Hello people, I am sooo sorry I haven't updated in the LONGEST time, I have SOO unbelievably busy. I decided to only work on one of my stories, and the one that I am co-authoring with INUcarott1 was my pick. Only because she won't stop bugging me about the next chapter EVERYDAY!!! She is my friend anyway, so I picked that one.

Anyway, I am going to try to make this chapter interesting and long, and hopefully not a cliffhanger. I will only update again once I get at least 17 reviews. That is right people. I will wait until the end of the world, I want REVIEWS. A lot of them!!! 17, to be exact! anyway, on a brighter tone here is the actual chapter.

Still Shandra's POV, because I like it this way.

I walked around the palace with out much hope of finding anything to do. I have been here for a month, and I can't find anything to do. Numair starting testing Gijini with strange tests, saying that when she grows up she will be the most powerful plant mage in the whole world. He even hinted that she already was.

"Ugh," I leaned against the wall. It was all too much, all of this. I should be older, I should be on Earth, and I should be in school, not caring about anything but inequalities and atoms.

"What's wrong?" Someone I asked. I peeked out of one of my closed eyes. It was the Queen. I slowly bowed, and then straightened. She frowned. "Don't you start with those bows, Shandra! Ravi wants to be my servant already, and Lisa won't even look at me! It seems that Gijini is the only one not frightened by my position!" She let out a loud sigh and leaned against the stretch of wall I had just been leaning on.

"I am sorry, but we are only…kids. You are the queen. It would seem wrong not to give you the respect you deserve." I said. It was easier for me to talk to the queen, or Thayet, than it is to talk to the King. Jonathon III was so…regal. So proud, that I could barely stand to be in his present alone.

"Hey! Shandra!" I heard Ravi call from the opposite side of the wall. He ran, breathless up to me. He bowed politely to the queen, but then turned to me. "The king is going to let me train as a page!" He said to me, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"Wow," I said. He had been fighting for this the whole time we had been here. He was only six here, but back at Earth he was 12, and legal to train as a page. He had won, and now he was going to learn how to be a knight.

"Why don't you try to? It is going to be so much fun!" He said to me.

"No." I said. "I don't appreciate being whacked in the head with sticks, thank you." That made the queen laugh.

"Alanna trained as one." She told me. Alanna was my idol. She could talk to anyone, and anyone who tried to say something bad about her or any of us would find that they knew better next time. She was the coolest, best person that anyone could be, and she was perfect. To me, anyway. I like her kids more though. Thom's 15, and the Twin's Aly and Alan are both 10. Alan just started his page training this month, and Ravi was going to join in a week. Aly and I am always together, playing spy in the bushes. It was fun.

"I know," I replied. "Maybe I will try out to be a spy, like Aly." Thayet's face twisted.

"She is not going to be a spy." She said. "She grew up better than that/ besides, her mom would never say yes. Alanna hates those spy games."

"Oh." I didn't add anything and there was an awkward silence.

"Hey! There is a meeting today as lunch for the new Queen's riders. We have to pick them. Izzy is trying out, why don't you come and see if she makes it?" The queen smiled at both of us. Ravi nodded vigorously, and I nodded my head, too

"Is Lisa going to be there?" I asked. Izzy had been silent, but there was a fire in her. The Queen's Riders would be perfect for her. I didn't know what would happen to Lisa though. She was quiet, but only because she was shy. If she talked easier to other people than us five, she would be better off. She really was funny, and kind. She was just extremely shy and scared, her father had been abusive. George, Alanna's Baron Husband, had taken Lisa under his wing since she had gotten here , saying how he felt bad for her. I think he was just missing having a very little kid at his side all the time.

"Yes, Lisa is going to be there. She said she wouldn't miss it for the world. Well, she told Izzy that. She still won't talk to me." She said.

"ok." I said. "Well, I am going to go outside for a little while." I said and turned.

"Not like that! It is the coldest month of the year!" The queen said. "At least put on proper shoes!" I glanced down at my feet. They were covered in soft, leather dear slippers. They were comfy, but not very warm. "Put on a coat, too." The queen said.

"Yes mother." I said. I regretted it the moment I said it. Memories of my real mom filled my vision and I felt tears coming. "I'll go do that now." I said and took of to the room that I shared with 2 of the palace dogs. I quickly threw on some of the special snowshoes that the King had given me and my wool-lined cloak. Feeling like that would be enough, I walked out of room.

"Can I come. Too?" Aly walked it from the side of my door." I smiled. Aly could always make me smile, no matter what.

"Sure." I said. We went back to her rooms, and she got ready. By the time we got outside, I guessed we didn't have much time before the crowning of the Queen's Riders.

"Are you going to the lunch meeting?" Aly asked.

"Of course!" I said.

"Good. I thought I would be the only one there to try to figure out where the strange nobles with the big noses came from." She said. We laughed hard at that. It was our specialty, to look at someone and figure out where they came from. I would look at one with a brown tan and say he probably came from the south, somewhere warm. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. Aly would say he was probably a Scanran, and we would ask Alanna later, we were almost always right.

"Anyway, Izzy is trying to get in. I have to go. I hope she gets in. It is all she mimes about." I said.

"I hope so, too. She is perfect. She is strong, and smart. I know you guys really aren't six, but you sure are brilliant." She said.

"So are you." Just then a giant bell tongued.

"let's go." We both ran up to the palace, and separated to go to our rooms. I put on a clean pair of tan breeches and a sturdy white shirt without any stains. I put a soft red tunic over that and brushed through my light strawberry blonde hair and put it back in a ponytail. When I walked out I was ready for the lunch meeting.

"You look good." Aly said, turning the corner. She was dressed in black breeches with a light brown shirt under a yellow tunic.

"So do you, but we aren't even in dresses." I said. She stuck out her tongue and made a face. Aly didn't think that dresses were right for her.

"Let's go ladies." Ravi said, coming out of nowhere. Both me and Aly jumped, but calmed when we saw it was only him. We walked to the King's small banquet hall, chatting about the contestants and how they had done 2 days ago on the tests, We were sure Izzy would get in. Lisa met us at the door, and together we walked in and found a seat at a large table. "I wonder when they are serving food." Ravi said. "I am starving."

'Me too." Aly said. Lisa and I just nodded. We were both watching Izzy, who was sitting with a bunch of her friends waiting for the results. They served the food first, and everyone chatted quietly while eating. Then the teachers made a speech about how much they loved all of the contestants and thanking us all for coming. We listened politely, and clapped when each one was done. Finally they got to the calling. The first person to be called to sit next to the Queen as a rider was one of Izzy's friends. She was very tall, with long black hair that was pin-straight. She smiled and the queen patted her shoulder as she took a seat. The next 3 people got called. Only one of them was from Izzy's table of friends, and this girl was short, with pink cheeks and a big smile. We all held our breath as all of the chairs were taken except one.

"Now is a very special case. She is underage, but is very smart, and extremely strong. I have talked it over with the queen, and we have decided that Isabelle should be allowed to join." The herald said and we all whooped and cheered as Izzy went to join the rest of the people sitting next to the queen. There were 5 people from her group of friends who had not gotten called, and 10 others that hadn't. 25 had tried out, and 10 had gotten picked.

1 week later

Everyone was happy. Ravi's page training had began, Izzy was busy with the Queen's Riders special training, Lisa was always with George when he was in the palace, and when he wasn't she was outside, riding the horses. Gijini and Numair had taken her magic to new extremes, and Daine absolutely loved her. Her two little kids loved Giini too. I was the only one who didn't fit in. Aly had gone back to Pirate's Swoop for a month, and I had nothing to do. I still played spy, and dreamed about sneaking around in houses, finding assassins, saving the queen and her children. It just didn't seem at all possible without Aly.

Oh, and one other thing. I learned how to control water. It is amazing. I can manipulate it to do what ever I want. I am planning on telling Numair in the morning. Maybe he can help me like he helps Gijini, but maybe not. I am still scared of my magic. I do not deserve it. Maybe I do…it is all too confusing.

Yay! I finally updated!! YAY!!! Anyway, plzplzplzplzplzplz review! I will love you, only if you review. And I will not even write the next chapter until I get 17 reviews. Better start reviewing people.