by RH Disney
Copyright © 2013 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York and in Canada by Penguin Canada Books Inc., in conjunction with Disney Enterprises, Inc. Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks, and A STEPPING STONE BOOK and the colophon are trademarks of Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thorpe, Kiki.
From the mist / written by Kiki Thorpe; illustrated by Jana Christy.
pages cm.—(Disney fairies) (The Never girls; 4)
“A Stepping Stone book.”
Summary: “Mysterious mist horses have come to Pixie Hollow. Kate befriends one, but Silvermist finds an old legend that says they might be dangerous”—Provided by publisher.
eBook ISBN: 978-0-736-43219-1
Trade ISBN: 978-0-736-42797-5
[1. Fairies—Fiction. 2. Magic—Fiction. 3. Horses—Fiction. 4. Fog—Fiction.]
I. Christy, Jana, illustrator. II. Title.
PZ7.T3974Fr 2013
[Fic]—dc23 2013010211
randomhouse.com/kids/disney
For Roxie
—K.T.
For Johnny
—J.C.
Far away from the world we know, on the distant seas of dreams, lies an island called Never Land. It is a place full of magic, where mermaids sing, fairies play, and children never grow up. Adventures happen every day, and anything is possible.
There are two ways to reach Never Land. One is to find the island yourself. The other is for it to find you. Finding Never Land on your own takes a lot of luck and a pinch of fairy dust. Even then, you will only find the island if it wants to be found.
Every once in a while, Never Land drifts close to our world … so close a fairy’s laugh slips through. And every once in an even longer while, Never Land opens its doors to a special few. Believing in magic and fairies from the bottom of your heart can make the extraordinary happen. If you suddenly hear tiny bells or feel a sea breeze where there is no sea, pay careful attention. Never Land may be close by. You could find yourself there in the blink of an eye.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Never Land
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About the Author
Kate McCrady opened one eye, then the other. Early-morning sunlight streamed across her face.
Kate blinked, still half asleep. Was she in her own bedroom at home? Was she sleeping under the weeping willow tree in Never Land? For a moment, she didn’t know. She pushed her tangle of red hair out of the way and saw a large dollhouse in the corner.
Oh, that’s right, Kate thought. She was at her best friend Mia Vasquez’s house, sleeping over. Lainey Winters was there, too, bundled in a sleeping bag a few feet away.
Kate tried to send them a silent message: Wake up! Wake up, so we can go back!
Only a few days before, Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Mia’s little sister, Gabby, had found a secret portal to Pixie Hollow, the realm of the fairies on the island of Never Land. Or rather, the portal had found them—even though the path to Never Land wasn’t always in the same place, it always seemed to be where the girls could find it.
Kate loved their visits to Never Land. There she had no homework, no chores—nothing to do but explore. Adventure waited around every tree, hill, and bend along Havendish Stream. Kate couldn’t wait to go back.
But her silent message didn’t work. Lainey let out a gentle snore. Mia turned over, burrowing deeper under her covers.
Maybe a nudge would wake them. Kate stretched so her foot grazed the bottom of Lainey’s sleeping bag. She scooted closer, then stretched again. This time, she bumped Lainey’s leg.
Lainey sat up, blinking sleepily.
“I was just stretching,” said Kate, trying to look innocent. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No … yes.” Lainey fumbled around by her pillow. When she found her glasses, she put them on, a little crookedly. “Is Mia awake?”
“I am now!” cried Mia, pulling the pillow over her head. Kate could only see a bit of her long, dark curly hair poking out. “What time is it? It feels too early to be awake.”
“It is early.” Kate jumped up, leaped over Lainey, and bounced on Mia’s bed. “Early enough to get back to Never Land.”
Mia glanced at the clock. It said 6:30. “My parents won’t be awake until at least seven.”
“Exactly,” said Kate. “And that could mean hours and hours in Never Land.” The girls had discovered that time worked differently on their trips to Pixie Hollow. Hours could pass there, while at home hardly a minute would go by. “Let’s go now!”
Mia bolted upright as a thought came to her. “I hope Gabby kept our promise. I hope she didn’t try to go to Never Land while we were sleeping.”
On their last visit, the portal had closed, and Gabby had been stuck alone in Never Land. After that, the girls had made a promise to always go to Never Land together. But Mia was worried that Gabby wouldn’t be able to resist going on her own anyway, since the portal was now in her room.
The three girls dressed quickly. Kate pulled her thick red hair away from her face with a barrette without bothering to comb it. Then she, Mia, and Lainey tiptoed across the hall to Gabby’s room.
Inside the door, Kate stopped short. “Do you guys see what I see?” she whispered.
Lainey and Mia nodded. A dense mist hung over half the room.
Meanwhile, Gabby slept peacefully on her back, unaware of anything unusual. Her arms were spread wide, as if she were waiting for a hug.
“She looks so sweet,” Mia said softly. “Maybe we shouldn’t wake her.”
Suddenly, Gabby sat up. “What’s going on?” she said, looking around. “Why is my room so foggy?”
“I don’t know. Something strange is happening,” said Mia. “Look at the closet door.”
A heavy mist hovered around the doorframe. More fog seemed to seep from beneath the door—the door that led to Never Land.
Kate rushed over. “I’ll check it out.”
“Wait, Kate. We all go together, or we don’t go at all,” Mia reminded her.
Kate stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “Hurry and get dressed, Gabby.”
Gabby hopped out of bed. She slipped a pink tutu and a pair of costume fairy wings over her pajamas. “Ready!” she announced.
Kate pulled open the door. Gabby, Mia, and Lainey crowded behind her.
Inside the closet, fog swirled from floor to ceiling. It covered Gabby’s toys and clothes. Holding hands, the girls stepped through the mist.
Kate heard a tinkling sound, like bells ringing. She took another step. Faint voices floated toward them.
“I hear the fairies!” Lainey said.
The voices grew louder as the girls crept forward. The walls around them curved, becoming the inside of a hollowed-out tree trunk.
Finally, they stepped out from the tree. They were standing on a grassy bank in Pixie Hollow. At least, Kate thought it was Pixie Hollow. It was hard to tell. Fog covered everything.
“I can barely see!” exclaimed Lainey. She wiped her glasses.
Kate shuffled forward a bit, squinting. “There has never been fog in Pixie Hollow before. It’s always sunny when we visit.”
She didn’t see Havendish Stream until she almost walked into it. Now she could see the
fairies whose voices they’d heard. They were water fairies paddling birch-bark canoes. The fairies called out to one another so their boats wouldn’t bump.
“Watch out!”
“Where did this fog come from?”
“Go to the right, Silvermist!”
Spring, a messenger, flew over the water, shouting to the fairies. “Everyone to the courtyard! Queen Clarion has called a special meeting!
“Oh!” She stopped inches in front of Kate. “I didn’t know you girls were here. Better come, too!”
At the courtyard, Kate stared up at the Home Tree. The giant maple, filled with fairy bedrooms and workshops, usually sparkled with fairy glow. But today its branches were hidden in mist.
Around the girls, fairies crowded into the pebbled courtyard. They landed on the low tree branches, where they sat lined up like birds on a telephone wire. They chattered nervously, filling the air with a low hum.
“What’s going on?” Kate asked a baking fairy, Dulcie, who was hovering nearby.
“Queen Clarion is worried about this fog. We all are. It is awfully strange weather for Never Land.”
“What’s causing it?” Kate asked.
Dulcie shrugged. “All I know is it’s making the fairies hungry. At breakfast today, everyone ate like it was the Harvest Feast.”
“Breakfast?” Kate’s stomach rumbled. They hadn’t had a chance to eat.
Dulcie winked knowingly. “I’ll get you girls some treats right away!” Nothing made Dulcie happier than filling empty stomachs.
Moments later, serving-talent fairies delivered basket after basket filled with blueberry puffs. Each puff was the size of a marble. Kate ate two dozen.
Rain, a weather-talent fairy, flew by carrying a medicine dropper. She pressed the dropper’s bulb to draw in some mist. Then she peered at the droplets inside.
“Sure, it’s a mist easter with foggish low bursts,” she announced. Then she frowned. “But squalls are down.”
“Is that good or bad?” Kate asked. But she was talking to herself. Rain had already flown away.
Mist in the morning, fairies take warning.
Silvermist stood in the courtyard, waiting with the other fairies for Queen Clarion to speak. But her thoughts strayed.
Mist in the morning, fairies take warning. Why couldn’t she get that old fairy saying out of her head?
Silvermist tucked her long hair behind her ears. All morning, she’d felt uneasy. She’d been boating on Havendish Stream when the fog came. Silvermist had never seen such a heavy mist before. It had taken all her water knowledge to get her boat to shore without running into anything.
As a water-talent fairy, Silvermist liked water in any form—from dewdrop to rushing waterfall. Usually, just being near it soothed her. But this clammy mist made Silvermist shiver from wing to wing.
Why is it bothering me? she wondered. After all, mist was water, too.
As she thought about it, Silvermist noticed the four Clumsies kneel down behind her. Girls. Not Clumsies, she reminded herself. They don’t like to be called that. She nodded hello to Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Gabby.
“Hi, Silvermist,” the tall one, Kate, said. “What do you think about this fog? You’re a water fairy, so you must know what’s going on.”
Silvermist shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Well, that’s helpful,” said Vidia, a fast-flying fairy, as she swept past. “A water talent who doesn’t have a clue about the water right in front of her nose.”
Silvermist didn’t bother to reply. Vidia always had something nasty to say. Still, the remark bothered her. Why didn’t she know more?
Mist in the morning, fairies take warning.
“Fairies, sparrow men, and guests!” Queen Clarion finally spoke, interrupting Silvermist’s thoughts. “Gather close, so we can see each other more clearly.”
Everyone edged forward.
“We don’t know how long the fog will last,” the queen said. “But it’s too dangerous to fly in weather like this. There could be accidents. So for now, all fairies are grounded.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
“What?” Vidia’s voice rose above the others. “You can’t mean fast-flying fairies, too? Why should we be punished?”
“No one is being punished, Vidia,” the queen replied. “It’s for your own safety.”
“Couldn’t there be exceptions?” Vidia asked, her voice sugary.
Out of the corner of her eye, Silvermist noticed Kate eagerly move closer, to see if she was “grounded,” too.
Queen Clarion thought for a moment. “You’re right, Vidia. There should be a few exceptions.”
Vidia gazed around at the other fairies, a superior smile on her face.
“We’ll need some fairies to stay on lookout, to make sure everyone is safe,” Queen Clarion continued. “The scouts—and only the scouts—may fly.”
Hearing this, the fairies grumbled, especially Vidia, who scurried away using her wings to help her walk faster.
After the meeting, fairies milled around in the courtyard. They seemed nervous about going anywhere on foot.
Fawn, an animal-talent fairy, came toward Silvermist. “Have you seen Beck, or any of the other animal talents?” she asked. “We need to bring in the dairy mice, but it could take ages walking. We’ll have to work together to herd them.”
“Can I help?” asked a voice behind Silvermist.
“Oh, Lainey, that would be wonderful,” Fawn said. “You can cover much more ground than we can. And you can practice your mouse calls.”
Lainey beamed, happy to be of use. She turned to Kate. “Do you want to come?”
Kate shrugged. “I don’t speak Mouse. I’ll find something else to do.”
“Come with us!” Hem, a sewing-talent fairy, called from down by Kate’s feet.
“Yes!” echoed Mia, taking Gabby’s hand. “We’re going to make some new doll clothes. Hem is going to help us.”
Kate shook her head. “I’m not really in the mood for sewing …, ” she began, when a loud rumble rolled through the sky.
All the fairies stopped what they were doing and looked up. But there was nothing to see but fog.
“What was that?” Silvermist asked.
The rumble grew louder.
Myka, one of the scout-talent fairies, took off into the soupy air. Right away, Silvermist lost sight of her.
“The fog is moving,” said Myka. Her voice came down faintly through the mist. Thunder sounded again, drowning out the rest of her words. But they didn’t need to hear her. The fairies could see for themselves that the fog was roiling, gathering into great big swirls.
A gust of wind kicked up. Trees swayed. The fairies clung to each other. “Is it a storm?” Dulcie cried. Storms were rare in Never Land.
Suddenly, a shrill whinny split the air.
“That sounded like it came from the meadow!” cried Fawn.
Everyone ran toward the meadow. The fairies on the ground scrambled over tree roots and darted around clumps of flowers. Several fairies caught rides with the girls, who could run much faster with their long legs. Silvermist joined a group of fairies riding on Kate’s shoulder.
The scouts flew and arrived at the meadow first. The girls got there just afterward. They all stood at the edge of the woods. No one wanted to go closer.
A huge cloud was rolling across the grass. It churned like rushing flood waters. The thunder was deafening. The earth trembled.
Then, as quickly as it had come up, the noise died down. The cloud blew away. In its place stood a herd of silver-white beasts with wispy manes and tails that trailed into mist. One of them shook its head. Another flicked its tail. Droplets of rain flew off them.
“Horses!” Kate murmured, her eyes wide.
“Not just horses,” whispered Silvermist. “Mist horses.”
Kate stood at the edge of the meadow, gazing at the horses. Her friends, the fairies, and everything else fell away as she stared.
“Mist in the morning, fairies take warning,” whispered a voice at Kate’s ear. It was the water fairy Silvermist.
“There’s some sort of legend about the mist horses,” Silvermist went on, almost as if she was talking to herself. “I think they bring trouble.”
Several fairies nearby turned to look at her. “Trouble,” repeated a sparrow man, sounding worried. Others frowned.
What kind of trouble could these creatures bring? Kate wondered. They looked so beautiful and peaceful.
“You know, I’m probably confusing mist horses with sea horses,” Silvermist said quickly. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
The animal-talent fairy Fawn spoke up. “I’ll talk to the horses. Find out where they’re from and why they’re here.”
Fawn fluttered closer to one of the animals. She stopped so she could look it in the eye and swung her long ponytail like a mane. Then she let out a hmph, followed by a snort and a whinny.
Kate thought she sounded just like a horse.
But the mist creature ignored her. Fawn tried again. This time, the horse turned its back. Fawn tried another horse, but it also turned away.
Fawn sighed loudly. “They’re not telling me any—”
Suddenly, one horse flicked its tail, striking Fawn.
“Oh!” Fawn spun through the air like a top out of control.
Silvermist and Tinker Bell raced to her. They each caught hold of one of Fawn’s hands. They whirled along with her until, bit by bit, they slowed. At last, they were able to land on a rock.
“Fawn, are you okay?” Tinker Bell asked.
Fawn nodded, dazed. “I—I think so.”
