𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 - 𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

CHAPTER 9

The auburn mahogany door creaked open and Jilly's beaming face popped in. "Are you done yet? I can't wait for the tour!" 

"The tour?" I questioned. 

"Yes, the tour!" She nodded excitedly. "Our camp has a lot to offer, and I'm sure that you'd want to see it all! I mean, if you've Accepted. Have you?"

I threw a bewildered glance at Flora. Her ice-blue eyes lit up. "Yes," Her expression nearly matched Jilly's. "we have a new member!" 

Jilly squealed and took hold of my arm, her grip tight. "Congrats! I just knew you would join in!" She pulled me forwards and my body jerked violently in response. I cast a pleading help me look at Flora before following Jilly towards the exit.  

"We're going to be besties!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that one. "Yeah," I muttered, yanking my hand out of her grasp. "Besties. Sure."

***

We scampered down a brick path that curved along a small, lush glade dotted with vividly coloured flowers, a glassy, lilypad-infested pond and clusters of daisies. It was as if the same door of rosewood held a portal to another world. 

Jilly kept pointing out small details that I wouldn't have noticed without her aid. 

"And that-" She paused dramatically for the sixteenth time, "Is the Ugly Duckling Pond. You can even see the tiny ducklings hidden among the reed- descendants of the Mighty Ugly." She pointed at the small pond now behind us. 

"The Mighty Ugly?" My airy expression cracked and I snickered. "Is that what you call him?"

She shook her head, her expression serious. "Everyone calls him that, here. Give him some respect, or his ghostly form might curse you,"

I nodded along. "Yep. Totally."

We were now standing at the abrupt end of the road. What now? Where's the camp? Why'd the path end?

"Welcome to Camp Silverglade of the O. F. R.!" Jilly announced regally. 

"Um..." I squinted my eyes at the breezy, empty pasture. "I hate to break it to you, but there is no camp."

"Just look for it."

"I've looked."

"Well, stretch your arm out and look again."

I felt stupid doing as told, but I followed her instructions. I spread my arm out in front of me, slowly waving it around. Instead of a soft breeze, my hands met a thick, creamy texture, like the feel of batter. The scene around me wavered. Wrinkled. Like a curtain. 

I inhaled sharply. An illusion, huh? Probably the work of those tea-pixies or something. 

"Do it again," Jilly urged. 

I repeated my action with now trembling hands. 

Suddenly, the glade wasn't so empty anymore. Log cabins with terra-cotta roofs appeared. A stable for pegasi appeared. A large combat arena appeared. A campfire appeared. Kids milling around appeared. 

Something very curious also appeared. So curious that it was irresistible to not voice my question.

"What's Rapunzel's tower doing in the middle of here?"