Aurora Cridland (age 12)

Once upon a time, there was a girl called Skylar Banks who literally lost her parents at a very young age. They were scientists who went out for weeks on end, and one time they never came back.

So, when she found out they were alive… she couldn’t help herself: she escaped on a train, picked up an ally, and now she and Sam Lumion were headed to the Illusion Meadow, the scariest part of the Mystic Woods. A mystical place where fear comes to life and things aren’t what they seem. A forest with thick purple fog that goes up to your ankles. Nobody knows where the fog comes from; all that is known is, if you could see magic like you see light, then you’d be blinded. That’s how strong it is. An awful place to be.

Of course, Skylar and Sam should have thought of that before going in vacay mode with drinks and mini umbrellas. Why did they do this? Because yesterday was Skylar’s birthday, and she had always wanted to go to Hawaii. Wrong place, wrong time.

“Thanks, Sam!” said Skylar.

“No problemo!” Sam replied and then smiled evilly. “But since real vacations have a price… I get your drink! Mwahahaha!”

Skylar scowled and replied, “Heyyyyyyyy! No fair! When you were setting up, you didn’t mention a thing about no tax!” Skylar said, mad, no, angry, no, furious, and skulled down her drink in one fell swoop.

“But I went through all this effort…” Sam whined.

“Well, too bad, so sad, I’m the birthday girl! If someone gave you a gift, then said, ‘You still have to pay!’ how would you feel?” said Skylar, glaring at him.

Sam thought for a minute and gave Skylar a loathing look.

“OK, sorry, we should keep going now,” he stated, jerking his head around to face a tree. “This place gives me the creeps.”

So they packed up and pushed on. As they went deeper, suddenly Skylar felt dizzy. She stumbled forward and fell onto her hands and knees. Her head started throbbing, which, along with the spinning, didn’t feel great. Then it stopped, as suddenly as it had begun.

“Sam?” Her voice was hollow and echoey. “Are you okay?”

No answer.

“Hello? Why aren’t you answering?!”

She got up and started walking.

“Saam?” she called. “Saaam?”

She paused and looked around. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes.

He wouldn’t just abandon me, right?… Maybe he would. Ugh, I’m so stupid. How could I even trust him remotely! she thought, then let out a quiet sob.

Mum, Dad, and now my only hope to complete this crazy mission, ugh…

As Skylar stumbled forward and fell, Sam exclaimed, “Whoa, are you okay?!”

Skylar’s eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, then she collapsed, twitching and mumbling from time to time. Sam started panicking. The nearest train station was an hour’s walk away, and for all he knew, Skylar might have been bitten and need urgent help. Or she could be faking. How would he know?!

He decided to scavenge around for something to put her in. He found a pool floaty.

“Convenient!” he thought.

Lucky he’d brought his tool kit. Inside he had three bunged-up trolley wheels and rope. He sighed and got to work.

Eight long minutes later, he had a… three-wheeled… flamingo… floaty-mobile.

He tilted his head. “Good enough.”

Sam dragged Skylar into the sort-of-wagon, grumbling to himself. He then grasped the rope and looked back at her.

“You’d better not be faking,” he groaned.

He took a few steps, then his knees buckled. The world around him started to tremble and spin. He tumbled onto the ground and blacked out.

He woke up to his elder sister dragging him across the grassy dirt.

“…Tamika?” Sam’s voice had a slight lag, as if he was speaking a second late, and had a slight echo to it.

“Oh, it’s you.” Her voice was cold and hard. “I thought I was rid of you by now.”

The edges of Tamika’s mouth curled upwards and she smiled an awful, cold smile.

“You might as well just leave then,” Sam said.

“Oh, but then, I wouldn’t be able to see your face when I’m done with you,” she replied coolly.

“Save your breath. I know you’re not real,” Sam said.

Then he reached up and stuck his hand through her stomach, and she exploded into mist. He stood up, the world spun, and he was back with the wagon and Skylar.

Sam turned to look at Skylar. She was shivering gently. He gazed at her for a moment, then he figured it out.

He touched her head.

“I’m getting sick of this,” he said.

The world spun yet again, as Sam found himself in an empty forest, so quiet, so still.

Then it hit him: a thousand thoughts all at once.

BETRAYED. LONELY. FRIEND. ENEMY. MYSTERY.

HOPE. DISTANT. POSSIBILITY. PAIN. GRIEF.

He heard crying. Looking around, he walked slowly towards the noise.

He came to a stop. Saw Skylar. She was shouting to herself, turning left and right, huge tears welling up in her eyes.

“Stop, stop, just STOP!” she wailed.

He caught a glimpse of her eyes. They were cloudy. There was no more vivid blue, only a completely colourless eye, like it was coated in glass.

He approached her slowly, squinting his eyes. He saw wisps of smoke here and there, a faint trace of lavender or maroon every now and then.

He walked up to Skylar and gently went to touch her shoulder. Her head turned suddenly, and her fist followed suit. Sam’s cheek and Skylar’s fist collided.

He touched his cheek, now throbbing red.

“Ow!”

Skylar brought her hands to her mouth.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”

Her eyes narrowed, then she went back to that cloudy, emotionless look.

“Or not. You abandoned me; you’re just a figment of my imagination.”

Tears ran from her eyes.

“Then how’d you punch me?” he said. “I’m real, the last time I checked.”

Skylar looked relieved, and her eyes began to flicker.

No, Skylar, whispered a strange voice in Skylar’s head. He is just trying to hurt you, it’s not real.

Her eyes went back to the faraway look.

Oh, it’s okay, I know how you feel. You can trust me…

“Skylar, I know how to get you away from whatever you’re seeing,” he insisted.

Skylar, you’ve gotten so big, the eerie voice soothed.

Skylar looked up.

Oh, my baby girl, Mum is here now.

Skylar giggled and was brought down to her knees. Her mum sat next to her and gave her a big hug.

“Is Dad here too?” Skylar asked.

Wouldn’t miss it for the world, sweetie.

Dad placed himself next to her and joined the embrace.

Unlike the other tricks, Sam could see this. Except for Sam, they all looked like awful, gaunt creatures, with the tips of their mouths sewn into a permanent smile.

“Skylar, they’re not rea–-” he started before Skylar interrupted.

“I know, Sam, but who knows if I will even find my real ones, so I will stay, then I will be home,” she replied without looking up.

“No, Skylar, we’ll find them, the real ones, I promise.”

Skylar looked up, and her eyes went blue again. She gave him the smallest of nods before saying, “No, I’m not leaving. Mum, Dad, excuse me for a moment.”

She walked over. “Leave, Sam. Goodbye.”

Pulling him into a hug, Skylar then whispered ever so quietly, “How?”

Sam whispered in her ear the solution. Then she shoved him away and went to hug her parents again, but instead, stuck her hand through their heads.

“You don’t scare me, fakers,” she said coldly to the evaporating smoke.

The world spun, and Sam and Skylar were back.

Skylar looked around, confused, then her eyes drifted to the thing she was sitting in.

“Sam… What is this?”

She indicated the pool floaty she was in.

“Oh, that,” he chuckled.

So they chatted about why there was a wonky-made wagon.

Two hours later, Skylar said, “L-look, I see sunlight!”

She jumped out of the wagon like it was on fire, and they ran, ignoring the pain in their thighs, until they emerged from the dark and were bathed in sunlight.

Skylar shut her eyes tightly and swung her arms open towards the sky. She looked down and opened her eyes, and what she saw almost toppled her over.

She ran over to an old abandoned campsite. Sam walked over as Skylar grabbed a singed sketch from the campfire. She gazed at it for a while, then turned to Sam and said, “Sam, it looks like we’re going to the Crystal Cove next!”

She showed him the map.