In the land of stories, one could easily get lost.

Lynn wasn’t necessarily one for fanciful notions but even as a young girl, she often got swept away in the magic of it all, the pure wonder.

“How can it be that the swans never found their way home?”

“The right person didn’t come along,” her mother had told her. And she had continued to wonder about the princes that had turned into swans and the girl in the glass coffin and the pumpkin that transformed into a coach but never made it to the ball.

“It sounds like they need a fairy godmother,” her eight-year-old self had solemnly declared, much to her mother’s amusement.

But it wasn’t a joke. After her magic, manifested at a young age as it was, began to cause—ahem, troubles, Lynn was sent to the Academy for the Gifted and stayed there for ten long, sometimes wonderful, sometimes difficult years. And she was happy with her choice. She liked helping people. She could have gone the way of some of her peers and been a witch or an enchantress like her friend Miko, but it wouldn’t have been the same. Fairy godmothers, her tutors had told her, were a dying breed. If she meant to do it, she had to be dedicated. And most people found the cost outweighed the gain.

“I can’t believe you’re taking the exam a year early,” Miko had told her, watching Lynn pack for the journey. She brushed her long black hair over her shoulder as she craned her neck to look out the window. “Janit’s been telling everyone you were expelled and this is just a cover story.”

If Lynn were a different person, she would have rolled her eyes. But eternal optimism was weakened by such things, in her experience. So, she stretched her lips into a smile and shrugged delicately. “That’s unfortunate. I thought we were making progress when I lent her my textbook the other day and she only glared at me for three seconds.” Lynn knew, she counted. The previous record was seven seconds.

Miko was still looking out the window when she replied. “She thinks if you’re gone, she’ll have a shot.”

Lynn didn’t exactly understand how she was impeding Janit from doing anything. Her grades were good yes, but not the best in the school. Her looks were pretty, but she wasn’t the prettiest. And as for her magic…

“Doesn’t Janit want to become an enchantress?”

“That’s what she says,” Miko replied. “I think I see Laurent. He must have finally finished his assignment.”

“Really?” Lynn joined her at the window overlooking the dormitory courtyard. She could see that Miko had been looking at a group of students clustered around one of the benches. When a girl stepped aside, she saw that it was indeed Laurent Pomeroy, freshly returned from his quest and looking a little overwhelmed at all the attention.

Lynn almost laughed at the sight. “Will you rescue him?”

Miko’s smile reached her almond shaped eyes as she rose and went to the door. “I’ll miss you,” she said quietly. “Come and say goodbye before you go?”

“I’ll chase you down if I have to,” Lynn said, sending her off with a smile of her own.

A smile that almost deflated as she looked at the mess around her. Her suitcase lay open on the pink coverlet, clothes spilling out and one shoe caught on the edge.

Do I really need all this?

A familiar pair of ears popped up at the window and a moment later it opened as a rabbit dropped inside. “Girls are crazy. Present company excluded...mostly.”

Ogden hopped on the bed and made himself comfortable in her suitcase. His suit was rumpled and tie undone as he pulled a carrot out of …someplace—and started munching on it. Loudly.

“Did someone call you the B word?”

Ogden’s little button shaped amber eyes glared at her as he chewed furiously and she quickly changed the subject. “Laurent’s back.”

Mouth still full of carrot, the rabbit warbled out. “I guess I lost the bet.”

“And just who have you been betting with?”

He quickly finished the carrot and pulled out yet more of the vegetables which he proceeded to throw in her suitcase. “I brought you carrots. And you’re welcome.”

“Ogden—” But he was already up, springing off the bed to land a quick lick—his version of a kiss—on her cheek before hopping out the door.

“Bye, and don’t die!”

She stood there staring after him with a slightly damp cheek until someone else appeared in the door. Only it wasn’t much of an appearance, as the person in question merely threw a quick, dark look at the suitcase and then at her, rolled his eyes, and disappeared.

And at that, she felt her traitorous mouth begin to turn down at the edges. Fight it, Lynn. Fight it! Turn the frown upside down. Turn it UPSIDE DOWN.

She grabbed a carrot and took a huge bite, glaring—no, staring in intense concentration at her suitcase.

This entire endeavor was regarded with a great deal of doubt by most of the people she knew. Her professors had barely agreed to it, her friends had reluctantly supported it, and of course, there were absolute naysayers. The biggest was—

Casanova Billings. One of the best students at the academy and in training to become a wizard. Ever since her first days at the school, Cass had been a thorn in her side. But then, he was rude to everyone. She shouldn’t have taken it personally.

But how could she not? Her gaze strayed to the door as she finished the carrot, rubbing her stomach at the uneasy feeling that was beginning to stir in her gut.

She resolved to ignore it. And so here she was, in the middle of a hot, dry desert, with nothing but sand in her shoes and a large rucksack on her bag. (The suitcase was still sitting in her dorm room back at the Academy, probably with a mountain of carrots inside.)

It probably couldn’t have gotten any worse at that moment as she paused to shake more glitter off her head, but it did.

Something grabbed her by the ankle and pulled. Hard.

And her smile finally fell out of place as she screamed.