Diana

It's been weeks now. Long, paranoia-filled weeks with no sign that the Beast was returning.

Quentin was getting nervous. He wasn't prepared for another fight with the Beast, not after what happened last time...

Quentin shook off the horrible memory, getting back to figuring out how the hell to defeat the Beast when he has no one left. Most of the students at Brakebills hated his guts and the rest believed he was a ticking time bomb and stayed as far away from him as possible. He didn't care, though. He didn't want any new friends. He wanted his old friends back.

Sifting through the large pile of books he pulled from the "Battle Magic and more" shelf of the library, Quentin came across a strange-looking dusty little book with a picture of a wolf on the cover. Curious, Quentin flipped open the book and began reading.

The strange book told of a society of people by the last name "Alo", meaning "spirit guide". They can call upon the spirits of any animal to give them superhuman qualities like immense strength, agility, even flight. The ability to harness the power of animals was one of the most powerful abilities a magician could possess. Having an Alo on Quentin's side could be the way to defeat the Beast. Unfortunately, the Alo people stay within their communities.

Defeated, Quentin closed the books and returned them to their place on the shelf. He left the library feeling worse than when he went in. "There is no way I can possibly be prepared for another attack," he said to himself.

Quentin walked back to his room. He laid down, took a deep sigh, and waited to be consumed by darkness.

***

Quentin woke suddenly to a bright light. He looked beside him and saw Jade Chatwin, one of the characters of the Fillory novels.

Quentin stood up and realized where he was. He was in Fillory, the land from his beloved childhood stories.

"Well, are you going to stop gawking and listen to me?"

Quentin snapped out of his trance to look back at Jade.

"She's here."

"Who's here?"

"Diana."

"Who's Diana?"

Jade let out a deep sigh, obviously annoyed with Quentin's confusion. "Diana Alo. Listen to me, Quentin. To defeat the Beast, you need Diana and her animal spirits."

"How am I supposed to find her?" Quentin replied.

"Members of the Alo family stand out with their bright blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin. You'll know her when you see her."

The ground beneath Quentin suddenly disappeared, sending Quentin tumbling down a black hole.

***

Quentin shot out of bed, sweating profusely. He looked around his room and at the bed beneath him, which wasn't a black hole. Relieved, he sat up, got dressed and went out to look for Diana.

Quentin wandered around campus for a while, not seeing anyone that resembled Diana. He decided to give up and go back to his room before class. As he walked back, he noticed a girl sitting by a tree reading. He stopped and stared at her bright blonde locks and candy-red lips. He must have been staring a while, because she looked up and gave him a weird look. That's when he saw her emerald-green eyes. This was Diana.

Quentin snapped out of his trance and walked toward her.

"Hi, I know this is super weird and I was just totally staring at you..."