Chapter 13: The library

"Wake up, Candy, wake up!" I flew up from my bed, finding myself standing on my feet. I sighed heavily, time to find out what is in that library. I wore my slippers, picked my night jacket and wore it. I headed to the library, trying to be as silent as possible.

When I reached the library, I walked to aisle 23 like I saw in my dream, then I was confuse on where to turn to.

"Candy, turn left." Her voice echoed in my head, I turned left and walked forward until she whispered "Right." I followed her instruction until once again I was standing in front of the painted wall.

"Where is my tail?

Where are my wings?

Where are my scales?

Where is my life?

Do not hide from me what you have

Do not forget the key

Remember the shell scaled tail

Remember the me you have." I repeated her words.

If the past experience have thought me well about Victoria, this particular key must be with me. I thought back to everything Victoria have to me, the ones I can remember. A valuable asset she gave to me, it had to be something.

Nothing related to a tail or mermaid. I sat down on the floor and rest my back on the book shelf, nothing came to mind but there had to be something. I closed my eyes and continued trying to remember, but I dozed off.

It was me as a little girl, I was two. How I was able to remember that was probably my brain. My parents took me to the park, rather took themselves to the park for a romantic dinner and left me with my nanny. A young man came over to her, smiling flirtatiously. My nanny smiled back.

"Hello, Becky, we meet again," he said with his best Mr. Cool smile. "Remember the promise you made to me? If we meet again for the…"

"Fifth time, I know. Have you been stalking me?" Nanny Becky asked forming a frown.

Oh my God! He found me again! The seer was right!

I could hear her thought, probably because it's a dream.

"No, I just keep praying, can we talk please? Please don't… Is this your baby? Are you married?" He asked with sad eyes.

"I work for the parents of this child, they are having some time alone," he sighed with relief. "Okay, Juno, I'll be back, just play with your teddies before I get back." She stood up, caged me with the teddy bears and played my favourite song for me.

I have always been a music lover.

"Be back, baby,"

"Okay," I giggled. She kissed my forehead and left with the man. I continued playing with my toys, not until I saw a baby bunny creep out of a bush.

"Baby bunny! Mummy, look! Baby bunny!" The bunny hopped back into the bush because of the way I shouted. I pushed the bears away, stood up wobbly and hurried after the bunny. I pushed the leaves out of the way, pushing myself further into the bush.

I made it through the bush and hurried after the bunny who kept hopping away. I kept running after the baby bunny, calling after the bunny. I ran out of the park, heading to the connected woods. The urge to catch it coursed through me, my feet moved so fast and before I could blink, I caught the bunny and hugged it in my arms. I pet the bunny as I giggled.

"Cute baby bunny," I heard a snarl. I looked up to see a jackal, but of course I thought it was a puppy. He snarled again, causing the bunny to tremble with fear. "Hey, stop scarwie bunny, get haway!"

He rushed at me, I simply waved my hand and a bright white light emitted from my fingers, forming three twisted whips. The whips flogged the jackal on his face, sending him flying back and hitting a tree. I giggled, the bunny hopped free from my embrace and ran for it life.

"Hey bunny! Come back, bunny!" I threw myself on the ground and began to cry, screaming at the top of my voice which was very, very, very high. I moaned, the memory was hurting my head. I could feel my eyes changing colour, all the colours in the world was turning plain white.

"Juno," I paused for a second and looked up at the woman looming over me. My mouth fell open with awe, she was flying. As a child, I had no idea who she was, but as me I knew she was Tori.

"Fairy! Cawie me!" I shrieked with enthusiasm, stretching my hands to her. She smiled at me and lowered herself down.

"You have grown so big, my candy," she scooped me into her arms and pinched my nose. "How are you? Someone's power is starting to unlock," she teased, rubbing her nose against mine. "Your powers shouldn't be open yet, Cressida will be able to feel it from where she is and come after you. I can't let that happen my angel, I must protect you. It isn't everyday I can find one that can take my place, so for your own sake, I'll take your powers and bestow it back when you come of age."

"Fairy Queen, can I meet Puter Pam?"

"Of course," she laughed. She pulled out a strand of her hair, the strand whirled around her index finger, crawled into my left hand and entered my vein. It felt like I was stung by a bee, the pain was there but yet I wasn't crying, I was amuse. She picked out a strand of my hair, a single lock that had turned white.

The strand of hair wrapped itself around her wrist and whirled along her forearm to her shoulders, around her neck and onto her right arm. The hair reached her right index finger then she whirled it in the air like a ballerina dancing with a ribbon.

"My tail, my wings, my scales, my life, this is the key I give to you." The hair zipped through the air and into the necklace on Tori's neck. The necklace was beautiful, a tailed fairy as it pendant. The necklace appeared on my neck and disappeared into my body. Me the little girl was dozing off, I felt weak.

"Juno! Juno!" I heard Becky shout in panic, "I'm going to jail for sure…"

"We'll find her before they notice…"

"Don't touch me! If anything happens to that child, I will never forgive you!!!" Becky roared.

"Right then, time to go. I'll tell you a word girl, remember…"

"Juno!!!"

"Ailadi." She whispered. I opened my eyes, I was back at the library. For a brief moment, I can swear I saw Victoria crouching in front of me, tears streaming down her face.

"You have always been looking out for me from the very beginning, did you choose me from birth?" The wind only blew my dress up, ordering me to stand. I stood on my feet, using the shelf to support my weight.

I placed my hand on my neck and whispered the word she told me. I felt something form underneath my hand. I looked down at the necklace. "Okay necklace, open this wall if possible." The tailed fairy lit up, she pulled out and flew into the painting, joining the other mermaids in swimming.

I was awestruck, the mermaids in the pictures were laughing as they played and danced in the flowing waterfall. The picture had come to live. I took in a deep breath and walked into the wall, the force that went through me was like nothing I had ever felt before. I fell down on whatever ground I was, green. I raised my head, my mouth fell open, I was in an enchanted forest.

"Don't get too excited," I screamed and jerked to my feet. "Is she really the one Victoria chose to succeed her? She's jumpy."

"Shut up, Mimi," I looked around for who was talking, I couldn't see anyone. "Down here, miss, down, down!" I bent down and peered, something was moving.

"Talking cockroaches?"

"Cockroaches!" About five voice exclaimed in shock and annoyance.

"She called us vermins, what an insult,"

"Sorry," I apologise, I knelt down.

"Hey! Careful where you put those heavy knees of yours! We are tiny you know!"

"Sorry, I can't see you…"

"Your hand," I looked at the back of my hand, a small person was standing on it. "Hi, I'm Thumbelina, I'm the chief's daughter. Are you Mistress Victoria's successor?"

"I guess so," I couldn't even see their faces.

"You will have to shrink to our size so you can visit her office,"

"Er…" I said nervously.

Shrink?

"You can't," she sighed, "repeat after me, higher than trees,"

"Higher than trees,"

"Smaller than one can see,"

"Smaller than one can see,"

"One born full and one tall,"

"One born full and one tall,"

"Will now be small."

"Will now be small." She jumped off my hand which was getting smaller, the ground became closer and before I knew it, the grasses were taller than I was.

"There you are," I turned to the girl, the pretty blue haired person. "Hi, what's your name?"

"Juno," I said with a little fright, looking at each of the little person. They all had coloured hairs and a mark on their faces that matched their hair colours.

"Come, you can't stay here for long," Thumbelina said hastily. She led the way.

Well, here goes nothing.