I'm wandering the halls of the Candy Castle with a candle again. I can't sleep. I dreamt I fell into the Lich's well of power and melted—no, not dreamt, relived the experience. It's the third time this week. I could call an attendant—I am royalty, after all—but I hate abusing my privileges as a princess. Why I should disturb others when I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself? And how would discovering I'm nothing but a scared little girl help my people cope with the aftermath of the Lich's rampage?

Getting possessed by the Lich sucked. His spirit entered me when I went all gooey. I was absolutely helpless once I re-solidified. He wore me like a puppet during his crazy bid to kill all living creatures in the Land of Ooo. I lost my palace, my peppermint twist flower garden, and oh yeah, my grownup body as well. After the Lich's evil spirit super-sized me by forcing me to drink toxic waste, Finn and the Ice King had to stop him before he went Godzilla on the innocent citizens of the Candy Kingdom. So they froze me. And I toppled. And then shattered into a million gazillion pieces. I know it was an accident, but that doesn't mean I can't still be mad about it, especially since the doctors only had enough sugar on hand to rebuild me as a thirteen-year-old.

But I'm literally made of bubblegum, so I bounce back from stuff like that pretty well. And it's not all bad. The destruction of my house gave me an excuse to start redecorating (in another shade of pink, of course). Best of all, I can like Finn all I want without feeling icky about him being five years younger than me, because biologically, we're the same age now. I guess you could call him my knight in shining armor. He's always saving me from danger with his "power of awesomeness," as he calls it. And with the help of his magical talking dog, Jake. Finn's kind of lame and silly, but he's cute. We're still different species, of course—and that does present certain complications, him being the last human and all—but it's an enlightened age and I don't care, so, I guess everything worked out fine.

Except for the nightmares. Glob knows I could do without those.

I pass by rows of lemon drop busts of my ancestors. Many of their names are lost to time, to the dust and ash of the great Mushroom War that stands like an impenetrable wall between the present and the past. Most records from the era of the humans were destroyed. We know more about the surface of Mars than the shadowy days before the bombs fell. It's been over a thousand years. Only a handful remember, and I'm not one of them. Maybe the Ice King knows something, but he's so crazy and obsessed with capturing princesses, it's hard to tell. My friend, Marceline, Queen of the Vampires, is old enough, however, she never talks about it. She acts the part of an angsty teenager and focuses on the here and now.

One day, I'll be forgotten too. Just another dusty memory buried in Marcy's brain...or whatever the undead think with. I'll join that silent army of busts lining the wall. Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum. 1012 Y.C. (Year of Candy) to...good globs of gumdrops I'm feeling morbid tonight.

I catch my reflection in a window—pink bubblegum hair, a face younger than I'm used to, and tired eyes. I'm wearing a rock T-shirt Marceline gave me last year. It's way oversized. Marcy and I haven't spoken in months. Not since she kissed me during a sleepover. I got grossed out and yelled. Finn doesn't know. I'm not sure what he'd think. She's his friend too, as if I don't already feel guilty enough. It's nobody's fault she likes me in a way I don't like her, but it doesn't make it any less complicated.

Death and forbidden love—not the best things to think about when you're trying to ward off nightmares. I feel like I'm going to puke. And when candy people barf, it isn't pretty. Unless you like scrubbing icing stains out of your clothes. I'm about to make my way downstairs for a glass of milk to settle my stomach when I hear footsteps. Peppermint Butler? He can definitely be creepy, but no, he's nowhere in sight.

Curtains flap. Somebody opened the window. My first instinct is to suspect the Ice King. I'm more annoyed than afraid. I bet he's going to try to convince me to marry him again. But wait...that can't be right. He took off right after he found out my age had been reduced. He's insane, but he's not a pervert. At least, I don't think he is...

Something brushes past me. A shadow. The wind seems so much colder than it should be...is it him? Slowly, I pivot to face the intruder. There's a dark figure standing in the hallway with its back turned. I don't know who or what it is. I want to cry for help, but my throat squeezes shut.

I really wish you were here to save me, Finn.

I should run. Really fast. But I don't. My hand grips the banister and I creak across the wood floor toward the figure. I can't see very well in the candlelight, but I think it's a girl. She's about my height. The wind tousles her long, black hair.

"Hello?" I squeak.

She doesn't budge.

I clear my throat and try to sound authoritative. "I am Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum, ruler of the Candy Kingdom. By royal decree, I demand you reveal yourself and your intentions or else leave the premises, unless you wish to face the consequences for trespassing on royal property."

At four-foot-zip in fuzzy slippers, I'm the paragon of ferocity. The intruder lets out a tiny laugh, but something's off about it. It sounds more like a sob. She turns around. I completely lose my composure. She's around my new age, dressed in an old-fashioned school uniform, and she's human...like Finn! But isn't he supposed to be the last of his kind? Aren't the rest extinct? My heart's racing. The girl's deep blue eyes lock on me. Her gaze is intense and disturbing.

"Bonnibel," she asks, "do you value the life you currently live? Do you love all your subjects and your friends?"

I'm caught off guard. "W-what sort of question is that? Is that what this is all about? You didn't need to break in like a cat burglar and scare the bejeezers out of me if you just wanted to ask me that, you ding-dong! Of course I love my people!"

Her face is expressionless. "Do you really, Princess?"

"What?" Now I'm mad and scared. The way she spits my title, strains to make it pass through her lips like it causes her physical pain...is she here to protest the recent lollipop tax increase? But why would a human, other than Finn, care about the internal affairs of the Candy Kingdom? I'm confused. My brain flits desperately from one thought to another attempting to make sense of the situation. I think about explaining the finer details of trade law and how higher taxes can actually safeguard the economy, however, I don't really know her motive so I decide to simply go with, "Why would I lie to you?"

"I see." She stares at the floor. "If you're really telling the truth, then you wouldn't try to change who you currently are, would you? Because if you do, you will end up losing everyone. Just like before."

"What the flip?" My head is spinning. She's definitely not a protester. Is she warning me about trying to become eighteen again? Because I could do it. I'd just have to grow more candy biomass in my lab and synthesize it with myself. Sure, I wouldn't be able to act on my feelings for Finn anymore—which is the main reason I haven't done it—but what does that have to do with everybody else? How would I lose them? What's she getting at?

This girl's a nutcase. I move a few steps back. I hope she's not homicidal.

We have an intense stand-off for what seems like an eternity. She mumbles something. "You're just like her" or "You look like her." I can't tell.

The girl turns to leave. "If you're happy, you should stay as you are."

"Um...okay?"

Wow, I let out a deep breath. I guess I dodged that bullet. She's bracing her foot and preparing to go back out the window. I'll wait until she's in the air, then make a mad dash and shut the pane behind her. That's when I can start screaming.

It looks like I'm going to be okay until she slams her fist into the wall, stalling her escape. I jump. Her head turns. She's got the most haunting, hollow smile I've ever seen. Tears trickle down her cheeks. I'm about to call for help, but my throat messes up again. I've got the hibbie jibbies crawling all over me, and it's not only because I think I'm about to get killed...suddenly, I feel like I know this girl from somewhere, despite being one-hundred percent sure that I've never seen her before...never, ever, never.

The girl shakes her head. Her voice is quiet. "It's just...if you're not going to change, and you're happy this way..." She holds out a huge gemstone, carved like a Fabergé egg. It appears to be solid onyx, but there's a pinpoint of eerie purple light at the top. "Why are you still keeping me alive?"

I blink. "Excuse me?"

She sobs, "Why won't you let me die?"

A bow appears in the girl's hand and lets an arrow fly. I don't have time to react, but it misses me anyway. I cover my face, the girl charges, and there's a flash of light. I tumble down the stairs. Her foot is on my belly. I'm begging her to stop, but she knocks another arrow, pulls back the drawstring, and takes aim for my heart.