The first thing Samantha, Mason, and Janet did was teach Isabelle “the walk.”

“The basic moves are like this,” Samantha said. She told Isabelle to watch carefully. “First step forward and to the left. Then forward and to the right. Then kick with your left and shuffle with your right.”

It took Isabelle about three tries to get it right. But once she did, she had to admit it was fun to link arms and strut down the street this way. It was also fun adding new moves, like a small jump and a shimmy. (Although Mason refused to do that part.)

As they walked, Samantha told Isabelle more about the play. “After auditions, they hold practices. Then right before the new year, we perform on the big stage at school. And everyone comes and we have a party and flowers, and sometimes they put our pictures in the newspaper.”

Isabelle asked, “What if you don’t want to be in the play?”

Samantha didn’t completely understand not wanting to be on the stage in front of tons of people, but Janet did.

“I always make star-shaped cookies with sparkles and chocolate glaze to sell at intermission.” Janet smiled at Samantha. “They’re Samantha’s favorite. Plus, we give the proceeds to charity. So everyone thinks it’s great.”

It sounded like fairy godmothers had helped this play before. And that Nora and Janet could be good friends.

“Maybe I’ll make something,” Isabelle said. Then she started to describe her favorite treats, but Samantha wanted to practice a dance. And a few important lines.

“Samantha should totally get the part of the good witch.” Janet then explained that every kid got a part, but Samantha didn’t think that was true anymore.

“My dads say that this year they’re only taking triple threats,” Samantha explained. (In other words, people who were good at dancing, singing, and acting.) “The principal hired this big-time famous writer named Dee to write the play and the songs and even direct. We might even be on TV. Dee’s fans are already asking about tickets! So she and the principal are going to be super choosy this year. And we’re going to practice a ton more. They don’t want anyone to wreck it.”

This didn’t sound fair. Or fun. It made Isabelle worry that Samantha wasn’t always nice. And that Nora was never going to get a part. Even though she now knew Nora had a great voice, she was also pretty sure Nora was not a triple threat. The truth was, Nora would need a little magic to be as good as Samantha.

But Isabelle couldn’t think about Nora now. She had to focus on Samantha. And granting her wish. (Not Nora’s.)

“So let me get this straight,” Isabelle said. “The play’s about a good witch? And she makes a lot of magic?”

Samantha nodded. “The play begins when one by one, a bunch of kids—none of them connected—stumble on a well in the middle of a beautiful wood. It turns out to be a magic wishing well that belongs to a horrible witch.”

Regular people were so funny. Wells were never magic. They never granted wishes, good or bad. But Isabelle couldn’t say this.

She asked, “And the bad witch makes them all miserable?”

“Not exactly,” Samantha said, whipping out the script. “The bad witch makes the bad kids unhappy. Then the good witch steps in. She turns those kids around. And in the end, the wishes and the kids turn out great. Good conquers evil! Everyone lives happily ever after!”

Janet said, “Samantha’s song is the highlight of the show.”

Samantha crossed her fingers. “If I get it.”

“Don’t be silly,” Janet said. “You have to get it!”

Samantha sang a few sappy lines about the power of wishes and good deeds. (It was the same one Isabelle had heard Nora singing.) “She also does a dance with the bad witch and the bad witch’s assistant. And at the end, everyone thanks her for being so good.”

Mason said, “I’m trying out to be the assistant.” He explained that this was mostly because there was no risk of this character having to kiss anyone.

Isabelle was going to ask more, but in front of her was the biggest, brightest, most beautiful place she had ever seen.

It looked like a castle, except the towers were ice cream cones. The steps and the counters were decorated to look just like silver candy wrappers. The windows and door looked like they were made of chocolate and rainbow-striped mints.

Inside was even better. There were over two hundred flavors of ice cream. And you could mix up the flavors with any kind of candy or you could dip your ice cream in chocolate that turned into a shell.

Samantha walked up to the counter and (without asking) ordered, “Four babka sandwiches with quadruple chocolate ice cream dipped in dark chocolate, please.” She handed the first one to Isabelle. “Quadruple chocolate might sound simple, but you will never eat anything better than this.”

Samantha was not wrong. It was the best ice cream ever—both sweet and a little salty. Like happily ever after or a wish come true.

When they were stuffed to the brim, Janet and Mason picked up their bags to walk home.

This was Isabelle’s chance.

“I have something really important to tell you,” she told Samantha. But then she burped (very loudly). And Samantha burst into laughter.

This was not the way Isabelle had wanted this to go.

Even worse, Mason came back inside. “My mom’s here. You guys want a ride?”

“I never turn down a ride,” Samantha said, wiping all the chocolate off her lips. “What about you?”

Obviously, Isabelle didn’t need or want a ride. “I’ll walk,” she said. “But can I come over tomorrow?” She burped again. “To learn the dance? Just in case? And to tell you something important?”

“Sure, why not,” Samantha said, writing down her address and handing Isabelle some papers. “Here is the script. I already know the whole thing by heart.”

When Isabelle arrived at the castle, she went directly to the girlgoyles and made a plan.

Isabelle would make Samantha happily ever after—it couldn’t be that hard. And while she was doing that, she would also bring Samantha and Nora together. Because of the play, that had to be possible. It wouldn’t help Nora get the part she wanted, but better than that, Nora would have a friend. And once Samantha and Nora were friends, they could all go to Nora’s house, and while they were singing all the best songs from the play, Isabelle could sneak into Nora’s room and get back her sparkles. Once they’d been returned, Isabelle was sure that everything would return to normal. No more sparkle shenanigans! And then Grandmomma could come back for Level Three and Isabelle would be a hero. (Or at least, not in trouble.)

It wasn’t easy peasy, lemon squeezy, but it was a plan. Hopefully it was doable.

For her sake, Nora’s sake, and the sake of the fairy godmother world (if she was being dramatic), Isabelle would have to try.