As the taxi rolled up to the reserve, the door flew open. A girl, about 14 years old, stepped out before the taxi had time to stop. She pulled her black denim backpack with the white stars out of the cab and took her wallet out, handing the driver $10. The car drove away as the girl walked through the gates into the reserve.
Skylar Avalon Bloom was the type of girl who sat alone at the lunch table at school and got good grades. She was smart, confident, and proud. She was not popular, and she was happy for it. The popular girls in her school were stuck up snobs who made fun of Skylar because she didn't like pink, never wore dresses or skirts, and hated makeup. She liked soccer and baseball, and always carried 2 books with her: the first was a diary that she would pull out at random times and sketch or write in. The other book was small, black, and leather-bound. It was a book of spells. She was shunned for carrying her spell book, because it showed, very clearly, that she believed in magic, and believed that she could control it. And that was exactly why she carried The Crystal Book of Spells, that never grew larger and yet was constantly filling with new pages.
Skylar loved magic, it was true, and studied her book every moment she got. But even more than magic, she loved animals and the possibility that some of them were magical. She was a junior caretaker at the zoo, and came to Ravenswood every day after school that she didn't have too much homework.
Skylar was a short girl, only about 4' 11". She had dark red hair that everyone thought was dyed. They were wrong. Her hair went to her shoulders and was cut jagged at the edges, black tipped. Her bangs touched her eyelashes. She had light skin and had 1 green eye and 1 black eye- another reason that she was not popular.
"Hi, Kara!" She waved as she saw the girl standing in front of Ravenswood manor. She normally she wouldn't hang out with Kara's type- popular and rich. But she seemed ok, so Skylar gave her a chance. "Um, the weathers good and warm today...You think maybe I could have that special tour? The one with all the big animals?" Kara looked up at the sky and sighed. "Alright. Come on, this way."
"Be careful, there might be some snakes hiding in the grass. Oh, and pythons- they love to hang from trees and slither down your back." Kara said in her scariest voice. She was trying to scare Skylar. She didn't get the reaction she was looking for. "Really? Cool." Skylar looked around her, watching for movement. Suddenly, they stopped as they saw a shadow on the forest floor. They both looked up. "An owl!" Skylar said, smiling. Kara held out her hand as the little bird landed. "This is Ariel. Say hi, Ariel." Skylar looked at the snowy owl patiently. "Hoo doo yoo doo." Skylar gaped at the bird. "That sounded like she was talking! It is a she, right?" Kara nodded. "Can I pet her?" Kara looked at the bird, who looked back. Sky swore she heard a small voice whisper "It's okay." Kara turned back to Sky. "Umm, ok, I guess." She held her arm out to Skylar. She held out her hand, slowly moving towards the attentive owl. After a few seconds, she was close enough and placed her hand gently on Ariel's head, stroking her. "Oh, her feathers are so soft!" Sky said, careful not to raise her voice and startle the beautiful creature. "She's beautiful. But I bet she wants to go, now, huh?" Ariel stared at Skylar with big, honest eyes, and then flew away. "Well, onto the next part of the tour." Kara said, walking away. Suddenly, they heard a large roar. "Cat. big cat. But I can't tell what type..." Skylar said. "Sounds like a lion or a leopard." "Let's see." Kara said dramatically, and the cat jumped towards them, roaring and sitting a large rock. "Oh, that's so awesome! Do you know if this one is a boy or girl?" Kara nodded. "We see her all the time. Her name is Lyra." Skylar held her hand up and wiggled her fingers in a wave. "Hi, Lyra." She stepped a bit closer to the majestic feline. 'She's gorgeous. Leopard?" She asked, and Kara nodded. "Maybe I can pet her," Kara said. "If we're both really quiet." She stepped forward a bit. Skylar watched in anticipation. The cat bent down, roaring loudly as Kara placed her hand on Lyra's neck. She started scratching. "See?" Skylar laughed. "Maybe, I could...?" Kara bit her lip. "I don't know... she's really wild." Skylar shrugged. i don't care. If she'll let me." The big cat straightened up and jumped off of her rock, stepping towards Skylar and stopping suddenly. Skylar stepped forward slowly and held out her hand, letting the cat sniff it. When the cat pulled back slowly, she placed her hand behind Lyra's ear and scratched. Kara watched carefully. "All right, tour's over. Let's go." Skylar turned to her. "OK." They walked away towards the gate. "well, I guess I'll see you again sometime this week." Kara said, and Skylar nodded. "Definitely." Kara turned and walked away, and Sky headed for the gate- and turned when Kara was out of sight. "Now's my chance," she said, turning towards the sign that said "restricted." She wanted to know what was being kept a secret, and prayed it was animals that had been deemed too dangerous for the reserve. She walked over to the sign and slipped under the chain, walking down the path and looking around for animals.