Chapter 1

I was weightless. The sound of a distant laugh vibrated through me. Suddenly I was kneeling on something hard and the laugh was replaced by multiple, indrawn breaths.

Where was I? Who was I? My eyes flew open. Sparkling gold dust poured over me, filling me with tingling warmth. Pixie dust. Somehow I knew the name for that, as well as other things. I glanced down. I was clad in a simple dress that looked as if it had been made from a dandelion seed. I stood and noticed my feet were bare. My straight brown hair spilled past my waist.

I looked around, suddenly aware of countless eyes on me. I wasn't alone but surrounded by people in brightly colored garments. Delicate, glass-clear wings sprouted from their backs. Fairies. The word rang in my head. And I was one of them. Did I have wings too? They all stared at me, their expressions filled with wonder and anticipation. An enormous tree that emanated an ocher glow loomed over us.

Sudden nerves tickled my stomach. Were they waiting for me to do something? Say something? "H-hi…" was all I managed. My voice sounded strange to my ears, squeaky and high-pitched.

A swirl of pixie dust suddenly appeared before me, transforming into a tall, ethereal fairy with light brown hair. She radiated golden light and her gown and wings appeared to have been woven from pixie dust. The fairy queen. Clarion was the name that touched my mind. I felt my insides relax when she smiled down at me.

"Born of laughter, clothed in cheer, happiness has brought you here. Welcome to Pixie Hollow. I trust you found your way all right?" Her blue eyes seemed to be bathe me in their warmth. I had a strange feeling she had said these exact words to most of the fairies present, yet they seemed to be for me alone.

I could only nod. I was here, so I assumed I must have, even though I couldn't recall taking any journey.

"Good," Queen Clarion said. "Now let's see about those wings."

My wings! Excitement pumped through me as she lifted something off my back. I glanced behind. A pair of diaphanous wings, veined with delicate patterns, extended outward. My joy was so intense I feared I might burst. That feeling increased as I flapped them ever so slightly and rose off the ground. Queen Clarion grasped my hand and swirled me around. I laughed with delight. I already loved that I was a fairy if flying was to be a big part of this new life.

"Very good," she said as she gently lowered me to the ground. "Now it's time to choose your talent."

"M-my talent?" I gasped, my initial nerves returning. Was this a test? What if I failed? I grasped a lock of my hair. My restless fingers quickly wove it into a thin, tight braid.

Queen Clarion waved her hand. A circle of mushrooms suddenly sprouted around me. Several fairies glided from their places, each one setting a different object on each of the mushrooms. They retreated back into the crowd as soon as this was done.

"Go ahead, little one," Queen Clarion said in a kind voice. "Whichever object glows will reveal your talent, and the guild to which you will belong."

I swallowed as my gaze scanned each mushroom. There was an egg, a dewdrop, a flower, a cloud of undulating gold dust, another one of multicolored dust, an orb of light, a hammer, a tiny tornado…too many to choose. Which one? Which one? A sense of dizziness overcame me as I turned and turned. I clutched another lock of hair and twisted it.

"Don't worry, little one," said Clarion, placing both hands on my shoulders to still me. "You cannot go wrong. All talents are equal here. It is rare for a fairy to find her talent on the first try. Touch one and if that isn't right, move on to the next. I promise you will find yours, even if it's the last icon you try."

I took a deep breath and started toward the tornado. The group sitting directly beyond this was all clad in purple. One in particular stood out. She had glossy black hair pulled back into a ponytail and exotic gray-blue eyes beneath narrow, arched eyebrows. Fast-fliers, I thought, taking note of their unusually long wings.

The tornado faded the instant I touched it. No, that wasn't my talent.

I turned to the next mushroom on which rested a hammer. Tinkers. I briefly scanned that group. They were dressed in green and gazed at me with eager eyes, as if hoping this would be my talent. I liked them instantly. Amongst them were two sparrow men who were complete opposites. One was plump and black haired, the other a wiry redhead with huge goggles. I had a feeling these two were close friends, practically brothers. A pretty fairy whose yellow hair was pulled back into a neat bun sat beside them.

Disappointment flooded me when the hammer crumbled in my grip. I wasn't a Tinker talent either. I dared to look up at them again. The yellow-haired fairy gave me a slight smile then shrugged and gestured that I keep going.

Shaking off my brief melancholy, I moved on to another mushroom, the one over which a cloud of colored pixie dust swirled in undulating patterns. Pixie Dust Alchemy, an extremely rare talent. My heartbeat grew rapid. Beyond this stood not a group but a solitary fairy. She was lovely, with a mane of unruly auburn hair and a beauty mark beneath one eye. Her tunic and leggings shimmered with the same rainbow hues as the softly churning dust-cloud.

She gazed at me with a look of such intense longing that I hoped, truly hoped, this would be my talent. Please, please, please…I thought as I reached for the dust.

It dulled and darkened, falling to the mushroom like ash. My disappointment deepened even more when I returned my gaze to that fairy. Sadness filled her hazel eyes and she lowered her head. I suddenly felt ashamed of my failure. The lone Alchemist had probably been waiting for someone to mentor but it wasn't me.

Queen Clarion gave me a slight nudge. "Don't let these setbacks stop you, little one," she said gently. "Your talent is here. You just have to find it."

Next to the Alchemist huddled a large group of fairies and sparrow men wearing browns and yellows. They were the regular dust-keepers. I reached for the cloud of gold dust but even that faded.

I sighed, feeling a wave of impatience sweep through me. So far none of these talents suited me. Sighing in frustration, I grabbed the flower off its mushroom. Instead of crumbling like the others as I'd expected, it blossomed with a glow and floated from my hand. Its light was soft but definitely there.

Cheers erupted from the audience. The loudest came from a group of fairies dressed mostly in pink.

"Your talent is Garden," Queen Clarion announced, grasping my hand and holding it up. "Everyone, welcome the new fairy, Alyssum."

I was instantly surrounded by the other Garden fairies, who smelled of flowers and fresh, damp earth.

"A new Garden talent, I declare!" shouted an especially beautiful fairy with long red curls and bright green eyes. "We haven't had one for a while. Why, you, Chloe, were the last." She glanced at a lanky fairy with short dark hair. "My name's Rosetta," she said, placing an arm around my shoulders. "But you can call me Ro. Everyone does." She wrinkled her nose as her gaze flickered over my dandelion seed dress. "Now let's first find you something decent to wear!"

Rosetta pulled me into the air after her. Chloe followed right behind.