“This is your best invention!” Princess Kara shouted to her best friends, Madison and Makalya. Kara was zooming through the sky in a flying machine. She could see the whole kingdom. Windemere looked so small! She watched her parents, the king and queen, drive through the front gate. They were probably returning from somewhere exciting. Kara wished she could go somewhere exciting. But her parents always said it was too dangerous.

Down below, Madison and Makalya followed Kara on their power scooters.

They were super smart twins. They invented cool gadgets for Kara to try. Kara’s puppy, Newton, and her sisters’ kitten, Parker, rode along, too.

“I found the perfect spot for my community garden!” Princess Kara called. She pointed to a spot below. Then she lost control of the flying machine and crashed into a tree!

Her parents rushed over to make sure she was okay. They were always worrying about her.

“I’m fine,” Kara said. “Next time I will be more careful.”

“There will be no next time. The world is more dangerous than you realize,” said the king. He turned to his royal advisor. “Don’t you agree, Baron Von Ravendale?”

The baron nodded. “Without question, Your Majesty. These are troubling times indeed.”

“Ribbit!” agreed his sidekick, a frog named Bruce.

Kara frowned. Being a princess was so boring! Kara wanted to do something important. If only she could make her parents understand.

In the royal garden that afternoon, Kara and the twins had a tea party. Kara’s little sisters, Gabby and Zooey, joined them. So did Kara’s cousin Corinne, who was visiting for the summer. She thought Kara’s life was perfect and was jealous that Kara was a princess.

A sparkling butterfly fluttered by the table. Corinne waved it away, and it landed on Kara’s forehead. It kissed her lightly and then flew away.

That was strange, Kara thought. She had never seen a butterfly sparkle before. She started to feel dizzy. “I feel kind of weird,” she said. Kara’s friends and family rushed to her side just as she fainted.