"Nathaniel!"

"What?"

"We have to go to Frell! Right now!"

"What? Why?"

"Because I've got a brilliant beyond brilliant idea! We've got to find Mandy!"

"Mandy? Who's Mandy?"

I sighed, exasperated, and rolled my eyes.

"Ella's fairy godmother. Remember?"

"No. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with everything!!!"

I grabbed his hand and dragged him out the door.

"Sasha! Wait!" He stopped, pulling me to a halt.

"What? Nathaniel! We have to go!"

"Explain first."

"There's no time!"

"Why not?"

"Because! Listen! Ugh! I can't believe I didn't think of this before!"

"Think of what before?"

"I think I might have figured out a way for me to get home! We need to get to Frell!"

Shock flickered on his face and then was replaced by an unfathomable expression.

"You mean... New York City?"

"Yes!!!" It was about time. Didn't he see the importancy here? Why did he not feel the urge, the need, to get there fast, to see if my idea would work?

I might, just might, have an opportunity to go home!!!

"Nathaniel! What is your problem?" He hadn't said a word the entire way here.

He sighed.

"Sasha, you always get like this when you're determined to do something or get something."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean that you get very impatient and you don't think things through. You get annoyed by the littlest things."

"I do not!" I rolled my eyes.

Nathaniel grinned.

"You've just proved my point, you know."

"Nuh-uh. You are being extremely immature."

I tapped my foot impatiently. Honestly, this was taking forever!

Nathaniel's stupid grin was still stretched across his face.

I scowled.

"Nathaniel!"

"What?"

"Stop!"

"Stop what?"

Ugh! He was being so annoying on purpose! He was trying to provoke me!

"You know very well what. Stop being so annoying!"

He only laughed and held up his hand, "I'm sorry, really, I am, it's just that you're proving my point time and time again and - sorry!" He laughed again, "I can stop."

"Ha! Yeah right!"

"I can." He pressed his lips together tightly but the corners of his mouth twitched.

"We're in Frell!" the coach driver said suddenly.

I jumped up.

Nathaniel looked... pained?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Well, I couldn't dwell on this now. I had to find Mandy.

I jumped out of the coach and Nathaniel followed.

We walked about twenty steps when I realized that I had no idea where I was going.

"Let's go back and ask the coach driver for directions... I'm lost."

A weird look appeared on Nathaniel's face before he said, "We don't need to ask directions. I'll find the way."

I burst out laughing. Apparently, men and asking directions were the same everywhere.

"What?"

"Nothing."

I ran back to the coach driver and asked for directions anyway. Nathaniel stayed right where he was.

I had to laugh at the look on his face when I got back to him.

"You didn't need to ask directions. I could have found the way."

"Well, just the same, I've got them now and I know where we're going."

Then I felt that urge, that need, (that had been temporarily diminished with Nathaniel's boycott on asking directions,) flare up again at full-scale. I had to get to Mandy. I had to see if there was a chance of my getting home!

The house that I was directed to was not Ella's house. I remembered Ella's house from the last time I was there, and this was not it. This was a lot grander than that house...

The driver must have gotten the directions wrong. Maybe he got the name wrong. Maybe he just thought it was funny to try to get people hopelessly lost. The reason really didn't matter.

I would just have to ask directions here.

Nathaniel let out a low whistle when I stopped walking.

"This is it?"

"Yeah," I lied. After I asked directions I'd tell him the truth.

"Well. They've got a lot of money."

"I guess."

We went to the door and knocked.

I heard several muffled voices on the other side of the grand double doors.

"Get that!"

"I've got-"

"I don't care, get it!"

"I can't, my hands are full!"

"I've got it!"

The door opened.

Servants were bustling about behind a large woman.

A very-familiar-face-topped-with-frizzy-grey-hair type of large woman..

She looked me over.

She examined Nathaniel in much the same way.

I was so happy, I was frozen where I stood, unable to move a muscle.

Author's Note: Sorry, I know this is a short chapter, but please review! Oh, and my Newsletter that I mentioned before is apparently against the rules so now I've made a website only links don't save on here. It's:

w w w . j a d e s 1 1 3 - n e w s l e t t e r . w e b s . c o m

Only, obviously, without all the spaces. Thanks!

Jade