Chapter 2
Briinnng!
The bell rang, and the day was finally over. I leaped from my desk and was halfway out the door before the bell even finished.
Billy sprinted to catch up to me. “Wait up, Krystal!” he called out. “What’s wrong?”
I told Billy about my vision. Something bad was going to happen to me, and Emily was going to be the cause of it.
I swallowed hard. “Is Emily going to snap me in half like my pencil?” I wondered aloud.
Billy started laughing. “Are you kidding?” he asked. “I could sit on her, and she’d be a street pizza.” Then his mind drifted off to his favorite subject. “Mmm...pizza,” he said dreamily. “Let’s go. I’m starving!”
When we reached the edge of the schoolyard, I spotted my mom. I was so relieved. Without a word, I ran into her arms and hugged her tight.
“Oh!” Mom said, startled by my greeting. “Hello, honey. How are you?”
“Mmmfffff,” I said, my face still buried.
“I think she might be hungry,” Billy offered.
“Hi, Billy,” said Mom. “Is everything okay?”
I pulled away and said, “No everything is NOT okay! There’s this girl named Emily…and she’s really mean…and I didn’t do anything to her!” I tried extra hard not to cry.
“That’s terrible,” my mom said. “What if I have a nice chat with your teacher about her—?”
“No!” I shouted. “Don’t do that! Then she’ll call me a baby for telling.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Ball,” Billy said. “I will be Krystal’s personal bodyguard.”
“That’s thoughtful of you, Billy,” Mom said. “But I’m sure we’ll figure something out. In the meantime, did anything good happen today?”
“We’re putting on a play,” Billy answered.
“Really?” asked my mother. “Which one?”
“The Wizard of Oz,” I said halfheartedly.
“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful! You love that story!” Mom exclaimed.
“I know,” I said, cracking a smile. Thinking about that book always made me feel better.
“Have you gotten your parts yet?” Mom asked.
“Not yet,” Billy said. “I want to be the Tin Woodsman because he gets to hold an axe! How cool is that?” Billy pretended to chop a tree with his hand. “Hi-ya!”
“I want to be Dorothy. She’s my favorite,” I said. “It’s just that...I’m too shy.”
“Let me tell you something about the theater,” Mom began, placing her hand on my shoulder. “It’s a great way to break out of your shell. You can be anyone and anything. People won’t be looking at you on that stage—they’ll be looking at your character. You have the power to bring that character to life!”
“You’re right, Mom,” I said. “The truth is…I love Dorothy so much, and I don’t want Emily to play her.”
Mom chuckled and took my hand. We walked all the way home talking about the play.
***
That night, Mom and Dad kissed me good night. I quickly drifted off to sleep and found myself standing in a long corridor. At the end of the hall was a mirror.
I walked toward my reflection and saw that I was wearing a big, white princess dress that puffed out at the bottom. There were poofy sleeves and sequins all over. Glittering under the light, I walked closer to the mirror.
On top of my head was a crown made of rubies. My curly hair was shining and beautiful.
Wait a minute! I thought.
Suddenly, I realized that the reflection wasn’t mine. This wasn’t a mirror at all. It was a door. The person standing in front of me had curly black hair and brown eyes.
She smiled and did a curtsy.
“I am Glinda, the Good Witch,” she said. Her voice was soft and sweet.
This doesn’t look like the Glinda I know from The Wizard of Oz, I thought.
This witch was a young girl, and we were probably the same age.
Glinda took me by the hand and gently pulled me through the doorway.
The light was blinding, and I had to cover my eyes. The sun reflected off a yellow brick road under our feet. On either side of us was a lush forest with tall trees and rainbow-colored flowers.
I heard birds singing happily. They hopped off their perches and fluttered around us before disappearing back into the trees.
“Welcome to Oz,” Glinda said. “Follow me, for I have all the answers you seek.”
My heart skipped a beat. How exciting to be in the magical land of Oz!
As the Good Witch glided away, the yellow brick road started to crumble. It fell away from my feet and into a dark hole below.
I cried out Glinda’s name, but she didn’t hear me. I struggled to keep up with the Good Witch, but it was too late!
I staggered and fell into darkness.