Wait! I Wrote That?

Story Twelve: Mystery of the Paperblank Forest (The Green Guardian 2nd Draft)

Song: "Home" - Vince Staples

Genre (s): High Fantasy/Adventure

Written When? 11th Grade

Chapter 1

Evie Amanda Madison

        Mornings in Abince Town, Pinta Country couldn't get any better. A warm, summer day mystically cloaked its buildings. It felt as if something exciting was about to happen, and something was.

Eleven-year-old Evie Amanda Madison was going to start her two-week summer camp today, and she was beyond excited! She had never traveled so far from home. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the thought of not being around her parents for fourteen whole days. She slept not a wink overnight. Instead, she spent most of it packing. The bus was going to pick her up at 8:00 am, so she had to make sure not to delay it.

Warm rays of sunlight fluttered through Evie's curtains and scanned her bedspread. Birds quickly filled up the tree just outside her window.

A few minutes later, Evie's alarm clock rang for 7:00 am, and she threw her covers off her head. "Yahoo! Today's the day I'm finally going to the Paperblank Forest!" Her messy, long, brown hair flopped over her shoulders and reached for her back. She rubbed her mesmerizing, brown eyes and leaped out of bed. She was dressed in a light pink pajama top that had a flower illustration on it and pink pajama pants.

Evie slipped her feet into some white bedroom shoes and danced around her room. "Two full weeks away from my parents! I have to be one of the luckiest girls alive!"

Evie couldn't help herself. She picked up one of her stuffed animals and told it why she had been waiting so long for that day to come. It wasn't just because she was going to be away from her parents; it also happened to be because she loved learning about forests and different strategies to protect them. Evie had a dream to become a Pinta Park Ranger, just like her hero Ranger Anthony, and the vacation was the perfect first step for her. It was so difficult for her to contain her excitement.

She wasted no time brushing her hair and changing out of her pajamas. She pulled her hair back into a romantic tuck and added a halo-like braid in front of it. Her outfit for the day consisted of short, blue jean shorts, a white top with a gray bow at her tummy, and white sandals with blue bases. She slipped a satin, blue headband that had a bow on it in her hair and a white wristwatch on her wrist.

Evie studied herself in her mirror and patted down her headband. As she worked, she heard a knock at her door.

Her mother's gentle voice was heard from the other end of it. "Evie, are you up?"

"I sure am, Mom!" Evie excitedly chanted.

The door to her room opened to reveal her mother, Charlotte. She was a middle-aged woman who looked exactly like her daughter. "Morning, sweetheart," she said, with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Mom." Evie removed her hands from her head. She and her mother met eyes.

Her mother approached her. "I hope you're all rested up for your big day."

Evie laughed and placed her hands on her hips. "Not really, but who cares? I'm going to the Paperblank Forest!"

"You sure are, my dear. Now come on down. Your breakfast is ready."