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

Sprinkling: Aubrey

"Hey! No peeking!" Aubrey scowled as Cinderella giggled. Cinderella had her back to Aubrey as she did a quick change. The velvet seats looked so comfortable as Aubrey tossed her clothing to the seats. She readjusted her new dress as the carriage rumbled along the dirt path.

"You can look now." Aubrey flattened her dress out.

Cinderella turned around, her brown hair sweeping the air. "Oh wow! You look wonderful!"

Aubrey blushed. She was wearing a layered, light pink dress with lace lining every layer. White silk was folded across her chest with a pink satin bow tied around her waist. A pearl tiara was placed in her hair with a pink rose.

"You too." Aubrey commented on Cinderella's dress. Aubrey's finger began to glow once again.

Cinderella seemed to notice. "Aubrey! You have magic... and it's not evil magic."

"Yes. And... evil?" Aubrey flicked her finger and her finger stopped glowing.

"Yup. Evil and good. Never heard?" Cinderella mused.

Aubrey shook her head. "Never."

"But it's okay. The chances of you meeting another magic wielder is this small." Cinderella pinched air.

They rode in the carriage with joy and hope. They rode into a city. The birch house roofs were made of straw of tiles. The road became from dirt to stone. The houses were eerily quiet. Only carriages took up the road. Aubrey gazed out the window, looking at all the gowns and suits.

A white bricked castle shone in the moonlight. It had blue tiled roofs and a stairway stretching out to the entrance of the ballroom. The carriage soon approached the entrance. Two men in suits came up to the carriage door and opened it. They both bowed as Cinderella came out. Aubrey followed the older one.

Cinderella's heels echoed off the stairs as Cinderella made her way up the stairs.

"I am so nervous." Cinderella straightened her posture.

"You'll do great. I promise you that." Aubrey said before the men opened the ballroom door.

A warm gust of wind blew into Aubrey as they walked inside the packed ballroom. Aubrey could barely even believe her eyes. Gold outlined the quartz columns that reached out to the roof which hung a crystal chandelier. The tiled gold and quartz floors were decorated with painted roses. To the right, an orchestra was playing music while couples were dancing the night away. To the left, was a banquet table full of food that seemed so pretty, Aubrey didn't even want to eat it. And in the middle, there was a hug line of girls leading to the throne where a black haired boy with fair skin sat. He was wearing a pastel blue coat with gold buttons. He looked kind and gentle with yellow eyes that seemed to melt Aubrey's heart. But she knew that this was Cinderella's destiny, so she shook herself out of the trance. After all, he seemed much older than her so he would be perfect for Cinderella. Above the throne, was a mosaic of colored glass as a window.

The prince soon noticed Cinderella, who caught him peeking. Instead of turning away, he stood up and walked toward her. The crowd parted as he advanced toward Cinderella, who was blushing. It was clear that Cinderella had never had those feelings.

"May I have this dance?" he bowed and held out his hand.

Cinderella was almost to shocked to say," Yes." She looked at Aubrey.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be outside." Aubrey nodded.

"But that's a bit boring. Let me call my younger brother. Peter!" he yelled out into the crowd. A brown haired boy with yellow eyes, just like his older brother, scrambled out of the crowd. He was about the same age as Aubrey. He bowed formally.

"Hello, I'm Peter." he said.

Aubrey did her very best curtsy. "Aubrey."

"Thank you, Peter." The prince said. He turned to Cinderella. "Let's dance."

And the future couple disappeared into the crowd.

Peter and Aubrey walked in the ballroom. Having a conversation about the town.

"So your town is how many years old?" Aubrey asked.

"About one hundred years old." Peter smiled.

Aubrey put her palms together. "That's impressive!"

"Thanks." Peter blushed.

The music was shallow and calm. With every step, Aubrey could feel her heart booming inside her chest.

"So, you'll be king soon?" Aubrey asked him.

Peter paused. "Yes. But I might have to marry another princess to become king." Peter then looked at Aubrey who had her head tilted. "I meant... just forget it."

Aubrey giggled.

"And-" Aubrey was about to say, until a bone shattering sound of glass shattering echoed across the ballroom. The music stopped and screams echoed off the walls. The warmth of the room soon became swallowed with fear and coldness. The window above the throne was shattered. Two hooded figures jumped into the empty space in the windows. A purple glow escaped from one of the hooded figures and a tangle of darkness began to expand. Or that's what Aubrey thought. But it was just charging toward Peter.

But then the shadow swerved out of Peter's way. Instead, the shadow came straight toward her. Her body couldn't move. She was frozen from terror.

"Move!" Peter exclaimed.

Aubrey didn't move. The tangle of shadows wrapped around her. Coldness seeped into her warmth, executing all traces of light. Aubrey shut her eyes as she was lifted off the ground.

Five feet... ten feet... twenty feet.

She could hear Cinderella's scream over all the others. She was shaken so badly, she didn't have the energy to scream. A band of darkness looped itself around Aubrey's wrist, lifting them both high in the air. She tried kicking the glob of shadow, but a band of purple light came from a hooded figure and it kept her ankles together. A shock of electricity went up Aubrey's spine as the band hit her foot.

"Aubrey!" Cinderella cried out from twenty feet below.

"H-help!" Aubrey screamed. But another band of purple light came from the hooded figure and wrapped around her mouth like a gag.

Guards began to push their way through the crowd to the two hooded figures. But one of the people held up their hand. The guards have made a semi-circle around the two hooded people.

"Stop." said a female voice from under the hood. "I'm sure Aubrey won't want to kill me if she knew who I am."

Aubrey tried to scream, but the gag had shut her mouth tight. She squirmed around helplessly, hung in the air.

"Who are you?" Peter demanded.

Both hooded figures took off their hoods, as if in sync for the perfect timing. One was a boy with hazel hair and green eyes, whom Aubrey never knew. The other, however, impaled her even more.

"Hello, Aubrey." Tabitha's gaze pierced Aubrey's heart. "I need your magic. Pronto."