The school day dragged. On and on and on. Bella, Ivy, Clara, and Ben all huddled together during lunch at a table on the terrace. Bella and the other students in her third-grade class were all taught at Crystal Castle. The princess’s parents hadn’t wanted Bella to be lonely, so they had invited children of castle employees to attend school with Bella and her tutor.
Today, however, Bella wanted to avoid everyone. While Ben was in school and away from the stables, he always told Frederick a different story about where Glimmer was. Today’s little white lie? Ben had let Glimmer loose in a big field to graze.
“Does everyone have a copy of their map?” she said, whispering to her friends.
Ivy, Clara, and Ben, all seated at the round table, nodded.
“Last night I divided up the outside of the Dark Forest into sections,” Bella explained. “Everyone’s is marked, and I put a spell on the map to only reveal the ink of castle grounds. Just being extra careful.”
“Good idea, Bells,” Ivy said. Her short hair was clipped back with blue-and-white polka-dot barrettes. Ivy, preparing for the outdoor adventure, had paired sneakers with jeans and a dark-gray T-shirt. Ben, Clara, and Bella were in jeans and dark tees too.
“One question,” Clara said. “How do we get past the royal guards?”