No!” Isabelle shouted. “No, no, no, no, no!”

They couldn’t be all gone. This couldn’t be her fault. It couldn’t be that her sparkles had been used to wreck wishes.

But that’s what it looked like.

Then she felt a cold and familiar hand on her shoulder. She looked up. She knew that hand.

It was Grandmomma. Dressed like a regular person, with a long coat and a scarf and a snazzy fedora. She did not look happy. Or in the mood for excuses.

Isabelle immediately confessed. “I’m sorry I gave Nora the sparkles. I’m sorry they fell into the wrong hands. I’m sorry that so many things went wrong because of me.” Then she confessed all of her secrets, from stealing the sparkles from Grandmomma’s office to breaking Rule Three C to giving a couple of sparkles to Nora.

She didn’t have to look humble.

She was humble.

All she cared about was the fairy godmother world. “Can you fix this? Can we get the sparkles back? Was Aunt Viv an ex–fairy godmother? What’s going to happen to me? Is Mom really in trouble?”

Grandmomma looked at Isabelle in the way that made strong fairy godmothers weak in the knees. “First let’s get out of here,” she said. “Then we can talk.”

Isabelle didn’t want to argue. But she did want to say good-bye, even though she knew Samantha and Nora wouldn’t remember her tomorrow. This was probably the last wish she’d ever get to grant.

Isabelle looked back through the door. She could see Nora and Samantha singing. And laughing. And flapping Samantha’s wings. “Can I just …”

“No,” Grandmomma said. “If you want to be a fairy godmother, we have to go now.”

Isabelle took her grandmomma’s arm. She hoped that whatever was going to happen next wouldn’t be all that bad. The truth was she was scared, but she was also relieved.

There’s nothing worse than keeping a secret for a long time, but some fairy godmothers need to learn things a couple of times.

Even though the Extravaganza was almost ready to start (and fairy godmothers always arrive on time), Grandmomma didn’t seem in any rush. First, she took some time to sort through her mail and wiggle her toes. She also couldn’t resist a little “I told you so.” She was a mother, first and foremost.

Then she was ready to lecture Isabelle. “So you understand why we make these rules? And that leaving sparkles unattended will always have very bad consequences?”

Isabelle agreed to everything Grandmomma said. “I have a lot to learn,” Isabelle admitted. “But now I know that much.”

Grandmomma told Isabelle to stand up. She had something to tell her. She reached into her drawer. Isabelle was sure it was a certificate of banishment. Or a one-way ticket to the Home.

Instead, it was a jar of sparkles. With Isabelle’s note still on it.

Isabelle didn’t know whether this was nice or mean or positively wonderful. “When did you find them?” Also: “You tricked me!” and “No wonder Nora never wished for me to come back.”

Grandmomma looked pleased with Isabelle’s response. “Isabelle, who do you think you’re dealing with? I got them the night you gave them to Nora.” She added, “Why do you think I wasn’t in the picture with Clotilda, Angelica, and Fawn?” Grandmomma got up and tried to neaten Isabelle’s messy hair. “Did you actually think a fairy godmother in training could fool the most powerful fairy godmother, who happens to live in the same castle?” When she put it like that, it really did seem ridiculous. “It’s a good thing we’re family. And that I care so much about the job. And you. Please promise me you won’t do that again. It’s hard enough dealing with all the real issues in the fairy godmother world without having to defend you to my friends.”

“I promise,” Isabelle said. Then she asked, “But then whose sparkles were loose? And why didn’t you tell me right away?”

Grandmomma didn’t answer the first question. She let Clotilda (who was snooping) answer the other. “Because, obviously,” Clotilda said, “you’re a trainee! We wanted you to learn the hard way. Plus, it was sort of funny watching you try to keep your secret.”

That was a little mean, but Isabelle knew she deserved it. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Nora had sparkles in her hair. But they weren’t magic? Or were they?”

“As far as I know, Nora’s magic came completely from her heart,” Grandmomma said. “And Aunt Viv’s just a nice lady with bad fashion sense and a flair for glitter.”

Isabelle wasn’t quite sure she believed that. “But she seemed so magical. And lovely. And funny. And those sparkles were so, well, sparkly.”

“Perhaps she was once a princess?” Clotilda asked.

That was an interesting idea, but Isabelle didn’t have time to think about that now. She was too happy. She wasn’t in trouble. Plus they had an Extravaganza to attend. “I can still go, can’t I?”

“Of course you can,” Grandmomma said. “You passed Level Two.” Then she added, “Next time something doesn’t make sense, trust the sparkles. Use your common sense—not just your gusto. You two are my family. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, family always comes first.”

Grandmomma told them to gather around so she could talk about something really important. In other words, Mom. “When sparkles started disappearing, I hoped that maybe I could find her. But I couldn’t.”

Isabelle felt sad. “So it was her?”

“I can’t say for sure.” Grandmomma sighed. Then she sat down. “I had hoped she needed me. I miss her so much.”

“I do, too,” Clotilda said.

Isabelle said, “And I do, too. Even though I don’t remember her at all.”

“Isabelle,” Grandmomma said, “I know when you gave those sparkles to Nora your intentions were good. But as we have all seen, sparkles can make mischief.” She waved her wand and Isabelle’s rule book appeared. “So I have a deal for you. I won’t tell Luciana about those sparkles. And in return, every day until Level Three, we are going to study together. Do you understand?”

Isabelle understood her vacation was ruined. But she didn’t care. This time, she was determined to learn.

“And what about Zahara?” Isabelle asked. “Are you friends again?”

“It might take some time, but I think we’ll get there.” Grandmomma opened the door. “The last time Zahara hosted an Extravaganza, she gave everyone chocolate shoes. They were delicious! We definitely don’t want to miss those.”