Spring Shine Sparkles

by Jennifer Castle

  The Butterfly Wishes series

  The Wishing Wings

  Tiger Streak’s Tale

  Blue Rain’s Adventure

  Spring Shine Sparkles

  For Jamie Weiss Chilton,

  who sparkles and shines

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  PROLOGUE

  All through Wishing Wing Grove, everything was still as stone.

  The wildflowers didn’t move. The leaves on the trees didn’t rustle. There were no morning breezes in the air. Even the four colorful butterflies gathered on the trunk of a giant willow tree didn’t flutter a single wing. The entire grove was waiting . . .

  “Any minute now,” said one of the butterflies.

  “Any second, really,” said another.

  “The anticipation is driving me crazy!” a third said.

  “She’ll come out soon enough,” said the fourth butterfly, whose name was Sky Dance.

  These were Wishing Wing butterflies, covered in brilliant colors and patterns, possessing the power to do extraordinary magic.

  The four Wishing Wings crept closer to the edge of a hollow in the tree’s trunk and peered at a single gray chrysalis hanging inside. Next to the chrysalis were the scrunched-up remains of three other chrysalides that had already popped open.

  “This dark enchantment is so sneaky,” said Sky Dance to the others. “It kept the three of you from knowing you had to earn your magic by granting a wish to a human child before sunset. Someone wanted you to lose your magic, because it would make all Wishing Wing magic get weaker and possibly disappear. The enchantment worked in different ways on each of you, and we have no idea what it will do to our friend.”

  “Whatever happens,” one of the butterflies said, puffing up her furry chest, “we’ll be ready to help.”

  “That’s right!” said another, stretching her wings as tall and straight as she could. “We’ll do whatever it takes!”

  “We’ll find out who cursed us, too!” added the third, curling her antennae into angry horns. “Nobody tries to destroy or steal Wishing Wing magic and gets away with it!”

  Sky Dance smiled. “We’ll need all that courage, for sure. Especially if we have to travel to the far side of the meadow.”

  All four butterflies nodded at one another, serious and determined . . . but also a bit nervous.

  Then, the entire grove went back to being still and silent, as if even the flowers, trees, and air knew that this last chrysalis was about to open.

  Or was it?

  CHAPTER ONE

  A brown cardboard box sat in the corner of Addie Gibson’s bedroom, looking lonely and forgotten. The words DESK STUFF were written in red marker across the top.

  Addie had been staring at this box all morning. It was the last one she needed to unpack since her family had moved from the city to a house in the country. But she was having trouble doing it. The box was filled with things she’d need for her new school, which would be starting in a couple of weeks. Thinking about her new school gave Addie an instant, nervous lump in her throat. Opening the box meant it would all be way too real, way too soon.

  “Okay,” she said to the box. “Enough is enough. Let’s do this.”

  The box seemed okay with that.

  Addie dragged it into the middle of the room, sat down on the floor, tore open the packing tape, and reached her hand inside.

  First, she found a stationery set decorated with her initials. Next, a case of colored pens and some erasers shaped like cupcakes. Then, a notebook with an adorable baby bunny on the cover, and an old cookie tin filled with tape, scissors, and glue. Finally, Addie’s fingers found the sharp corners of what might be a book. When she pulled it out, she gasped in surprise.

  Her old diary!

  It was the fancy kind, a hardcover with thick, blank pages that smelled a little like flowers and a little like a library. Addie flipped through it, recognizing her own neat handwriting in blue pen. She used to write in the diary every night, right before bed. She’d loved recording the events of each day and the feelings that went along with them. But halfway through the book, the handwriting ended; all the pages after that were empty.

  Addie knew exactly when she’d stopped writing in the diary. It was the night her parents told her they would be moving to a place called Brook Forest, hours away from everything she’d ever known and especially from her best friend, Violet. Addie had been so upset, she’d cried on and off for days. Why would she want to remember that kind of sadness?

  But those feelings were fading fast. Her first week in Brook Forest had been filled with the most amazing and wonderful happenings. Those events belonged in her diary! Addie grabbed a pen from the case, turned to the first blank page, and began to write.

  Dear Diary, Guess what? In the woods behind our new house, there’s a place called Wishing Wing Grove. It’s the home of the Wishing Wing butterflies, who can make magic by turning one thing into another. My butterfly BFF is named Sky Dance. She’s basically a princess because her mother is the queen, Rose Glow. Clara also has a butterfly BFF: Sky Dance’s sister Shimmer Leaf. They came to us for help because there’s a dark enchantment on a group of New Blooms, which are Wishing Wings that have just changed from caterpillars to butterflies. So far we’ve broken the enchantment on three butterflies and helped them earn their magic: Shimmer Leaf, Tiger Streak, and Blue Rain. There’s one more left, but we still haven’t figured out who cast the enchantment and caused all this trouble in the first place.

  Addie stopped and read what she wrote. Did it sound crazy? Well, yes. Of course. But so what? This was for her eyes only. It felt great to begin telling the story of her new life.

  Addie shifted the diary in her lap, and a photo fell out from between two pages. When she picked it up, she recognized it instantly: a snapshot of herself and Violet at a school Halloween party. Violet was dressed as a half-angel, half-devil; Addie was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. The memory of that party, and all the other fun times with Violet, flooded her with a happy-sad feeling. She had already made new friends in Brook Forest, but Violet would always be special. Addie ran her fingers over the gold bracelet on her wrist. When she’d first met Sky Dance and made a wish to stay close to Violet forever, the butterfly had made the bracelet for her. The bracelet was filled with magic that would keep the girls’ friendship strong.

  “Are you missing Violet?” asked a high, musical voice.

  Addie looked up to see a very familiar pair of butterfly wings on her window sill. They were pink and turquoise, with cloud patterns on them.

  “Sky Dance!” Addie exclaimed. “Please come in!”

  Sky Dance fluttered into the room and flew a slow loop around it before landing on Addie’s bedpost. “So this is your hollow,” she said with an approving nod of her furry pink head. “I like it!”

  “Thanks,” Addie said. “It’s no Wishing Wing Grove, but it’s cozy. Are you here because the last New Bloom has come out?”

  “Actually,” Sky Dance began with a sigh, “I’m here because she hasn’t come out. We’ve all been waiting and waiting! Everyone’s afraid that Spring Shine—that’s her name—won’t emerge at all. It’s really stressful. I decided to visit you instead.”

  “That does sound nerve-racking,” agreed Addie. “I’m glad you came.”

  “I’m worried, Addie. Even if we can break Spring Shine’s enchantment like we did for Shimmer Leaf, Tiger Streak, and Blue Rain, we still don’t know
who cast it in the first place. The next set of New Blooms could be in danger the same way.”

  “I know,” Addie said. “I was thinking about that, too. Let’s focus on making sure Spring Shine’s okay. Then we can try to solve this mystery.”

  There was a sudden, loud rap rap rap on Addie’s door. Addie’s heart leaped; if it was her mother, she’d have to hide Sky Dance. Maybe the butterfly could pretend to be one of the glass animal figurines on Addie’s bookshelf.

  “Addie, who are you talking to?” asked Clara’s voice.

  Phew, thought Addie. “Come in and you’ll see,” she replied.

  Clara burst in, holding her new kitten, Squish (who used to be a stuffed toy kitten, before Wishing Wing magic made him real). When Clara spotted Sky Dance, she smiled. “Oh, good. You’re both here! Shimmer Leaf just sent me a thought message that Spring Shine’s chrysalis is starting to open!”

  Because Shimmer Leaf was Clara’s Wishing Wing, they could send messages to each other with their thoughts. Addie and Sky Dance could do the same.

  Sky Dance sailed excitedly into the air and flew a figure eight. “Let’s go! I’ll meet you outside!”

  Clara put down Squish and grabbed her purple satin backpack from her room. Then both girls thundered downstairs to put on their sneakers. Their mother was in the kitchen, typing out a message on her phone. When she saw Addie and Clara, she quickly tucked the phone away.

  “Where are you two headed in such a rush?” asked Mom.

  “One of our magic butterfly friends needs us in the woods!” said Clara.

  Addie felt panic rush through her. Why would Clara spill their secret just like that?

  But then her mother laughed.

  “You girls are so creative with your games. By all means, go outside and play! I need you back here by noon, though. There’s a surprise coming, and you don’t want to miss it.”

  The girls nodded on their way out the back door. Sky Dance had flown out the window and was waiting for them on the deck railing. Once they were crossing the line of evenly spaced trees that separated their backyard from the woods, Addie turned to Clara. “Why did you tell Mom about the butterflies?”

  “I knew she’d think it was part of a game,” Clara replied. “This way, we’re telling the truth about where we’re going.”

  “Good plan,” said Sky Dance. “Come on, we have to hurry if we want to see Spring Shine emerge!”

  Addie had never seen a butterfly come out of its chrysalis, let alone a magic and probably cursed butterfly, so she broke into a run. Clara followed, with Sky Dance fluttering at top speed above their heads. The first few days in Brook Forest, these woods had freaked Addie out. Now, she and Clara knew the way to Wishing Wing Grove by heart. Soon they were dashing through the tall, waving grass of Silk Meadow, which was the entrance to the grove. Then they arrived in the realm of the Wishing Wing butterflies, a place filled with thick trees that were lush with leaves, neon-bright moss, a zillion kinds of colorful flowers (okay, maybe not that many, but it was definitely a lot), and a winding, bubbling creek.

  Finally, huffing and puffing, the girls came to a stop at their destination: the Changing Tree, a gigantic willow with countless curving branches. This was the special place where caterpillars became Wishing Wing butterflies. Perched on the tree trunk, at the edge of a deep hollow in the trunk, was a butterfly with purple, peach, and mint-green wings. The leaf patterns on them made her instantly recognizable.

  “Shimmer Leaf!” Clara greeted her.

  On a branch right above, Addie spotted the two other New Blooms whose magic they’d already helped save: Tiger Streak (with her yellow, orange, and black tiger-striped wings) and Blue Rain (her wings deep purple and blue, with teardrop patterns).

  Addie stepped up to the hollow and peered in. She saw three empty chrysalides, and one that was still full. It looked like a dull, gray pebble, except it was wiggling. Something was about to happen, for sure.

  “Whoa,” said Clara, stepping up beside her. Sky Dance landed next to Shimmer Leaf. They all watched as the wiggling got faster and faster. Addie’s heart sped up and she couldn’t tell if it was from nervousness or excitement. A new word for it popped into her head: Nervous-ited!

  Suddenly, the chrysalis tore open. Addie saw legs, antennae, and a furry yellow head. Then colors. Butterfly wings!

  Once the little creature was completely out of the chrysalis, she planted all six legs on the wall of the hollow and slowly stretched her wings out straight.

  Then Addie gasped.

  CHAPTER TWO

  How beautiful!

  Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. All the colors of the rainbow, in stripes that swirled across Spring Shine’s wings.

  The brand-new butterfly blinked and looked around, her yellow eyes wide.

  Addie held her breath. Would Spring Shine know she was a Wishing Wing? When Shimmer Leaf had emerged, the dark enchantment had caused her to forget who she was. It had made Tiger Streak think she was a bee. If Spring Shine did know who she was, would she still be herself? The enchantment had turned Blue Rain into a cranky, nasty New Bloom who loved to insult everyone. Fortunately, the real Blue Rain was sweet and kind . . . ​ but that had been a very unpleasant afternoon.

  Spring Shine spotted the other four Wishing Wings, and her eyes grew even wider.

  Then she smiled.

  “Hello, my friends!” she said in a cheerful voice. She rocketed out of the hollow, and her friends flew in a circle around her, squealing “Welcome!,” “You’re here!,” and “Hooray!”

  Addie and Clara watched this happy reunion, and Addie felt a flood of relief. Could it be that the dark enchantment hadn’t worked on Spring Shine? Maybe they wouldn’t have to fight it anymore.

  Spring Shine landed on the tree trunk near the girls, peering at them with curiosity.

  Sky Dance landed next to her and said, “Spring Shine, I want you to meet our friends Addie and Clara.”

  “Humans in Wishing Wing Grove?” chirped Spring Shine. “Wow, I’ve missed a lot!”

  “When the three of us came out,” Shimmer Leaf explained, pointing one leg at Tiger Streak and one at Blue Rain, “we were under a dark enchantment designed to keep us from earning our magic. Addie and Clara helped break that enchantment. They’re basically the coolest kids ever.”

  Addie and Clara smiled at each other. Addie thought, If a magic butterfly thinks I’m cool, maybe it can be true.

  “How do you feel?” Sky Dance asked Spring Shine. “Anything odd? Do all your butterfly parts work?”

  Spring Shine fluttered her wings, stretched all six legs, and waved her antennae around in circles. “Everything seems to be in order,” she said. “How do my wings look?”

  “They’re gorgeous!” Addie told her.

  “Super gorgeous,” Clara agreed.

  “Really? You’re not just saying that, are you? Because when I was a caterpillar, I was the plainest one in the nursery. Everyone else was a pretty color, but I was just white.”

  “Come to the Mirror Pool,” suggested Sky Dance. “We’ll show you.”

  Sky Dance led the other four butterflies, and Addie and Clara, to a spot behind the Changing Tree. It was a tiny pond ringed with knobby brown vines, the water smooth and clear as glass. Addie peered in and saw her own reflection, then saw Sky Dance land on her shoulder. One vine hung over the pool, stretched between two trees. Spring Shine flitted over to it. She spread her wings wide, took a deep breath, and looked down.

  Then she gasped. It was the sound of shock and panic.

  “No!” cried Spring Shine, and burst into tears. “Why?” she wailed. “Why?”

  Addie and Clara exchanged very confused looks. Sky Dance flew over to the vine and perched next to Spring Shine.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Sky Dance. “You don’t like your rainbows? I think these wings are absolutely beautiful!”

  “Me too!” said Shimmer Leaf. Tiger Streak and Blue Rain added their agreement a
s well.

  “Rainbows?” asked Spring Shine. “What rainbows?”

  “The ones right there!” Sky Dance pointed two of her legs at Spring Shine’s wings.

  Spring Shine looked at her reflection again. Addie could see the butterfly’s colors and patterns mirrored in the water.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Spring Shine in a shaky, broken voice. “My wings don’t have any colors or rainbows. They’re white!” She spread her wings out straight and looked from one to the other. “Plain white! Oh my goodness, that must be the dark enchantment you were talking about! I’ve lost my magic already!”

  New Blooms who couldn’t earn their magic by sunset on their first day turned into plain white butterflies. Whenever Addie saw one of these, she wondered if it was a former Wishing Wing.

  Sky Dance flew a circle around Spring Shine, then landed next to her again. “I think you might be right about the dark enchantment. It’s keeping you from seeing your colors!”

  “Stop saying I have colors,” said Spring Shine with a sniffle. “I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, but it’s no use. Clearly, the enchantment took away my wing patterns and my magic.”

  “You must believe us!” said Clara.

  This is terrible, thought Addie. There has to be some way to show Spring Shine what she really looks like.

  She glanced at her sister, then at her sister’s purple satin backpack. Clara loved to collect key chains and hang them from the zippers. There were over a dozen of them now, including a rubber penguin (adorable), a squishy car (weird), and a plastic foot (gross). Addie never understood why Clara wanted all that extra stuff on her backpack. Then she spotted one keychain in particular:

  A tiny toy camera.

  It wasn’t really a camera. If you peered through the view finder, you’d see a 3D picture of the beach their family had visited last summer. Good thing they were hanging out with butterflies who could magically turn one thing into another.