Twenty-four hours later
Eleven-year-old Evie Amanda Madison slept not a wink overnight. Instead, she spent the time reading stories about the Paperblank Forest. After all, it was known as the most mysterious forest in all of Pinta Country. Even better, Evie was going to attend a one-week summer camp there starting today.
"Yahoo!" She tossed her white bedsheets over her head and leaped to her feet. Her curly, dirty blonde hair bounced all over the place as she jumped up and down on her bed. One by one, her stuffed animals fell onto the floor. "Today's the day! Today's the day!" Evie yelled.
The sunshine, mixed in with the light blue walls of her room, made it quite bright.
Evie hopped right over her chest at the foot of her bed and landed on her fluffy, white rug. She dug her toes into its fabric. Her pink pajama top and pants bounced with the rest of her body.
Evie rushed over to the corner of her room. In it was an enormous, wheeled suitcase. She had literally just thrown her clothes in it, not bothering to fold them or anything. She made haste to rush into her bathroom and pick up handfuls of makeup and jewelry.
Her bathroom was the smallest one in the house. It consisted of just a toilet, a sink, and a shower. There were tan-colored tiles on the floor and a few rugs. Her shower curtain had colorful flowers on it.
Evie chucked her makeup and jewelry into her suitcase. She then returned to the bathroom and fixed her hair. Evie patted it down, using a barrette to pull some of it behind her ear. The entire time she worked, she listed all the things she was looking forward to with the camp: "One week away from my parents! No rules, no chores! Even better, I can be just like Anthony!"
Ranger Anthony was the most well-known ranger in Pinta Country. He was the reason why Evie wanted to become a Pinta Park Ranger when she grew up. His missions took him to so many cool places. He was Evie's hero. Not to mention that the camp was for aspiring rangers to prepare them for Ranger School. In Pinta Country, trainees started attending the school when they were fifteen years old.
Evie styled her hair in a romantic tuck. She added a halo-like braid at the front of her head.
Her bedroom door opened, and her mother's voice wafted across the room. "Evie, are you up?"
"I sure am, Mom!"
Charlotte was in her late forties. She and Evie looked so much alike. Both of them had dirty blonde hair and blueberry-blue eyes. She appeared at her bathroom door. "Good morning, dear."
Evie stopped messing with her hair. "Morning, Mom."
"So, exciting day today, huh?" Charlotte asked.
Evie cheered. "Sure is! Mom, I'm going to the Paperblank Forest!" She literally could not contain her excitement. The eleven-year-old hurried out of her bathroom. She went to an open section of her bedroom, which was next to her toy box and a display of a few dolls. Behind her, morning sunshine cut through the area.
Evie played Pretend Ranger. She pointed at her ceiling and announced to all of Pinta Country, "I am Ranger Anthony, protector of the realm. I will befriend every magical creature, including the dragons. And one day, the king will personally invite me to his castle."
Not so long ago, the young king, Benjamin, threw a banquet in Anthony's honor. Evie read about it in the paper.
Charlotte chuckled, but her smile vanished when she saw Evie's suitcase. "Oh my. What's all that?"
Evie peered over her shoulder at her. "It's just all my camp stuff."
Her mother got down on her knees. She pulled cute tops, makeup bottles, and hair-styling objects out of the suitcase. "All you have here is makeup."
"Exactly!" Evie did a belly flop onto her bed. To get a better look at Charlotte, she crawled to the edge of it and propped up her head. "I also packed hair stuff and jewelry."
Incidents like these reminded Charlotte that her daughter was almost a teenager. She glanced at her and asked, "You understand you're going to the Paperblank Forest to learn how to be a ranger, right? That means you don't need all this. You're not going to be spending your days going to the mall and getting makeovers with your friends."
"Aw, but, Mom!" Evie was slightly embarrassed. To cut her some slack, though, the camp was going to be her first stay away.
Charlotte gave her a gentle smile. "It's okay. You're still learning. Why don't you get some breakfast, and I'll repack for you?"
"Yes, Mom. Sorry."
Evie changed into a white, short-sleeved shirt, jean shorts, and blue sneakers. The clothes suited her hairstyle. She left her mother in her room and went downstairs for breakfast.
The dining room was in front of a screen-in porch that overlooked Evie's backyard. Her father's woodworking shack took up a whole corner of it.
The dining room was not far from the Madison family's kitchen. Unlike Mateo's, it was not messy. Then again, older adults lived in the house. One of them was Ms. Gilbert, the family's next-door neighbor. She sat at the warmest, brightest end of the dining table. Ms. Gilbert was an old lady who suffered from dementia. She was eighty years old. Her husband died ten years ago from illness, so Evie's family decided to take her in. Since Evie was only a year old when that happened, she saw Ms. Gilbert as her grandmother.
Despite her age, Ms. Gilbert was a pretty lady. Silver earrings dangled from her ears, and she wore a denim shirt with some khaki pants. Her gray and white hair went all the way down her back.
She worked on a crossword puzzle. Next to her was Keegan, Evie's dad. His hair was brown, and he wore a pair of work clothes: blue pants, a collared shirt, leather shoes, and a belt. While his hair may have been a little different, he shared Evie and Charlotte's blueberry-blue eyes. A steaming cup of hot coffee rested next to his hand, and he flipped through the Pinta Times.
The family's blonde tabby, Angus, entered the dining room. He rubbed up against Keegan's leg, purring soundly.
Evie skipped the last step of the staircase. "I'm here!" she said.
"Evie, good morning," said Keegan.
Evie ignored him and went straight to Ms. Gilbert. She plopped down in a chair next to her. "Good morning, Grandma Gilbert."
"What about me?" Keegan mumbled.
Ms. Gilbert lowered her pen. She smiled at Evie and asked in a soft but sweet voice, "How are you, Evie?"
"I'm terrific! I didn't sleep at all last night. Grandma Gilbert, today's the day I'm going to the Paperblank Forest." Evie made sure not to yell around her.
Ms. Gilbert looked a little perplexed. "What's the Paperblank Forest?" she asked.
Evie told her the day before, but it was normal for Ms. Gilbert to forget things easily. She pushed her glass of orange juice off to the side and took the old woman's wrinkled hands. "The Paperblank Forest is the largest, most mysterious forest in all of Pinta Country. It's near the Pintaloon Ocean."
Loonier Country was Pinta Country's next-door neighbor. Instead of people, its inhabitants were birds. While Pinta Country had a more U.S.A. shape to it, Loonier Country was shaped like a bird head. The ocean that divided the two kingdoms was the Pintaloon Ocean. Not only did the king rule Pinta, but also Loonier.
Evie continued her explanation. "To get to the forest, we have to follow the Majestic River."
"The Paperblank Forest," Ms. Gilbert repeated. She looked disturbed. She even pushed her crossword puzzle away.
"Are you all right, Ms. Gilbert?" Keegan asked. "You're acting a bit strangely."
Ms. Gilbert reached her hand into a pocket on her denim shirt. The next time she spoke, she sounded desperate. "The Paperblank Forest, Evie. Please, bring back Mam." From her pocket, she pulled out a beautiful, white pebble. She shakily handed it to Evie.
"Mam? Who's Mam?" she wanted to know.
Keegan jumped in before she could interrogate the old woman further. "Do you want me to get you some more orange juice, Ms. Gilbert?"
Her voice rattled. "No, I want Mam."
Evie was officially curious. She held the pebble in the palm of her hand. The smooth surface felt good to the touch. "But who is she? Have you been to the Paperblank Forest before, Grandma Gilbert?"
Keegan took her arm. "Don't push the old woman, Evie. I'm going to get her more juice, and I want you to watch over her."
"Yes, Father."
Keegan pushed his chair out from the table and picked up Ms. Gilbert's glass.
The second he was gone, Evie eagerly told her, "All right, he's gone. So, who's Mam?"
The old woman spoke slowly, but that allowed Evie to take in all the details. "Mam was an adventurer. I met him when I was a young girl, but I never saw him again. The pebble is all I have left of him."
Evie scratched her chin. "So it's a he? Where exactly did you meet him? Do you have a secret lover, Grandma Gilbert?"
Ms. Gilbert didn't answer. She fell asleep.
Evie tried to wake her. "Grandma Gilbert? Grandma Gilbert!"
Nothing.
Evie finally just let her be. She held the pebble up to the dining room's light. A rainbow shimmered in it. It took on a fairy-like shape. Something told Evie the pebble was no ordinary pebble. Some sort of power emanated from it.
She rose to her feet and looked out a window to her backyard. Her jaw dropped. "Not again," she mumbled.
All the trees in the yard glowed up. The light washed over them like waves on a beach. Evie's eyes caught the outdoor fireplace. A few chairs surrounded it, giving it a bonfire-like appearance. A feeling tugged at her heart. Something wanted her to check out the fireplace. She fell into a trance.
Evie pulled open the door to the screen-in porch. She patted Ms. Gilbert's shoulder before she left.
Angus tried to follow her, but the door closed in his face.
Evie soon found herself standing in her backyard. Its fence was as white as the moon. She crossed a path and passed her soccer net. A stone structure that looked a little like a shrine was behind the fireplace. She took a step back when a portal-like door appeared, swirling like a galaxy in front of the chimney.
Evie heard a voice, a voice that sounded like it came from the portal itself. "Please help us. We're trapped."
"Who are you?" she nervously asked.
"Please, I can't keep him alive for much longer."
"Evie!" Keegan's voice behind Evie snapped her out of her trance. All at once, the trees stopped glowing and the portal disappeared. The day looked perfectly normal, with its cyan sky and cumulus clouds.
Evie shook her head. "Father."
Keegan marched down the path and joined her at the fireplace. He placed his hands on his hips. "What are you doing out here? You're supposed to be looking after Grandma Gilbert."
"Father, it happened again," Evie explained. "The trees glowed up."
"Do you seriously think I didn't see that?"
"What's happening?"
Keegan didn't want to worry her. "Nothing. Everything's fine, Evie. Remember, Pinta Country is magical, so a magical phenomenon is not uncommon."
"But someone called for help." Evie tried to make sense of the voice she heard.
Keegan gave her a confused look. "Help? What are you talking about?"
Evie's mouth gaped as she tried to think of her next words. Nothing came to mind, so she just replied, "Sorry, I don't know what I'm talking about."
"Well then, come on. The bus will be here in fifteen minutes." Keegan wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulder.
They started back in the direction of their house.
Evie tightened her grip on the pebble. She glanced over her shoulder to the fireplace, still trying to figure out what just happened.
Once inside the house again, Evie and Keegan met up with Charlotte. She was keeping Ms. Gilbert company. Except, Evie saw she held a photograph in her hand.
"Mom, what's that?" she asked.
Charlotte leaped out of her skin. She was so scared that the dining room table shook, waking Ms. Gilbert. As quick as a flash, she held the photograph behind her back. "Uh... nothing?"
Evie knew her family had some secrets they were keeping from her. Every time she tried to bring them up, her mother and father quickly changed the subject. She gave her mother a funny look and placed her hands on her hips.
"Poppycock," Charlotte finally added. "Um, I finished packing your clothes, dear. Why don't you wait outside for the bus?"
"But–!"
"But nothing. We need to keep Ms. Gilbert quiet."
"So you're saying I'm annoying?"
Charlotte shook her head. "No. I just think there are too many people around her right now."
"Okay, okay. Fine. Thanks, Mom." Evie was never the best when it came to prying. She started to leave, but she noticed her mother had pulled out the picture again. Evie didn't want to get in any more trouble, so she tried to ignore her mother's strange behavior.
She pushed her way through a few hallways to reach the front door. There was her suitcase–no longer stuffed with makeup and jewelry. Evie's favorite doll, Annabelle, sat on top of it. She had the appearance of an American Girl doll. Her parents got her because she looked like Evie with a little bit shorter hair. She had forgotten to take off Annabelle's rain jacket and boots from playtime overnight. However, it wasn't all bad because her jacket had a pocket that fit the pebble perfectly. Therefore, Evie slipped it in. She picked up her toy and said, "Well, this is it, Annabelle. We're going to the Paperblank Forest."
"Help." It was the voice again, the voice Evie heard from the outdoor fireplace.
She tried to find the source of it. Except, there was nothing in the area: not in the closet, den, or even library. Charlotte was fond of reading, so she liked to collect books. The library was right next to the front door. There weren't too many bookshelves, but it was enough to satisfy Mrs. Madison.
Evie hugged Annabelle close. She pulled hair out of her doll's face and admitted in a low voice, "There is definitely something weird going on in Pinta Country right now." As an aspiring ranger, it was up to Evie to solve the mystery. If she did, she would make Ranger Anthony proud. But first, Evie had to get to the Paperblank Forest. Only then would her adventure truly begin.