“Where are we?” Veronica asked timidly.

            “We are in my home,” the woman said. “I am Queen Whitney of Magina.”

            “Magina? I’ve heard of that name before.” Veronica said thoughtfully. “Oh, I remember it was in a story my father told me when I was little!”

            “I’m sure,” the queen said sweetly. “Your father used to love coming here.”

            “You knew my father?” Veronica asked in surprise.

            “Yes I knew him, James was my brother.” The queen said slowly.

            “Really?” Veronica said in excitement.

            “Yes, you were his only child, so his power…” The queen said, while pulling out a small orb filled with blue smoke. The orb had a small golden lock and it was the most amazing thing Veronica had ever seen. “It is yours my dearie.”

            Queen Whitney freed the orb from its binding lock and when she did, Veronica found herself in a plain but simple velvet purple dress.

            “I love it!” Veronica said breathlessly.

            “Yes I thought you would.” The woman said. “Now if you please, I have to tend to the servants. Good day.” The queen slowly left the room leaving Veronica alone to stare in awe at her beautiful palace.

            Veronica looked around and saw that she was standing in the throne room, which had a ceiling so high that made you wonder if it ever would end. In addition, there were only two things in the entire room; one was a bloody red carpet, and the great throne itself. She turned and saw that there were steps leading out of the throne room to the outside. She followed the step, and at the end, she saw a town to small and beautiful it looked like a painting with the sunset for a backdrop. However, the odd thing was that just outside of the town was a forest that just cut off at the town’s edge. 

            Veronica made her way down to the town, seeing no one at all. The windows on the houses seemed to be staring at her, watching her seeing all her movements. Just then, Veronica turned down one of the streets and saw a woman whose arms were filled with boxes trying to open a door.

            “Here let me help you.” Veronica said opening the door for her.

            “Thank you young miss.” The woman said placing down her boxes, and then turning to see her helper stopped dead.

            This woman was reminding Veronica very much of the queen. She just like the queen had her face covered as though afraid someone would see underneath it.

            “You have been to the queen.” The woman said staring at something around Veronica’s neck.

            “Yes I have.” Veronica said looking down to see a necklace that matched the orb around her neck.

            “You need to run!”

            “What?”

            “You need to get out of here before the queen gets to you!”

            “She can’t and even if she did I have my fathers magic to protect me.”

            “No you don’t, it’s the queens magic and you may use it for a while but then, you will end up like the rest of us.”

            “ How’s that?” Veronica asked the woman not wanting to know the answer.

            “You’ll end up as though you were nothing.” The woman said lowering her hood.

            The scream of terror never left Veronica’s lips when she saw the woman. All she knew now was that she had to get away and that the face of the woman would never leave her. Veronica was running through the forest now with no idea where she was going. When Veronica finally stopped running she found herself surrounded by trees that all looked like they were laughing, laughing at her silly attempts to get away.

            The icy cold silver of the necklace touched Veronica’s neck, and she remember she had some magic even though it was not truly hers. Veronica just grabbed it so it looked as though it has been choking her.

            “I wish,” Veronica said hopefully. “That I could just go home.”

            Veronica did not wish to open her eyes so she just stood there for what felt like hours. Then, out of nowhere she heard a shout of anger. Veronica’s eyes snapped open to find herself in her room, to see Whitney trying to come out of the mirror. Whitney was riding on a horse with wide crazed eyes, trying to bit anything in its reach.

            Whitney put her hand out ready to grab Veronica, and before she had time to think, she picked up the leg of her desk and smashed it into the mirror center. A smash, then a horrid scream, and then burning around Veronica’s neck as though someone had wrapped a white hot poker around it.

            Veronica woke to find herself lying in a warm bed, inside a room that was entirely white. Her mother was at her bedside and just stared for a second.

            “You lost the magic, and the doctors say that the burns around your neck from the necklace will never fully heal.” Her mother said as though saying it all at once would make everything better. Tears swelled up in her mother’s eyes, then pulling her daughter into a hug said. “I am so proud of you.”