"Have the three of you lost your marbles?" ranted Dame Olga.
To say that she was upset when they got back home was a massive understatement.
"Of all things, shoplifting?" Olga continued. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when the guards showed up at the door?"
"It was my fault," Hattie stepped forward. "Olive put Ella up to all this. I didn't stop her in time."
Before anyone else in the room could say anything else, a rapid succession of knocks sounded at the door, followed by...
"Ella? It's me, Areida!"
"Answer the door and tell Areida that you'll never want to see her again!" ordered Olga. "Say that you'll never want to be friends with an Ayorthian!"
That was easily the most painful order Ella ever had to carry out.
Areida thought Ella was pulling some kind of prank, but the sad frown on Ella's face told her that what she said was no joke.
"I've done terrible things before, Mandy," Ella told the Household Fairy that night, "but this is the worst thing the curse ever made me do!"
With conviction, Ella stood up.
A bold, daring plan was forming in her mind.
"I've gotta do it," she declared. "I have got to find Lucinda and get her to take back the curse."
Luckily, Mandy had just the thing that might help Ella on her journey.
She introduced Ella to her boyfriend, a book named Benny.
Mandy explained that, a long time ago, she'd accidentally messed up a spell and turned Benny into a talking book.
Now, she wants Ella to take Benny with her.
Benny can show her whatever she wants to know, but he can't actually tell her what the visions mean.
He showed Ella that Lucinda was currently at a wedding in Giantville.
"Benny," Ella said as she started packing her stuff. "We're going to Giantville."
"I think you'll need more than a talking book where you're going."
Ella and Mandy spun around.
Olga, Hattie, and Olive were standing at the door.
They've overheard everything.
A/N
This is where the plot gets interesting!
Stay tuned for the next one!