AND SO THE THREE GIRLS PART WAYS: APPLE TO Kingdom Management class, Raven to Home Evilnomics, and Maddie to Chemythstry. Rather than taking the stairs, Maddie decides to slide down the banisters all the way to the ground floor, shouting “whoosh!” as she goes, because travel is so much more satisfying when it makes a whooshing sound.

You’re so right. It is more satisfying! Well done, Narrator.

Oh! Hi, Maddie! I have to say, it’s simply bookmarkable that you can hear Narrators. But… er… wow, it’s hard to stay professional and not go all italics: You’re THE Madeline Hatter and you’re actually talking to me!

Well, yes, of course I am, sillypants. What else would I be doing, honking to you? It’s not even Thursday. Though, really, who says you can only honk on Thursdays?

Um, what?

The Narrators I usually hear are adults, and some are men and some are women, but only you sound like a girl. I suppose you could be an elephant that sounds like a girl. Are you an elephant?

No, I’m—I’m Brooke. Brooke Page.

Brooke! What a tea-lightful name! Like a babbling brook, right? Are you always babbling? Not that I’m one to do the pointing of fingers—

Please babble to me whenever you want. I mean, I know it’s against the rules to talk to you, but this is my first big solo narration. I haven’t even graduated from Narrator High yet, and I’m only narrating this story because no one else will, and I’m… I’m a little bit scared, Maddie.

Nonsense on toast! Narrators aren’t scare-able! Besides, you have me. I’ll be right at your side. Or… do you have a side, Brooke?

Sure I do. Sides and top and bottom, too. Feet, head, and hands, just like you. You just can’t see me, ’cause Narrators live in a land between the World of Stories and the Fourth Wall, where we can observe all the stories that happen in Ever After and all over the World of Stories, and then we narrate the stories for the Readers who live over the Fourth Wall.³⁵

35 Wow, that was a long sentence! Also, it’s okay if you don’t know what I’m talking about just yet. Maybe soon I can learn more about the World of Stories and explain it all to you.

World of what? Fourth, huh? And hey, what’s that plopping sound?

Ugh, it’s probably my parents. They’re using their Plop Device to try to distract you. If I’m not supposed to talk to you at all, then I’m definitely not supposed to be blabbing about secrets like the World of Stories. But they’re the ones who keep breaking rules and interfering! I bet they told you to go stop Raven and Apple in the library, didn’t they?

If your parents are one womanish and one mannish and both Narratorish, then yes. They were going on and on about Shallow Pie—

Shadow High.

That’s it! And they sounded more worried than a giraffe in a rabbit hole.

I guess I should be worried, too, and run as far away from this story as I can get. I’m probably in over my head—

Like a rabbit in a giraffe hole.

But I feel so sure, deep down in my independent clauses, that this story needs to be told. Have you ever felt really, really certain about something?

Absotively. I’m always certain. About everything. There’s probably stuff I’d be uncertain about if I saw it, but there’s just so much certain stuff going on I forget to notice anything else. And I’m certain about you, Brooke Page. You got this.

Thanks, Maddie.