancy parents or whatever, and they give us a bag of jewels or somethin’. Everyone wins!”

Slim immediately changed her course, effortlessly leaping across a wide alley. “Let’s go to the fancy houses. Maybe you’ll recognize someone. Hopefully someone with a big bag of shiny gems!”

“She may have a point,” Fat said with a shrug. “Let’s go.”

*

Rip stopped and rested on his knees. He struggled to inhale and looked up in envy as both Slim and Fat whispered amongst themselves, giving no sign that they had just undergone miles of difficult climbing. 

Slim trotted over and knelt beside him. “You recognize anything?” she asked, gesturing out toward the sea of well-dressed people walking between freshly painted clay roofed houses.

Rip squinted through the ever present green haze, though he was pleased to note that the higher they climbed, the less smog seemed to burn his lungs.

“I fear… I recognize… nothing…” Rip answered through gasps. 

“Rat-scat! We’re way up in the fancy parts of Averia,” she said with a sigh. “I’m starting to think you may be worthless after all.” 

Rat-scat?

“Maybe this place just ain’t fancy enough?” Fat suggested. “Let’s try up past the gardens.” 

Slim slapped Rip on the back, hard enough to make him cough and redouble his efforts to breathe. “Don’t worry kid! The gardens got all kinds of pretty flowers and the like. I’ll bet your fancy nose just needs some fancy air!” She walked away, carefully peeking over the top of a roof before deftly hopping over. 

Chapter 5

The Procession

Skipping along on silent feet, Slim led them over a series of buildings that overlooked a plaza of vibrantly colored gardens. The gardens were filled with walkways that meandered through perfectly manicured bushes and shrubs, each covered with its own distinct bursts of color. The fresh scent of flowers wafted all the way to the rooftops, cutting through what little polluted haze was left in this part of the city. 

Slim stopped suddenly as a large street came into view. Without a word, she dropped onto her stomach. 

Rip glanced to the side to see that Fat had already dropped as well, and was now crawling quickly to Slim’s side. With a relieved sigh, Rip let himself fall with much less grace, grateful for the chance to catch his breath. “Before you ask, I fear that no, I still recognize nothing.” He said as he came to their sides.

“Shut it, gasmouth.” Slim whispered with a snap of her fingers. 

Gasmouth?

Before Rip could respond, he heard the echo of horse hooves clomping through the gardens. Down below, a sea of white horses came into view, pulling a series of white carriages trimmed with gold. 

“What is-”

“Shh!” Slim said with another snap. She continued in a voice that was barely audible. “You gotta be quiet. The queen always has guards around.”

Rip lowered his voice to match Slim’s. “Who is the queen?”

“Some bossy old rich tart,” Slim answered.

Fat cleared his throat. “Queen Evening Til Averos II. The queen of Averia.”

“Are… we in Averia?” 

Slim rolled her eyes towards Fat. “Are we gonna have to teach him how to eat and stuff? Like a baby?”

“There she is,” Fat said, nodding toward the procession.

Queen Evening sat upon a white marble throne being pulled by a massive carriage that towered over the others in the procession. She wore a stark white dress, making it difficult to see where she ended and the throne began. The only hint of color on her person was a blue stone affixed to a small crown she wore. Though her details were difficult to make out from this distance, Rip thought he could make out her placid, almost emotionless face. 

Rip stared in awe, wondering how someone could possibly have such a commanding presence by simply sitting in a chair. He forced himself to turn to Slim and saw that Queen Evening seemed to have no effect on her. She was rapidly scanning the other carts and rooftops. ”Are you looking for something, lady?” Rip asked.

Slim narrowed her eyes. “Her royal witch don’t go far without her pet.”

“Her pet?”

“There,” Fat pointed.

Trailing the procession was a man in a long black cape. He walked slowly, yet somehow easily kept up with the horses. Around his neck he wore a blue stone that mirrored the one Queen Evening wore in her crown, though unlike hers, his glowed brightly in a steady beat. Dim, then bright. Dim, bright. Dim, bright.

“Hex Raza,” Fat said. 

Rip felt his chest rise and fall rapidly. His heart beat hard in his chest and he suddenly remembered he was leaning near the edge of a tall building. He reached out and grabbed at the roof tiles with sweaty hands.

”I know,” Slim said. “Seein’ a Hex will do that to ya.”

The wind picked up then, causing Hex Raza’s cape to billow behind him. Something about him seemed unnatural to Rip. “What is wrong with that man?” He asked as his hands began to shake. 

“Look at his shadow,” Slim said.

Rip looked, noticing only now that the Hex had no shadow. He stared in disbelief, watching as the Hex walked, his cape blowing in the wind. “Why does he not… have…” something else seemed to catch Rip’s attention. It took a moment for him to realize what it was. “His hair!” He exclaimed. Hex Raza had long black hair that hung dead at his sides, despite the gusty wind.

“That’s a Hex for ya,” Slim said. “Using that power of theirs, it changes em’. If you ask me, they ain’t human. See that blue stone glowing with his heartbeat? That’s where he keeps the memories that he’s ripped out.”

”And that is what happened to me?”

“Yep. Us kids on the street, we see stuff, y’know? Them Hexes take kids, rip out whatever memories they want, and sell the info.”

“They’re getting closer,” Fat said.

Slim nodded, carefully crawling back. “Yeah, if Rip doesn’t recognize nothin’ we’re just wastin’ our time here. Let’s go.” 

Rip followed, but not before taking one last look at Hex Raza. A shiver ran down his spine as he turned to leave, grateful to get away from the procession.

The Department of Vowels is a Middle Grade novel that I am workshopping. It is the light-hearted comedic story of two children who find out an alien is behind some recent bizarre happenings within their little town.

Here is a sneak peak of the first 20 pages:

Chapter 1 

A Warm Welcome

“What a wonderful place!” Koh Koh Koh Law said to himself as he walked down the street. Of course, Koh Koh Koh Law wasn’t his real name. His real name was ❑︎◆︎♏︎⧫︎⌘︎♋︎♍︎□︎●︎, which was practically impossible for a human to pronounce. If a human tried, they’d most likely pull a muscle in their neck. He’d chosen his name because it seemed like a very popular one. He had heard it many times on the Ray-D.O. 

Koh Koh Koh Law smiled broadly at his good luck. He had arrived at some sort of large government building! Maybe even the human capital! What were the chances? It was far larger and more grandiose than he could have possibly imagined. And there were so many humans! 

He walked to the main entrance and was amazed as the doors somehow knew to open just for him. Koh Koh Koh Law didn’t know that the doors on earth could think. 

“Thank you!” He said to the doors as he walked inside. As soon as he entered he was met by a large human man wearing a blue vest.

“Welcome to Big Mega Mart,” the man said lazily. “Have a good shopping experience.”

“Um, yes. Hellos to you. I have a name, just like you. My name is Koh Koh Koh Law,” Koh Koh Koh Law said to the man.

The large man raised an eyebrow. “What? Your name is Cola?” 

“Yes, thank you. I have a nice name. May I please speak to the president?”

The large man stared through half closed eyes. “The president? You mean my boss?”

“Yes, yes!” Koh Koh Koh Law said with enthusiasm. “I need to speak to the boss. The boss of all humans!”

The large man sniffed and scratched himself in the rear. 

Was this a normal action for humans to do? Do all humans have itchy rear-ends? 

“Um, is your rear itchy?” Koh Koh Koh Law asked politely. “Would you like some help scratching it? I have very good scratchers.” He lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers. 

At this, the large man’s eyes opened wide. “What? Dude, get out of here. Quit bugging me.”

“Bugging? Oh, bugs? I know what bugs are! They are small terrestrial arthropods with six or more legs. Do you have bugs on your backside?”

The big man’s expression suddenly changed. He began walking aggressively toward Koh Koh Koh Law and cracked his knuckles.

“Is this anger? Are you angry?” Despite his curiosity, Koh Koh Koh Law didn’t wait for an answer. He decided to play it safe, and ran back out the doors. Luckily, they opened for him again. “Thank you!” He called to the doors as he ran away from the large man. 

“I must have said something wrong…” Koh Koh Koh Law murmured to himself as he walked away. “I will have to try harder next time.”

Chapter 2 

The Jones Family

Jay rubbed his eyes as he slowly dragged his feet through the hallway, past family portraits and school pictures. Even from the hallway, he could hear the sound of a pen scratching in the kitchen. 

Jay rounded the corner and saw his dad at the breakfast table. He was hunched over a thick white notebook, quickly writing numbers down on some kind of big chart.

“Morning dad,” Jay said as he sat down at the table. 

“I will. Don’t worry…” Jay’s dad responded without looking up from his notebook. Whenever he was working he seemed to get lost in his own little world. At least, that’s what Jay’s mom always said. 

Jay reached over and grabbed a granola bar from the counter. His dad finally noticed he existed and looked up with a smile. 

“Oh, mornin’ Jay! Want some toast or anything?” He took off his incredibly thick glasses and tried to clean them on his tie, although they looked even dirtier when he was done. 

“I’m good. What are you working on?”

His dad spun the notebook around so Jay could see it. It was some kind of insane grid that went up, down, diagonal, and even had some boxes spiraling around the bottom. The boxes contained numbers, but also bizarre symbols that made no sense. 

“What language is that?”

“That’s just math,” his dad answered.

“Hey! No work at the breakfast table!” Jay’s mom called from the living room.

Jay leaned back in his chair to see that his mom was sitting on the couch with her laptop open. 

“You’re working too!” his dad called.

“Yeah, but I’m not doing it at the breakfast table.” She never broke her unending stream of typing as she spoke. “Jay, you’re gonna be late for the bus. Hurry up and-

BBBRRRIIIING

The phone in the kitchen rang. 

Jay looked over at it with a cocked eyebrow. “We have a phone? Like, not a cell phone? A real phone?”

BBBRRRIIIING

Jay’s dad looked over and squinted at the telephone as if it were tiny. “How long have we had a landline?”

BBBRRRIIIING

“We’ve had it forever, it’s just never been plugged in,” Jay’s mom answered from the living room couch.

BBBRRRIIIING

“I cracked my phone screen. So I plugged it in for work. I thought-“

BBBRRRIIIING

“Will someone please answer that thing?!”

Jay jumped up and ran over to the phone. “Um, hello?” He was met with an odd feedback and static that made it hard to understand the high pitched words coming through.

“Yes, yes — big hellos — you! I am — speaking with — Bil — nana?”

“Banana?”

“Oh, is that how — name is said? I am sorry for my word mistake. — speaking with Banana?” The crackling feedback finally seemed to stop.

“Um, I don’t think… uh… what?” Jay couldn’t help but laugh a bit. 

“Oh no! Was I rude? I am sorry Banana. I did not say my name, did I? I have a name, just like you. My name is Koh Koh Koh Law. It is a nice name.”

“Haha, OK. Bye Coco.” Jay hung up the phone.

“What was that all about?” His mom asked.

“I think it was a weird prank phone call. They were asking for a banana.”

“I’m thinking we may need to unplug that phone again,” Jay’s dad said as he closed up his fat notebook. 

“Alright, move Jay. You gotta catch your bus.”

Chapter 3 

Bella Rodriguez

Bella sat in the very back of the bus. She always said it was the best seat because the bus driver could never see what she was doing. This was useful, since most days Bella was doing something that she didn’t want any grown-up seeing. 

And this particular day was no different. Bella was hard at work. She had brought paint markers from home that were, according to the packaging, “Extremely Permanent”. Her mom had said that they could be erased, but only with some kind of fancy cleaner you had to buy special at the store. Bella was hoping that this time the bus driver wouldn’t be able to erase all her work before the day was even over. 

The bus slowed to a stop and the doors opened. Jay stepped on the bus and began walking straight down the aisle. He couldn’t see Bella, but knew she must be in the back seat. 

“Bella?” He called out.

Dark brown eyes peaked over the seat. “Shh!” She said, holding a paint marker up to her lips. “I’m hoping the bus driver forgets I’m here today!”

Jay was about to sit down, when Bella jumped up and pushed him back. “No!” She said in a whisper that was louder than a yell. “You can’t look yet. It’s not done.” 

With a sigh, Jay sat in the seat in front of Bella instead. “You’re just going to get caught again.”

”Maybe. But this time even if I get caught they won’t be able to erase my work. I hope…”

”What are you drawing?” Jay asked, trying to lean over to peak, but stopping at Bella’s glare.

“Genius takes time. You’ll see it when it’s done.”

With a roll of his eyes, Jay turned and looked out the window. He was surprised to see there was a man in a business suit on the sidewalk. Well actually, that wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was the fact that the man was running. The man was sprinting. He was going unbelievably fast. So fast in fact, that he was somehow keeping up with the bus.

“Hey! Look at that!” He said to Bella.

Bella never even glanced up. “What?”

“That guy! He’s running next to the bus!”

“So? People run.”

“No, no. He’s like, a business guy. He’s wearing a full suit. He’s even holding a briefcase in one hand!”

“Maybe he’s late for an appointment?”

“Here? In our town? We don’t have any big business buildings or skyscrapers or anything”

Bella’s eyes never left her drawing.

“Think about it!” Jay said, staring at the man who was now holding his bowler hat with one hand but still keeping up with the bus. “The biggest building we have is the Big Mega Mart. And there’s nothing on this street except houses and our school.”

Bella didn’t even answer.

“Whoa! Look at him go!” Jay watched in disbelief as the man somehow increased his speed. He now ran even faster than the bus. It wasn’t long before the man was just a tiny speck in the distance, that soon after disappeared entirely.

Bella finally looked up. “Where’d he go?”

Jay just shook his head, not really believing what he had just seen.

“Well anyway, check it out!” Bella closed the cap on her marker and gestured to the back of the bus seat. Jay leaned over to see… himself? He stood up and walked around to sit beside Bella.

It was him. He could tell from the curly black hair and white glasses. It was a drawing of Jay, except with enormous muscles, and holding a huge sword while striking a heroic pose. 

Jay’s jaw dropped open. 

“Do you love it or what?!” Bella said, beaming with pride. 

Jay couldn’t deny that it looked amazing, except- “You painted me wearing nothing but a leopard print loincloth!”

Bella laughed. “Yeah, but it’s pretty awesome, huh?”

“I think you made a mistake though…” Jay said slowly.

“What? No I didn’t! Unless I made the muscles too big.”

“No, that.” Jay pointed to the bottom, where Bella signed her name in the fancy swirly way she always did. 

Bella just shrugged. “A genius artist has to sign her work.”

“But you’re gonna get caught!”

“Not if they don’t have any proof!”

Jay looked again at the name signed below the drawing.

“Pff. Anyone could have written my name,” Bella said. “They don’t have any proof.”

Chapter 4 

They Had Proof

“Not so fast, missy,” said Mr. Gnat, the bus driver. He reached out and grabbed the back of Bella’s sweatshirt collar, stopping her from stepping off the bus. 

“You don’t have any proof!” She yelled before she had even turned around. 

“Proof? You kidding? I just watched you doodle on my bus seat for the last half hour! Plus, you probably signed your name again didn’t you?”

“Doodle?!” Bella said, aghast. “Did Frida Kahlo doodle? Did Vincent Van Gogh doodle? What I do is art!”

“What you do is graffiti,” Mr. Gnat said through a dry sigh.

“Graffiti?! Is that what Michelangelo did to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? I know some priests in Spain who would beg to differ!” 

Mr. Gnat shook his head and shooed Jay away like a fly. “You get to class now. This one is going to help me clean up her mess. She’ll help me clean up the whole bus while she’s at it.”

“The whole bus? That’s not fair!” Bella argued.

Jay shrugged as if to say, “I told you so” and left to go to class. 

“Now,” Mr. Gnat continued. “Follow me. I have to tell the principal what you did.”

With head hung low, Bella followed Mr. Gnat to the school’s office.

“Italian priests,” Mr. Gnat grumbled.

“Huh?”

“The Sistine chapel isn’t in Spain. It’s in Italy.” He then paused and scratched his head. “Actually, it’s in the Vatican. That’s its own country I think.”

He opened the door to the main office and led Bella inside. The principal’s door was closed. It had a foggy glass window with “PRINCIPAL PAL” written on it. 

Bella could remember when she had first come to this school she thought it was a weird typo, but the principal’s name was actually Mrs. Pal. Based on the shadows that could be seen through the door, she was talking with someone.

“You wait there,” Mr. Gnat said, pointing to a chair next to the principal’s door. He then walked behind the desk to the back of the office with his arms crossed, mumbling to himself. “Roman priests? Are they Roman or… Italian? How does all that work?”

Bella decided to ignore him. She could just make out words coming from Mrs. Pal’s office. They were bizarrely high pitched, almost like a kid’s cartoon. Glancing to ensure Mr. Gnat was not watching her, Bella pressed her ear to the door.

“…must find them, your highness!”

“I assure you, there is nobody here named…Banana.”

“Oh but your highness! I believe Banana is here! They were riding in the belly of a giant yellow creature that rolled on rubber feet. I believe it was coming straight to your castle!”

“Ok, ok, Mr… um, what did you say your name was?”

“My name is Koh Koh Koh Law, your highness! It is a nice name! And you are named Prince Palpal! I believe that is a nice name too! Aren’t names wonderful?”

“Ok, Mr. Cola, I believe there is some kind of mistake. First off, I am not a prince. This is not a castle. I am a principal and this is a school.”

“School? Yes! School! I know this word! It is for… please hold on a moment, your highness… Ah yes, here it is. It is: School. Verb. To educate someone. Often used as slang. Example: You got schooled, son!”

There was a pause.

“Mr. Cola, can you please wait here? I think I need to make a call.”

“Oh yes that would be lovely! I have used a telephone before as well! In fact, I used one just this morning!”

Mrs. Pal’s door opened quickly, pumping into Bella’s ear. She rushed to the seat and sat down, rubbing the side of her head. Mrs. Pal quickly glanced at Bella, but surprisingly did not get her in trouble. Instead, she walked behind the desk and saw Mr. Gnat. The two of them began whispering.

Bella could just barely make out the word, “hospital” before the two of them moved out of the room and into the back office, out of Bella’s earshot. 

Now all Bella could hear was the person in Mrs. Pal’s office. It sounded like they were throwing things around. Very carefully, she tiptoed over and turned the door knob. She pushed it forward the tiniest bit and peaked inside. 

“Aha!” Said Mr. Cola. “Hello there, Banana!” 

Bella was about to run, when she noticed Mr. Cola was not looking at her. He was holding a paper above his head triumphantly. The paper had a tiny picture on it. 

A picture of Jay.

“I see,” Mr. Cola said to the paper. “It says here that you are in Mrs. Young’s room. Wonderful! I will find Mrs. Young!” He dropped the paper and turned to leave. 

Bella jumped back as quickly as she could, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the door a second time. 

The man in the business suit marched out with a big smile on his face, taking no notice of her. He called out, “Thank you, Prince Palpal! Long may you reign!” As he walked right back out the door and into the school.

“You,” Mr. Gnat said a second later as he came back into the main office. “Come with me. Mrs. Pal’s got bigger fish to fry. I’ll show you where the cleaning stuff is.”

Chapter 5

Math is Weird

“Om bellming moo, O maw id!” Bella said to Jay.

”Chew and swallow your sandwich!” Jay scolded.

Bella chewed as they rushed away from the cafeteria and back to class. Bella had been stuck cleaning the bus all morning. Those paint markers really were difficult to clean up. She barely had any time to eat at all. She swallowed the a huge bite and continued. “I said: I’m telling you, I saw it!”

“But why would that business guy want a picture of me?”

“His name is Koh Koh Koh Law. Mrs. Pal was calling him Mr. Cola.”

“Wait, that’s definitely the same guy that called my house! And he was still asking for a banana?”

Bella shook her head. “No, I don’t think he was looking for a banana. I think he was looking for somebody named Banana.” 

“This makes no sense. Why would he want my picture? Why would he have called my house? Why did he show up at school?”

“I don’t know, but he said he was going to come to Mrs. Young’s class! Did he show up?”

“Nope. I haven’t seen him since this morning when he ran past the bus.”

Just then, the door to their class opened up and Mrs. Young stood in the doorframe, grinning ear to ear. “Yes! I give hellos to you! My name is the Mrs. Young! Come inside, tiny humans!”

Jay and Bella shared a worried glance before following the rest of the class inside. 

Everyone sat down in their usual seats. Jay and Bella sat down in the back, close to the window like always. Mrs. Young walked to the front of the class.

“She still looks normal…” Jay whispered. She was wearing the same white dress with red polka dots she was wearing that morning. She still had her hair up in a ball with two pencils through it. Her voice had even sounded the same as always, even though her welcome had been unusual.

“Maybe there’s nothing wrong? Maybe she-”

“Before we begin with our teacher lesson,” Mrs. Young began, “Is there a learning student pupil here named… Banana?” She looked directly at Jay when she said this. 

The whole class giggled, beginning to wonder what was going on. Jay of course, did not say anything.

“Allow the Mrs. Young to repeat herself. Who is Banana?” Again, she looked right at Jay while she spoke. 

“Um,” Jay began nervously. “I’m Jay. Jay Jones.”

Mrs. Young seemed confused. “Your name is Jay?” She said. “You do not have the name, Banana?”

The class seemed to be confused about whether they should be laughing or worried. Jay however, just leaned back and pointed to the name tag on his desk. “See?” He said. “Jonathan Jones. Everyone calls me Jay.”

Mrs. Young frowned. “Fiddles and sticks,” she said, as if it were a curse. “Well there is no Banana. But do not worry little humans! I am going to school you, son!” She walked over to the desk and pulled out a new packet of pink erasers. Then another. Then another. And another. 

She then passed them out, giving each student their own box with 20 pink erasers. She then sat down at her desk. “The time for math has come!”

Everyone just stared at her.

“We will use these treats to count numbers! Do you know what numbers are?”

The class was not laughing anymore. Something seemed to be seriously wrong with Mrs. Young. 

“Ah, I see,” Mrs. Young said. “You don’t know numbers yet. They can be confusing. Let me give you a learning lesson for brains.” She then proceeded to open her box, pull out an eraser and took a bite out of it. She spoke as she chewed. “Please be eating your treats now. Count how many you can eat! I am eating one. Can you eat more than Mrs. Young?”

Mrs. Young did not seem to notice the unusual reactions she got from all the students. Of course, nobody ate any erasers. (Although Bella did try a bite, but spat it out almost right away.) 

The class proceeded to simply watch Mrs. Young eat an entire box of erasers until the bell rang. When it did, they were more than happy to run out the door and forget this ever happened.

Chapter 6

Research

“Ok, I know you would normally never skip school, but I think we can agree these are kind of crazy circumstances.” Bella stood in front of Jay, forcing him to stop in the hall.

“But what if we get in trouble?” Jay said, looking past her toward Mrs. Young’s door.

“Trouble? What if we go to class and our weird, possessed teacher tries to eat us?”

Jay couldn’t really argue with that. He nodded and turned around to walk the opposite direction. “So, where are we going?”

“Well I think we should try and figure out what’s going on. Where do people normally go for stuff like that? The Mayor? The library?”

Jay perked up. “Oh yeah! The library has computers we can use!”

“I can’t believe I’m ditching class to go to the library,” Bella mumbled with a sad shake of her head. 

Having a plan, even if it was only “go to the library” seemed to make Jay feel a bit less nervous about breaking the rules. He led Bella through the school, to the library.

“Afternoon Jay!” Ms. Quartz said with a smile as Jay and Bella entered through the big double doors. Anyone could tell that Ms. Quartz was the librarian. She wore half-moon glasses on a chain that hung around her wrinkled neck. Her hair was curly and so white you’d think she dyed it that way on purpose. Her glasses and hair made her look as if she bought a librarian Halloween costume and wore it all year round.

“Hey Ms. Quartz,” Jay said with a timid cough. “We’re here to um, uh…”

“We need to use the computers for a project for Mrs. Young’s class,” Bella said. 

Jay was amazed at the calm way Bella was able to speak. He almost believed her himself. “Uh, yeah. We have to um, it’s for school. For math. It’s for the math we’re doing in school.” Jay felt Bella’s elbow jab into him as she walked toward the computers.

Ms. Quartz raised a suspicious eyebrow. “No problem, Jay. Let me know if you need anything.” She almost seemed to smile a tiny bit as she said it. 

“Alright, now what,” Bella asked once they had sat down at a computer. “What are we even searching for?

Jay had to think for a moment. “I don’t know. Mrs. Young doesn’t seem like herself. Maybe possessions? Ghosts or something?”

“She kept calling us ‘humans’. Maybe she’s not human? Maybe she’s like an animal?”

“What kind of animal looks and talks exactly like a human?” 

“I don’t know,” Bella shrugged. “Some kind of monster? Look up Mr. Cola too.”

“Ok, so I’ll type in ghosts, possession, monsters, Mr. Cola, um… anything else?”

“Add our city and school name too.”

“Good thinking,” Jay said as he typed in the rest and pressed enter. 

They both stared at the screen and frowned. “Only one result,” Bella said. “And it doesn’t really seem too trustworthy.”

“Well, it’s our only option right now,” Jay said. He clicked on the link titled, “Otto’s Odd Show: A true show about mermaids, ghosts, bigfoots, and other real stuff. It’s real people! It’s all real!”

Chapter 7

Otto Anchors

“Whatever we do, we better be quick,” Bella said in a whisper. “I don’t like the way Ms. Quartz is looking at us.”

Jay looked back and saw Ms. Quartz standing with folded arms. She was looking directly at the two of them. “Well, it seems like this Otto thing is some kind of radio show? I’m not really sure, but there’s an address at the bottom!”

Bella furrowed her brow. “Wait, isn’t that the address of the school?”

“No,” Jay explained. “It’s the address of the extra education building.”

“The what?”

“It’s a separate building that lets kids take extra classes for like, college credit and stuff. We’re not allowed to use it, but high schoolers are.”

“So what, you’re saying that this Otto guy is here at our school?”

“I guess so. Let’s go to the extra education building! Maybe he’s there now!”

Jay and Bella quickly logged off the computer. Bella gave a very natural looking smile to Ms. Quartz as they walked by, which was met with a suspicious glower. Luckily, Ms. Quartz didn’t say anything as they left the library.

“The extra education building is behind the school. We have to take that road the janitors use.”

Bella nodded. “Oh yeah, I know that road. I always thought it lead to storage or something.”

The two made their way to the back of the school, trying their best not to attract any attention. Jay had almost forgotten he was breaking the rules. Once he had his mind set on something, it was much easier to focus. 

After following the path away from the main campus, they finally saw the extra education building. 

“Looks kinda creepy,” Bella said as they approached the building. It didn’t look anything like the rest of the school. The extra education building was made of old, rotted wood, most of it cracked and missing pieces. After a brief hesitation, Bella opened the door. The two of them stood at the entrance however, afraid to go in.

“Are you serious?” Bella asked. “Is this a school building, or a scene from a horror movie?” The door opened to a narrow hallway lit by flickering lights. There were doors on each side, which could barely be seen in the half-dark. “This place smells like my grandma’s closet,” Bella said while covering her nose. 

“Isn’t there like, an office or anything? It’s just an empty-“ Jay was cut off by a terrifying, guttural scream coming from down the hall. Before Jay even realized what the sound was, Bella had sprinted down the dark hall and flung open the door at the end. 

“Is everyone still alive?!” Jay yelled as he followed Bella into the room. Luckily, he was met with a still living boy, sitting cross legged on the floor with a laptop on his lap and surrounded by piles and piles of notebooks. He wore headphones over the hood of his jacket, and was hunched over a handheld microphone. The boy looked at Bella and Jay with angry confusion.

“I’m sorry ladies and gents, it seems we’ve been interrupted by some kids. I’ll be back soon with more 100% accurate sounds of the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas,” the boy said as he pressed something on the laptop. “Excuse me kids, but you just interrupted an extremely important radio broadcast. Can I help you with something?”

Jay and Bella looked at each other in confusion. “Um, yeah,” Jay began. “We’re looking for someone named Otto?”

“You’ve met him!” Otto said as he jumped up and held out his hand. “The name is Otto Anchors. I’m a historian. Also, I’m a podcaster. Also, I once ate 20 nickels”

Jay very slowly shook his hand. “You ate… what?”

“I once ate 20 nickels. Do you find that unusual?”

Jay scratched his head. “Do I find it unusual that you ate a whole dollar’s worth of nickels? Um, yeah.”

”Good!” Otto said as Jay pulled his hand away. “Anyway, what can I do for you two?”

“Um, well…” Jay began.

“We think our teacher was possessed by a ghost or something,” Bella said quickly. “We thought you could help us, but I’m starting to think maybe you’re crazy and we shouldn’t have come here.”

Otto suddenly hopped backward, dropping his laptop to the floor with a clatter. “What’s that?!” He said with excitement. “A real possession? Here in our town? What’s your teacher’s name?”

“Um, her name is Mrs. Young. She teaches 5th grade and-“

“Ah, yes! Mary Young. You think she is possessed? You are in her class? What evidence do you have?”

“Well, she did eat an entire box of erasers about an hour ago,” Bella said with a shrug. 

“That’s good enough for me!” Otto said excitedly. “I’ll look into this. Thank you and goodbye.” He then sat back down with his computer and began typing frantically. 

“Wait, what? You’re going to look into it? What does that even mean?”

With a sigh, Otto took his headphones off. “It means, I’ll check my footage.”

“Your… footage?

“Of course! I’ve been looking for evidence of paranormal activity ever since I was your age! I have cameras set up all over town. I even have some set up at your school. I’ll bet I’ve got some footage of whatever happened to your teacher.”

Bella looked at Jay with a surprised smile. “Sounds good to me! Where should we-“

“Meet me back here tomorrow at lunch. Meet me at about 1 o clock. Meet me at exactly about 1 o clock! I’ll have your footage ready.”

“Well…,” Jay said while slowly walking backwards. “I guess that’s all we need. Thanks for your help Otto. We’ll see you tomorrow at exactly about 1 o clock ish and… bye!” He then quickly turned and half ran out of the room. 

“What was that all about?!” Bella said, following Jay. 

“That kid is crazy! Abominable snowmen? He’s got hidden cameras everywhere?”

“I think he’s a good egg,” Bella said. “So… are we gonna meet with him tomorrow?”

“No way. And we already ditched school, I say we just go home for the day.”

Chapter 8

There’s probably Nothing to Worry About

Jay sat on the couch, but couldn’t stop his legs from moving. He was dying to tell his parents all about his insane day. Jay’s mom and dad always got home at the exact same time, because they always drove to work together. Luckily, their jobs were very close to each other.

Jay’s dad worked at an insurance company. He sat in a cubicle and did math all day. He did math all day! Everyday he would get to work, sit down at his desk and start doing math. A little alarm would go off to remind him to eat lunch and after eating, he would get right back to math. Another alarm would go off at the end of the day and he would then go home. Jay actually really liked math, but he imagined you’d have to be a little crazy to like math that much.

His mom’s job made a little more sense, but it was just as boring. She worked for a company called ‘Pens, Papers, and Printers’. All day long she would call offices on the phone and see what supplies they needed. She would then send them those supplies. That was pretty much it. Very boring, but at least she got to talk to people.

Finally, the front door opened and in came Jay’s parents. Before they had even entered the room, Jay was half-yelling at them. 

“MomdadmyteacherateabunchoferasersandIsawaguyinasuitrunfasterthanabusandOttobelievesinghostsandbigfootsandabominablesnowmenand-“

He stopped his rambling at the look on his parents’ faces. 

“Sounds like you’ve had quite a day!” His mom said with a smile. “I’ll go make some coffee and you can tell us all about it.”

“Can you make enough for me too, Anna?” His dad asked as he put down his giant white folder.

*

After what had seemed like an eternity, Jay had finally finished the story of his day. He didn’t think he had left anything out. 

“Well, what do you think, dear?” His mom asked his dad.

Jay’s dad tried to clean his glasses, smudging them worse in the process. “I think our boy should become a fantasy writer when he grows up.”

Jay felt his face drop. He knew deep down his parents wouldn’t believe him, but somehow he had hoped.

“Now, now,” his mother said. “We didn’t say we don’t believe you. Sometimes fantasy happens in real life.”

“I once saw a chicken that could do math,” his dad added helpfully.

“I don’t think that’s what he’s talking about, Bill,” his mother continued. “What we mean is, just, don’t worry about it, you know? Sometimes we have weird days. I’m sure everything will be fine tomorrow.”

Jay wanted to believe his mom, but he could have sworn he noticed his parents trying to hide worry from showing on their faces. 

“Yeah, let’s get some dinner,” his dad said with a smile. “And It’ll be ok Jay. There’s probably nothing to worry about.”

Chapter 9

There’s Something to Worry About

“What did your mom say?” Jay asked Bella the next morning. 

“Not much. She kind of laughed at the whole thing. She has to work nights this week so she’s super sleepy.”

“Oh yeah I forgot she’s working late. Did she ever- hey what’s going on?”

Bella and Jay stopped when they noticed their class was lining up outside the door. Normally, Mrs. Young had come in and opened the door for them by now. In fact, this was the first time all year that she hadn’t opened the door in the morning.

They joined the rest of the class and stood by the door. They waited.

And waited.

And waited.

“Where’s Mrs. Young?” Everybody was asking. 

“Maybe she’s sick?” Everyone else guessed. 

“She was acting weird yesterday…”

”School should have started by now.”

“Where’s the substitute teacher?”

As the classes worry gradually turned to panic, Mrs. Pal walked up to the door with a confused look. “Where’s Mrs. Young?” she asked. 

“That’s what we were just asking!” The class answered. 

“Hmm… Well perhaps we could- Oh! Mr. Punch!”

Mr. Punch was the P.E. teacher. He was walking by, holding a cheeseburger in one hand and an enormous soda in the other. “What’s that Mrs. Pal? He asked through a mouthful of cheeseburger.

“Um, yes. I need you to substitute for Mrs. Young’s class.”

Mr. Punch started sweating instantly. “What? A real class? What am I supposed to teach?”

Mrs. Pal frowned. “Go teach these kids, Mr. Punch. We’ll have to cancel your classes for the day.” She opened Mrs. Young’s door and the class walked inside and took their seats. 

Mr. Punch followed them, his eyes darting back and forth as if he was expecting to be attacked. “Ughum,” he coughed. “Yes well, I suppose I will be your teacher today class. Maybe, um, what do you students normally do at this time?”

“Um, math?” A student said with a shrug.

“Math? Numbers? No, no that’s- oh! Ok, I’ve got it! Everyone get out of your seats!”

The class stood up slowly.

“Now, jumping jacks! Get to it! 1! 2! 3! 4! 5!”

The whole class followed along in confused jumping jacks. Their legs banged against tables and chairs as they tried not to hit each other. 

“That’s the ticket! We’ll do jumping jacks for about 20 minutes, then we can do some pushups, sit-ups, maybe we can run some tiny laps in here too! That should be good until lunch. Let’s get to work everyone! And keep counting out loud! Otherwise, it doesn’t count as math.”

Chapter 10

Exactly About 1 O’clock Ish

Jay was still panting and wiping sweat from his forehead when the bell rang. “Oh no…” he moaned. “Time to go back to class.”

“No way, Jose,” Bella said with a shake of her head. 

“What other choice do we have?”

“It’s almost 1 O’clock, right? Let’s go see Otto.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” Jay sighed. “Let’s go.”

*

Bella opened the door to the extra education building. She stopped at the threshold, however. “Something seems wrong,” she whispered.

Jay peaked over her shoulder. The lights were completely out. “It’s almost impossible to see anything.”

Very slowly, Bella creeped into the darkness. Jay followed so close he had to be careful not to step on her shoes. It took a while for their eyes to finally adjust enough to see where they were going.

“Look,” Bella said, pointing down the hallway. All the doors were closed, except for Otto’s. It was left open and just a hint of blue light could be seen coming from within.

Jay almost started turning around, but Bella pressed forward. The two of them made their way to Otto’s door and gave it a careful push. It creaked loudly as it opened.

Otto’s notebooks were thrown all around the room. In the center of the floor was Otto’s laptop, still on. It had a bright orange flash drive sticking out the side, blinking with a red light.

“Where is he?” Bella asked.

Jay picked up Otto’s computer. “It’s logged in without a password or anything,” He said. He looked at the screen and saw there were some folders there. One was named: “For those two kids whose teacher went missing”.

“That’s for us, right?” Bella asked.

Jay didn’t even wait for an answer. He clicked the folder and saw that it contained a few videos. Jay clicked on the first one, which was named “Vid 001: Mrs. Young”.

Chapter 11

Vid 001: Mrs. Young

The video started.

It was in all black and white. There were tiny numbers and letters blinking in the top right corner that said: MON 10:12AM. The camera was outside, pointed at the side of the school. You could just make out the windows to each classroom along the building. There was no sound and there also wasn’t much to see except some trees and a porta-potty off to the side.

Suddenly, Mrs. Young stepped onto the screen. She was looking around as if she were confused. 

The image suddenly became glitchier. It was now a bit harder to see. But they could still make out Mrs. Young surrounded by… was that fog? There was a wispy patch of fog floating around Mrs. Young’s feet. She was moving her hands around in a way that almost seemed like she was talking to someone, but the camera quality wasn’t good enough to see her mouth.

Her head jerked to the side and she now stared at the porta-potty. There must have been a big gust of wind, because the fog blew over in that direction too. Mrs. Young approached cautiously. She opened the door to the porta-potty and peaked inside. 

The second Mrs. Young had opened the door, a gust of wind blew it fully open right as Mr. Cola jumped out from behind the porta-potty. He shoved Mrs. Young inside, then followed her in. The porta-potty jumped around a bit and few seconds later, Mrs. Young walked back out. She patted down her dress and walked casually back the way she had come. 

The video ended.

Chapter 12

Vid 002: Don’t Trust The Police

Bella and Jay turned to look at each other. 

“Did you just see what I saw?” Jay asked with wide eyes.

“Ok, I’m officially freaking out a little bit,” Bella answered.

Jay looked back at the computer. “There’s more here.” He opened the next video which was titled “Vid 002: Don’t Trust the Police”

The video started.

It was the same camera as the first video. The corner now said: MON 1:33PM. There were now three police officers standing around the porta-potty. They looked a little nervous.

The officers looked to be talking, but stopped immediately and stood at attention when a man in a vertical striped suit and sunglasses walked onto the screen. He approached them and flashed a badge. The police officers nodded and quickly hurried away off camera. 

The man in the striped suit then stepped into the porta-potty.

A moment later, a woman in another striped suit walked up to the porta-potty and peeked inside. She nodded, then turned around and stood guard at the door. She rested her hand on a gun at her hip.

“Did that lady bring a gun to the school?!” Bella asked, flabbergasted.

“I think she’s a cop or something,” Jay answered. “Look!”

A very tall, lanky man walked into view. He walked hunched over and with a limp. He stopped suddenly when he reached the portapotty. The man’s head shot back — staring directly into the camera.

Jay took a step back and watched from behind Bella’s shoulder. The man had an eye patch which had white stripes that matched his suit. He limped toward the camera and he scratched his stubbled face with a hook.

“Does he have a hook for a hand?! Seriously?!” Bella whispered. 

The man walked straight up to the camera, his grizzled face now taking up the whole screen. He stared as if he were looking right through the computer screen and directly into Bella and Jay’s eyes. He then said something. The video had no sound, but the man moved his mouth so purposefully it was clear what he said.

“Otto Anchors.” He then reached up with his good hand and grabbed the camera.

The video ended.

Chapter 13

Officially Freaking Out

“Ok. Ok. Everything is ok. This is ok, right? Ok. Um, Ok-“

“Stop saying ‘Ok’!” Bella snapped. 

“Ok,” Jay answered. “I’m officially freaking out. Let’s get out of here.”

“We can’t go now! We have to watch the rest of these videos!”

“Seriously? What if that terrifying pirate guy took Otto? We gotta run!”

“Look,” Bella said. “There’s a picture.” She clicked on a photo labeled: Img 001: Badge. 

A picture opened up. It was a screenshot from the last video of the man with the striped eye patch. It was zoomed in to an official looking badge he wore on his chest. It was blurry, but the letters could still be made out. It read: AEIOU

“AEIOU? What’s that?” Jay asked.

Bella just shrugged and clicked on the next video.

Chapter 14

Vid 003: Don’t Trust Anyone

The video started.

It was a different camera. The corner said: MON 2:29PM. This one was filming the hallway within the school. 

“There’s no way it’s legal for Otto to have all these cameras everywhere,” Bella said.

“Is that our class? It looks like school is about to end.”

Just then, many doors began to open and classes began filing out. Mrs. Young’s door opened and the class practically sprinted out and ran down the hall. Mrs. Young stood at the door and waved goodbye to her class. She then closed the door.

The video began to fast forward, students zipping along like ants as they all left school, leaving the halls empty. The video returned to its normal speed. A few moments later, Mrs. Young’s door opened again, but this time a man wearing a bowler hat and carrying a briefcase walked out.

“That’s Mr. Cola!” Bella said with wide eyes. “How’d he get there? What’s he doing?”

Mr. Cola left the door open as he calmly walked down the hall and out of the camera’s vision.

The video ended.

A middle grade novel being workshopped. What makes a fairy tale? Is it magic? A happy ending? Or perhaps a fight of good against evil? This is a modern fairy tale, showing that sometimes good and evil, happy and sad, magic and mundane can be more difficult to tell apart that you may expect.

Here is a small sneak peak:

~

Come closer, come closer. Yes, gather ‘round. I don’t want to strain my voice now. 

There, there. All settled? Good. Tonight will be a bit different. Unlike many of the stories I’ve told, this one is true, although there is doubt as to whether or not it really happened. Regardless, it is a true story. 

Before I begin, I must warn you: This is a sad story, as almost all true stories are. I personally find that happiness however, is a fickle thing. I, for one, enjoy a splash of sadness in my life. It is the spice in my soup, or the bitter in my chocolate. But such is life: a collection of sad and happy that give meaning to it all.

Now this story begins, as I’ve forewarned, with a bit of sadness. It begins with the birth of the Perfect Prince.

1

The Birth of the Perfect Prince

Screams echoed through the halls of the royal palace. Screams of pain, and worry. Screams that became sobs and sobs that became whimpers and whimpers that became screams yet again, starting the cycle anew. 

This vicious wheel continued to spin for nearly two days. 

As the sun broke over the tops of green hills, the screaming suddenly ceased. The screams were replaced with cries. 

“It is a baby boy!” Said Midwife Ava. “For certain, he is perfect!”

“Give the boy to me,” said King Vonne. He did not wait for Midwife Ava to reply, but reached out and snatched the baby, whose crying doubled as he was pressed against the cold steel of King Vonne’s armor. “Aye,” said the king. “He is perfect.” he lifted the baby, turning him and inspecting every inch of him with his one good eye. “Aye, perfect,” he repeated. 

“May I hold him?” asked Lady Lila through relieved gasps. 

After a moment of consideration, King Vonne dropped to a knee, his armor sparking against the stone floor. He gently placed the baby in Lady Lila’s arms. 

“He is beautiful,” Lady Lila said with growing tears. She leaned forward and kissed the baby on the head. 

“He has all his fingers and toes,” King Vonne said with a nod. “His breath is strong, his bones seem straight. He is healthy.” 

“He’s healthy as healthy can be!” Midwife Ava said. “The queen will be beside herself with happiness!”

At this, Lady Lila’s smile faded. “Must I give him up?” She asked King Vonne. “Could I not come to the castle with you and help raise him?”

”Queen Rain would not have it,” King Vonne answered. “You know as well as I that he must be raised as a prince, the son of a king and queen, not as the son of a king and a chicken farmer. He will have everything he needs. He will want for nothing.”

”But I worry. I worry that his life will be too perfect. If he is never sad, how will he ever truly know happiness?”

Midwife Ava failed to stifle a laugh. “Most sorry Lady, but that is just silly. How can one who is happy know happiness? Well, because he is happy! He is a perfect boy and he shall have a perfect life here in the palace. I will make most sure of that, yes Lady.”

Lady Lila’s lower lip began to quiver and she shut her eyes tight. 

“You knew this is the way it would be,” King Vonne said in his most tender voice, which was a growl with less gravel. “We agreed to this long ago.”

“I know. But it still hurts. I will miss the baby, and I will miss you.”

“I will miss you too, my flower.” The king knelt forward and kissed the Lady Lila on her forehead, much as she had done to the baby. “Life is most unusual. Perhaps we shall meet again.”

“It is time for us to go now,” Midwife Ava said. “The queen is waiting to hear news of the baby.”

With much difficulty, Lady Lila handed the baby to Midwife Ava.

King Vonne grabbed Lady Lila’s hands tight. “Do not worry, my flower. I will make sure our perfect prince has a perfect life.”

“I do not care for perfect,” she answered. “Just teach him. Teach him the important things.”

“Worry not, my flower. His life will be perfect.” He opened the door for Midwife Ava, who left the room, her wooden peg-leg sending echoes through the palace halls.

With one hand on the door, King Vonne turned to Lady Lila. “I love you,” he said. He closed the door and left her alone in the room.

~

Can we please get some drinks in here? After I mentioned bitter chocolate I could really use a hot mug of coco. Do you mind? Very good, thank you. 

Anyway, King Vonne, for all his faults, was certainly right about one thing: Life is most unusual. Often what we hear in stories is wild and farfetched, but I assure you, stories are nothing compared to the unbelievable fantasy that is real life. 

You see King Vonne, he was a… complicated man. A man of war and passion. A man capable of great evil but of course, that is not the entirety of a man. For one thing, he truly loved the newborn prince. This was considered a great thing. Unfortunately, he also truly loved the Lady Lila. This was considered an evil thing. At least, that’s what the Queen would say. 

2

Queen Rain

“He’s leaving again, your majesty.”

Queen Rain once again lowered the cool cloth over her eyes and leaned back into her fainting couch. “Dare I even ask where the beast is going?”

With a sigh, Midwife Ana turned away from the window. She held the newborn perfect prince in a little bundle. “I believe he’s heading into town, your majesty.”

Queen Rain let out a long sing-song wail. “Dare I ask, Midwife, is he heading to the… Eastern side of town?” She brought both hands up and covered her mouth as she said it.

Midwife Ana nodded, only to realize the queen still had her eyes covered by the cool cloth. “I’m afraid so, your majesty.”

Queen Rain let out another long, performative groan, leaning further back into her fainting couch.

“Oh, wait! The king is stopping!” Midwife Ana called out with a joyous clap.

The queen rose from her fainting couch, letting the cool cloth fall from her eyes. “Is he coming back to me? Is my king-“

“Oh, never mind. He only stopped to pick a little bouquet of wildflowers. He’s heading to the chicken farm”

The queen threw herself back onto her fainting couch and let out a moan like a long dead spirit. “The chicken farm! It’s that woman! That Lady Lilly!”

”Lila,” Midwife Ana corrected.

”Yes, her! That foul temptress! That evil woman is trying to usurp my throne!”

Midwife Ana didn’t seem to hear the queen, as she was smiling at the king, who had started skipping, which made him look quite silly in his suit of armor. The perfect prince even smiled up at Midwife Ana’s face.

“It is that cursed Lady Lilac!” Queen Rain snapped.

“Lila.”

“Yes, yes, her. She is certainly up to something. I believe something must be done.”

“Ah, but what can be done? If the king loves her, then we cannot-”

“Love?! Do not speak that word! Especially not about the king and that Lady Leela.”

“Lila.”

“Yes, something must be done about… Lila.” The Queen frowned and rose from her fainting couch. “Midwife Ana, bring me my chair.” 

Midwife Ana carefully laid the perfect prince down in a bassinet. She brought the queen her chair, an ornately decorated one with wheels that allowed Queen Rain to move about the castle. She supported the queen and gently guided her into the chair, making sure to put the queen’s weight onto her good leg and not her peg. 

Queen Rain rolled toward the window, frowning at the now empty pathway. “Something must be done…”

~

Good lord above! Warn a man before handing him something that is still boiling! How am I to drink this? Ugh, I must wait. 

They say patience is a virtue, something to strive for, but I think patience is just for those who aren’t ready. Perhaps afraid. But patience is contagious. You can catch patience like a cold. This boiling hot bitter coco isn’t ready, and so I must be patient. This isn’t my choice, I have simply caught a case of patience due to this blasted coco. 

How are you feeling? Impatient perhaps? Well as you can see, I’ve caught patience from this coco, and now you’ve caught patience from me. So now you must wait for me to continue my story, as I wait for my coco.

Hmm…

Very well, I suppose I can continue my story while I wait. No need to infect you all, eh? Well, Just as you’ve been forced to be patient, just as I have been forced to be patient, Queen Rain was forced to be patient. For you see, she had hatched a plan of sorts. One I will refrain from telling you now. It’s for the pace of the story, you understand. 

But don’t worry, I will not force you to be sick with the patience as long as she was. I will jump ahead in my story. Five years, in fact, to the moment where the queen decides once and for all to go forth with her evil plan.

3

Five Years Later

Queen Rain rolled through the royal gardens, pushed in her chair by Lord Avum. Lord Avum was a man who prided himself on his brilliance. He was an inventor. In fact, he was the one who designed and perfected the queen’s chair. 

Lord Avum pushed Queen Rain to the royal garden waterfall, which looked like a natural waterfall, but was actually a series of complicated pipes and channels that Lord Avum had designed.

“Stay away from the water, Perfect Prince,” Queen Rain said as she watched the prince approach the water’s edge. 

“Yes mother, but may I see the fishies?” The prince asked, taking a step back.

“No. Back up further. I don’t want you to fall in.”

The perfect prince frowned and turned away. “The chicken lady lets me look at the animals…” he mumbled under his breath.

“What was that?!” Queen rain struggled to turn her chair and face the Perfect Prince. “Don’t you dare mention that horrid woman!”

The Perfect Prince flinched as if he were struck. He let out a quiet, “Yes mama,” before running off further into the gardens.

“How often does the prince see that farm woman?” Queen Rain asked. 

Lord Avum quickly flashed a series of movements with his hand. Queen Rain had been educated to know this meant “Once a week.”

“The prince’s naming day is coming. Less than a year now.”

*Three hundred forty days.* Lord Avum said with his hands.

“Does the king suspect anything?”

*King Vonne is lost in his thoughts. Thoughts of war, the Lady Lila, or his son. He seems to take no notice of what you do.*

“Good,” the queen said with finality, though her face seemed to darken as she said it. “Is this the right thing? Is what I’m doing evil?”

*Is it evil for the king to send soldiers off to war? Some would say yes, some would say no. Is it evil for you to rid yourself of the king, for the sake of your son? Some would say yes, some would say no.*

“The Perfect Prince is truly perfect in every way. He cannot be raised to desire the life of a chicken farmer. He cannot be raised to think a king can choose to leave his queen for something as frivolous as love.”

Lord Avum’s hand remained still.

“Isn’t that right, Lord Avum?”

After a few moments of hesitation, Lord Avum replied. *Of course, your majesty.*

There was a shared silence as they watched the Perfect Prince drop to his knees near a rose bush. The young prince looked closely at something, then snatched, his hand coming up with some kind of bug, which quickly flew away. The prince laughed and waved goodbye to the bug.

“He cannot be raised to think like a chicken farmer,” the queen said with a sneer. “Lord Avum, have the gardens sprayed with poison to kill off any bugs.”

*That may kill the flowers as well, your majesty.*

“So be it.”

~

Ah, finally my coco is ready to drink. Thank you again for bringing it. 

Do you remember when I said King Vonne was a complicated man? Well, Queen Rain was a complicated lady as well. I could go into depth about her childhood, about how her mother left. Or perhaps about how her father would hit her. Or maybe about how at a young age she would look at the King and Queen and dream of someday being free of her life-

But of course I won’t do any of that. After all, she is the villain of the story. Or at least, she is one villain. I wouldn’t want to say anything that would make you want to root for her now, would I?

Yes for now, just think of the Queen as a heartless evil villain. That’s really what is important for a good story, right? Good and evil? Winners and losers? Well, let me continue. You’ve met the evil, now let’s learn a bit more about the good.

4

A Perfect Little Boy

The Perfect Prince laughed as he chased a small hen through the market streets. Of course, anybody in his path dove out of the way as he approached, for fear of what the king would do. 

King Vonne walked behind him, wearing his full suit of armor, as always. He joined his son in laughter each time the hen would dart this way or that, narrowly avoiding the Perfect Prince’s grasp. 

Just then, the chicken made an abrupt dive into the main road and the Perfect Prince followed, not caring at all about the crossing traffic. 

An onion cart approached rapidly, being pulled by a powerful, white horse. Luckily, the driver was paying keen attention to the road. He pulled the horse’s reins, narrowly avoiding a collision with the Perfect Prince, but unfortunately, he did not pull back in time to also avoid the chicken. 

The white horse stomped the chicken, which was then crushed by the heavy cart. The Perfect Prince, scared of almost being crushed himself and sad for the chicken, began crying. 

“What is the meaning of this, you mad man?!” King Vonne bellowed at the onion merchant. “Have you never driven a cart before in your life? This is preposterous!”

The onion merchant didn’t seem to hear or care about what King Vonne said. He had leapt down and knelt by the Perfect Prince. “Ah doo oh kay?” He asked.

The perfect prince looked up from the chicken’s body and screamed in terror. The onion merchant you see, had no tongue, and his mouth was swollen quite a bit. 

“Id oh kay. I won’d hud oo,” he said in his most calming voice. 

“Get back, you monster!” King Vonne shouted. His one good eye burned with fury. 

The onion merchant backed away from the Perfect Prince, hands aloft to show he meant no harm. 

“I… I’m sorry,” the Perfect Prince said.

“Do not apologize!” King Vonne said. “You are perfect! Unlike this beast. You have done nothing wrong. In fact-” King Vonne jumped atop the onion merchants cart so all around could see him. “I hereby issue a royal decree! From this moment forward, it is now a crime for any merchant to transport onions in a cart!” 

There were gasps in the streets. The onion merchant called out, “Bud, if I can’d ude da card, I can’d carry my oniond!”

“I can’t understand you,” King Vonne said with a dismissive wave of the hand. He hopped down from the cart and continued along the street. “Come, Perfect Prince.”

The Perfect Prince looked at the onion merchant, who seemed close to tears. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“I said do not apologize to him!” King Vonne bellowed. “You are perfect, and he has wronged you! He should apologize to you!”

”Soddee,” The merchant said with downcast eyes.

”That’s better,” The King said.

The Perfect Prince followed the king, but looked back one last time at the onion merchant. 

~

Ah, children. I’ve always had an affinity for children. I was one myself, you know. A long time ago now. But it certainly doesn’t seem like a long time ago. Each time I look in the mirror I jump at the elderly stranger looking at me. 

But anyway, children. Yes, children are truly amazing. If you ask me, children are people that haven’t yet been ruined by the world. They are pure and beautiful. Unfortunately, age comes to them whether they like it or not. And as that age comes, so with it comes ruin. 

Here we see the Perfect Prince, perfect, or so the story goes. But as the story goes, so does he age. I’m already feeling wistful, pining for a time when I thought perfection was possible. Well, let us carry on. Let us see the Perfect Prince fight against age, and fight against ruin, as we all must.

Bane is the tentative title of an ongoing Upper Middle Grade novel. A young boy named Bug is born within The Forest, as such he is born alongside an egg, He must take care of this egg at all times, as it will hatch to be his lifelong bird companion, giving him a unique power. He meets the Princess Bea, a fiery but sheltered girl who decides to escape her royal life, colliding with Bug in the process.

Here are the first 10 chapters:

1

A Peek

“Shh!” Stone warned. “You gotta be more quiet! The Queen’s Guard will hear you!”

 Bug tried his best to make his footsteps quieter, but he only succeeded in looking silly and awkward as he snapped every twig his foot touched. 

“You’re so skinny, how in the world can you possibly be louder than I am?”

Stone was older than Bug by 2 years. In fact, he had just turned 15 a few days prior. Despite the fact that he was also a head taller than Bug and twice his size, he moved in almost complete silence. It was like he was floating on the forest floor.

“Sorry,” Bug said, as he watched Stone’s broad back. Stone had a satchel slung over his shoulder and he moved so smoothly it didn’t even bounce.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Stone grumbled, not looking back. “We should call you Sorry instead of Bug. It’s all you ever say.”

“Sor-“ Bug cut off when he realized he was apologizing again. 

Stone lifted up a fist, the sign to stop moving and stay quiet. 

A few silent moments passed before Bug dared to whisper. “What’s wrong?”

Stone shook his fist, again, he was silently telling Bug to stay still and silent. He waited, still as stone.

 Bug leaned over to try and see what Stone was looking at, but right as he did Stone straightened up and dropped his fist. “Now!” Stone hissed as he ran forward.

In a panic, Bug scrambled to keep up with Stone. He now saw that they had arrived. Stone was running to the large stone wall that surrounded Castle Dayle. Bug couldn’t help but wonder how he possibly moved so quietly. Everyone knew Stone was the best hunter in the village, but seeing it in person awed Bug and reminded him of his own lack of skill.

”Here’s where we climb,” Stone said in a whisper. He felt the stone wall for a good grip, then quickly began moving up. As he began climbing, a tiny, yellow bird swooped down from the top of the wall and landed comfortably on Stone’s shoulder. 

Bug reached down and felt the sack he had tied to his belt. He gently rubbed the soft velvet, trying to calm down the creature within. “It’s ok,” he whispered to the sack. “If we fall, Stone is here to help.”

Stone had already climbed about five body lengths up. He pulled the satchel around with one hand and ripped it open with his teeth. From within, he pulled out a short, steel bar. He jammed the bar into the rocky wall, making a little handle. He pulled out another and jammed it a bit further away. He relaxed, gripping the steel handle he had created. 

Just then, Bug felt a pain on the side of his neck. He looked over and saw the little yellow bird had landed on his shoulder. The bird met Bug’s eyes, then nodded up to where Stone hung from the wall.

Understanding, Bug reached up and gripped the wall. He put his first foot up, and hesitated. Stone wasn’t that far up, but if they fell they may break a bone. In fact, if he landed wrong, Bug may break his neck, or seriously injure his head, or fall face first and break his teeth, or-

His thoughts were interrupted by the yellow bird, which impatiently pecked Bug’s neck again. With a shake of his head, he began climbing the wall. 

He kept his eyes directly forward, staring at the wall as he moved. He knew if he looked down, panic would overwhelm him and he would fall. He carefully climbed, finding a safe handhold, then another, then a foothold, then another, again and again. He kept his face so close to the wall, his nose scraped the rough stone more than once, but he didn’t care. A scraped nose was better than a broken head. 

Before Bug realized it, he was alongside Stone. Thankfully, he reached out and grabbed the metal rod Stone had stuck in the wall. It was surely placed and Bug was able to relax his fingers. The tiny yellow bird was already sitting directly on top of Stone’s head. Bug hadn’t even realized that it had left his shoulder. 

Stone looked over at Bug and held a finger to his lips. He then pointed at the wall. Bug’s heart jumped. There was a small hole, just big enough for a person to peek through. Stone gave Bug a little nod. Slowly, Bug leaned over and peeked through the hole. 

Through the hole, he could see the Royal Gardens. They were made of shining white marble floors, creating a grid lined with flowers. There were so many flowers in the gardens, Bug didn’t think he could count them all even if he tried. He saw blue captains, skywards, outlays, sonas, and other rare flowers he had never seen before in person. 

The yellow bird once again gently pecked Bug’s neck. Bug reluctantly pulled himself away and Stone leaned over to take a turn looking in the hole. 

“Should be any second now,” Stone whispered. “But the guards may come back soon.” As he said this, his little bird hopped into the air and flew away.

Bug looked along the wall further down to where it curved around a corner. He could imagine the Queen’s Guard rounding that corner any second, pointing swords directly at them. Or maybe with bows and arrows. Possibly even on horseback. They could never run away in time if that were the case. Or what if they came from the other side? Stone said they wouldn’t, but who knows? Maybe they-

“Relax,” Stone whispered. He reached out and patted Bug’s shoulder. “Sunny will let me know if the guards are coming.”

Bug took a deep breath. He hadn’t realized he had begun hyperventilating. He took another deep breath and Stone smiled at him and withdrew his hand.

“Take a look,” he whispered to Bug. “The doors are opening.”

Bug’s eyes grew wide, but he leaned forward and peeked inside the hole. He peered past the flowers and saw that Stone was right, the doors were opening. They were so large they opened using big chains on wheels. The wheels turned and the doors slowly pulled open. 

Through the door, came the queen. 

Dressed in a long white dress, Queen Zennia Annowa walked through the doors. She wore glittering red stones in her elegantly decorated hair that matched her red lips. Even from this distance, Bug was struck by her intense beauty. She looked like an image from a picture book and Bug almost didn’t believe that she was real. Behind her, trailed six servants, three on each side, who carried the long train of bright white cloth so it would not touch the floor as it dragged behind the queen. 

A knight walked beside the queen wearing full armor, with his helm pulled over his face as if about to enter battle. His armor was shining silver, trimmed with bright red. On his chest was the red sun of Dayle, which matched the flags that flew along the castle walls. It was a red sun partially eclipsed by the moon from below, making it appear as a crescent with ends pointing down. The knight leaned in and whispered something to the queen. She responded with a resounding laugh.

Her laugh was like nothing Bug had ever heard. It was so clear and crisp. It shook him and made him shiver the same way a cold breeze does first thing in the morning. It was beautiful, but somehow also a little scary.

“Let me see!” Stone whispered when he heard the echoes of laughter. 

Bug jumped at Stone’s voice. He had forgotten anything existed, except for the queen. 

Stone leaned over and put his eye to the hole. “Wow,” he whispered. “I guess the stories are true.” As he finished the last word, the little yellow bird landed on his shoulder and gave a little tweet. 

Stone pulled away without pause. “We have to go. Now,” he said quietly, but sternly. 

Bug immediately began following, but had to force himself not to take another quick look. The climb down was a blur and, before he knew it, he was on the ground. He turned to see that Stone was already sprinting back into the cover of the woods. He scrambled after him and they ran together until Stone slowed and turned around.

“Look,” Stone said, pointing toward the wall they had just left. There were two guards wearing swords, walking past each other. Each wore a white tunic with a Red Crescent painted on the chest. “We made it just in time! Good job, Sunny.” Stone reached up and patted the little bird’s head. It tweeted happily at him and nuzzled into his hand. “Let’s keep moving,” he continued. “We definitely don’t want to be seen hanging around the wall.”

2

Lessons

Bea craned her neck up and tried to see the top of the bookshelf. The bookshelves within the Grand Library lined the walls and climbed a full two stories high. With a deep, calming breath, Bea wiped the sweat from her hands and gripped the shelf. She put her foot on the bottom shelf and began climbing it like a ladder.

She made quick progress and smiled to herself once she realized how easy it was. She was almost to the top when she looked down and her smile faded. Her eyes grew wide and the marble floor seemed to be a hundred feet down, rather than the thirty or so it really was. 

Instantly, Bea felt her hands begin to sweat. She tried to bring her elbows up onto the shelf for more support, but the books on this shelf were so large they almost reached the edge. She had no choice but to keep climbing. She reached a now trembling hand up and tried to find a sure grip. Her hand clamped down on what she thought was the next shelf, until it began to move.

She had gripped a large, green volume that immediately gave way and fell to the ground below. Bea let out a yelp and reached again, this time finding the solid wood of the next shelf. She took another deep breath and shut her eyes. With eyes still closed, she slowly began climbing again. 

Bea let out a deep sigh of relief when she finally felt the top of the bookshelf. She quickly hopped up and looked down at the floor below. 

“Easy as pie!” She said with a smile. She looked at the next bookshelf and wondered if she could make the jump. Before she had a chance to, however, she heard a great boom as the library’s main doors were pushed open. 

With a start, Bea dropped to her stomach. She inched her way to the edge of the shelf and peaked over. Down below, she saw sage Ankar in his white robes as he entered the library.

Ankar walked with a hunched back, leaning heavily on a walking stick he held in both hands. He waddled his way down the library hall, taking such small steps that he almost looked as if he were floating along the ground. His floating stopped suddenly, however, and he glanced to the side. There, he saw the green book Bea had accidentally dropped during her climb. She had to stifle a laugh as she saw him turn and look around in confusion at the book being out of place.

Slowly, sage Ankar walked his way over to the book. He picked it up with a grunt and held it in his hand. “The Raven of the West: Savior of The Kingdom of Dayle,” he said in a loud voice. “You should really read this, Your Highness.”

Bea scrunched her nose in frustration. “How did you know I was up here?” She called down.

“You must remember, Your Highness, to always address me by my proper title.” As he said this, he walked to the end of the library hall and pulled out an enormous ladder on wheels. 

“How did you know I was up here, Oh, Great and Wise Ankar?”

Sage Ankar never looked up as he pushed the ladder toward the bookshelf. “How does one know the sun is shining, or the wind is blowing, Oh, Sarcastic and Mischievous Beatriz?” He looked up and Bea saw a small smile on his aged face.

With a laugh, she began climbing down the ladder he now held for her. “Hi Ankar,” She said as she made her way down. “Do you think I’ll get to go outside today?”

“Your mother has summoned you. I am to escort you immediately.”

Bea stopped halfway down the ladder. “Is it because of her tiara? I swear I didn’t mean to. I thought it would be stronger!”

“I believe she wants to discuss the upcoming festivities. Quickly now, she is waiting.”

“Oh!” Bea said with relief, sliding down the rest of the ladder. “Think I can go outside after?” She walked alongside sage Ankar as they exited the library.

“That will be for the queen to decide. What’s this about her tiara now?”

Bea coughed and began walking faster. “Oh, um, nothing. Move quick! My mother is waiting!”

3

Fancy People

“So, was it worth it?” Stone asked as he put his arm around Bug’s shoulders. 

“Y-yeah,” Bug stammered back. He was still in a daze at what he saw. 

“I told you! So, what did you think?” 

“I can’t believe it. They had blue captains growing in there! They must have someone come out and water them constantly. Did you know a blue captain flower can help fix your eyes when you get old? You can squeeze the sap out of the petals and-“

“Are you serious right now?” Stone said as he let go of Bug and gave him a hard shove for good measure. “You seriously just saw the queen. THE QUEEN! You actually laid eyes on Queen Zeno! Do you know how insane that is?!” He waved his arms around above his head as if he were trying to get Bug’s attention. His little yellow bird flapped above his head, copying his movements. “You just saw the queen and all you care about are the dumb flowers?!”

Bug looked at his feet and his face grew red. “Um, well, no. No, I mean she was… uh…”

Stone laughed a big boisterous laugh that echoed through the forest. “You gotta relax, man. I’m just giving you a hard time. You’re right, those gardens are amazing, but nothing compared to the queen if you ask me.”

Bug only nodded, but he felt his face beginning to return to its normal color. Stone was always good at making fun of you in a way that didn’t make you mad at him. In fact, he was kind of like a big brother to all the boys in the village. Even the ones who were older than he was.

“She was beautiful,” Bug finally said.

“You got that right. I’ve always heard she was, but the stories were wrong. She’s way prettier than any of the stories make her seem.”

“Her skin was so pale. Was she wearing make-up all over her body?”

“Nope. The stories say that’s her real skin color. She basically never goes outside. Most people go their whole lives without ever seeing her in person.”

“She never goes outside? Then how does she get food? Or water? Or-“

“You serious? She’s the queen! She can have anything she wants just brought to her. If she’s hungry, a fancy servant just brings her a meal. If she wants to see a show, she just brings performers right into her castle!”

“Well, where does she… um…” Bug’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Where does she go to the bathroom?”

Once again, Stone let out an enormous laugh. “She goes inside! Fancy people have bathrooms right inside their own house! Or, their own castle, I guess. They don’t have a wooden one that they have to share, they get their own.”

Bug shook his head disbelievingly. “No way, you’re lying to me! They go to the bathroom in their own house? That’s disgusting!”

Stone wiped the tears from his eyes, still laughing. “Yeah Bug, in their house. It’s true. Fancy people can be gross.”

4

Queen Zennia Annowa

“But I haven’t been outside in four days!” Bea said to Sage Ankar’s back. “I promise I’ll wear my dress with the hood!” She gripped at her hair in frustration.

“Do not touch your hair, your highness. You will ruin the royal attendant’s work,” Sage Ankar said, never turning back, but somehow knowing Bea was touching her hair. “I know how you must feel, but this is for Queen Zenn to decide.”

They approached the great door that entered into the queen’s throne room. As soon as they approached, patiently waiting servants ran to large wooden spinning wheels and began the arduous process of opening the door. 

Bea quickly ran in front of Sage Ankar and turned to meet his eye. “Ankar, please. If you tell my mom I need to go outside she might actually do it! She listens to you!”

Sage Ankar dropped his gaze and shook his head. “The reason your mother listens to me is because I am loyal. Your mother is the queen. Trying to change the queen’s mind is not my place.” With that, he brushed past Bea and walked into the throne room.

As soon as she entered the throne room, Bea’s posture changed. She straightened her back, held her head high, and changed her face to one with no emotion. She hated whenever she needed to act like a princess.

The throne room was made of all solid white marble. It was a long rectangle, and Bea always thought it was awkward having to walk the length of the entire room before being close enough to the queen’s throne to actually talk. She walked in silence toward the throne. The room’s right wall was an enormous stained glass window that looked like the flag of Dayle. It was a field of pure white surrounding a bright red sun, partially eclipsed by the moon. The light from the sun outside streamed through the red glass, making the room dance with red light.

Along the bright red carpet she walked on were knights in their white armor. Each knight had the red sun painted on their chest and they all stood with an arm extended, pointing a spear over the carpet. It made a sort of deadly tunnel that Bea did not like to walk through. Each time she passed under a knight’s spear they would pull the spear back and give the salute of Dayle: a closed hand that rainbows across the chest, mirroring the sun painted there.

After what seemed like ages, Sage Ankar and Bea finally exited the tunnel of spears and approached the queen’s throne. She sat atop a small flight of stairs, just high enough that you had to bend your neck to see her clearly. As always, she looked perfect in every way, except for the fact that her tiara was bent at a funny angle so it seemed to poke out of her hair, rather than resting on her head.

She sat in her white marble throne and Grand Master Edward stood at attention at her side. He was wearing his full knights armor as he always did. Even his face was covered by his helm.

“My good Sage Ankar,” Queen Zenn said in a quiet voice that carried through the hall so all in the room could hear. “Thank you for retrieving my daughter.”

Sage Ankar braced himself against his walking stick and dropped to a knee. He tried to stifle an aged grunt, but it echoed clearly. “I am not worthy of your thanks, your highness,” he said.

“Please rise, Sage,” the queen answered with no emotion. 

Sage Ankar struggled once again to his feet. He panted slightly, trying to catch his breath from the effort. “Thank you, your highness. Are you in need of my service, or would you like me to depart?”

Bea felt a scowl trying to show on her face. She hated the formal way people had to talk to her mother. They all sounded fake, like they were quoting books instead of actually speaking.

“My good Sage, I would ask that you stay. What we discuss today concerns you.”

“Yes, your highness,” Ankar answered, a look of confusion on his face.

“Beatriz,” the queen began, turning to look at her. “As the years pass, and I see you-“ she stopped part way through her sentence. “Beatriz, your hair is unkempt.” She leaned over and whispered something to Grand Master Edward. With a nod, he stood tall and held out his hand. He danced it around in odd patterns. When he finished, the knight nearest the door turned and marched out. Within seconds the knight was back, with three women in tow. It was so fast Bea assumed they must have been waiting directly outside the door. The women ran up the carpet and each began pulling and knotting and tying Bea’s hair, until it was once again immaculate. Without a word they turned and ran back out of the room.

“Now,” the queen continued. “The years are passing. You are becoming a woman.”

Bea tried hard to keep a straight face. She hated whenever they called her a little girl, but she also hated it whenever they talked about how she was “becoming a woman”. 

“You are coming of age,” the queen continued. “Soon you will begin the process of selecting your prince.”

Although she kept her face completely still, Bea could feel her face growing red. 

“Control yourself,” the queen said calmly. “A queen must control her face as well as her emotions.”

Bea still kept a straight face, but took a deep inhale through her nose. Trying to calm down and keep from blushing.

“As I was saying,” the queen continued. “You are becoming a woman. Things will change for you. Our tailors have already told me they have made adjustments to your dress as your body changes.”

Bea forced herself to take another deep breath. She knew she was blushing again, but couldn’t help it. 

“I have called you here today for your opinion, Sage Ankar.”

Ankar immediately bowed his head in respect. “I am unworthy, your highness,” he said to the floor.

The queen continued as if she didn’t even hear him. “I have called you to ask how Bea’s studies are going. I would like a report.”

Sage Ankar lifted his head and cleared his throat. “Yes, your highness. Young Beatriz shows great prowess in certain fields. Her physical education is outstanding. I would say that she is faster, more sure footed, and better with a sword than any other her age. Even better than many adults that train her. I’ve already had to replace her sword master twice since she had become better than her teacher. I believe that with time and effort she may-“

“Please, Sage,” the queen interrupted. “I do not need to know about her playtime. I ask again, how are her studies going?”

Sage Ankar cleared his throat again before continuing. “Yes your highness, I apologize. Beatriz performs adequately in reading, and writing. She performs an average of 3 years ahead in each of these subjects. She is performing at standard levels in mathematics. She is very well versed in the histories of the kingdom of Dayle as well. She-“

“She is only performing at standard levels in mathematics?” The queen asked coldly.

“Ahem, yes your highness.” The queen did not respond. With some hesitation, Sage Ankar continued. “Her lore studies go well. Her loremaster has said she has achieved full marks. Her public speaking has been improving. She has-“

“Sage Ankar,” the queen interrupted. “You say she has achieved full marks in her lore studies?”

Ankar nodded. “Yes, your highness.”

The queen leaned forward in her seat. “Do you believe, Sage, that she is ready for a new loremaster?”

“A new loremaster, your highness? Is there a problem with her current one?”

Queen Zennia leaned even further forward, somehow still appearing calm and elegant. “Do you think, Sage, that Beatriz is ready for the final loremaster?”

Ankar gasped and took a step back. He coughed and had to clear his throat before continuing. “Well, your highness, if you believe she is ready then of course I would never-“

“I asked if you thought she was ready, Sage. I value your opinion. Do you believe she is ready to meet the final loremaster?”

Sage Ankar looked over at Bea, who kept a completely emotionless face through great effort. He seems to think for a moment before looking back at the queen. He nodded solemnly. “Yes, your highness. I believe she is ready to meet Bane Alder the Wise.”

“Very well,” the queen said with a nod. “I will have it arranged. You two may go.”

Slowly, they began turning, when Sage Ankar turned back. “Um, excuse me, your highness, if I may…”

“Continue,” the queen commanded. 

“Ahem, it’s just, I have some work I need to do in the Royal Gardens. I thought perhaps Bea could assist me, with your permission of course…”

The queen eyed the old man with a knowing look. She even allowed herself to crack the smallest of smiles. “Very well, but do not stay out long. We don’t want her skin burning her in the sun.”

“Yes, your, highness.” 

They both turned to leave. As they did Bea mouthed a silent “thank you” to Sage Ankar.

5

Wind and Gaze

Sunny, the little yellow bird, flitted over to Bug and landed on his shoulder. It tweeted gently and shook its head up and down. Bug stared at the bird, trying to understand what it was trying to say. 

“She’s asking if she can see your egg,” Stone said, stopping and resting against a nearby tree trunk.

“Oh, sure,” Bug answered, dropping to a knee. He reached to his side and pulled open the velvet bag tied at his waist. Gently, he pulled out the egg he always carried there. 

Sunny hopped onto Bug’s forearm and leaned in very close to the egg. Bug instinctively shrank away, trying to cover the egg with both hands. 

“Sunny,” Stone called to the little bird. The bird looked at him, nodded, and flew off Bug’s arm and into Stone’s hand. Stone approached and held the little bird out to inspect the egg. “Sorry,” he said. “Sunny gets excited.”

“It’s ok,” Bug said. She just got a little close. I got nervous.”

Stone knelt down to look at the egg as well. When he did, sunny left his hand and hopped atop his head. “Wow,” Stone whispered. “Do the Old Ones know what kind of bird it’s going to be?”

Bug shook his head with a smile. He stroked the egg with his thumb as if it were alive. “No. It won’t be a finch like Sunny though, because the egg’s too big.”

Stone leaned in close to inspect the egg. It was a creamy white covered with tiny black specks. “Too small to be a hawk, but bigger than most. Not much to look at though.”

“What did Sunny’s egg look like?”

The little yellow bird lifted into the air and began spiraling around their heads. Stone smiled up at the little bird, remembering. “Sunny’s was white, with bright yellow circles.”

Bug looked down at the egg he held. His egg. He peered into the white surface and the tiny black dots. The longer he looked, the more mesmerized he was by it. As he stared into the egg’s surface, he felt like he was swimming through a white ocean, with tiny black bubbles floating up around him. “Hello, little one,” he thought to the egg. “Can you hear me? I can’t wait for you to hatch.” Of course, the egg didn’t reply. His bird wasn’t born yet and he wouldn’t be able to speak to it until it hatched. 

“Sunny wants to know if you already decided on a name,” Stone said, waking Bug from his daydream. 

Bug carefully placed the egg back in his pouch. “Not yet. I think I’ll wait until after it hatches.”

Sunny let out a high pitched tweet and landed on Stone’s shoulder again. “We gotta go,” Stone said. “Sunny says night will be here soon.”

Bug’s eyes widened and he instinctively put his arms protectively around his egg pouch. 

Stone let out another laugh and continued walking. “Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of time. We just shouldn’t dilly dally.”

The two continued walking through the forest. They had walked a long way to peek through the wall into the castle gardens. Bug felt like the trip had taken ages. The return trip however, didn’t seem quite as long. Soon they were approaching the outskirts of their village.

“Cuttin’ it close, eh boys?” Came a voice from above. 

Bug looked up to see a girl quickly climbing her way down the tree trunk. She made it look as simple as walking, but Bug knew this was only because of her strength and experience. She always watched the border of their village.

“Hey Wind,” Stone said with a wave. “We aren’t cutting it close. There’s still plenty of time till night, right?”

Wind jumped the last bit to the floor. The whole forest seemed to shake with the impact from her powerful legs. “I can already see the moon up there. You’ve got time, but get in quick, eh?” As she spoke, a large, red-tailed hawk speared down from the sky. It opened its wings just a moment before hitting the ground, landing smoothly in front of Wind. 

“Hop up, Gaze,” Wind said. The hawk leapt up on Wind’s shoulder with a powerful beat of its wings. Bug watched in awe. Of course the bird always matched its master, but it was still surprising to see the strength and beauty that both Wind and her hawk, Gaze had.

Sunny took to the air and flew toward the hawk. Gaze clicked its beak happily at the little bird, opening its wings and waving them excitedly.

“Ow, watch the talons. Go play,” Wind said with a grimace. Soon both birds flew high above and could no longer be seen.

Wind walked over to Bug with arm extended. He felt himself blushing a bit and looked down at his feet as he reached out and gripped her muscular arm in greeting. Wind let out a laugh and ruffled his dark hair. Bug felt his face growing even redder.

“I gotta stay on watch until night,” Wind said, turning to climb back up the tree. “You two get into the village, no stragglers on my watch.”

“See ya!” Stone said. When Bug didn’t say anything, Stone nudged him and nodded to Wind.

“Uh, bye!” Bug said, wishing he sounded casual. He heard Wind chuckle to herself as she began climbing the tree again. 

When Bug and Stone were far enough away, Stone gave him a hard elbow. “Youuu liiike her!” He said it in a sing-song teasing voice.

Bug felt himself begin to sweat with embarrassment. “No. She’s older than me.”

“She’s like, the same age as me!” Stone laughed. “She barely turned 16.”

“Well you’re older than me too,” Bug said, still looking down at the floor. “It’s not just Wind. It’s everybody. How…” he hesitated, embarrassed to continue.

“What’s up?” Stone prodded.

“How… I mean, how do you just talk to people? Everyone likes you.”

“Everyone likes me? Pfff. What about Moss?”

“Moss doesn’t count. Moss hates everyone.”

Stone continued, ignoring Bug’s answer. “There are plenty of people who don’t like me. Besides, people like you too, Bug.”

Bug stopped walking to glare up at Stone. “Don’t make fun of me,” he said. He wished it had sounded intimidating, but it sounded more like he was whining.

“I’m not. I’m serious. A lot of people like you. You’re smart. Not to mention you’re a good looking guy. At least, that’s what the girls tell me.”

Bug felt his chin start to tense. He gritted his teeth and made sure Stone couldn’t see. He kept walking as he talked. “I’m the shortest kid in the the village. I’m also the skinniest. Plus my egg hasn’t hatched yet, even though I’m 13.”

Stone just shrugged. “I was almost 13 when Sunny hatched. It seems like a big deal now, but it won’t in a few years. Nobody will even remember.” 

“But I’m almost 14! Most kid’s my age have had their birds over a year now!”

“LIke I said, it won’t matter. People still like you.” When Bug didn’t respond, Stone continued. “You know Bug, I don’t invite just anyone to sneak up to the walls of Castle Dayle.”

Bug still didn’t respond. 

“Not to mention, you’re nice. That goes a long way.”

Sunny suddenly flew down and landed on Bug’s shoulder. He nuzzled into his neck, and Bug reluctantly cracked a smile. The bird always matches the master, Bug thought. “Thanks, Stone,” he said quietly.

6

Sword Master

Bea held out her sword, facing her new sword master. The new sword master, unlike her previous ones, was not very big. He didn’t seem particularly strong, and he wasn’t very tall either. He also wore only a cheap chain mail shirt instead of painted armor.

She let a smile creep onto her face. She was excited to teach this new “master” just like she had the last two. It wouldn’t be long before he had to admit she was better than him, and they’d have to get her a new master. 

“Are you ready?” The sword master asked.

Bea looked over and saw Sage Ankar talking quietly with a guard by the door. Bea was never permitted to be in any room with only one person. She always had at least one guard, and often Sage Ankar stood by as well. She frowned that the sage wasn’t watching her. She was about to call out to him, but decided not to disrupt his conversation. “Ready. She said.”

“Very well, see if you can hit me.”

Bea approached as fast as she could. She knew this would catch him by surprise. She brought her sword up and swung at the sword master’s side. 

He blocked the blow with his sword, making it look easy. He didn’t even take a step back. 

Bea darted around and swung hard at the sword master’s back. Without even looking, he took a calm step to his side, letting Bea’s sword miss by inches.

He turned to face her and nodded. “Come at me with all you have,” he said.

With a grunt Bea swung the sword again, and again, and again. 

“Faster, faster” Bea’s sword master said, never raising his voice. He blocked Bea’s sword with ease each time she struck. He kept one arm behind his back the entire time. “Do not look where you will strike. Do not get angry. Calm yourself.” 

Bea darted forward, swinging with all her might. She swung left, then right, then left again, never backing up, always pressing forward. She swung harder, and harder, until she adjusted and held her sword in two hands. She came down as hard as she possibly could, right onto her master’s head.

Somehow, the sword master dodged the blow. With amazing speed he leaned left and Bea’s sword passed by harmlessly, clanging into the stone floor. The immense smack caused the sword to bounce right out of her hands. 

“It isn’t fair!” She snapped as she sat down and folded her arms. 

The sword master calmly slid his sword back into his sheath. He then sat down next to Bea on the floor. “It’s not fair? Why not?”

This question took Bea by surprise. “Why not? I don’t know. You’re stronger than me,” Bea said through gritted teeth.

“I’m stronger than you, you say?”

Bea only huffed in response. 

“When we were sparring just now, did I say to swing harder?” When Bea did not answer he turned to face her. “Did I say, ‘You must be stronger’, your highness?”

“…No,” Bea finally answered, not looking at her sword master.

”Strength is not everything. I did not win this fight because I was stronger. I won this fight because you got angry. You got angry and you didn’t listen. You acted stupidly.”

Bea’s back straightened and her face lost some of its anger. “You should not tell a princess that she is stupid,” she said in a voice very similar to her mother’s. 

The sword master nodded abruptly. He stood and retrieved Bea’s sword. “I apologize, your highness. I will treat you the way a sword master should treat a princess. Let’s go again.” He flipped Bea’s sword around and held the handle out to her. 

Confused, she reached out and grabbed the sword. She stood up and again, readied herself for a fight.

”Begin!” The sword master called.

Right away, Bea lunged forward with her sword. To her surprise, her blow landed, striking the sword master’s chain shirt on his left side.

”Wonderful, your highness!” The sword master said.

Bea struck forward again, this time jabbing the sword point into his arm. His chain shirt caught the blow, but even with the shirt it would leave a bruise.

”Amazing! Such power!” The sword master said with a slight bow.

With a bit less enthusiasm, Bea swung the sword again, this time hitting the sword master’s shoulder.

”A marvelous hit! Such speed and grace!” 

Bea stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Are you even trying? Is this some kind of joke?”

The sword master made a shocked expression and looked around the room. “Meee?” He said in an exaggerated voice. “Oh my, your highness, I would never do anything to make fun of someone in your position!” He dramatically bowed and dropped to a knee. His head facing the the floor. “Please, your highness, do forgive me if I’ve done wrong! I would never want to offend someone such as you.”

Bea cracked a smile. “Ok, I get it.”

The sword master dropped even further down, letting both knees hit the floor. He put his hands out in front of him and his forehead touched the ground. “Please your highness, forgive me! I bow to your royal blood. You should be the sword master, not I! Will you please train me? Will you teach me how to angrily strike out like an unskilled brute? Will you please teach me to tell my opponent where I will strike with my eyes? Will you teach me-”

Now Bea laughed fully. “Ok, ok. Stand up! I get it!”

The sword master lifted his head just enough to peak up at her. “You get it? What do you get, your highness?”

Still smiling, Bea squatted down to meet the sword master’s eye. “You’re better than me. You’re the master. I’m the student.”

The sword master hopped up onto his feet, finally smiling himself. “Very well, your highness. I will teach you to the best of my abilities, but know this: If you act stupid, I will call you stupid. If you do not listen, I will not teach.”

Bea nodded. “You’re not like my other sword masters.”

“Your other sword masters were muscle bound fools who fought with their arms instead of their heads.”

Bea’s jaw dropped. Never, in her whole life, had she heard someone speak so harshly about a member of the queen’s castle.

“Not used to someone from outside, eh?”

Bea froze. “You mean… outside the castle?”

The sword master nodded. “I don’t live within the walls of Castle Dayle. Your other sword masters did. In fact, all your teachers do. Even your servants do. Your castle is as big as a small city, afterall.”

Bea just stared blankly. “You’re from… outside the castle?”

“Did your mother not tell you? They decided to call me in to train you, since I’m the best.”

“The best?” Bea was still reeling. She had never met someone who did not live in the castle!

“Correct. I promise you, I’m the best you will ever meet.” He looked up in thought for a moment. “Maybe Grand Master Edward would offer me a fair fight. Are you ready to begin again?”

Bea only heard every other word. Outside the castle! 

“You ok?” The sword master asked. 

“What’s it like?” Bea asked timidly.

“What’s what like?”

“What’s it like outside the castle?”

“What do you mean? You’ve never been outside the castle?”

Bea shook her head. “Mother would never allow me to leave.”

The sword master’s face suddenly looked disgusted. “How do they expect you to be queen? How can they expect you to rule people if you’ve never even met them?”

“I’ve learned about them. I study daily with Sage Ankar.”

“Can’t learn about people from a book. You gotta meet them.” The sword master glanced over at Sage Ankar who was still speaking with the guard at the door. He leaned in closer and dropped his voice to a whisper. “You can’t be a true master of the sword if you’re not even master of yourself. I’m going to schedule us a little field trip-“ he lowered his voice even more. “Outside the castle walls.”

7

Preparing the Tree

“I’m gonna go wait for Wind,” Stone said, turning away from Bug. “Maybe I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?”

Bug nodded a goodbye as Stone turned back where they had come. Sunny quickly flew in front of Bug and hovered in front of his face. Bug gave the bird a nod as well, which the bird returned before flying to join Stone.

Bug walked his way through the village. To outsiders, it would appear the same as any other part of the forest, but to those who lived here it was filled with evidence of life. All around, the trees were overgrown with thick green moss. Bug approached a nearby tree and pressed his hand against the moss that grew there. Evermoss was much stronger than it seemed and could easily support the weight of a full grown person. Unlike the unnatural rock wall of the castle, this was a comfortable and easy climb, thanks to the moss. As Bug pushed against the tree, the moss moved to envelop his hand. It gripped his hand as surely as any person could, helping him climb. It only loosened its grip when he desired to pull his hand away and find a new handhold. 

Within seconds, he had climbed high into the tree. Once near the top, the tree’s branches grew out in all directions. They grew as straight and wide as a path, making the walk across as simple as walking on the ground- easier even, thanks to its smooth, well trod surface. 

The tree branches met with those of other trees, and the branches grew into each other, each strengthening the other. Despite the fact that Bug was many feet above the forest floor, he walked more comfortably than he could if he were on the ground. 

“Hi Bug!” Said a high pitched voice from up above. It was a young girl sitting on a branch. Her hair was an enormous poof of black curls. She lifted her hair from her eyes and showed a big smile that was missing some teeth. “It’th gonna be night thoon.” She pointed up at the sky. 

Bug looked up to see the moon was visible on the horizon. It climbed higher in the sky, slowly approaching the sun. “Hey Twig. Where’s Splash?”

Twig smiled and pointed up the round ball of hair on her head. As she did, the head of a white seagull poked out. It squawked happily and pulled its head back inside. “Thplash thays hi,” Twig said. She spun around and let herself drop to hang by her legs. Once upside down, she swung gently forward and back. 

“Do you need help getting ready for the night?” Bug asked.

“No, it’th ok. Thplash and me got everything ready earlier. Jutht waiting now.”

“Does anyone else need help?”

“Nope. I think everyone ith already back exthept for Wind and Thtone.”

Bug nodded and began walking away. “Alright, bye Twig, bye Splash.”

“Thee ya!” Twig said as a squawk came from within her hair.

Bug walked from tree to tree, not seeing anyone else. The moon was rising, getting closer and closer to the sun. Of course everyone’s inside. It’ll be night soon, Bug thought to himself. 

He walked until he got to his tree. It was just like all the other trees in this areas of the forest, about 6 feet wide, strong, and straight. Each member of the village got a tree all to themself, and Bug’s tree suited him well. It wasn’t as big or wide as others, but he was always happy to return home. 

He used the Evermoss to limb up a few feet to where his door was. It looked exactly like the rest of the bark, covered in moss, and would be almost impossible to detect if you didn’t already know where it was. He let the moss grab his hand, and he pulled the hidden door open. He hopped inside the trunk of the tree and closed the door behind him. 

Once inside, he was surrounded by darkness. He had to wait patiently while his eyes adjusted. His tree was not pitch black, but was illuminated by a very dim, blue light. Tiny blue mushrooms grew on the walls, and each glowed a pale blue. This provided just enough light to see.

In the dim shadows, Bug began his preparations. The same ones he did everyday just before night. The same rituals he knew all others were doing, or had already completed. He began by grabbing his brush and ink. He used it to paint a circle, representing the sun, on the inside of his now closed door.

He then checked around the crack of the door. He looked closely and made sure that absolutely no light could pass through. Once he was sure light could not enter his tree, he continued.

Next, Bug sat down and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath through his nose. He tried to let all emotion leave his face. He tried not too think too much about anything that could make him feel. He tried to forget his worries, his fears, his hopes, his desires. He tried to make his face placid and uncaring. 

Finally, he removed his egg from its satchel. This of course was not a part of the rituals, but it had always helped calm Bug. Each time night came, he withdrew his egg and held it in his lap. He gently rubbed the shell, staring into it’s creamy white and black specked surface. He tried to let himself forget everything except for his egg. He tried to relax. He needed to relax and forget emotion.

Night would be here soon.

8

Preparing the Room

Sage Ankar shooed Bea through the hall. “Quickly now! Night is coming!”

Bea rolled her eyes as she slowly walked toward her room. “I know, I know. I’m moving,” she mumbled.

With a final shove, Ankar turned and shut the door to the princess’ bedroom. There was already a guard waiting inside. She was very tall and had her hair wrapped on her head in a bun. She gave the sage a relieved nod. 

“Quickly, quickly, go close the window!” Ankar told the guard, who was already walking over to do just that. 

The guard swung a wooden door that covered the window and latched it using four locks. She then grabbed another swinging cover and pulled that closed as well. This cover covered the first. Just like the first cover, she locked the next four locks. Finally, she slid down a third cover. This one slid on rails to completely cover the window, as well as the two doors already used to cover the windows opening. She then pressed the final cover into place. 

The room was now very dark, but not completely so. A bowl sat on a pedestal in the middle of the room. It almost looked like a birdbath, and inside the bowl were giant mushrooms that glowed a bright blue. 

In this blue light, Ankar hurried to a desk and withdrew a piece of white chalk. He ran to the door to the princess’ room and drew a big circle on it, representing the sun. He then ran to the window and drew the same circle on the sliding cover the knight had just closed.

Sage Ankar and the knight then both inspected the window together. They looked very, very closely, making sure that no light could pass through. They then went to the door and did the same thing. 

As Sage Ankar and the knight worked to ready the room, Bea sat in front of her bookshelf and looked at the titles, trying to decide which one she wanted to read. She didn’t want to get too bored, night would be here soon.

9

Night in the Forest

Bug knew night would be here very soon. Before entering his tree, he saw the moon was already on the horizon. It would be covering the sun soon, causing total darkness.

Bug gently rubbed his egg with his finger. He tried to think to it, even though he knew it would not understand him until it hatched. “Hi little one. It’ll be ok. Night won’t last long.” As he said this he tried to imagine what his bird would be like. 

Every bird gave a power, and Bug wished desperately that he knew what kind of power he would have. Would he be able to help guide emotions, like Sunny and Stone? Would he be able to see through his bird’s eyes like Wind can see through the eyes of her hawk, Gaze? Maybe he would be able to predict the weather like Twig and her seagull, Splash?

Bug found himself smiling, imagining the possibilities. The moment his mouth curved up into a smile, there was a loud BANG on the door of his tree. Night had come. Bug realized his mistake immediately. He hid his smile and tried not to show any emotion at all. He thought to his egg.

“Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t have smiled. Calm down, little egg. Don’t show emotion.” As he said this, the banging outside his tree grew louder. It was too late, Bug’s smile had attracted the night spirits outside.

Again, Bug tried to leave all emotion behind. He tried to be completely calm and relaxed. “It’s ok, egg. Sorry. It’s ok. Relax. You need to relax.”

The banging sounds became longer. Each bang echoed as if a drum was struck in a long canyon, except unlike a real echo these sounds did not get quieter. Each banging smack against his tree seemed to go on forever until Bug could no longer hear anything except the loud thumping and banging all around him.

“Calm, calm,” he thought to his egg. “Do not show fear. No emotion.”

Just then, all at once, the banging stopped. Bug let out a small sigh of relief. Maybe he had calmed down enough? Maybe the night spirits would leave his tree alone.

“B-bug?” A familiar voice said from outside his tree.

Bug’s eyes grew wide and he had to focus hard to calm his face.

“Bug? Are you there? It’s me.” It was Stone’s voice. “Bug? Bug, you gotta let me in. ” Stone’s voice sounded quiet. Like it was hard for him to talk. “Bug, I need you to open the door. Sunny needs your help! You have to open the door! Open the door Bug!”

Bug used all the self control he had to hide his fear. He kept his face calm, and tried not to let the voice scare him. He talked to his egg. “It’s ok, egg. It’s not Stone, It’s the night spirits. They are lying. Stone is fine. Sunny is safe. They are trying to trick us.”

“Bug! Open the door! Open the door! Open the…” Stone’s voice just went on. It repeated again, and again, but Bug knew better. He would not open the door. 

Suddenly, the voice changed. “Bug! Bug it’th me, Twig! I couldn’t get back to my tree in time! Thplash ith with me! You gotta let uth inthide!” 

“Ignore the voices, egg. They are not real.”

“Open the door!” As Twig’s voice spoke, black smoke wisped its way around the edges of Bug’s door. It floated into the room, searching for light. All it found was the safe, blue glow from the mushrooms. The smoke almost seemed angry as it faded away. 

“You gotta let uth inthide! The thpirits are out here! Open the door!”

Bug gritted his teeth. “They wont trick us, egg. It’s ok.”

Twig’s voice suddenly began laughing loudly. Unnaturally loudly. The volume alone made Bug jump, but he kept this face calm. The laugh began changing, and soon it was no longer Twig’s voice laughing, but Wind’s.

”Bug? Buuuug. Little Bug!” Wind’s voice laughed from the other side of the door. “Little Bug, why are you even here? Why are you in this village? You don’t belong here.” The voice became spiteful and angry. “Get out of the village, Bug. You aren’t like us. Your bird hasn’t even hatched yet!”

Bug felt his lip tremble a bit. He bit it hard and tried to calm himself. 

“Get out Bug. You shouldn’t even be a member of this village. Your egg will never hatch. You will never have a bird!”

With these last words, Bug felt cold. He looked down at his egg and petted its surface. “Don’t listen to her, egg. You’ll hatch… When you’re ready.” Bug straightened his posture and stared at the smoke wafting from his door frame. “I belong here,” he whispered at the door. The smoke seemed to respond and floated around the room, searching for firelight.

Wind’s voice outside changed to a monstrous howling wind. The wind sounded like a hurricane, but somehow the wind itself seemed to be a voice. The voice whispered all around Bug. “Come out. Come out. Open the door. Open the door. Let us in. Let us in.” 

With a deep breath, Bug looked down at his egg and tried to let himself be lost in the shell. He stared, and thought of nothing except for his egg. He felt as though he was swimming through a white ocean, with black bubbles floating all around. 

Bug gently stroked the egg’s shell. This would be a long night, but they would make it through together. 

10

Night in the Castle

“Ankar, what’s this word?” Bea asked, pointing to a word in her book.

Sage Ankar only shook his head and closed his eyes. He brought his finger up to his mouth, asking Bea to be silent. 

Bea let out an annoyed sigh, letting her face look extremely annoyed. She looked back at the word in the dim light of the mushroom.

“SOLITUDE”

She tried sounding it out. “Sow-lit-yoo-dee…” Bea groaned and fell back on her bed. 

“Your highness,” Sage Ankar whispered so quietly Bea almost didn’t hear him. He gave her the beginnings of a stern look, then looked at the window. No smoke could be seen.

Bea rolled over. She hated night. It took a little over an hour for the moon to completely pass the sun so she would have to wait here with no talking and only these little mushrooms for light. 

She rolled herself up in her blankets and decided she would try to take a nap.