"I can't do it, I just can't." Starbeam reared up to get my attention. "Don't worry Anna, it just takes a little time and practice, don't give up."
I shook off my friend’s encouraging words, turned to Tay with a huff and asked, "Well?" She walked right up to me with determination in her stare. "You'll get this Annalise, trust me. Maybe you just aren't strong enough yet. It took some time for me to master my magic, and I'm a fairy.”
I sighed. My first failing attempt to do magic was over and I couldn't have been more thankful to be rid of this pointless lesson.
Picking up Tay's wand from the ground and handing it back to her, I growled, "Now what?"
My friend gave me a warm smile as she took my hand and led me away from the training grounds.
We journeyed off a good distance from the tower. Without warning, Tay stopped quickly in front of me, causing Starbeam to nearly step on me. “Whoa!” he said, panicked. Tay went over to brush her hand across his head for forgiveness.
Tay turned back to face me, and our eyes met as she grabbed my hand. She lifted her other hand over our heads and with a flick of her wrist, she said, “O’anthros”. I had closed my eyes not knowing what she was up to, but when I opened them, everything was different.
“Why is the tree so small?” I wondered to myself. I turned to look at Tay and Starbeam. I immediately noticed that Starbeam was shorter than Tay and me. No, it couldn’t be… I reached my hands around my back to touch my wings. “My wings!” I screamed in terror. “Tay! My wings, they’re gone!” “Anna, I know. Calm down, won’t you?”
With her hands grabbing each one of my shoulders, she had me look at my feet. They were huge! I started to freak out. It had never dawned on me that Tay had turned us into human form. When I came to this realization, I felt somewhat confused.
I began touching my face, hair and ears. I was still in shock. Starbeam stared at me as if I had lost my marbles. “I’m ok,” I said to him as I put my hands down, realizing I was scaring him. I walked up to him to explain my awkward behavior. “Sorry, it’s just, well…” I started to stutter when I saw I had scared the poor thing.
“Let me try,” Tay said. I stepped back; my head lowered to show our friend not to be frightened. Tay slowly stepped toward Starbeam while speaking to him. “Starbeam, it’s just me, Tailya. You know me. I had to change form so I can train Anna. Do you understand?” After Tay spoke, she rubbed Starbeam’s hoof softly, causing him to recognize who she was. Quickly, he reared up in glee, coming to know it was us and not imposters.
We both bent our heads down, showing loyalty to our friend. “We are sorry we scared you, Starbeam. Are you alright now?” Starbeam let us know he was still a little shaken and then the baby unicorn closed his eyes and dropped his head to show us he was getting used to us being human.
Still, the thought crossed my mind in curiosity about what Tay meant when she said ‘You know me’ to Starbeam. I began to ponder over the thoughts I’d had before. Is Tay really who she says she is? Is she really my friend? Are fairies really good, or are they bad? What does she want to teach me?
“UGH!” I blurted out in frustration. “Are you ok, Anna?” Starbeam and Tay asked in unison, sounding alarmed. I quickly nodded their way to keep them from suspicion of what was going ‘round and ‘round in my mind.
The two of them looked at each other in confusion. “So, what is it you want to teach me, Tay?” I asked in haste. They couldn’t find out what I had been thinking. I had to distract their attention away from the jumbled thoughts they probably had brewing about my behavior.
“Come, Anna. Over here.” Tay directed, as she swept her hand across the air in the direction we needed to go. She was ready to teach me the spells and chants that would free my mother, the queen, from the evil that had hold of her.
Off in the distance, there seemed to be a tree house with smoke coming from the chimney. Was that where she was taking me? A shiver rose up my spine. “We’re here,” Tay announced, as if there were someone else to hear her.
We took steps toward the tree. It looked like death. It had a face that seemed sad, and orange eyes that pierced through you like a winter chill. No mouth, but teeth that were stained red! What was this place?! The hair on the back of my neck began to move.
“I’m not going in there!” I said with a shout. Tay turned quickly my way, lifting her finger to her lips. “Shh! Anna don’t be rude!” she said angrily. Just then, the door creaked open and we heard a voice say, “Come in. Come in. Don’t be shy now, children.”
I knew I was only nine. I knew I didn’t know much. I knew I didn’t want to enter this place. Even though I was scared, I trusted Tay and followed her through the wooden door, toward the creepy voice that called for us.
CHAPTER 14
Inside the strange tree house there were all kinds of signs and different colored candles that filled the room. A shock of terror clouded over me as I began to remember where I had seen this exact setup before. A screech almost came from my lips as I was reminded of Queen Chelynna’s secret room. I began to panic as I wondered where I was. And then she walked into the room…
The moment she entered my anxiety quickly faded. She was a sight for sore eyes. Her golden blonde hair shone like the sun. Her sky-blue eyes were warm and welcoming. Her white glowing gown dazzled the eyes. She made me forget all I had been thinking.
Was I dreaming? I closed my eyes and counted to 3 in silence. “No Anna, you are not dreaming.” I hadn’t said a word! I knew I hadn’t said anything, I reminded myself over and over again. “No, you did not speak out, Anna. I can hear what you are thinking.”
Well, that was certainly creepy. Oh no! She could… “I mean, you can hear me!” She set a soft gaze onto me and said, “Shh… It’s quite alright girl. Now, come this way.” Tay looked at me and noticed that I was puzzled. I tried to say something to her, but she just smiled and shooed me away, moving her hand in the direction I was meant to go.
I went through the door and inside the room was a big black pot. It was full to the rim with purple liquid and bubbles on top. Just as I leaned over to smell it, she appeared. I wasn’t able to freak out in my mind; she could hear my thoughts.
“What? How? But you weren’t here before.” I was in shock. “Anna don’t be silly. Of course I was. You just didn’t see me.” She giggled gently. The lady was so kind that I could no longer question her. “I don’t know your name, ma’am, but you already know mine.” “Oh! How careless of me,” she said with a deep warm grin. “Young lady, I am Fawn. All of my children call me Mother Earth.”
“Mother Earth. That is a beautiful name,” I said in awe. Her smile made all the butterflies in my tummy go away. I was once more content and ready to learn what Fawn wanted me to know.
She swayed toward me, a calmness in her every step. “Here, Anna, I want you to have this book. It will help guide you and make everything happen according to your will.” I grabbed the book and candles she gave me, but I noticed a weird smirk on her face when I took them from her hands.
“Thank you, ma’am,” I said with a gulp as I laid my view on the odd book she handed me. The cover gave me chills. It had a sun and moon with faces, fire, water, wind, and a pile of dirt all embossed on it. It frightened me, but still I took it. I didn’t want to offend Fawn.
Fawn opened the door…a door that I never heard shut behind me. I started to think about the book in my hands and then she spoke. “Yes, you can do anything with it,” she said. I had forgotten she could hear my thoughts. Still leery of it all, I just looked up and smiled wondrously.
“Tailya!” I exclaimed with enthusiasm. “Look at what Fawn gave me!” I tried to show excitement even though I just knew something wasn’t right. It all seemed too good to be true. Tay seemed excited for me. She grabbed me and squeezed me tightly, like a snake not letting go of its prey. “Welcome to our family,” she said, still not loosening her grasp.
Tay finally let up. I grabbed her hand while smiling with gratitude toward
Fawn and said, “Let’s go Tailya. We got what we came for. Thanks again, Fawn! Bye!” We both waved our hands in the air, bidding farewell.
“Now that we have the book and candles, we can start your training,” Tay said with a gleeful grin. I just smiled and nodded while feeling a little timid about what was going on. We reached the field where the tower was and went inside. The moment Tay opened the door to the room that looked like Candyland, a sharp sting came upon my stomach. It felt like a deep plunge. I looked down to check for blood. It felt like I had been stabbed by a knife or something else just as sharp.
The feel of this room no longer reminded me of Candyland. Instead, all the room made me think of now was a dungeon. I wondered what we were doing. Still confused, yet a little curious, I began to walk over to Tailya. She was standing by a circle with signs on the floor.
“What is that, Tay?” “What?” she asked. Tay seemed suspicious of the tone in my question. When I could see that I had upset her, I retracted my question post haste. “Never mind,” I said, as I placed my hands in my lap while kneeling one knee after the other to the floor.
Tay came and knelt down beside me, staring into my eyes while placing one of her hands on my shoulder. “You’re one of us now,” she said. Though I didn’t know what she meant, I had a strong feeling I was already partnered to this.
Tay opened the book and lit a black candle. Her eyes slowly closed as she was muttering strange words and making strange sounds. My name was muttered a few times. I reached out to grab her, but she opened her eyes and said, “All done.” She sounded over-joyed at what had just happened. I couldn’t have been more worried and confused.
“Come on, Anna. We are finished with your initiation to the covenant.” “My what!” I said in shock. “It’s ok, Anna. You are now a fairy slash human who is able to do magic. You have been given power from the earth prince. Come now, Let’s go train and make your power stronger.”
Still in fright over what had just happened, I followed Tay outside to practice this new power that had been given to me. Tay took out her wand and said, “Close your eyes, Anna, because you might wig out if you see this.” I was already well out of my comfort zone and felt like a prisoner somehow.
I did as she commanded. My body felt like it was moving so fast that I began to have trouble breathing. Tay saw my eyes start to flicker and she yelled at me to keep them closed. “What you are feeling will pass.” My chest felt heavy as my breath slowed more. Just when I started to feel faint, Tay ordered me to open my eyes.
“Are you sure?” I asked, gasping. “It’s alright now, Anna. You can open them.” One eye popped open and the other followed. I looked down at my feet and they were slightly larger than before. My hands were bigger, my fingers were longer, as was my hair. “What’s going on, Tay? What did you do to me?” I asked in worry.
“I grew you,” she said, as she lifted her hands from the ground to the sky. Tay handed me her wand and said, “Ask it to show you your image.” “What? I don’t know how to use this.” I was frustrated and trying not to panic. I was horrified as I wondered what she had done to me.
“Ok, I will ask to see my image,” I said with a giant inhale and exhale. I took the wand and said, “Wand, show me myself.” A burst of bright light made me shield my eyes. The light started to fade, and I focused back to the wand, which was now what seemed to be a mirror in my hand.
I raised it up to my face. The moment I saw my reflection, I screamed in terror. It was my mother, the queen! I looked just like her. “What did you do to me, Tay?!” I shrieked. Tears flooded my eyes and rolled down my face. A puddled of tears formed on the ground below me.
Tailya rushed over to me. “Calm down, Anna. It’s ok.” She began to tell me why I looked like my queen. “Anna, you resemble her because you come from her. But you are not her.” “Ok.” Her words were starting to comfort me, and I let the terror that had dredged up inside me fade away.
I was older somehow, and it was time I acted like it. “So, what now?” I asked. Tay looked at me with what seemed to be remorse and said, “We’re done for today, Anna. I think you’ve had enough. Let’s go get some berries and see what Starbeam is up to.”
Tay and I left the field and paced toward the meadow where Starbeam and Yurika were to be. Coming to the bridge that led to the meadow, I saw frogs playing on the lily pads again. It soothed me somehow. One looked right up at me like it could read my thoughts. It was creepy. We traveled over the bridge and there was Yurika bathing Starbeam with her tongue.
“Mom! Do you have to do that?” Starbeam groaned. Yurika kept licking him and something startling happened. What in the world was this? Starbeam’s eyes started glowing red and I was shocked at what I had just witnessed. “Did you see that, Tay?” “See what?” she answered in a startled tone, like I had just found something out that she did not want me to know.
Suddenly this place didn’t seem so dreamy after all. I thought becoming a fairy would keep me safe, but I was starting to realize I wasn’t. I bid my so-called friends good night after dinner and paced up the tower to turn in for the night.
On my way up to my room, I tried to memorize everything I had come across today by talking to myself. “Ok, Anna, pull it together. So, you met a witch today who gave you weird and scary things. Your best friend seemed ecstatic about it. Starbeam’s eyes turned red in anger.” What was going on? How was I going to get out of this?
I had been transformed into an almost grown woman, but I still felt like I was nine. “Oh, how will I ever get back home?” I cried.
CHAPTER 15
Trying to open my eyes to the two morning suns, I felt sluggish. I didn’t get one wink of sleep last night. My mind would not stop racing. One thought after another and they were all based in fear. Fear of what was going to happen to me, and every time I got an idea of how to escape, my thoughts would tell me I had no chance.
I wasn’t smart enough and didn’t really think my ideas would work. It was impossible and I was incapable. Nothing but these negative words would pierce my brain during the night and I just couldn’t make them stop.
“Anna…” Tailya called me from outside. It was time to begin lessons. I ran down to meet her. Just as I started to shut the tower door behind me, I heard a faint voice tell me not to listen to that book. It was quite strange as there was no one else in the tower except me.
Who had I heard? Wigged out as I was, I still headed toward Tay so we could start my training. “Ok, I’m ready Tay…I think…” “It’ll be fine, Anna. You are bigger now, so your wand will not overpower you.” “Tailya, how old did you grow me?” Tay giggled at my question before answering, “I would say you are now between thirteen and fourteen years of woman.” “HUH?” I answered in shock.
My eyes started to fill with water, but I let myself get angry in order to fight back the water works. I didn’t need her to be suspicious of me and find out that I was catching on to the real reason she had brought me here.
“Anna, are you ok?” I guessed I had let the anger overcome my bodily actions, because Tay seemed concerned when she asked if I was ok. But I wasn’t ok, and I needed to get out of here. “I am fine,” I said, with a fake grin formed on my face.
“I am ready,” I said as I stepped up toward Tailya. “Ok then, grab this wand.” It was so bright and glittery. It was baby blue, my favorite color. It looked as though Tay had done this before. She knew everything I loved and had brought it all here with us.
I reached for that beautiful wand that dazzled the eyes like diamonds, sparkling in the sunlight. It was like it was calling to me. I picked it up and a wave of strong power washed through me. It stunned my body into stillness, and I could not move. I thought the wand was analyzing me. I felt like a test dummy.
Leaving all thoughts aside, it was time to start my training. Tay and I looked to the suns and saw Starbeam flying over to us. His white wings were so beautiful that I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. Then I remembered his red eyes from yesterd
ay. Fear crept in once again and I could no longer look my friend in the eyes as he landed near us.
I had to push the fear deep down in my gut to even muster a ‘hello’. But I did it, and it seemed like nothing had changed. Walking back over to Tailya with my wand in my hand, we began my first lesson. “Ok Anna, let us teach you how to make things grow.”
"Ok Anna, now that you have your own magic, you should be able to use your wand to make things grow. Ready to give it another shot?" Hesitantly I asked, "What are you trying to have me grow this time?" I didn't have much faith in myself because of the first try.
"It probably won’t work, anyway" I mumbled with doubt. While getting myself prepared, I thought deep and hard about what my friends were having me do. "Why is this important? What does this have to do with helping my mother? Why are my friends pressing me to use magic?"
All these inquiries in my head silenced when I heard that voice. This time it was vague, almost unclear. My inner opinions were overpowering my concentration. All I could hear was something about a book. "That's it!" My out of nowhere blurt caused Tailya and StarBeam to examine me. Both curious, they asked, "Thinking to yourself again?" I forget how well they know me.
Not wanting them to know the real reason for my ah-ha moment, I gave a slight nod. Standing there contemplating, I realized what the voice was saying. It was cautioning me to stay away from the book. The same thing I heard right before I left the tower. Tay snapped her fingers in front of me almost clipping my nose. "Hello, earth to Anna..." She sighed when she noticed I had been pulled out of my thoughts. "Are you finished?" she asked annoyed. I exhaled. "Ok, I'm ready, but I don't think anything is going to happen."
Stricken by the doubt hanging over me, I began to second guess the whole thing. But Tailya's fortifying instructions told me, "It will Anna, just point your wand at the bud and say ‘kalliergo', while flicking your wrist lightly. That will make it blossom." "Ok..." But I was still scared, and I didn't think I could do it.
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