âAnother perfect day!â said Rachel Walker happily. She was standing in the sunshine on the grand entrance steps of the Golden Palace. Rachelâs best friend, Kirsty Tate, looked up at the sky and smiled as the bright sunbeams warmed her face.
âItâs royal weather for a royal palace!â Kirsty agreed.
Kirsty and Rachel were staying at the Golden Palace for a special Royal Sleepover Camp for kids over spring vacation. Today, Kirstyâs mother was bringing Kirstyâs younger cousin Charlie to spend the day with them.
âIâm looking forward to showing Charlie all the amazing places here,â said Kirsty. âI wonder what he'll like best. The drawbridge? The moat?â
âOr the petting zoo, the magic staircases, the dungeons, or the maze,â said Rachel, counting them off on her fingers. âThere are so many things to show him, I donât think one day will be enough!â
âStaying here really does make me feel like a princess,â Kirsty said, gazing out across the palace gardens.
âHow about a Princess Fairy?â Rachel asked.
The girls shared a secret smile. They were friends with the fairies who lived in Fairyland, and they often helped them when Jack Frost and his goblins caused trouble. At the moment, the fairies needed their help more than ever before. When the girls had arrived at the Golden Palace, they had been invited to a special ball in Fairyland in honor of the Princess Fairies. But Jack Frost had crashed the party and stolen the princesses' tiaras!
âJack Frost is so mean,â said Kirsty, thinking about the cold-hearted master of the Ice Castle. âThe Princess Fairies need their tiaras to make sure that humans and fairies can have a happy, magical time. Without them, there will be problems all over the human world and in Fairyland.â
âWeâve already found two of the tiaras,â Rachel reminded her best friend. âAnd we know that the others are somewhere at the Golden Palace. Iâm sure we'll find them!â
Queen Titania had not been able to keep Jack Frost from taking the tiaras to the human world, but she had cast a spell to make sure that the tiaras would all end up at the Golden Palace. That way, Rachel and Kirsty could help get them back!
Before the girls could say another word about Fairyland or the tiaras, they saw Mrs. Tateâs car driving over the drawbridge and pulling up in front of the palace.
âHi, Mom!â called Kirsty, waving. âHi, Charlie!â
A very excited-looking little boy climbed out of the car.
âHi, Kirsty!â he called at the top of his voice. âHi, Rachel! This place is AMAZING!â
Mrs. Tate hugged Kirsty and Rachel.
âAre you having a good time, girls?â she asked.
âOh, yes!â Rachel exclaimed. âItâs even more exciting here than we imagined!â
âWe want to show Charlie the petting zoo and the royal stables,â said Kirsty eagerly.
Just then, Mrs. Tate cried out. One of the palace peacocks had jumped up onto a stone pedestal and started pecking at her purse!
âShoo!â said Rachel, flapping her arms at the peacock.
The peacock lifted its tail feathers and stalked away. Kirsty and Rachel stared at it with astonishment.
âIâve never seen a peacock act like that before!â said Kirsty, frowning.
âMe, neither,â Rachel added.
âMaybe thereâs something in the air,â said Mrs. Tate. âKirstyâs cat, Pearl, has been out of sorts, too. Sheâs been running away and hiding all morning.â
âThatâs really strange,â said Kirsty, frowning. âPearl usually loves curling up in peopleâs laps.â
âMaybe she misses you,â said Charlie.
âI wonder if Buttons misses
me
,â said Rachel, thinking of her shaggy dog.
âIâm sure he does,â said Mrs. Tate. âI have to go now, but Iâll be back to
Emily Snow, Heidi McLaughlin, Aleatha Romig, Tijan, Jessica Wood, Ilsa Madden-Mills, Skyla Madi, J.S. Cooper, Crystal Spears, K.A. Robinson, Kahlen Aymes, Sarah Dosher