I am so sorry it took so long to get an update. These chapters are just really long, but I hope you enjoy this! If you do, please leave a review; it really helps motivate me.

...Hey, Mom. I haven't caught you up on anything in a while. Stuff's been going down, blame Mephisto and Praxina. And the wizards. There are wizards now, btw. You remember? I told you about them. I'd love to tell you we kicked their punk asses, but…well, my sparkly ass kinda got kicked. I know, don't swear, but you walked out on us, so…I'm gonna say ass if I want.

Anyway, I just keep wondering…would you know what's happening to me? If you were still here, would you have an explanation? Where are you, and would you care about this if you knew? Talia keeps asking questions about you, but what am I supposed to say beyond 'My mom's name was Morgan Dana, and she was a therapist that taught me to make lemon tarts and forgot which pedal was the clutch?' I don't think that's helpful. I don't know if this is helpful. Writing to you, I mean. I've got seven journals filled with these 'letters', and I know you're never gonna read any of it. If you cared what I had to say, you'd be here to hear me say it. You'd help me through this. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I should stop. You left me. You left Dad. You left Artu. You don't deserve the time I put into this. You don't deserve the ink I paid for. But you keep getting it.

Dad's moved on. You know that. I want to follow him. But it's way easier to find a girlfriend than it is to find a mom. And maybe I don't need one. I have dad. And he's doing great, no thanks to you. And I have Iris, and Nathaniel, and Aunt Ellen, and heck, I've even got a weird voice in my head that pops up in visions! I got a lot of people. You know what, I'm beat. I think I've given myself enough hand cramps for tonight. I just wanted to catch you up, if you can spare a damn for me wherever you are. Goodnight, Mom.

Roxy shoved her dog-eared journal back into her desk drawer, scowling at the habit she'd started when she was seven, trying to find something to do on the long slog of a drive across the country from their old house in Gardenia, California. She'd wanted to ask why they were travelling across the country, why they were leaving, but her dad had been heartbroken and not in the mood to talk. So, lost and confused, she'd asked her mom. Grabbed an old notebook and poured out her questions. It had started as a one-time thing, then as rants, then as pages blotched with tears, until, eventually, it had just turned into a journal. Just letters to a mother that would never read them. Iris had given her the last few, the support reassuring, as Roxy had thought her friend might think she was weird for writing to a mother that had run out, but Iris totally understood. Iris understood a lot.

'Well, goodnight, Artu…' Roxy mumbled, clicking off her lamp and pulling the duvet up. 'Goodnight, world.'

Roxy was very used to weird dreams by now. Which was why her new dream was…weird. In that it was normal. Very normal. She was just…sitting on a couch. Did she know this couch? It wasn't hers…

Her gaze caught on a red stain, and her breath caught. This was her old couch. That stain was from where she'd got pasta sauce on the cushions. This was her old house. In Gardenia.

She got up, wondering why her brain had brought her back here.

'Dad?' she called out, wandering into the hall, grimacing as she ran her finger along the side table and came away with a grey finger. Looked like nobody had lived here in a while…

'Butterfly?'

'Dad!' Roxy turned and pelted upstairs after the voice, screeching to a halt as her gaze fell on long, dark chocolate tresses tumbling down the back of the statuesque woman Roxy had just written to.

'M…mom?' No, it couldn't be. Her mom was expressly forbidden in all dreams. This was Roxy's space, and abandoners didn't get to hang out in here.

Her mom turned to the bookcase in the study, caressing a perfectly circular knot in the wood. Roxy moved closer, reaching out to trace her mom's path.

'…I don't get it.'

She hoped for some kind of answer, but her mom only held a finger to her lips.

'What? Is it a secret? What? Mom, answer me! For once, actually help me!'

Her mother reached out to touch her cheek, but Roxy flinched away.

'I said help me, not touch me. What do you want? What am I supposed to do? Is this a message? Are you my mom, or the weird voice? What do you want from me?!'

Her mom just stepped forwards, vanishing into the bookcase, walking away for the second time in Roxy's life.

'Mom! Mom, wait!' Roxy jumped after her, hoping to see her mother walking away, but instead, she found herself face-to-face with two amethyst eyes. She blinked. They blinked. A…mirror? She was staring at her reflection, but she was transformed?

'No…' she murmured, tracing the wings in the reflection. She wasn't transformed. This wasn't her fairy form. These weren't her wings. They were huge, with intricate details and jewels. And she was sporting green shorts and new boots. Was this a different fairy form? Were there different forms? Talia had mentioned some kind of higher level for princesses…did fairies have the same?

She gasped as the reflection changed, the shorts fading into an awkwardly short dress, the wings growing even larger as her shoes changed into open sandals.

'What the heck?'

She changed again, this time to the form she knew, just sporting an intricate silver symbol on her chest and a bag on her hip.

'What is this, dress up Roxy? Someone tell me what the heck is going on!'

She screamed and recoiled as her reflection changed once more. Her hair was matted and dusty, her skin was covered in scrapes and bruises, and her wings…what was left of them lay in tatters at her back, acidic green sparks spluttering from the ends.

'No! No! What is this?!' She screamed again as dark winds overtook her, and she was tossed into the air like a ragdoll, smoke choking her as she tried to get her bearings.

She hit the ground, her vision clearing to reveal a dark, towering fortress, rising above a twisted forest, the silence so complete it was almost deafening.

'Where…where am I?'

'Where you will be if you do not escape the wizards…'

Roxy whipped around, looking for the voice, but she saw nothing. Just…darkness. Shadows.

'You must learn more of your powers…'

'Well, great!' Roxy snapped, getting sick of being thrown around by her own subconscious. 'One teensy question: how the f*#k am I supposed to do that?! Talia's found everything she could, and we've got nothing! Nothing!'

'The secrets of the mighty oak are found in its roots…'

Roxy blinked. Why…why was the voice being so excessively cryptic? What was their problem?

'Okay, first of all: what the heck? Second of all, I'm not even sure that's true! Do you want me to go back to my roots? And by my roots, do ya mean my old house, because, technically, my 'origin' is Gardenia Memorial Hospital, where I came into this world. If you want me to go back to Gardenia - which is a major slog, by the way - just say.'

Silence. Great.

'Okay, fine! I'll do the thing! I'll find my roots! And when I do, I'm gonna slap you over your ethereal face with them, your cryptic weirdo!'

Before the voice could reply, she jolted awake, the words 'cryptic weirdo' still escaping her lips while Artu watched his human like she might have lost it.

'It's okay, boy…' she murmured, scratching him behind the ears. 'Just another dream. A stupid dream that I'm about to try and shell out seven hundred dollars on.'

'You wanna go where?' her dad asked incredulously.

'Los Angeles,' Roxy replied, playing with the blueberries on her waffles and quietly feeding some to Artu.

'…Why?'

'Miriam Gates, the leading ecologist, is giving a talk. She's discovered a new snake species, and its venom has some fascinating properties. I know it's a long way, I just…I think it would be really interesting, especially since I want to intern with her organisation when I'm older. If I met the woman herself, maybe that'd help smooth over the five arrests on my record when I send in my application.' It was perfect cover story. All of this was true. What wasn't true was the implication that she wouldn't be transforming into a mythical creature and flying to their old house to go search for a mystic whatever that a psychic rando had told her to go find.

'Well…' Roxy knew that well. That was the 'I've already agreed, but I need to pretend to carefully consider this' well. She kept up her hopeful expression, playing this little game.

'…Okay then. You've been making plenty of money at the bar, so we split the cost of the ticket. Sound fair?'

Roxy nodded excitedly. 'Mhm! Thanks, Dad!'

'Aw…always, Butterfly.' He stroked her hair as she hugged him tight. 'I'm excited you're thinking about things like this.'

Roxy hid her guilty wince. She could hit up the talk after, right? Maybe?

'Los Angeles?!' Auriana shrieked with excitement. 'But that's where Hollywood is! With the movie stars!'

'Yep, that's it.' Roxy attempted to hand Auriana Artu's leash, but the redhead wasn't paying attention.

'We didn't have anything like it on Ephedia! Well, there was the Arena of Champions, where the greatest warriors on the planet gathered to prove their mettle in the fires of combat, but that wasn't nearly as glamorous!'

Roxy raised an eyebrow. Spoken like someone who'd never actually seen Hollywood.

'Look, can you just watch Artu for the weekend? My dad has to run the bar, and I don't want to burden him…'

'Sure we can.' Iris took Artu's leash, kneeling down to receive doggy kisses. 'Hi, Artu! Ready to have the best weekend ever?'

Artu barked, jumping up and putting his paws on Iris's shoulders, licking her all over.

As Iris giggled, Auriana's face fell. 'Right. We're…dog-sitting.'

'Being set the task of guarding a lifelong companion is no small honour,' Talia admonished. 'We should be deeply touched that Roxy trusts us enough.'

Auriana pouted, evidently upset that she wasn't going to see Hollywood.

'However-'

Auriana lit up like a Christmas tree on Prozac. 'I love however! However means Hollywood!'

'However does not mean Hollywood,' Talia asserted. 'However means Roxy has been targeted by four wizards we know nothing about, and her jetting across the country alone is a foolish idea. Anyone can see that.'

'I know that, but I have to-'

Talia held up a hand. 'We shall accompany you. Iris's aunt has a great love of Artu and will surely guard him for you during our journey.'

'That's true, she will!' Iris chipped in. 'She loves you like a daughter, Rox. She'd watch Artu.'

'Girls, I'd love to have you come, but…airplane tickets are expensive.'

Talia waved a hand. 'It's no bother. Klaus has been paying us well for our shows. We can afford this. And if needs must, I have a great many things your civilisation would view as greatly valuable that I can sell to provide funding.'

Roxy couldn't help but be touched. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but the prospect of travelling all alone had unnerved her. Having her friends there would be a world better.

'Okay then! You guys better pack and book tickets, then, cause the flight leaves this evening.'

'I'm great at packing!' Auriana exclaimed. 'I did it so many times when we were travelling around the country looking for Iris! I better bring sunglasses; people in Hollywood always wear sunglasses.'

'Someone really needs to explain to her that we're going to an old farmhouse, not the Walk of Fame…' Roxy muttered as Auriana skipped towards her bedroom.

'I'll do it,' Talia sighed. 'See you at the sky port that connects all places on Earth.'

'Airport. Got it. See ya.'

'Nathaniel, you really didn't have to drive us.' Iris smiled appreciatively as Nathaniel lifted her suitcase out of the trunk of his car.

'No, I wanted to!' he insisted, hefting Auriana's case down. 'Whoa! What you got in here?'

'My entire closet, thank to a shrinking spell.'

Talia quickly elbowed Auriana as Nathaniel gave her an odd look, and Auriana laughed awkwardly.

'I mean…clothes?'

'You are a funny one, Auriana…'

Talia breathed a sigh of relief as Nathaniel forgot all about Auriana's slip up in favour of staring deeply into Iris's eyes. Those two would be a good pairing; she still did not understand Iris's insistence against their evident chemistry. Romantic feelings seemed very simple. If both parties possessed them, you would begin a relationship. Simple. And yet Iris and Nathaniel danced around the topic any time it came up. Such an odd Earth mentality.

'See you in a few days!' Iris gave Nathaniel a tight hug, waving as she walked through the doors.

The airport was truly a majestic structure. Sunlight streamed through the windows of this temple of travel and global unity, while people on their way to all four corners of this funny little world scurried around, chatting and discussing their fascinating plans. Ephedia had a great many ports, but none dedicated to the sky. All dedicated to water, and on occasion to carriages. This was quite fascinating, and Talia made certain to make a great many notes on her cellphone.

'How'd you two get passports, anyway?' Roxy asked curiously as Talia presented hers at security. 'You don't have any records.'

'I have my ways,' Talia replied, opting not to divulge that her passport had in fact been created that afternoon using a spell and Iris's passport. All the necessary aspects had been copied, and she'd simply needed to insert a few false details to trick her way through this gateway knows as 'customs'. And what curious customs they were! The man behind the desk was utterly fascinated by what she had opted to pack, and then they were scanned with some kind of magic wand. How intriguing.

'What are you looking for?' she asked curiously as she walked through the bleeping gate.

'Guns, weapons, anything illegal,' replied the oddly bored officer. How could he bored? He got a thousand glimpses into a thousand lives. How interesting a job that would be.

'I see…and you cannot simply take my word that I have none of these items on my person?'

'No, of course not.'

'Interesting…'

There was about half an hour of wandering around, practically having to keep Auriana on a child leash as she ran around inspecting the various shops, until they finally boarded.

'How does this work?' Talia asked, staring out at the wings. 'Humans do not possess magic, right?'

'It's…' Iris frowned. 'Well, the engines blow air under the wings, and it holds us up.'

'We're being held up by air?' Talia thought that sounded very iffy. Air was practically intangible. Could it truly hold such a behemoth up? Seemed implausible, but Amaru could be held up by air, so…

If she were ever asked, Talia would vehemently deny gripping Iris's arm as the plane juddered up into the sky. Such a reaction was unbecoming of a warrior such as her. But the pale marks on Iris's arm spoke for themselves.

'Hey…we're up in the air now,' Iris reassured her. 'The seatbelt sign is off. It's gonna be smooth from here.'

Talia cleared her throat awkwardly, staring out the window. She was far higher up than when she rode Amaru. It was dizzying and breathtaking all at once. Humans were far more skilled than Ephedian texts had led her to believe. The books she'd read had spoken of humans living in strange pointy stone buildings, or in caves. When Gramorr was defeated, she would have to update Ephedia's records.

Speaking of research and records… She pulled her carry-on bag out, rummaging inside until she found a gargantuan folder.

'Wow.' Iris raised an eyebrow. 'What's that?'

'Everything I have,' Talia answered, flipping to a bookmarked page. Spell-crafted images of the wizards stared out at the girls, and Iris grimaced.

'Wow. They're…well, they aren't bad looking, but…creepy.'

'Mm.' Talia couldn't help but smirk at the picture of Ogron. So smug…right up until he'd found himself very much stuck.

As though reading her thoughts, Iris asked, 'You think he got out of that?'

'The spell wears off after two days, so he's definitely free by now.' So she'd have a chance to show that teasing idiot what for again. She almost looked forward to it. In the meantime, she settled in for a long flight of analysing every theoretical weakness their mysterious enemies might possibly possess.

Ogron despised flying. It was so…pedestrian. An activity for mortals without teleportation capabilities. (Whether or not he got incredibly airsick was neither here nor there.) Were it up to him, they'd have teleported to Los Angeles the second Duman had returned from his scouting mission at that little bar the last fairy worked at. The shapeshifter had heard the girls talking to the barkeep about a last-minute trip to the West Coast, to see some ecologist. Though a quick search had revealed their talk to be real, Ogron could tell a cover story when he heard one. Those girls were planning something, and he intended to find out what it was. And they'd already be there if Anagan hadn't pointed out that teleporting clear across the country took a lot of magic, and if they needed to fight, they could use all their energy. Those princesses had been far stronger than Ogron cared to admit; he could still feel phantom crystal entombing him on all sides.

'Why don't we just attack them here?' Duman grumbled as they watched the group board their plane.

'Because then we'd stir up belief in magic, and, in case you happened to forget, that belief will strengthen the fairies in their prison and give them more of a chance of breaking free!' Ogron hissed, pulling Duman back from where he was about to wander out into the crowd. The other wizard's spiked bracelet poked Ogron's hand, and the redhead huffed. 'And honestly, Duman! Must you insist on dressing that way? We are going incognito!'

'What's wrong with how I'm dressed?' Duman played dumb, inspecting his purple leather jacket, giant chunky boots, spiked choker, and the piece de la resistance, the bird skull adorning his belt. He'd already drawn far too many unnerved glances, and next time, Ogron was putting Gantlos in charge of choosing the shifter's clothes. This was ridiculous.

'Calm down, Ogron,' Anagan murmured. 'It's just an outfit. We need to keep focused or we'll miss our flight.' After a little searching, Ogron had found a flight that would land at LAX only a short time after their quarries. And with a little of Anagan's magic, that short time would become the same time. Ogron wasn't losing these girls. He owed the blue one a little payback.

Sunny Bay was a fascinating little hamlet, filled with peasants going about their day. Mephisto preened under the looks he was receiving. Certainly these humans had never seen such a flawless specimen of good looks and charm before. Praxina had told him to stay out of sight as he went to purchase some Earth food, but where was the fun in that? Also, where was the fun in 'bread. cheese. crackers'? How boring. Mephisto had his eye on some of that 'cola' he'd seen some peasants drinking. What a fascinating creation! Perhaps once Gramorr had truly taken over Ephedia, Mephisto would return here and conquer this puny world, becoming the king of these humans and being poured 'cola' at his whims. He could get a 'sports car'. He knew not what made these cars different from normal cars, but a very shiny man in a magazine had informed him that he would become cool if he purchased one, so, as king, he would need one. Ha! One? He was king! Make it twenty!

'Going to the store…gonna buy some stuff…doo doo doo…Mephisto…yeah yeah…Mephisto…' He executed a small dance step as he approached the store, adding some flair to this otherwise mundane day.

However, as his eyes sought out 'cola' in the shop window, he caught sight of a reflection. Whipping around, he saw a poster depicting a woman with long, flowing hair, a strange, shiny stick, and two huge wings!

'Like the giant bug!' Cola was forgotten as he pelted across the road, shaking his fist at the mortal drivers that did not know to stop for their future king. 'Out of my way, insignificant people!'

He burst into what he was fairly certain was a library, though far smaller and less grand than any he'd seen on Ephedia. Perhaps this was where books went to die? None had shining crystal covers.

'You there! Book steward!'

A woman stamping books glanced up from her desk, staring in surprise at Mephisto pointing at her.

'I know, I'm beautiful,' he acknowledged. 'But suspend your lust, maiden!' He pointed to the poster in the window. 'Tell me: what is that?'

'…A poster?'

'The girl upon it! What is she?!'

'Oh! A fairy?'

'A fairy…' Mephisto rolled the word around his mouth. 'So…not a giant bug?'

The woman looked thrown, but shook her head. 'No. It's a legendary being with wings. That's a poster for Rainbow Magic.'

'Interesting…and what makes this rainbow so magical?'

'The fairies do…?'

'I see…bring me these tomes of wisdom, library guardian!'

'It's Susan.'

'Very well. Bring me these tomes of wisdom, library guardian Susan!'

'Just Susan.' Susan, keeper of tomes, returned a few moments later with a few books.

'Hm.' Mephisto frowned, gingerly picking one up and inspecting it. '…They are rather small for tomes of wisdom, Susan.'

'They're children's books,' Susan replied, looking rather fed up with this conversation. She was probably just overwhelmed.

'Do you posses copies of the books intended for adults? Maybe with dramatic covers, or padlocks?' Mephisto flipped through the book when Susan shook her head. Ooh! It had pictures!

'This is fascinating, Susan,' he said aloud, pacing back and forth. 'However, these fairies appear to be attached to their wings, whilst the not a bug I was facing summoned them. She was also far sparklier. Are you sure these are as up to date as possible?'

'Up to date? Are you…are you using these as research material?'

'Why of course! How else am I supposed to defeat the young warrior who so inexplicably bested the glorious Mephisto?'

'The who now?' Susan looked at an utter loss, and Mephisto chalked it up to…well, nothing, he didn't care why she was so confused.

'Well, we have a saying back home 'Trust the tomes'. They surely know something I do not. And this means that I must steal Roxy's magical object and set a horde of goblins upon her. Pray tell, Susan, where can a fellow get some goblins around here? Is there some dark pit of evil they might frequent?'

Susan had apparently lost the capacity for speech.

'Very well, I shall find some myself! I thank you for your assistance, Susan of Sunny Bay Public Library! I shall be certain to award you a high position when I rule this pathetic little world.'

'…Thanks…?'

Mephisto hurried out with the books, and Susan frowned.

'Hey…hey, wait! You need a library card!'

Mephisto, needing no library card, ran through Sunny Bay, shooting a wink to the group of girls that shot glances his way.

'What's up? I'm Mephisto! You'll all know my name when I rule this world, but I promise not to smite you!'

Making a mental note that disgusted glances were apparently an Earth sign of attraction, Mephisto ran on. Praxina would be so impressed that he'd found this! She'd say-

'Mephisto, you dense lug, what are you doing?'

Mephisto felt himself being yanked back into an alleyway, letting out a valiant scream of surprise and whipping around to gloriously cower. What was it? A monster? A mugger?

'What have you got?' Worse. It was his twin sister.

'Ugh! Praxina!' Mephisto shoved her away, huffing. 'Don't sneak up on me!'

'Don't ignore the tasks I give you!' Praxina reached for Mephisto's books. 'What are those?'

'Mine!' Mephisto held them above his head, quickly giving up on that idea as Praxina started scratching at his eyes. 'Ah! Okay, okay!'

Praxina stared down at the book. 'Children's books? You don't think these are a bit too advanced for you?'

'Shut up, Praxina!' Mephisto whined. 'Give it! These tomes speak of winged women called 'fairies'. Your assessment of Roxy as a giant bug was waaaaay off. She's a fairy! And we need some goblins!'

'What's a goblin?'

'Tiny green people. I was just heading to find a pit of evil; seemed a good place to start.'

'There are no decent pits of evil around here!' Praxina snapped. 'Believe me, I've checked.' She frowned at the books, shaking her head. 'Alright, so she's a fairy. We'll crush her later anyway.'

'…We will?'

'While you were trying to read, I was receiving a message from our king.' Praxina smirked, as though Gramorr had specifically chosen to contact her, rather than being stuck with her because Mephisto was out. 'He told me that the princess squad is heading for a place called Los Angeles, and he wants us to go take them out. If they're going so far, it must be important. Maybe even an Oracle Gem.'

'Oracle Gem?' Mephisto pictured Gramorr's expression if he brought back an Oracle Gem. He'd be so much more respected than Praxina. 'Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!' He began to summon his teleportation spell, but Praxina grabbed his arm.

'Stop, you dimwit! California is across the country! We can't teleport there without depleting our magic! And Gramorr didn't give us a boost, so we're taking something called a 'plane'.'

'A plane?'

'It's like a box with wings. I magicked us up some tickets, so let's go.'

Mephisto bounced up and down in his set, delighted with this 'plane' contraption. He flicked every switch he could find, waving to the odd little people wandering up and down the aisle.

Meanwhile, stuck next to him, Praxina was in hell. She hated her stupid brother and his antics. Why had Gramorr insisted on them working together? She'd have done much better on her own. She quietly wondered what would happen if she shoved him out of the plane, but he'd just catch himself with magic. Maybe during that eclipse…

Trying to ignore her twin, Praxina glanced around the plane. The mortal fools truly were irritating little pests. Ugh, who brought a baby on a flight? If it started crying, she was screwing this magic saving and teleporting.

She flicked her finger and tore a hole in the pocket of the young man evidently carrying an engagement ring, snickering as the box tumbled to the floor. It rolled across the aisle, and she casually picked it up. Cute. Would have been a very lucky girl if Praxina hadn't just wrecked her whole trip and possibly relationship for a cheap laugh and some bling.

She sensed eyes on her and flicked her gaze around in case someone was about to report her, but nobody said anything. She quickly found the eyes, meeting glacial blue drenched in an air of disinterested disappointment.

Interesting… She lingered on the redhead watching her from his seat. He felt…prickly. Her skin crawled under his gaze, just as with Gramorr. Earth didn't have any magic, so perhaps she was just high on the coffee she'd snatched from Mephisto, but she kept watching anyway. He held her gaze, and smirked, offering a flirty little wave.

He rolled his eyes, returning to the book he'd been reading, and she frowned. Nobody ignored her. She was tempted to prick him with crystal, but she'd already lectured Mephisto about almost blowing their cover twice, and if he caught her, she'd never hear the end of it.

Did earthlings have hair that colour? Perhaps it was dyed, but his eyebrows matched, so that was some dedication from a man who frankly didn't look the sort to do so much as add highlights. His very loud friend talking at him from the seat behind did, as evidenced by his Iris-pink hair. He was just as interesting. Praxina felt rather like she was staring at a strobe light; she couldn't get a read. Was it possible she had some rather interesting company on this flight?

'Praxina!'

'Gah!' she quickly smoothed her hair as the redhead quietly snickered at her little outburst, before turning to give Mephisto a 'you are deader than dead' glare.

'What?' she growled. 'What do you want?'

'Look! A chariot of snacks! What should I get?'

'Lost.' Praxina debated looking back, but opted to maintain her composed gazing at the back of the head of the person in front of her. She wouldn't give her little intrigue the satisfaction of being able to give her a little smirk at having seen her yelp like a child.

'Los Angeles!' Auriana cheered, spinning around in a dizzying circle once they stepped out into the evening California sunshine. 'If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!'

'That's New York,' Roxy corrected, dragging her suitcase out of the airport. 'Making it in Los Angeles doesn't mean you can make it anywhere.'

'Well what kind of attitude is that?' Auriana asked with a pout. 'We've made it here, and now we'll make it to Gardenia! And then we'll make it to understanding Roxy's magic, and then the Frutti Music Bar for our show on Tuesday!'

'That is three things, only two of which are locations,' Talia said, frowning. 'Anywhere is far larger than that.'

'Oh, Talia.' Auriana took her friend's hand, tugging her further into the city. 'Look at this beautiful evening! Look at those clouds!'

'That's smog,' Roxy interjected. 'LA isn't the cleanest city.'

'What beautiful smog!' Auriana chirped, undeterred.

'So, what's the plan?' Iris asked. 'Check into the hotel?'

'Hotel? Iris, now is not the time to sleep!' Talia replied incredulously.

'You mean…eleven at night Florida time?' Iris leaned on her suitcase, raising an eyebrow. 'I don't know, Talia…that seems like a great time to sleep.'

'No.' Talia shook her head. 'We need answers now, and if Roxy's dream was leading her home, we have to get out there as fast as possible.' She glanced around, scanning the street. 'We need a cab…'

'You're twenty-one, right?' Roxy asked.

'In Earth years. Why?'

'You can hire a car. There are a few companies that'll do it for you. We have enough money.'

Iris frowned, glancing questioningly to Talia. 'Talia…that's a great idea from Roxy, but…'

'But what?' Talia asked curiously.

'Can you actually drive?'

Talia looked affronted. 'Iris, I have been wrangling and riding wild vraknir since I was tail-high to a narun!'

Iris was just silent for a moment. '…That's…not an answer.'

'Yes,' Talia clarified exasperatedly. 'Yes, I can drive. Forwards, backwards, sideways…now come on. Let's go get a car.'

Iris trailed after Talia, worrying that, if she thought you could drive a car sideways, perhaps she didn't actually know what she was doing.

She was wrong. Talia knew how to drive. She manoeuvred like an expert, carefully easing through the streets. She had complete control of the car as they drove out onto the open road, and they were making excellent time. Probably because Talia was taking the speed limit as some kind of challenge and driving so fast that Iris was surprised they weren't leaving molten rubber behind. How were they not being pulled over?!

Iris gripped the seat as they took a corner, praying that Roxy's old place was close. If not, she was going to need to text her aunt her last will and testament, because Talia was running her own rollercoaster here.

'Woo!' Auriana squealed, as excited as if she were on an actual rollercoaster. 'Faster!'

'No!' Iris cried, clinging to her seatbelt. 'No! We need to go slower! We're already gonna get busted if we don't get into an accident!' She glanced to Roxy, signalling for her friend to back her up, but Roxy just shrugged.

'…Eh. She's got control. And speed is our friend, Iris.'

'After today, speed can have my spot in the friend group…' Iris grumbled, squeezing her eyes shut as they avoided a sign by driving on the verge. Talia was so responsible! How was she this…this…irresponsible?!

However, speed did benefit them as they skimmed onto a hill road overlooking a little city nestled on the coast.

'Iris, that's it!' Roxy exclaimed, grabbing Iris's arm. 'That's Gardenia! I was born down there!'

'It's so pretty!' Auriana gasped. She was right. There was hardly a shade of beige or grey in the city, the skyline a beautiful symphony of pastel colours.

'Where are we going?' Auriana asked, confused. 'Gardenia's down there, Talia.'

'I lived a little way out,' Roxy explained. 'About ten minutes from the city; five at the speed we're going.'

Thanks to Talia's total disregard for the speed limit, they screeched to a juddering halt in front of a sad-looking building after five minutes exactly.

'…Wow.' Talia got out of the car, pocketing the keys. 'This is your house?'

'Yes…' Roxy whispered, stepping towards it. 'But…it's been neglected.'

'Didn't your dad sell it?' Iris asked, confused. 'How come nobody lives here?'

'Googling!' Auriana chirped, immediately typing in the address, rather addicted to search engines since she had learned how much they could tell you. 'Aha! It's haunted.'

Roxy and Iris both whipped around to stare at her, gawping at their friend.

'…Say what now?' Roxy asked.

'Haunted. It has ghosts.' Auriana frowned at her friends' expressions. 'That isn't normal here?'

'Ghosts…ghosts aren't real!' Roxy asserted, and Talia raised an eyebrow.

'Roxy, you grow wings and throw wasps at people; you have qualms over what is or is not real?'

Roxy looked away, blushing. 'Fair point. But…ghosts? Let me see that phone.'

'Here.'

Roxy skimmed the screen, reading out the salient points. 'Weird occurrences…flickering lights…home repairs coming undone…' She looked up, frowning. 'I dunno, Auriana…none of this means it's haunted.'

'Sounds pretty haunted to me,' Iris said, shivering as she glanced at the house.

'Really?' Roxy raised an eyebrow. 'Weird occurrences are explained by alcohol. Flickering lights are explained by mice chewing on cables. Home repairs coming undone are explained by cheapskates that can't do DIY, but won't call someone out to do it. Not ghosts. But our delusional friends on the internet got us out of using that hypnosis spell Talia was practising, so thanks, I guess.'

Iris glared at Talia. 'Talia! We don't hypnotise people to get what we want!'

'Of course we don't, Iris! We hypnotise people to get what we need, when it's the most efficient option.'

Iris shook her head as Talia hurried up the steps, knocking sharply. When no one answered, she clenched her fist. 'Crystempactus!'

'Talia!' Iris ran forwards as her friend prepared to break the door down. 'Someone might own this place, haunted or not!'

'I'm open to suggestions.' The fact she still had her battering ram raised called that assertion into question, but Iris suggested an idea anyway.

'Why don't we just…' She tried the handle, and the door swung open. 'In this state? Nobody's bothering to lock the door.'

Talia let her spell fall away, and Iris stepped aside to let her in. It wasn't that she was scared…okay, she was, a little. Ghosts freaked her out! Dead people, just…hanging around? Why? What did they want?

'Iris…' Roxy took her hand, guiding her inside. 'There are no ghosts.'

'And even if there were, Talia would sense them!' Auriana added, and Talia flushed bright red.

'Auriana!'

'You can sense ghosts?' Roxy asked, sounding a little impressed.

Iris had a more pressing question. 'Ghosts are actually real?!'

'Yes and yes,' Talia admitted. 'I can cast a spell that detects ghosts. But everyone on Ephedia thinks it's weird and a sign of necromancy, so I don't love people broadcasting it…'

Auriana looked away, whistling awkwardly.

'And yeah, ghosts are real. Or at least, they are on Ephedia. Most spectres are echoing reflections in the planet's crystal, just shadows of a life, but a few are actual souls, walking Ephedia in search of peace.'

'Sick…' Roxy whispered. 'So you could be like a Ghostbuster?'

'Like a what now?' Talia asked. 'I don't bust ghosts.'

'Doesn't make you feel good?' Roxy asked, snickering at her own reference.

'Funny.' Iris glanced around at the dingy interior, starting to wish she'd volunteered to stay back and watch Artu. This would be a great place for a ghost to live… 'Roxy…where did you say your mom was in your dream?'

'The study; should still be up here.' Roxy hurried up the creaky stairs, dust poofing up behind her. Like ashen ghosts…

'Whee! Dust clouds!' Auriana jumped in all the dusty areas, kicking up a storm, delighting in the grey clouds stroking her clothes. 'Dust is actually really pretty; such a nice grey. It gets a bad rep.'

Iris and Talia trailed after their friends, Iris looking out for paintings with moving eyeballs, or suits of armour that might try to decapitate her, or creepy twins. Why did I let Roxy talk me into watching 'The Shining'…?

They walked into the study, and Iris blinked. It was empty, except for a bookcase. The same one from Roxy's dream, if she was correct.

'Why is this still here?' Talia asked, confused. 'There were evidently other shelves in here…you can tell from the walls. Why didn't anyone take this one out?'

'Must be built in,' Auriana offered with a shrug. 'So what now? Do we summon the ghosts?'

Iris clung to Talia's arm, shrinking away from what she'd thought was a creepy shadow in the hallway, but was actually just the stairs. But they were creepy stairs…

'No ghosts, Auriana…' Roxy muttered, her fingers tracing the bookcase. 'Aha!' She pressed a knot in the wood, and there was a faint click.

Was it working? This was what her mom had done, right?

Roxy felt her heart start to sink as nothing happened, and she drew breath to apologise for dragging everyone across the country for nothing. Then, something just as implausible as every other implausible thing that had happened lately happened. The bookcase…melted. Not into a liquid, just…melted away. Stopped existing.

'Sweet Volta!' Auriana exclaimed, rushing forwards. 'I've never seen anything like it!'

For Roxy, the illusion was already forgotten, her feet carrying her through the mist of the bookcase and into the tiny alcove beyond. It was barely bigger than a cupboard, lined with bookshelves drowning in dust.

As soon as she stepped inside, Roxy felt a buzz, an insistent hum of energy. Of magic.

'I…I don't understand…' she murmured, reaching out and taking the first book that caught her eye. Blowing the dust off the cover, she read the title. Known Enchantix Spells: A Complete Compendium. Enchantix? What was Enchantix?

'It's a secret library!' Auriana exclaimed excitedly.

'And the 'ghosts',' Talia muttered, nudging a sigil on the floor with her foot. 'I don't know what this thing is, but it has warding energy. Keeps people away.'

'Is that why Iris is shrinking against the wall?' Auriana asked curiously, and Talia shook her head.

'No; that is because she is a class of warrior known on Earth as a 'fraidy-cat'.'

'Am not!' Iris flushed, striding over. 'I just…oh, whatever. So no ghosts?'

'Nope…' Roxy cracked open the book. 'Just a lot of books.' She skimmed a page, her gaze drawn the beautiful, detailed drawings of women with wings summoning fire and rain, trapping their enemies in magical bindings, creating copies of themselves. Enchantix spells, huh…?

'Why is all this in your house?' Talia sounded utterly bewildered, and all Roxy could offer her was a shrug.

'Why did my mom show up in my dream to show me a ghost bookcase?' She gazed at the other books, slipping the one she'd been reading back onto the shelf. 'Hey…' Her fingers reached for a delicate wooden box. 'Check this out…'

'Roxy, don't open that, it could be-' Roxy was willing to bet Talia was set to say 'dangerous', but she didn't hear, opening the box in spite of the ominous warning. Inside sat a ring, made from brilliant white metal, twisting over itself in delicate Celtic patterns.

'It's gorgeous!' Auriana exclaimed. 'Was it your mom's?'

'I don't know…' Roxy gingerly plucked it from the velvet, slipping it onto her finger in spite of Talia's protests. It felt…like drinking hot chocolate while being electrocuted. But in a…not bad way. Was it good? Was it even a sensation? It was less a feeling, more a…a truth.

Yes! Finally! Oh, my beautiful girl…

'Mom?' Roxy gasped, glancing around for the voice, but it had faded away, leaving behind her friends' concerned expressions.

'I heard…I heard my mom,' she explained, her voice shaking. Her mom's voice had sounded so familiar…of course it was familiar, it was her mom's, but still…

'We should take all of this with us,' Talia said decisively as Iris squeezed Roxy's hand. 'Who knows what answers these books have?'

'How are we gonna carry all these books?' Iris asked, skeptical. 'It's way too much to fit in the car.' Talia pulled a wooden box out of her backpack. 'And it's definitely too much to it in there.'

'That's a dwindle box!' Auriana exclaimed. 'Wait! Is that how you always packed so fast? And you left me to jump on my suitcase!'

'No, I'm just efficient,' Talia replied, stacking up a dozen books from the shelves. 'This is for the correct uses only.' Roxy and Iris's eyes widened as Talia lowered the books into the box, the stack shrinking away to the size of Lego pieces as the entered the container.

'It's a pocket dimension in a box,' Talia explained, already moving onto the next books. 'Very practical. We can get all of this in here.'

As Talia packed up the library, Roxy stepped back, taking a few dusty breaths. Her mom has all this? Her mom? Her mom, the therapist? But what if it wasn't her mom, the therapist? What if it was her mom, the fairy? Was she…was she where Roxy's wings had come from? Maybe…maybe these books would finally offer Roxy some of the answers she'd been waiting for.

She glanced out of the window and her breath caught in her throat. She moved on as smoothly as she could, turning back around and casually leaning against the wall.

'Talia…' she whispered. 'You need to hurry up.'

Talia raised an eyebrow, her eyes widening as she saw the quiet panic in Roxy's.

'We have company. Don't ask me how I know, but…that blackbird in the tree outside? That's not a blackbird.'