“Now, you know that testing is getting closer,” Mistress Cherry started.

“Yeah. And?” I spat.

“That means that the Level 10 fairies will be moving on to ATF, or the Academy of Trained Fairies, where they will officially go out to fight the goblins,” she continued.

“That’s what I heard,” I replied, my attention threatening to wander.

“There is a problem with that. For years, we trained great fairy heroes, some succeeding and getting their Famous Fairy Award at the end of their four years at ATF. Some, unfortunately, pass away in battle. Here, at Fairy Fighting Prep, we prepare the young minds and bodies so that they won’t be one of those fairies who go down in battle.”

“Just get on with it,” I yawned. She glared at me, and then continued talking.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted,” she stated, and I started dazing off again, “You know how we only have a few Level 10 fairies. That won’t be good enough. The Head Fairies at ATF are sending the Level 10 fairies, or in their case, Level 1 out of four levels, out to battle against the goblins without the other three levels. They want to see how well they perform in war. Now, we barely have enough to make it into that school, let alone fight. That is why I am asking you to go into battle with the Level 10 Fairies.”

I didn’t move. Finally, I got what she was saying and my eyes widened.

“WHAT?” I shrieked, “You expect ME, of all people, a soon-to-be Level 6 fairy, to go fight against real goblins, with Level 10 fairies?!” My voice raised an octave at the end of my sentence.

“Yes,” She replied, perfectly at ease; not even caring that she is going to put the fate of the Fairy World in my hands.

“Are you insane?!” I cried.


“No, I am perfectly normal. Behind the…the…” she struggled for the right word. “Behind the peevish you, you are a very bright and strong girl. I have faith that you’ll be able to pull it off.” She started to walk away.

“Whoa, whoa, wait! Where are you going? I’m not done talking to you! What if I get pulverized? I know for sure that the Level 10 fairies won’t be happy!”

“Oh, and by the way,” she called down the road, completely ignoring me, “Tomorrow at 8:00 sharp, you have a training session with one of the Level 10 fairies. His name is Blaze. And remember, don’t be late!”

I gulped. I could have sworn she was muttering something about how she seems to be saying the words “Don’t be late,” a lot recently.

I finally regained my strength and raised a shaky hand to open the door into the class. Mrs. Acorn stopped in the middle of writing something on the chalk board, and everyone turned to stare at me as I walked in a stupor towards my seat.

“Did you finally get expelled?” April smirked, and everyone laughed. I glared at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t speak stuck up,” I replied as I sat down.

“Girls, that’s enough! Now, Lilly, what did she say?” Mrs. Acorn prodded.

“Uh, I um…I…she wants me to…go into battle with the Level 10 fairies…um…when they get tested to go into ATF,” all the time I was talking I was staring at my feet.

Mrs. Acorn went white and everyone gasped.

“You? Fighting? WITH LEVEL 10 FAIRIES?!” April shrieked, “That is so unfair!”

“B...but…you’re only a Level 5 fairy,” Mrs. Acorn replied, talking to herself more than me.

“Try telling that to Mistress Cherry,” I told her, rolling my eyes.

“Class dismissed early,” she said, her eyes clouded as if she were still trying to put the puzzle pieces together.

Everyone cheered and jumped out of their desks, all the while stomping over each other as they raced for the door. I took longer walking to the door.

“Oh, Lillyana?” Mrs. Acorn called.

“Yes?” I asked, turning back.

“Try not to embarrass Fairy Fighting Prep.”

I looked down and nodded. “Yeah,” I replied, walking out the door.


~*~*~

As soon as I walked through the door to my dorm after the dorm leaders meeting, (which, by the way, was just about boring rules about telling your roommates to keep the room clean-which I won’t do-) I was bombarded with hordes of questions.

“Why did she pick you?” Rose asked.


“You’re going into battle? With Level 10 fairies?” Katie put in.

“Wait, what happened? I’m not in your class!” complained Poppy, a Level 3 fairy.

“Guys, calm down! I can’t answer all of your questions at once!” I told them.

“Okay. So what was that all about?” Rose spoke up as I plopped into a chair.

“I honestly don’t know,” I replied. “I’m still trying to figure that out myself.”

“What happened?” Star asked. Star is a Level 7 fairy. She had light brown hair that came down to her hips with bright blue eyes that always seemed alive and sparkling.

“Mistress Cherry asked her to go into battle with the Level 10 fairies for their test,” Katie informed Poppy and Star. Star’s mouth dropped open and Poppy gasped.

“Why you? No offense, but you’re not the…most dedicated of the fairies,” Poppy noticed.

“I know. She wanted me to fight with them because they don’t have enough Level 10 fairies to fight. They barely have enough to make it into that school. I’m supposed to start practicing tomorrow at 8:00am with a Level 10 fairy named Blaze,” I replied tiredly.

Poppy shook her head and her short red hair whooshed around her face. “That’s not right,” Poppy acknowledged. “They could at least get a Level 8 or 9 fairy to fight. They’d be more experienced in fighting than a Level 6 fairy.”

I pulled my legs up to my chest and rested my head on my knees.

“What am I going to do? The first three years is just the basic learning. I just started practicing fighting in Level 4! I barely know anything!”

Star came over and sat down on the arm of the chair. She wrapped her arms around me.

“It will all work out fine. I’m sure Blaze will help you learn more. You’ll be excellent when you fight with the goblins,” she assured me. Rose came over and sat on the other arm and flung her arms around me too. Then Katie came and sat on my lap, putting her skinny arms around my neck. Poppy, being the cheery little hugger fairy that she is, leaped up and skipped over to the already-full chair and squeezed in between my back and the chair.

“OK guys, I’m getting squished here!” I yelled, laughing. Just then I was leaning to the right. I thought it was just Rose pushing me, but then I realized that we were all leaning.

“Uh-oh!” Star shrieked, as we leaned over more.

“We’re going down!” Katie yelled as the chair tipped over. Our screams turned to laughter as we plummeted towards the floor, hitting the carpet with a loud bang.

“That was fun!” Poppy shouted.

“Let’s do that again!” cried Katie. I sat up from the bottom of the dog pile.

“Let’s not,” I replied, rubbing my head but smiling.


~*~*~

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping loudly outside. Squinting in the sun I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I moaned and turned over, noticing that everyone else was still asleep. I glanced at the clock. It read 7:50. I closed my eyes again. Opening my eyes one more time, the clock read 7:55. My eyes drooped close. I lay like that for a minute, then my eyes flew open and I sat straight up. 7:55?! My mind shrieked. I’m going to be late!

I jumped out of bed and dashed around the room, not sure of what I was doing.

“What are you doing?” groaned Star as I raked a brush through my shoulder-length brown hair.

“Gonna be late, gonna be late,” I murmured as I threw the brush on the dresser and flew towards the closet to slip on my shoes.

“Late for what?” Poppy asked, rubbing her eyes as everyone else started waking up.

“Training!” I called back as I raced out the door.

I ran through the campus, muttering “excuse me” as I shoved pass gatherer fairies carrying berries towards the breakfast pavilion. Since the berries are so huge compared to us, they had to chop up the berries before they bring it to the pavilion. As I passed by one, I snatched a raspberry piece from her basket.

“Hey!” she cried.

“Sorry!” I called back, stuffing the berry into my mouth. I glanced at the big clock on the Great Oak Tree in the middle of the school’s village. 7:58. Not fast enough! My mind reminded me.

Pushing my legs to go faster, I took a few more long strides and then leaped into the air, my wings catching the wind. I thrust them down, and started flying. Flying is much faster than running.

7:59, the big clock teased me. I became even more frustrated when the arena came into view and time ticked by faster.

Arriving at the arena, my feet pounded against the ground as I landed. I cringed. Not the best landing ever. I kept on running until I shot through the gate, the security guards looking startled. I ran until I burst into the arena, almost running into the Head Fairy. She looked at her watch.

“Watch yourself, Lillyana,” she threatened. I swallowed hard, and then looked around.

There was a line of Level 10 fairies staring at me. They were much taller than me and much stronger too. They all had armor on, with their weapons at their sides. They stood up tall and proud. There was about ten of them. Wow, that is a small amount, I thought. Usually there is around fifteen to twenty.

“Lillyana, today you will begin your training. Your trainer, Blaze, will be testing your endurance today, tomorrow your strength, the next day your skills, and then train you in battle,” Mistress Cherry explained. A tall male with chocolate eyes stepped out of line. He had smooth-cut features, and his hair was very odd. It was multi-colored; a mixture of black, silver, white, and brown. It actually looked pretty charming. I assumed he was Blaze. I smiled faintly.

“The other Level 10 fairies will be watching to decide if they want you on their side during battle. Don’t mind them. And don’t even try thinking about purposely doing bad so you can quit, because this will be going on your record,” Mistress Cherry continued, giving me a stern look.

I looked down the line of faces, some smiling, some smirking, and some shaking their heads with disapproval. Something snapped inside of me, and I all of a sudden had this strange feeling; a determination, a feeling of strength. I will make it into battle. I’ll show them.


~*~*~

After the Head Fairy’s big (and boring) lecture, she left, leaving me staring around awkwardly with the Level 10 fairies.

“That’s the Level 5 fairy?” someone whispered.

“Actually, after testing she’s going into Level 6,” someone replied back in the same volume.

“She’s really small.”


“She ain’t gonna do us no good!”

“What’s the use?!”

“Guys, guys!” Blaze cut in, “Come on, let’s be nice here.”

“Stop standing up for her, Blaze! We’re not going to make it into ATF, and you know that!” a masculine boy shouted. He had jet-black hair and silver eyes.

It was all too much for me.

“So this is how you treat people? Make fun of them then throw them out like trash? If so, then I have no idea how you guys made it into this school, let alone Level 10! Now, I may not be the most skilled, and I may not be the “best and most dedicated fairy” of this school. Do you think I wanted to do this? I had no option, and neither do any of you. If you want to make it into ATF, then you better suck it up and deal with it,” I screamed. With that I turned on my heels and stormed out of the arena, the Level 10 fairies staring awe-struck behind me.
~*~*~

Running through the school’s village, I tried to sort my thoughts. I knew they weren’t going to like me, I thought.

I ran passed the main office, and stopped dead when I heard my name. Creeping through the open door, I saw Mistress Cherry and Mrs. Acorn talking in the Head Fairy’s office. I peeked through the crack in the door to her office, knowing I shouldn’t be eaves dropping, but hey; when you hear your name, you can’t help but listen.

“But, do you think she’s ready?” Mrs. Acorn’s voice wafted through the door.

“With a little training, she’ll be brilliant,” Mistress Cherry replied.

“But, we have plenty other hard working, educated, and tough young fairies…”

“I will not tolerate any more of this, Mrs. Acorn. I have made my decision and nothing will change my mind. If you have no hope, the child is bound to fail. Now, you stop this attitude this instant, or you’ll have to kiss your job goodbye.”

“Yes, Mistress Cherry,” Mrs. Acorn told her solemnly.

After that I left, not wishing to hear anymore.


~*~*~

Later that evening while I was sitting on a lily pad floating in the middle of the river, dreading going to training tomorrow, I heard the sound of soft feet hit the lily pad and felt the pad sink under me from the weight of the person. I looked over to see Blaze sitting down next to me. I turned my head back to glare at the water.

“Hey,” he said, twirling his finger in the cool water.

“Hey,” I replied glumly.

“Look, about earlier…” he began. I cut him off.

“It’s fine. I know it wasn’t your fault. I can understand how you guys feel. If all of Level 6 went out to battle with a Level 2 fairy, I would definitely be upset. I just wish they would have been nicer…” I trailed off.

“Yeah, I know. Look, I should have said something, done something to stand up for you. I’m sorry,” he told me.

“Stop! It’s ok! I don’t want your sympathy! I can fight my own battles,” I replied.

He smiled. “I can tell your going to be a strong warrior.” I returned his smile, looking away so he couldn’t see me blush.

“Hey, what do you say we go over to the banks and practice a little?” he asked.

“Sure,” I replied, standing up. He stood up also.

We flew over to the river bank.

“Okay, so as Mistress Cherry said, I am going to be testing your endurance today. You ready?” he told me.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I replied, stretching my arms, legs, and wings.

“Okay, so I want you to fly over to that maple tree and back as many times as you can. I’ll be counting. It’s ok if you don’t do many. We’ll work on it. Ready and…go!” he shouted, and I took off, beating my wings as hard as I can. I made it to the tree.

As I turned around, he said, “Remember, it’s not about speed. Pace yourself!”

I slowed down to a steady pace as I flew back and tagged his hand. I repeated this five or six more times, but then I started getting tired.

“Come on, you can do it!” he encouraged. I pushed myself to keep going.

I tagged the tree, then his hand. I tagged the tree, then his hand.

I was really starting to get exhausted now.

“Come on, Lilly! You’re at ten!”

Keep going! I shouted at myself. I started getting lower and lower to the ground. As I got lower, he got lower. He was floating in the air so I could tag his hand.

The thing that surprised me was that I was still going pretty fast. I wasn’t going as slow as a snail like I thought I would when I got this tired. In fact, I think I was actually going faster than I was when I started.

Finally, my wings started to stop from fatigue, and I lowered myself to the ground after I tagged his hand before I could fall. Collapsing on the ground, I could see the surprise in his face.

“That was incredible, Lilly! You went back and forth 15 times! From here all the way to the tree! The funny thing is you got faster as you got tired! Great job!” he shouted at me, a big grin spreading over his face. I could barely hear him over my panting. Its funny how in the split second you exhale, you feel like your suffocating and you need to gulp in more air again.

“Yeah,” I breathed, “I don’t know why.” I couldn’t say anything more after that.

“Alright. You look like your done for today. Do you need help back to your dorm?” he asked.

“No, I think I’m okay,” I gasped, sitting up. I stood up on shaking legs and began to walk. I didn’t get that far when Blaze said, “Lilly?”

I turned. “Yeah?”

“You did good,” he told me with a smile that made my heart flutter.

“Thanks,” I replied, and continued walking back to my dorm.


~*~*~

I collapsed exhausted on my bed. It was late in the afternoon, so Rose and Star were on kitchen duty, preparing dinner. Katie was helping Sugar, the baker, make sweets for the spring festival coming up, and Poppy was home getting ready for her patrol duty with some other Level 3 fairies and Level 7 fairies.

“You’re just getting back?” she asked.

“Yeah, it ran a little longer than I expected. Minor difficulties. Plus not to mention I kind of, uh, stole some sweets from Sugar and Katie,” I cringed into my pillow, bracing myself for the explosion about to happen. And boy, it was an explosion alright. For a Level 3 fairy, that girl’s got attitude.

“You WHAT?! You know how hard Sugar and Katie work on those? They’re for the spring festival, not for you! I can’t believe you did this! Wait, yes I can, because this is just like you! Do you know how many fairies will be attending the spring festival? A lot. A whole lot. The King and Queen are coming, too! They have to be perfect. Sugar and Katie can’t do that when they have to worry about you all the time! I mean, seriously Lilly! It’s common sense!” She paused to take a breath, and she looked over at me. She must have seen my expression because she smiled sheepishly as her face turned red.

“Decide to stop fighting your inner demon? Because it looks like you’re on the same side now,” I told her. She smiled.

“Sorry. I guess I kind of got carried away,” she replied. I smiled and nodded.

“So, how’d it go?” she asked.

“Uh…” I murmured.

“Not too good?”

“Well, the beginning wasn’t my favorite part, but after that it was ok I guess,” I sat up.

“Is your trainer nice?” she questioned.

“Yes, Blaze is really nice.”

“Did he say you did well?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“What about the other fairies?” she went on.

“Poppy, please. We’re not playing twenty questions here,” I criticized.

“Sorry,” she smiled.

“It’s ok. Look, I’m going to get some sleep then catch up with you for dinner, alright?”

“Sure,” she replied, then silently walked out of the door to her patrol duty.


~*~*~

After dinner, all of the fairies met up in the base of the Great Oak Tree, where they usually have meetings.

“Attention!” screamed Mistress Cherry. The room quieted down. “Now, there is a lot of you and only one of me, so you have to cooperate and be quiet.” We all nodded.

“As you all know, testing is getting really close now. Actually it’s supposed to be in a few days.” Everyone nodded again. No one seemed to notice that she said testing is supposed to be in a few days.

“Well, there is a slight change of plans. Maybe some of you smart ones have noticed the sky, or maybe the ones with stable duty noticed the mice and animals getting anxious. If you haven’t caught on by now, there is going to be a storm. A really big one, too. So testing is going to be moved to next week,” she told us. The talking picked up as this new information sunk in. A nervous talking. Everybody knew this had to be a serious storm. They usually never tell us when we are getting a storm. Then a light turned on in my head, and I panicked. Next week? Testing can’t be next week! That’s when I have training with Blaze! We can’t afford to lose training time! I allowed myself to glance nervously at Blaze. He looked back, and I could see a message in his eyes. What are we going to do? I looked back up at the Head Fairy.

“During this storm, I want you fairies to stay in your dorms!” She emphasized those words. “If any other teacher or I see any of you outside during this storm, you will be in big trouble. Now, I don’t want any of you guys to get scared, but on your way out we are going to hand out baskets of food. Since nobody is allowed out, we probably won’t be going to the dinning pavilion. If you run out of food or someone unfortunately gets hurt or sick, we are going to be sending an electrician fairy to each of your dorms to install a telephone. They will be used only for emergencies, and there will be consequences if the telephone is used improperly. We will be having a dorm check tonight at 7:30 to make sure all members are where they should be and you have enough supplies: blankets, flashlights, batteries, etc. Any questions?” she asked.

“They’re taking this much more seriously than they should be,” I whispered to Rose. She shook her head.

“Have you heard of any of the storms in this part of Fairy World? What you have experienced were babies. They get real bad here. And I mean bad. Did you know they had to reconstruct this village three different times? When they hear of an oncoming storm from the weather fairies, it gets serious,” she replied, slowly shaking her head.

“What number do we dial on the telephone if we need to reach you?” a fairy asked.

“That’s a good question,” Mistress Cherry told him. She looked over at Mrs. Acorn. “What do you think?”

“Well, it should be something fairly easy to remember. Something like 123 or 222,” Mrs. Acorn replied.

“Ok,” Mistress Cherry decided, “It shall be 567. Any other questions?”

“What time is this storm supposed to start?” April asked.

“Around midnight,” Mrs. Acorn told her. I raised my hand. Mistress Cherry seemed to know the question before I even asked it.

“Lilly, you’ll just have to hold off on training for now. By the way, Blaze told me you did very well earlier today,” Mistress Cherry said, and I blushed as everyone looked over at me. I could see Blaze blushing too as all the Level 10 fairies gave him questioning looks, no doubt remembering our earlier encounter.

“Any more questions? No? Ok, dorm leaders get you roommates together and we are going to start heading out by dorm number. Don’t forget to grab your baskets of food on the way out, two baskets per dorm. Make sure you are home when the electrician and I come for dorm check!” she shouted, fighting over the rise of noise. I gathered Poppy and Katie, taking each of their hands. I also looked over my shoulder to see Star and Rose following closely behind as I guided them towards the door.

“Dorm number one, start heading out! Remember your baskets of food!” Mrs. Acorn shouted as the Head Fairy walked off the stage to go help with the distribution of food.

“Dorm number two!” she called. The room slowly started emptying.

“Can I help carry the baskets?” asked Poppy. She was always my little helper.

“Sure,” I replied, happy for her help.

“Dorm number three!” Mrs. Acorn called, and we started out the door, grabbing the baskets on our way.


~*~*~

Outside, it was starting to get darker. Usually you can see the sunset very well from Fairy World, the purples and oranges and pinks a vibrant pastel. Now, everything was covered in dark, ominous clouds, waiting to cause chaos in this poor little village.

We all walked to our dorm, no one speaking. When we got in, Poppy and I walked into the side room where we have a mini kitchen. It wasn’t a kitchen at all, really. It was just big enough for a mini cooler, some cabinets with a few snacks, (that are undoubtedly stale by now) and some boxes of books and games that we never unpacked when we moved into this school.

Poppy and I stashed the baskets on top of some boxes, planning on going through it later to take out the items that needed to be kept cool. Right now, we had to rush around and clean before Mistress Cherry, Mrs. Acorn, and the electrician came.

“Quick! Just shove those clothes under your bed!”

“No, Katie, put them in the drawer!”

“Star! The top of the closet!”

“Hurry up!”

Knock, knock, knock! We all froze, turning to stare at the door. Star straightened and walked over to answer it as Rose finished making her bed and I shut the curtain into the kitchen.

“Hello,” Star said cheerily with a big smile that was dazzling. Mistress Cherry nodded and walked right in, shoving passed Star.

“Excuse you,” I implied as the electrician fairy shut the door and got to work. Just before he shut the door I saw how dark it was. Wow, this is going to be a big storm, I thought.

“Watch it,” Mistress Cherry snapped. “Ok, we have a lot to do, and little time. Mrs. Acorn will be helping with supplies while I take roll. Tre over here will be working on your telephone.” Tre placed the telephone on the dresser and pulled the back off, working with the wires.

“Okay, let’s get started. Star?” the Head Fairy asked.

“Here!” Star cried.

“Rose?”asked Mistress Cherry.

“Over here,” Rose put in from where she was helping Mrs. Acorn.

“Lilly?” she asked.

“Here,” I replied. “Sadly.” She ignored that.

“Katie?” the Head Fairy asked. No reply.

“Katie?” She asked again. Still no reply. She looked up from her clipboard. “Katie?” she demanded again, more firmly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around. Since I was closest to the kitchen, I peeked behind the curtain and called her name. No answer.

“Not in here,” I told them. Star looked out of the window facing the front of the house while the electrician fairy opened the door. Poppy ran over and looked out of the window that looked out over the back of the house. It was starting to rain now.

“Luckily you’re our last dorm,” Mrs. Acorn announced, looking through the window out back. I stepped outside and walked around back.

“Katie!” I screamed.

“Katie?” I heard Mistress Cherry echo out front.

Poppy’s voice rang out as her shrill screams bounced off the trees. “Katie!”

“Where is she?” Star sobbed, tears running down her face. Star and I walked down the hill to the tree line. Poppy and Mistress Cherry checked out front, and Rose and Tre checked the sides of the dorm. Mrs. Acorn stared up into the leaves of the bush above our dorm, calling her name. Finally, Mrs. Acorn declared she is going to walk down to the Great Oak Tree where we had our meeting, and Tre said he was going to fly around and check up in the sky. Our clothes were already soaked, and Mistress Cherry was really getting miserable.

“I want all of you girls to go back inside. We will send a few Level 10 fairies out looking for her. I’ll also send June, another Level 10 fairy to stay with you guys for a while. Don’t worry. We’ll find her,” the Head Fairy assured us. I took one long glance in the forest then allowed Poppy to take my hand and drag me back inside.


~*~*~

“Don’t worry. We’ll find her,” June tried comforting as she gave us some hot soup. I tightened the blanket around my shoulders, and I saw Rose do the same. We were all cuddled up around the fire place. Poppy leaned against my shoulder. We were all changed out of our wet clothes and into our pajamas, trying to keep warm.

“Come on, guys. Let’s get some sleep, and I’m sure she’ll be back in the morning,” June told us. We all scrambled up and into our beds. But I did everything but sleep. I was far from sleep.
~*~*~

I pulled the covers off and slipped on my shoes after I was sure everyone was asleep. Creeping to the door, I heard the rain pounding outside. I swallowed and opened the door, quickly stepping out and pulling it shut before I could wake anyone up.

Once outside, I was instantly soaked. Suck it up, I told myself. My eyes scanned the horizon, and then I suddenly knew where she was. It hit me like a freight train, and then I felt silly for not thinking of it before. I took off into the air.

Of course! I thought. She was at the oasis. It was always her favorite place. Ever since she first came here. On the way to Fairy Fighting Prep, she saw this mystical meadow behind a thick blanket of fog and dense trees. She knew she was going to explore it and call it her own. When she finally got a chance to, she found that the little meadow was wide, green, and full of life. Even after visiting the oasis plenty of times, there were still new things to find, new mysteries to discover. That may be one of the reasons she keeps coming back. That or its beauty. Once you step through-or fly through- the trees, you can see a mighty waterfall, pouring into a crystal clear pond from a giant rock cliff. Surrounding the pond were boulders, where Katie would often take me. Before the pond was a patch of bright green healthy grass, and against the boulders grew wild flowers, many different types and colors. Behind the waterfall was a small cave where Katie would often sit and stare. She claims that it’s peaceful in there; I agree with her. Coming out from the pond, though, is a vicious stream that leads off into the forest. We always told Katie to be careful near there because of the strong currents beneath the water.

I could just see the tops of the trees where the oasis was. Why would she need to go to the oasis now, when a storm was brewing? I thought. Then I knew. She was probably getting something from the cave, something she didn’t want to blow away or to get wet. Something like a picture. A picture of her family, to be precise. I was surprised at how well I knew Katie.

I was getting closer and closer to the oasis. My wings were starting to get really wet. We can’t fly very well when our wings get wet. I should have grabbed my wing covers, I thought. Wing covers were water-proof covers that you put over your wings so you can still fly in the rain.

Finally, I went into the trees. I started getting lower and lower to the ground because of my wet wings. Braking through the tree line into the oasis, my eyes tried taking in everything at once. Katie was hanging from the edge of the cave by her hands, threatening to fall into the pond beneath her where the waterfall will crush her tiny bones. I could tell her wings were soaked. She must have gotten them wet by the rain or waterfall, and then fallen because her wings refused to work. Good thing she caught onto the ledge, I thought.

Also at the same time, I saw Blaze and a couple of other Level 10 fairies emerge from the trees on top of the cliff. They seemed to notice me at the same time I noticed them. Oh good, at least they have their wing covers on, I thought snootily.

“LILLY!” Blaze yelled over the rain. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”


I didn’t answer. All I could think about was saving Katie.

“Katie!” I shouted. “I’m coming!”

Just then I fell towards the ground. I tried to turn towards the boulders, but I ended up plummeting into the stream. Almost immediately the currents caught me and tried dragging me into the forest. I held onto a branch with all my strength, only one word flashing through my mind: Katie.

I tried pulling myself up onto land, but the stream grabbed hold of my legs and tried pulling me back in. My ears roared as I went back underwater. Keep moving! I screamed at myself. I started moving forward, grabbing branches and rocks along the way. My strength was draining quickly.

I eventually made it into the pond. Blaze and his friends were screaming my name, but I could barely hear them. I made it to the waterfall, floating a few feet away.

“Katie! Let go!” I yelled, hoping she could hear me.

“WHAT?” she shrieked.

“I’m right underneath of you! LET GO!” I yelled again, bracing myself.

“Lilly! DON’T!” Blaze demanded. I ignored him.

Katie glanced down, and then released her hands, dropping slowly yet lightning fast towards the ground.

“NO!” Blaze screamed, then dove off the cliff, heading straight down towards us.

Katie hit my arms, and the impact pushed me underwater. I couldn’t think. I used all my strength to push Katie above water, not caring about me. The force of the waterfall was trying to suck me into the bottom where all the water dropped.

Suddenly, something hit my chest hard, and it knocked the air out of me. I started choking and coughing, sucking in big gulps of water. My eyes peeled open and I could see something glinting in the water; probably a fish. My vision started getting really hazy.

Just then the weight of Katie in my arms was taken away as strong hands scooped her up and away. Good, they got her, I thought. At least she’ll survive…

I started floating away since the pressure that was keeping me under was now gone. My lungs were burning, and I could feel the pounding of the waterfall start to hit my feet.

Just then I was lifted out of the water, and sturdy arms were carrying me away from my death. I opened my eyes and saw Blaze, looking worriedly down at me and then ahead of him. He was barking orders.

The wind rushed in my face as Katie and I were rushed towards the village at top speed. I looked back at Blaze.

“My arms hurt,” I murmured, and then everything went black.


~*~*~

I woke up to the smell of hospital. Oh, what a pleasant smell; medicine, plastic, and cleaner.

Opening my eyes, I saw a small cozy room with brown walls and a fireplace. There were several beds beside mine, and Katie occupied one of them. I knew instantly that we were in the infirmary.

I looked over to see if Katie was okay. She was still sleeping, her fragile chest moving up and down.

“Good, you’re awake,” a voice behind me said. I whipped my head around to see Blaze sitting in a chair next to my bed, then put a hand to my head and winced. The sudden movement gave me a whiplash.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologized.

“It’s okay,” I told him. My voice sounded hoarse, even to me.

“He’s been sitting here all day,” a nurse announced as she walked in to take my blood pressure. Day? It had been almost night when we drowned, I thought. They must have seen my confused look.

“You two have been out cold for the past three days,” Blaze informed me. I looked back over at Katie. She was just waking up.

“Wow, you should see what a mess the storm made out there!” Rose cried as she walked through the door. Star and Poppy were following close behind. They were all perfectly dry.

“The storm is over?” I asked.


“Yeah, it’s been over for a few hours now,” replied Star. Katie’s memory must have just come crashing back to her because she gasped and then she seemed to be searching her pockets for something.

“What are you looking for?” Poppy asked, sitting on the side of her bed. Panic flashed across Katie’s face, then she looked at her dresser and she calmed down, reaching for the wrinkled picture. Then it dawned on me.

“What about training!” I screeched, and then jumped out of bed. I wobbled and put my hand to my head, falling back onto the bed.

“No training for you, missy,” the nurse told me. “Not until you fully recover.”

“I am fully recovered though!” I argued, trying my best to make myself look healthy and not aching-all-over-until-I-pass-out.

“Lilly, listen to the doctor,” Blaze warned.

“Yeah, you do want to get out of here, don’t you?” Rose asked with a laugh. I pouted and fell back against the pillows, hating being defeated.

“Cheer up! We brought some games to play!” Poppy cried. I smiled.

“Of course you did,” I replied. Poppy loved to play games with us.


~*~*~

After a long evening of games, I fell asleep quickly in the infirmary. The next day I was allowed out.

“Let’s get some lunch!”Katie cried.

“Ok,” Star replied, leading us to the pavilion.

When we got into the pavilion, I saw all of the Level 10 fairies looking at me. Then they started whispering to each other. I brushed them aside easily.

After lunch, I met up with Blaze in the arena.

“It’s a little bit cooler in here,” Blaze told me. I nodded.

“Ok, so today I’ll be testing your strength. I’m planning on having you lift weights,” he informed me. I gasped.

“What?” I demanded. He smiled.

“Gotcha! Ok, so you’re not lifting weights. What you are doing, though, is tug of war. You will be tested in your strength, so whoever pulls the flag across the acorn wins. There will be two acorns, spread a few feet across. You want to pull the flag across the one closest to you. You will be fighting against Drake, another Level 10 fairy. Drake means “dragon” so if he lives up to his name, he will be a tough match,” he said. The doors banged shut as another fairy who I assumed was Drake walked in. He was tall and lean, and he certainly didn’t look like a tough match. He had blonde hair that was not too short or too long. His eyes were a fiery red-orange, and his face was clear of any flaws.

“This is Drake,” Blaze introduced. I nodded slightly. Something about him seemed odd.

Blaze walked us over to the rope with the acorns and the flag attached in the middle.

“Ok, are you too ready?” Blaze asked as Drake and I picked up the ends of the rope. “Begin!”

Drake was tougher than I thought. I jerked forward, and then tugged hard, trying to make up for the steps I took toward the acorn. I don’t have to be strong, I thought. I just have to be stronger than him. That’s all that matters most.
We went on like this for a while, me going forward then him going forward. I started getting tired, and I could tell that he was too. I lurched towards my acorn again, this time about an inch or two away. Just when I thought all hope was lost and Drake got ready to pull one more time, declaring the end of the game, I felt a sudden surge of energy, stronger than I began with. I took a deep breath and pulled, feeling all of that energy flow out through my arms and into the rope. It seemed like I was just walking backwards, not even trying, when he finally fell across the acorn. I let go of the rope and let out a breath, inspecting the red burns on my hands.

“Congratulations, Lilly! You win!” Blaze announced. Drake got up wearily from the ground, holding out his hand for me to shake. We shook hands and Drake walked out, not even looking back.

“That was really good, Lilly. He is one of the strongest Level 10 fairies. Not including me, of course. We’re about the same, I might be a little bit better,” he teased. I smiled.

“So he must be really weak,” I shot back. He grinned.

“I should have seen that coming, knowing you,” he replied. We walked out of the arena together.


~*~*~

The next few days went by in a blur; the same old thing every day. I woke up to the sound of Rose’s snoring, went to breakfast, went to my morning classes, lunch, did my duties as animal care-taker, and hung out with my friends until dinner. I didn’t have any training with Blaze because he was training with the other Level 10 fairies for the battle. It wasn’t until testing I saw him again.

“I just came to wish you guys good luck this afternoon,” he told us when I opened the door.

“That’s very nice of you,” Star replied, coming up behind me.

“Yeah,” he said, staring at his feet. There was an awkward silence, and I racked my brain for something to say. Luckily, I didn’t have to.

“Move, move, move!” Poppy and Katie shouted, pushing passed Blaze, Star and I.

“Hey, you guys know better than that!” I scolded them.

“Sorry,” Katie apologized.

“The baby mice are here!” Poppy shouted.

“Really?!” Star cried.

“Yah, in the stables! Come on!” Poppy raced out the door again, Katie on her heels. We all looked at each other, then sighed and flew after them.

When we arrived at the stables, there already were a few fairies there. We twisted and turned through the growing crowd to get a look.

“Aw, they’re so cute!” Star squealed. I looked over her shoulder and saw four baby mice, all struggling to nurse. There were three chestnut colored ones and one gray one. The gray one was smaller than the rest.

“Aw, look at them!” Katie cried.

“You see, that one is going to be a trouble maker,” Blaze told me, pointing towards the little gray one.

“What? Why?” I asked.

“I can tell. Just you wait,” he smiled. “You two will be like twins!” I laughed. It felt good to laugh.


~*~*~

I met Blaze in the arena for our second to last training session. He said he was going to test me in battle.

“Ok, are you ready?” he asked.

“Wait, what?” I replied. “What happened to skills?”

“You already got tested on skills,” he told me. I automatically panicked. What if he tested me on skills when I didn’t know, and I failed? I thought.

“When?” I gasped.

“When you saved Katie,” he replied, smiling. I thought about it. So that’s why they didn’t come to save us right away. Very funny.

“You are going to battle me. I will supply you with swords and shields. Last fairy standing wins,” Blaze informed me. I nodded. Blaze walked me over to the arsenal, and handed me a sword. It didn’t feel right in my hand, so I shook my head. He handed me another. Perfect, I thought. He handed me a shield. It was plain silver.

“Ok, ready?” he asked as we walked to the center of the arena. I nodded. He unsheathed his sword and got into battle stance.

“Go!” he shouted, and swung at me. I blocked with my sword. He kept on swinging, closing in. I blocked every time. He finally slowed, and I saw my chance. I swung at him, and it clanked against his shield. He’s good, I thought. But I can be better.


We kept swinging at each other and walking in a circle around the arena. This is taking forever, my mind complained. Shut up! I told it. My mind is right though. It is taking forever.

Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. Instead of blocking and the occasional strike, I went full force, blow after blow, until the tip of my sword scraped against his cheek, causing him to bleed a little. He frowned, then swung at me. I was getting tired, and he knew it. He kept on coming.

Finally, he grazed my arm. I cringed.

“Never let your guard down,” he commanded, getting breathless. I was getting breathless too.

Suddenly, when I thought I was going to pass out, I felt that same surge of energy that shot through me when I was playing tug-of-war. My arm quavered from the intensity, and before he could strike, I let all of that energy flow, surprise flooding his face as I swung at him. He was backing up and blocking, not getting a chance to strike.

Finally, he made the wrong move. As he backed against the wall, the flat of my sword caught the flat of his, and I pushed down, forcing his arm to bend at an awkward angle. The sword crashed out of his hand, and before I knew it, the tip of my sword was at his throat. He swallowed, and then gave up.

“You win,” he whispered, awestruck. I heard a clapping through the ringing in my ears. I glanced over to see all of the Level 10 fairies standing in the back of the arena. I never heard them come in. Blaze looked surprised too.

“Well, well,” Mistress Cherry announced, walking through the doors. “It looks like to me you won.” I realized I still had the top of my sword at his throat. Lowering it, I nodded.

“Congratulations,” she replied. “Now, why don’t you go clean up and rest why we discuss things, alright?” I nodded, still dazed.

Walking out of the arena, I thought, I didn’t make it. They don’t think I did well enough. I failed.


~*~*~

After taking a shower, I sat on the bank of the lake.

“Hey,” Blaze said, coming to sit down next to me. I didn’t reply. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I murmured, looking down.

“Obviously something’s wrong,” he prompted. “Tell me.”

“I didn’t do good enough,” I told him. He knew what I meant right away.

“Are you kidding me?” he asked surprised. “You did great!” I looked out over the lake, the daylight threatening to turn to night.

“You should have seen how surprised everyone was. You beat me, and I’m the highest ranking swordsman in the Level 10 fairies. You really shocked me. You know what I noticed? At the end of every test, when I thought you would fail and quit, you came back, faster and stronger than you even started with. When you did the laps. You were at ten, and you were slowing down, and your whole body was shaking from exhaustion. All of a sudden, you started going faster and faster, with a new burst of speed, and you made it to fifteen. The tug-of-war? You beat Drake. He’s the strongest Level 10 fairy. You were about to lose when that strength came, stronger than you began with, and you won. When the river was about to take you away, and you were going under, that energy came back again, and you made it into the pond and saved Katie when none of us could. You beat me, just when you were about to pass out. Your special, Lilly. With a little more training you’d be great! We really need you on our team. Those goblins are nasty, filthy, rotten creatures, and we are positive that you can help us beat them,” Blaze paused to take a breath. I had tears in my eyes.

“Really?” I asked. He nodded.

“Really,” he replied. “Now, let’s go get some dinner.”

“Ok,” I got up. We walked all the way to the pavilion together.


~*~*~

Rose, Katie, and I were getting ready for testing the next morning.

“Good luck, guys!” Star cried. She is testing next week. Poppy tested last week.

“Thanks!” Rose replied, bubbling over with excitement.

All three of us walked out of the door to the arena. We signed in and took our seats. The arena was filled with chairs today. Katie had to sit with the Level 4 fairies, or should I say, soon-to-be-Level-5-fairies. Rose and I sat with the soon-to-be-Level-6-fairies.

“Ok everyone,” Mrs. Acorn called. “Today you will be starting your testing. You will take a written test today and a physical test tomorrow. We will be doing one level at a time. Level 4, you’re up! Please file into your testing room. If you have the arsenal, please walk into the arsenal. There are desks set up in there. If you have meeting room 1 please walk into there. If you have meeting room 2 walk in there.”

A half hour later, all of the Level 4 fairies returned and we were guided into our testing rooms. I had to go to meeting room 2. They were smart not to put me in the arsenal.

The test took about a half hour, just like the Level 4 fairies. There were questions like “what is this weapon called,” and “name three different techniques.”

I walked out of meeting room 2 and sat down next to Rose.

“How do you think you did?” I asked Rose.

“Pretty well, actually. It was really easy,” she replied. I nodded and turned my head. It was supposed to be easy?! My mind shrieked. I sat there hoping she doesn’t ask me how well I did.

After all of the Level 6 fairies did their testing, we were free to go.

We got home and got ready for bed. It was going to be a long and tiring day tomorrow.
~*~*~

The next day we got up early. We had to be there at 7:00 am.

When we arrived-we were late, of course- there were Level 10 fairies taking Level 4 fairies out to do their testing. After they tested, we were up. I went back with a Level 10 fairy, and they tested all that I learned today. It was pretty easy.

When we were done, I met up with Rose.

“I think I did better on this test than I did yesterday’s,” I told her.

“No wonder,” she replied. “You know, you’re supposed to answer all of the questions on the test yesterday.”

“Now you tell me!” I cried sarcastically.


~*~*~

The next few days were boring. We did the same thing every day. Tension hung heavy in the air because of the upcoming battle. I was in the bakery talking to Sugar when we got a little surprise.

“Lilly, quick, we have to go!” Blaze screamed as he ran into the little shop.

“What, why?” I shouted back.

“We have to go, now!” he replied. I finally got what he meant.

“Oh!” I yelled, running out with him. “Bye Sugar!”

We flew all the way to the arena. I almost exploded from nervousness. This is it, I thought. We are finally going into battle.

“Now,” Mistress Cherry said as we arrived. “As you heard we are going to fight the goblins. They arrived earlier than we expected, unfortunately. But, we have to go. We have a new member fighting with us, Lillyana, a Level 6 fairy.” Everyone looked over at me. Of course, I blushed.

“Suit up, everybody, we have a long day ahead of us,” Mrs. Acorn called, and we all filed into the arsenal.

“Here, this looks like it will fit you,” Blaze told me, holding up a suit of armor for size. He handed it to me. I don’t know how, but I somehow managed to shimmy it on in time to get my weapon and head out. The weapon was the same sword and shield I used to fight Blaze.

We took to the skies and headed towards the big field in which the battles were fought between the goblins and fairies. It was right between the two kingdoms.

It took a while to get there, but finally we arrived on the side closest to our kingdom. There was a little cave and a rock cliff on our side, with the tree line on top of the cliff. We all landed on top of the cliff, staring out over the field. You could faintly see little tiny creatures on the other side, lined up and ready for battle.

“Good luck,” one of the fairies told me.

“You’re going to need it,” replied another. I nodded my thanks and walked over to the front next to Blaze.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey. Are you ready?” I asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he muttered. He suddenly gasped. “Oh no!”
“What is it?” I asked, starting to get nervous.

“The goblins. Their leader is here. He is the toughest, meanest, strongest, and nastiest of them all. He is going to be tough to bring down,” he told me, glancing around. Finally, someone caught his eye.

“Drake!” he called. “Drake! Their leader is here! Who should take him on?”
Something flickered in Drakes eyes, and his eyes were darting all over the place as he said coolly, “I will. He seems easy.”
Blaze nodded. “Be careful.” He walked back over to me.
Drake is a bad liar. And Blaze bought it. But I didn’t.


~*~*~

“CHARGE!” screamed Blaze. We ran across the field towards the goblins. This is it, my mind told me one last time.
The first swords to hit were Blaze and a goblin. Then everything crashed together like two cars smashing at top speed. My arm jarred when my sword hit a goblins sword. I faked going left then struck right, stabbing him and bringing him to the ground. They were pretty easy to kill, there were just so many of them. I went after another goblin. I killed about three or four when I looked up and almost had a panic attack. Taking up the rear of the crowd was the leader. He was tall and wide and was green with a brownish tint. He had a pig-like nose, pointy ears, and beady black bat eyes.
I kept fighting off goblins. I had a few scratches from the tips of swords, but nothing too bad. I looked up as I jumped over a fallen goblin, and saw the fairy who wished me good luck. He was fighting off a goblin, and I saw another goblin running up behind him, sword ready.

“Look out!” I shrieked. He stabbed the one he was fighting and looked back just in time. The goblin jumped up to attack and ran right into the sword.

“Thanks!” he called back. I nodded, and pounced on another goblin.

It seems like it has only been five minutes, but I know it’s been close to an hour. I was about to strike at a goblin when I felt a sharp pain in my right wing. I glanced around me to see a goblin. I briefly inspected my wing to find the top chopped off, about five inches from the top. I cringed from the pain, but I turned around and slashed at the goblin anyway. I continued to make my way through the goblins.

A little while later, I noticed Drake “fighting” with the head goblin. After a while, the leader of the goblins nodded, and Drake ran off. I sliced at a goblin’s head, then turned around to warn Blaze; I gasped at what I saw.

“Blaze, behind you!” I shrieked at the top of my lungs. He looked at me then turned around just in time to see Drake swinging his sword at him.

Blaze held up his shield at the last moment, but the impact knocked him backwards. He fell and his head cracked against a rock, knocking him out cold.

“Blaze!” I cried, and charged at Drake. He saw me coming right before I got to him. That gave him enough time to brace himself.

I flung my sword around, trying to find an opening. I didn’t stop to think or rest, I kept going and going. All I knew is I wanted him out of the way.

That energy I felt before swelled up in me, about to explode. I willed it to shoot out, to knock Drake on the ground. But nothing happened as I kept striking at him. It started to frustrate me as the power got more intense.

“You liar!” I cried. “You filthy, stinking, liar!” he smiled.

“You’re a smart little one,” he replied calmly, not even the slightest out of breath. “But not smart enough.” He struck harder.

We went on like this for a while, my arms starting to vibrate with energy. What’s wrong with this?! My mind demanded to know.

Finally I couldn’t take it any longer. If this power refused to help me, I had to do things by myself.

I faked striking down, and when he put his shield down to block I banged my sword against his, forcing it to the ground. Before he could think, I threw my arm back and swung it forward, slamming him right between the eyes with the hilt of my sword. His eyes rolled back in his head and he staggered backwards, and then fell to the ground.

My vision became blurry and I couldn’t think with all of the power building up. I saw the head goblin panting and scanning the scene around him behind a few one-on-one battles. I didn’t even care if he saw me; I wanted him dead. He was the mastermind of all of this. He was the reason we were all risking our lives to keep the kingdom safe. He was the reason so many of us are hurt. He is the reason my body feels like it’s going to explode any second now. He is the reason Blaze is lying unconscious on the ground.

I charged at him, and right before our swords met, I felt a tingling, then my body really did seem to explode. I felt like I could carry one hundred buses right before our swords met, and I used that strength to strike at his sword. It immediately knocked the sword out of his hand; he didn’t expect me, a skinny kid, to use that much strength.

He recovered quickly and grabbed his sword, determination spreading across the contours of his face. I wasn’t about to satisfy his determination.

I ran and slashed at him, the alien energy still at full force. The sun seemed to glare at me as sweat dripped down my face. The armor didn’t help much, either.

He wore a you-won’t-defeat-me-child face that suddenly turned to uncertainty as he began to get tired. I played all sorts of moves and tricks on him that I didn’t even know that I had.

I advanced on him as he backed up against the rock cliff by their kingdom. I slashed out with my sword several times; his sword scraped against my cheek, causing it to start bleeding. I tried to ignore the stinging pain and kept moving.

Finally, my sword lodged in his chest, and his eyes widened. He moaned, then turned to dust, starting at his head and finishing at his feet. I breathed out, and took in my surroundings. Everyone was staring at me, and the goblins were all running away now that their leader was defeated.


~*~*~

When we got back to Fairy Fighting Prep, everyone was waiting for us. I desperately wanted to see my friends and get some sleep, but every single one of us, hurt or not, had to be rushed to the infirmary to be checked out. I had a few minor scrapes and cuts that they cleaned out and bandaged. Blaze ended up having a concussion, and was still unconscious. They said he’d be alright though, just some medicine and rest. They cleaned out his cuts too. No body else was seriously injured, which was good. After spending the afternoon there, most of us were free to go. Blaze had woken up and was still in their care.

Later on when we were all fixed up and healthy, we were called to a meeting at ATF.

“I wanted to say that you all did very well in that battle. You found the spy, won, and defeated their leader,” the Head Fairy at ATF began. We all clapped and cheered.

“I’m happy to say that you all will be moving on to Level 1 of ATF,” she continued. We clapped and cheered again.

“And when I say all, I mean all. Lillyana, you too will be moving into our school. In a few weeks time, you showed more knowledge than many fairies would have shown in 5 years. You are a unique individual, and don’t let anyone tell you other wise. You can come in very handy with that special power of yours, and ATF will be very pleased to have you in our school,” she told me. Everyone else clapped and cheered; I stood transfixed staring at the Head Fairy. Move out of Fairy Fighting Prep? I thought. What about all of my friends and teachers? What about the new born baby mice that Mrs. Acorn promised us to take care of, and Katie’s oasis?

“Now, I want all of you to go back to your dorms at Fairy Fighting Prep and pack up your stuff. There will be time for goodbyes after you pack. See you when you arrive back!” she said. I still couldn’t move. It wasn’t until Blaze grabbed my hand that I snapped back into present time. I stared down at our hands as he dragged me out of the room.


~*~*~
“You’re WHAT?!” Rose shrieked after I told them the news. I nodded sadly.

“But…but…you can’t!” Poppy cried, tears threatening to spill.

“I’m sorry guys, I have to go,” I tried telling them. “I don’t want to leave you, but I think this will be a great opportunity for me.”

“It’s not fair,” Katie complained, her big brown puppy-dog eyes looking up at me. We were sitting on our beds in our dorm. “Why can’t you go through training like us, and graduate with us, and move into ATF with us?”

“Guys, it’s Lilly’s choice. Let her decide it. I personally think it’s great that she gets the chance to go into ATF early. That’s a great honor!” Star tried reasoning.

“Don’t worry, I’ll visit you all as much as I can, and write to you all the time,” I promised. They all nodded, and I gave them one last hug.

“Bye,” I told them. I will never let this image slip out of my mind: the image of all of them standing next to each other as I walk out of the door, love overflowing their expressions and filling up their eyes.


~*~*~

“It’ll all work out fine,” Blaze comforted as we flew to ATF with the other fairies. My forehead was still creased with worry lines as I looked out over the horizon. The sunset was very pretty this time of day.

“Yeah,” I replied, not convinced.

“But it will be fine,” said a Level 10 fairy who I heard everyone call Tangle. He looked at me with earnest gray eyes.

“You will be able to visit your friends, you’ll learn a bunch of stuff at ATF, and you’ll make new friends here,” Blaze told me. “You’ll be fine.”

I believed him. All my worries and fears melted away with those three words: you’ll be fine. I smiled at Blaze and looked out at the disappearing sunset. Everything is going to be alright. I could feel it in my gut.

I really surprised myself. I went from being at the bottom of the class, the one you’d come to for a good come back, to a fairy who skipped over five levels and got to move on to ATF. I guess I always had it in me. I just had to believe in myself, believe in what I could accomplish, and everything will work out just fine. I’ll be fine.