Two Worlds, Two Girls, Two Problems (book one)

The First Spell: Tabitha

Peas. That was now Tabitha's worst enemy. Even though the peas were her favorite vegetable, she despised them now. She got herself twisted into Aubrey's favorite fairytale, even without a notice! Now, she had to:

Stay up all night, pretending like she couldn't sleep.

Remember to say that she couldn't go to sleep.

Marry a prince whom she barely knew.

Check, check and check. Tabitha silently puts down a couple more things to do. And she added one last one in her mind:

4. And find a way how to get up that bed.

She gazed upward to see the silk blankets and the feather-stuffed lavender pillows, that looked ever so welcoming.

"Maybe, I'll start with the ladder," Tabitha muttered. She put a tight grip on the first rung and heaved herself up to the second. After a load of breathing and heaving, she finally pulled herself up to the bed. She crashed onto the mattress and breathed in the scent of welcoming lavender.

She kicked off her shoes which landed on the ground with a thump. She was about to lay in bed until she heard a voice from down below," That wasn't very princess-like, dearie."

A shiver went up Tabitha's spine. She peeked over the edge of the bed and the queen's keen eye caught her. "Goodnight, dearie. And be sure to have some great sleep."

"Goodnight," Tabitha responded. The lights went dim as the queen left. Tabitha squirmed around, trying not to fall into the lull of sleep. But every time her body went still, she began to close her eyes, but she shook herself awake. She couldn't help it. She sat back up and looked at the entrance of the room, the door was closed. Tabitha felt a shiver at the tip of her finger, she noticed a purple light casting a shadow across the room that felt somewhat cold. Tabitha smirked. She could just sneak out and come back in, just in time for the morning.

"But how am I going to make this bed look like I'm still in it?" Tabitha muttered. She looked at her tube pillow and then at her circular pillow. "Perfect."

Tabitha sat back up, admiring the work she did on her trick. The tube pillow was snuggled into the blanket and the circular pillow right on top of it. It looked like a body. Perfect. She crawled her way back down, using her glowing finger as a light source. She carefully peeked into the crack of the door. The room was pitch black. Nobody was there. Only night shift guards. She cursed silently in her mind. She backed away from the door. And went back to the base of her bed. She crawled to the door with ease, with uncertainty.

She crawled to the corner of the room, the moon shining through the open windows.

"That's perfect." Tabitha grinned. She jumped out the window and landed on the mud. It was pouring dogs and cats out there. The thunder boomed. She traced her way back to the front of the castle. She weaved through the trees. She started to go back to the woods until she saw a four-legged figure in the distance. Tabitha then realized it was a horse with a rider on it. The rider jumped off the horse and ran toward Tabitha.

When she came closer, Tabitha realized it was a girl with locks of gold, flowing behind her. She wore a pink dress, now drenched. She had emerald green eyes.

She stopped in front of Tabitha. "Greetings. Are you from that castle?" she pointed to the castle where Tabitha had just come from.

Tabitha didn't think that lying would find any use so she told her the truth. "Yes."

"I beg you for shelter, for I am a princess from a faraway land." she bowed, her locks dripping in the rain. Thunder boomed, casting a look of jealousy on Tabitha's face, but she quickly hid it.

Tabitha remembered the story. A girl from another kingdom came to a prince's door and begged for shelter. He welcomed her in. The queen, however, tested the girl by putting a pea under her bed. She couldn't sleep at all and the queen claimed her a princess. The prince and princess married each other. That was the story of The Princess and the Pea.

If Tabitha let her in, Austin would marry her. Not Tabitha. A bucket full of boiling jealousy seeped into Tabitha's heart. She couldn't let her in. No matter what. Tabitha was so busy thinking, that she didn't realize her finger was glowing again.

"Well, that would be perfect." Tabitha looked at the floor. Then she raised her head, and her eyes met the princesses with a smirk on her mouth. "But there's only one way to do so!" Tabitha then pointed her glowing finger toward her and pushed all her energy toward it. "To send you to the castle's cemetery!"

A blast of phantom purple flames burst out of the tip of her finger. Tabitha heard the scream of agony. It was as if Tabitha felt a surge of energy. The scream made Tabitha's mind settle and become collected. The flame soon died. And the girl was gone. No evidence left of the spell, except for a gold tiara that was glistening on the muddy grass. At first, Tabitha felt wonderful, but her victory was clouded over with wonder. How did she do that spell anyways?

Before she could think any farther, a voice behind her said," Tabitha! Why are you out here?" Tabitha whirled around, with her finger pointed at the neck of the person who just spoke. Her glare softened as she saw the person.

It was Austin.