Free Snow White Sorrow by Cameron Jace

He’d never been anywhere without Charmwill nearby. It would be scary to go on his journey without him.
    “I am afraid, not,” Charmwill said. “It’s your journey, Loki. Not mine. But I’ll always be in here,” he pointed at Loki’s heart.
    “But—”
    “Don’t say anything now, not even goodbye. ‘Goodbye’ is a word even worse than ‘sorry’, although it’s sometimes inevitable.”
    Other than feeling scared without Charmwill, Loki suddenly realized how much he loved him, even with all that crap he told about fairy tales.
    “I should also tell you that you’re not prohibited from responding to bullies or getting in trouble once you enter Sorrow,” Charmwill said.
    “I’m not?”
    “Sorrow is a place where you should find what your heart desires, and to do so, you’ll have to be whoever you choose to be. There would be no point of preventing you from responding to annoying Minikins in Sorrow. You’ll be facing your greatest fear by trying to kill a demon girl already.”
    Loki liked the idea passionately. Finally, he’d be able to stand up for what he believed in.
    “Now, go,” Charmwill said. “You have only a week to find what you’re looking for.”
    Loki respected the fact that Charmwill didn’t want to say goodbye, and turned around, walking to the door. He did it abruptly before Charmwill noticed his moist eyes. He didn’t like anyone seeing him cry.
    “One more thing,” Charmwill said before Loki left, having sat down at his desk, writing again.
    “Yes, sir?” Loki had gripped the door and preferred not to turn around. He hoped Charmwill changed his mind and decided to accompany him.
    “Is the squirrel safe now?” Charmwill asked unexpectedly.
    “Excuse me?” Loki said.
    “You said you couldn’t kill Dork Dracula because you had to save a squirrel,” Charmwill said.
    “Yes, sir, I saved it, and set it free. It should be safe and sound somewhere,” Loki answered.
    “Good,” Charmwill said. “Heroes always save the squirrel.”
    A wide smile took shape in Loki’s heart as he opened the door and stepped out to begin his journey without Charmwill for the first time.

4
    Babushka’s Alicorn

    Leaving Snoring behind was like escaping a closet Loki had been trapped in for a very long time; yanking the door open and starting a new life was way past due. Even Carmen felt good about it. Being a clunky, almost shattered Cadillac didn’t deter her from helping Loki to reach his destination. She rattled and chugged on the bumpy highway while Loki tapped his fingers on the wheel, singing along with the radio. Today, Carmen played a song called ‘Highway to Hell’ by another imaginary—or deceased—band called the Sweet Pickleheads. The band was very good, even if they were all dead.
    Loki had what looked like a cigarette between his lips. Although he didn’t smoke, and despised smokers, he thought the act made him look older, and seemed to make people take him seriously. The trick had worked before when clients doubted his ability to kill vampires due to his young age.
    But that was in the past. He didn’t need to kill ninety- nines vampires anymore; only one special princess in a haunted castle was enough. He tried not to think too much about his weakness toward demon girls for the moment.
    What excited Loki was the Dreamhunter’s notebook on his dashboard. He was curious about all the things he had to learn, and he planned to read it as soon as he got the chance. For now, he patted it while driving; assuring himself that he wasn’t a loser. He was a Dreamhunter. Although he didn’t know how a Dreamhunter killed Demortals exactly, it still felt amazing to be important.
    Driving under the waning moonlight, Loki gazed into the mirror to check a pimple on his cheek.
    “Aaahhh!” Loki screamed as he almost hit the brakes with his foot. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull, and his jaw dropped while the cigarette clung loosely to the drool on his lower lip. There was a