I send a dirty glare to the stack of weathered books on the table that are blocking my view of Chloe. “I’m never going to finish all of these!” With a huff, I bury my face in my hands.
Chloe’s palm pushes the books out of the way. “You have all the time in the world. What’s the rush?” she asks.
“I want to know everything now so that I can help Haven.” I don’t want to admit that I feel useless here. Everyone has been so welcoming, and Haven feels like home more than I can explain, but what do I have to offer them? I’ll be queen, and I don’t even know where to start with anything.
“I can help!” Mia sings, sipping a cup of tea at Chloe’s little table.
I love Chloe’s cottage. It’s inviting, but I miss Alexander. He’s been busy all day with something, I just don’t know what.
“That’s sweet, Mia, but I need to prepare you for school.” I tell her.
She slouches, groaning. “Why do I have to go to school? I thought we were done with all that.”
I snicker at her. “Education is important, and from what Chloe’s told me, you’re going to love this school.” Her eyes widen in anticipation when Chloe begins to hum a melody. “Especially their music program.” I tell her.
“Really! There’s music here?” She almost bursts from her seat.
Chloe showcases her melodic voice with a short, unfamiliar, but beautiful song. She bows and we clap our hands with a smile. “We have very talented musicians of all kinds. No cello players, though, so they’re excited for you to join.”
“So, I’ll be the odd one?” Mia groans.
Chloe gasps, feigning shock. “The odd one? Are you kidding! Every kid in Haven is dying to meet you. They haven’t had a new kid since, well, ever!”
Mia smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I didn’t have many friends at my old school, are you sure they’ll like me?”
I place a hand on her arm. “They’re going to love you, Mia. And if they don’t, they’ll have to deal with me.” I joke, earning a giggle from her. I turn my attention to Chloe, mulling over the list that makes no sense to me. “What does she need?”
“A shopping day! We’ll go to the market downtown for supplies.” She claps.
“Alexander told me to stay put until he gets back from whatever he’s doing.” I huff, frustrated that he wouldn’t let me tag along this morning.
Chloe’s attitude is carefree; she laughs and grabs her bag. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She touches her chin in thought. “But with you going in public, we may need to change your clothes, just in case.”
I pull on my shirt and gesture to my jeans. “What’s wrong with this?”
“So, so many things.” she croaks.
“I want a pretty dress!” Mia chimes.
“Your wish is my command.” Chloe says, flicking her wrist. Pink swirls escape from her fingers, encasing me and Mia. When the swirls clear the air, Mia’s blonde hair is curled and she’s swirling around in a pink dress.
“So pretty!” I sing. I’ll never get over Chloe’s talents. I look down and admire the long lavender gown I’m now wearing. It’s not formal, which I feel more comfortable in, but it’s still very pretty.
“Okay, I love this.” I gush, touching the flowy fabric.
“I knew you would. Let’s go!” she replies, shooing us outside before I can change my mind.
“Will we change back at midnight?” Mia snickers and Chloe raises a brow. I try to explain to her and she finally agrees to read our storybooks.
The streets are bustling with life, and vendors spread out as far as the eye can see along the cobblestone path. “This is beautiful.” I murmur in awe. The landscape around me is vibrant in color and music. Melodies play throughout the busy street, and there’s a band nearby.
“You were right. They love music here!” Mia cries happily, her eyes widening with every step closer to the thrumming instruments.
All I can focus on are the people watching us and the smiles on their faces. “Everyone is staring at us.” I whisper to Chloe, who smiles back at me.
“You’re their princess. Just wave back and you’ll be fine.” she chimes.
I wave to the people, who seem genuinely excited to be around me. It’s all so nice, but still out of my comfort zone. I don’t like being the center of attention, and right now, that’s exactly what I am.
Upon mulling over my decision to come here while Chloe was dragging us out of her cabin, I decided to bring a guard with us. Alexander seemed so adamant about me staying either inside the castle, or at Chloe’s today, so maybe he’ll be less mad when he surely finds out I did nothing that he asked since we have a guard for protection.
Chloe hums, stopping in front of a shop. The sign above the door reads, ‘Mr. Albertsons’ on an old, metal plaque.
“What do we get here?” I ask, clenching onto the list so I won’t miss any of Mia’s school supplies.
“While Mia doesn’t have any magical abilities, her classmates do.” Chloe ruffles Mia’s hair. “And just like your sister, you’ll be learning potions.” she tells her.
“Ari, I can help!” Mia beams.
We walk inside the shop and the first thing I notice is a leather box on the counter, the top overflowing with wooden wands. A frail old man with a silver beard that falls to his stomach sits on a wooden chair, his eyes bright when he sees us. “Chloe, Princess Arianna, Mia.” He bows his head.
“Hello!” Mia rushes up to him. “How do you know my name?”
His laugh is deep and full of joy. “I know a lot of things, like how you’ll be starting at Haven’s Academy this week.”
I offer the man a smile. “She’s a little nervous.” I tell him, ignoring her when she groans in embarrassment.
He grips the handles of his chair and pushes himself up slowly before closing his hands around Mia’s. “No need to be nervous, young lady. I went there, as well as everyone you see around you here. It’s a wonderful place, full of magic and mystery.” When he unclasps his hands, a purple caterpillar sits on her knuckles.
“I love caterpillars!” she yells while gently bringing her finger to touch the wiggly creature. He winks at us, and all worries leave my mind. We’re in good hands in Haven; everyone here genuinely cares about us.
Walking around and collecting the things on Mia’s list, I had almost forgotten the guard was with us until he appears next to me. “Miss, we have two more stops before going back to the castle.”
Chloe grabs the list from my hand. “Let’s get a move on then!” She smiles. The guard proceeds to pay for the contents of my basket, carrying the bags for us.
We walk through the different shops, meeting the people of Haven and gathering Mia’s supplies.
I have to admit, I’m pretty jealous that I never attended a school filled with magic. I grab her list back from Chloe to tell Mia about her new schedule. “So, you’ll have potions in the morning, intro to magic in the afternoon, and music class last.”
“I’m so excited! But why intro to magic?” she wonders.
I don’t know how to answer her, so I look to Chloe. “She’ll be learning how—”
“Someone, help!” a desperate plea rings through my ears from afar, and I rush to it without hesitation. I struggle to maintain my balance as I attempt to squeeze through the townspeople who’ve crowded around the scene.
A woman around my age is knelt to the ground, clutching the hand of a little girl who lays on the cobblestone street.
The woman’s eyes roam for help, but I can’t quite see what happened through the crowd. “I need to get to her!” I shout, but no one can hear me over the chatter.
The guard, standing six-foot-tall and covered in metal, gets everyone’s attention with the boisterous roar of his voice. “Make way for the princess!” he shouts.
The crowd easily parts and everything stills around us. The woman’s eyes lock on mine, and her short brown hair moves along with the shake of her head. Chloe sighs beside me.
“Shit.” she mutters upon seeing the woman’s face.
“Anyone but her.” The unfamiliar woman sneers as we approach.
I’m confused and concerned. “What does that mean?” I whisper to Chloe, who waves it off.
“I’ll help her.” Chloe offers. “Go back to the castle with the guard.”
I ignore Chloe’s help and advance to where the girl lays. I kneel down to assess the situation, my hands traveling to the place the girl points to. It looks twisted, but I can’t be sure.
“It may be broken.” I tell the woman.
She cuts her eyes to me, seething. “I said, we don’t need your help.”
The girl cries, clenching onto her leg. “Please, Leah. It hurts.”
For whatever reason, Leah doesn’t like me. But the moment a tear trickles down the girl’s chin, she moves away to let me through.
“What’s your name?” I ask the girl.
She wipes a few stray tears from her cheek. “It’s Alice.”
“Okay, Alice. What happened?” I distract her with questions while I take a closer look at her ankle.
“I got excited about getting my first wand and tripped on these stupid, uneven stones!” She smashes her tiny fist against the worn rocks and pulls back in pain.
“Let’s not break anything else, okay?” I give her a smile, and she returns it. Alice has a warmth to her, unlike her sister. Maybe she was a bit traumatized seeing her sister fall, so she’s lashing out? “My name is Arianna. Would you like to go to the castle with me? We will get you fixed right up!” My tone is light and airy.
Leah steps forward, holding out her hand to Alice. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll take her to Willow.”
I shake my head. “Willow is busy today, preparing for classes to start. I’m all you’ve got.” I tell her, unable to understand her apparent hatred for me. I ignore her attitude and instead focus on caring for Alice.
“Cloud!” I yell out, knowing he will always be there when I need him. A few moments later, the galloping feet of my majestic unicorn sounds throughout the busy street. “Alright, Alice. You ready to go?” I ask her.
“A unicorn!” She beams. The guard picks her up and places her on Cloud’s back. “I’ve never seen one so close!” She’s so excited, but you can tell in her voice that she’s in pain.
The moment I go to climb on Cloud, Leah holds out her hands to her sister. “I’ll take you there myself.” she chides.
“This will be much faster.” I assure her.
Chloe shakes her head, telling me to not push it. “Let’s just go, Ari. We can meet them there.”
I hold my ground, unable to let her walk. “No. I’m a nurse. It’s my obligation to help. Let me help.”
“Ari,” Chloe pleads as the crowd around us dissipates.
Leah steps directly in front of me. “Get out of my way.” she snaps.
I consider just letting Leah ride to the castle with her sister, but I’m worried she’ll head straight to Willow’s shop and no one will be there. “May I ask what your problem is?”
She rolls her eyes, gesturing to me. “You, Arianna Castelle, are my problem.”
I shake my head, confused. “I don’t even know you.”
She scoffs, as if I’m supposed to understand her hatred for me. “You ruined my life.”