Shades of Starlight (Hiatus)

Book Two: Chapter Two

"No, it's awesome," I corrected her. "You have to let me help you!" Grady chuckled.

"I bet you'll get your wish, Cassia. You really think Sophie will let you stand there and watch her work" Grady was absolutely right. Sophie would have roped me, and probably Dex, into it anyway. I was excited! And yes, I knew it was strange for a girl like me to want to give a giant mutant hamster a bath, but I loved every animal at Havenfield unconditionally. Anything that had to do with animals, I was in for.

"How long do you think it'll take the gnomes to enclose Cliffside?" I asked Grady.

"Not long. If you want to come back over in a little while, that'd be fine. Or if you want to stay..."

"I'm staying!" I said immediately. I wanted as much alicorn time as possible. Sophie smiled, and we walked over to the enclosure.

"Does she have a name?" I asked Sophie. We needed to call her something, not just 'the alicorn'. Sophie reached through the bamboo bars and closed her eyes.

"Do you have a name, pretty girl?" Sophie murmured. The alicorn carefully moved her snout under Sophie's hand, eliciting an 'Aw!' from me.

"Silveny?" Sophie whispered, opening her eyes. The alicorn nickered.

"Her name's Silveny? That's beauti-OH MY GOODNESS I HAVE THE BEST IDEA EVER!" I squealed and jumped around, triggering a slight freak-out from Silveny, to whom I immediately apologized profusely.

"What's going on?" Grady and Edaline were suddenly right behind me, making me jump.

"I had an idea! Sophie says that the alicorn's name is Silveny, so I thought that we could take a shopping trip to Atlantis and get her a tracking collar with her name on it!" Grady and Edaline both looked thoughtful. I already knew it was a stupid idea two seconds after saying it, why did I even suggest it? There was no way they'd go for it.

"Sure. I trust your judgement on pretty things, so you can pick out whatever kind of collar you like," Grady told me.

"R-really?" I stammered, confused. Edaline nodded, smiling. It was such a dumb idea though!

"I think it's an adorable idea," Edaline said.

"I'm clueless about fashion, though," Sophie jumped in. "You should probably go alone." I nodded and pulled out the sketchbook I always carried with me and the fancy pen I'd bought after losing my other pen a year ago. I stared at Silveny for a minute, then projected an image of her onto one of the pages.

"Can you Conjure a measuring tape?" I asked Edaline. She snapped her fingers, and one appeared in her hand. I thanked her and took it, stepping through the bamboo bars into the enclosure. Making sure Silveny was comfortable with me, I offered her a stalk of swizzlespice that had fallen outside of her reach. Once I was sure she'd be okay with it, I slipped the measuring tape over her head and jotted down the measurement. Petting Silveny one last time, I stepped back out and grinned at the Ruewens, who were staring at me.

"I might be a while, but don't move Silveny without me!" I pulled out my pathfinder and set it to the cliff above Atlantis, waved to everyone, and leaped away.

The sea was stormy today as I opened the secret compartment in a rock that held hundreds of small glass bottles, all containing whirlpools. When I took trips to Atlantis with Keefe, I always made him close his eyes so he wouldn't know where the stash was. Who knew what level of havoc he could cause with them?

I uncorked the bottle and poured it out onto the waves. Instantly, a frothy maelstrom materialized, making a huge ruckus. This was why I loved shopping in Atlantis-both because they had the best stores and because I loved this part of the journey. Taking a running start, I jumped off of the cliff and down into the enormous whirlpool below, whooping and laughing. This was something else my brother and I had in common-we were both totally fearless when it came to things like this. Leaps of faith, my mom called it.

The wind undid my fancy updo and whipped my waist-length hair around, blowing it into my face as I fell, my arms outstretched. I spun and flipped gracefully on the way down, unafraid of the churning water below. The whirlpool made a vortex of air through the deep, black ocean water, to the bottom of the sea. Salty water sprayed me from all directions, cold and refreshing as I dipped and weaved through the air tunnel. Finally, the wild ride was coming to a stop. I made sure I was right side up as the vortex ended and I fell several yards onto the giant sponge waiting for me.

All of the water I'd been splashed with on the way down was absorbed by the sponge, and immediately I was perfectly dry. Above me, the whirlpool dissipated. I smoothed my velvety tunic and put my jewelry back on-I'd learned from experience that it was a bad idea to wear earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or circlets when going to Atlantis. I'd also learned to make Keefe go first after the third time he'd landed on top of me. It wasn't a good look, and he never gave me enough time to get off of the sponge before jumping.

I hailed a carriage, petting the eurypterid attached to the reins, and told the driver to take me to Claws, Wings, Horns, And Things. They sold customized collars there. I knew because I'd been there hundreds of times. Animals were such a love of mine. I wanted a pet desperately, but I hadn't worked up the courage to ask my parents. So I had to settle for staring at the adorable baby creatures. In a few minutes, I was standing outside of the store. I went in and asked for a custom collar at the desk.

"Sure, just let me get the designs for you," the lady chirped and disappeared into the back room. I decided to wander around and look at the pets. Usually, I wouldn't let myself do it, but this time I ended up staring at my favorites, the baby kitsunes. They were nine-tailed foxes, and, in my opinion, the cutest things to ever walk the earth. Humans thought they were myths.

"Here are the options, Miss!" The desk lady called. I walked back- over to the desk and looked at the collars. My final choice was a collar made of intertwining silver bands with small diamonds set around it. I gave the lady the measurements and the name, Silveny, saying it was my friend's unicorn. I didn't think it'd go over too well if I told a random person about the existence of another alicorn.

As she got the collar ready, I found myself staring at the kitsunes again. They were playing together, tumbling around and batting each other with their tails. It was probably the most precious thing I'd ever seen. A few minutes into fantasizing about owning one, the desk lady somehow snuck up on me with the finished collar.

"These are probably going to be adopted real quick if you want one, hon. They're very popular and we only just got these dozen," she told me. I wanted one. I wanted one so badly. Taking a deep breath, I pulled out my Imparter and called my mom, holding up one finger to the lady. Mom picked up after only a few rings.

"Cassia? What is it?" She asked, looking slightly worried.

"Um... uh... can I... get a-a pet?" I muttered, blushing. Mom looked unsurprised, and a bit like she wanted to laugh.

"I've been waiting for you to ask that since you started going to Havenfield every day. Your father and I have talked about this, and... I think that it would be fine, as long as you keep it in your room. You may pick whatever you'd like."

"Okay thanks Mom bye!" I squealed, ending the call and rushing back over to the kitsunes. I'd been watching one in particular, the most playful of the bunch. She was fluffy and a lovely creamy white, with huge amber eyes. I pointed to her.

"That one. Can I get a collar for her, too?" I asked. The lady smiled and nodded. This time, I chose a sparkly gold band about three-quarters of an inch long. For her name, I chose Stormy, like the whirlpool. It was also just a supercute name. The desk lady grinned and opened the cage, handing me the tiny nine-tailed fox. I loved my new pet so much already! Stormy was the softest thing I'd ever held. She was big enough to sit on top of both of my outstretched palms. My heart exploded seeing her in my hands. The desk lady gave me a fur-lined glass pen I could carry her in, food, a bed, a few toys, and a manual on how to train kitsunes. I paid, thanked her, put Stormy in her pen, and walked out, filled with joy.

I'd told the carriage driver to wait for me outside, and he had. I babbled about Stormy the whole way to my stop. The driver probably found me extremely annoying. He'd taken me to the only way to leave Atlantis, in a blue lagoon far outside the city. I levitated to the top of the statue that created giant bubbles  and waited for one to form around me. Seconds later, it did, and I was floating away from Atlantis. Stormy gazed out of the bubble, watching her home grow smaller and smaller. I'd come here for a collar, and I had found a beautiful collar for Silveny. But the best part of this shopping trip by far was my new best friend, Stormy the kitsune!