“Welcome to Feather Palace,” Lucinda said, leaping off Clara’s lap and strutting proudly in front of the thrones. “Do you like our new thrones? Princess Stitch made them for us last week.”

  “They’re amazing,” Clara said.

  Lucinda leaped onto her silver cat couch and, in a loud voice, called out, “Princess Mist! I found one! This time, I really and truly found a human girl!” the room. On her head she wore a tiara with a glittering swirl design made of gemstones. As soon as the pegasus saw Clara, a giant grin spread across her face. She reared up and whinnied with excitement, flapping her wings so that, for a moment, her shiny hooves lifted off the floor.

  Almost instantly Clara heard a clattering noise coming from down a hallway. The clattering grew louder and louder. And then a pegasus with a silver coat, a wavy silver mane, and a silver tail galloped into

  “Welcome to the Wing Realm,” the pegasus said in a warm, high voice. “I’m Princess Mist. I’m one of the eight pegasus princesses who live here in Feather Palace.”

  “It’s wonderful to meet you,” Clara said, feeling a little out of breath. “I’m Clara Griffin. I’m not a princess. I only have one sister. And I live in a house that doesn’t have a name in Gardenview, New Jersey.”

  “Gardenview, New Jersey,” Mist repeated in a whisper. “What a fascinating name. Someday I will have to visit there.” She cocked her head to the side and smiled apologetically. “I don’t want to be rude, but I just want to make absolutely and completely sure of something. Especially since we had a few, um, mix-ups over the past few days. You don’t happen to be a large fairy with very, very small wings, do you?”

  Clara laughed. “I’m not a fairy,” she said.

  “And your legs aren’t actually two fish tails because you’re really a mermaid, right?”

  Clara laughed even harder. “I’m not a mermaid. I really am a human girl, just like Lucinda said,” she replied.

  Mist smiled with relief. “Well, in that case, Clara Griffin from Gardenview, New Jersey, I could not be any more excited that you are here.”

  “Well, Princess Mist from the Wing Realm, I don’t think I could be any more excited that I’m here,” Clara said.

  “Did Lucinda happen to tell you why I was searching for a human girl?” Mist asked.

  Clara glanced over at Lucinda, who was now lying on her cat couch busily licking one of her hind feet. “She said you needed my help to make a cloud maze party potion.”

  “Exactly,” Mist said. “For months, I have dreamed of hosting a cloud maze party for my sisters and me in the sky above the Cloud Forest. I searched and searched for a magical cookbook with a cloud maze party potion recipe. I finally found one, and it turns out that to make the potion work, a human girl has to shake the bottle four times. Is there any chance you’d be willing to help me?”

  “Absolutely,” Clara said.

  “Wonderful,” Mist said. “And, on behalf of all eight pegasus princesses, I would like to invite you to our cloud maze party. We would be thrilled to have a human guest of honor.”

  “Thank you for the invitation,” Clara said. Then she paused. “I’d love to come, but there’s just one thing. If I stay here too long, my parents will start to worry about me.”

  “You’re in luck,” Mist said. “Time in the human world freezes while humans visit any of the magic realms. So, when you return to your house, your parents will think you’ve been gone only a few minutes.”

  “In that case, I would be thrilled to come to your cloud maze party. I’ve never been to one,” Clara said.

  “Neither have I,” Mist said. “And I love doing new things.”

  “Me too,” Clara agreed.

  Mist grinned. “This is turning out to be the best day ever,” she said. “In just a few minutes, we should leave for the Cloud Forest. The hedgehogs who live there have already made the potion. We’ll go get it from them, you can shake it four times, we’ll pour it out together in the sky, and then we can have our cloud maze party.”

  “That sounds like a great plan,” Clara said. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  Mist opened her mouth to respond, but just then Clara heard a clattering noise that was much louder than before. Seven more pegasus princesses burst into the room. Each was a different color, and each wore a tiara.

  As soon as the pegasuses saw Clara, they stopped galloping. For a few seconds, they stared hard at Clara. She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like they were looking to see if there were tiny wings on her back or if her legs were actually fish tails. Then they all turned to Mist with excited, hopeful faces.

  “Allow me to introduce you to my new human friend, Clara Griffin, from Garden-view, New Jersey,” Mist said.

  All eight pegasus princesses reared up and whinnied with excitement. They flapped their wings and flew in excited circles. After a few seconds of celebration, they each landed on a throne that was the same color as their coat.

  “Welcome to Feather Palace,” said a turquoise pegasus wearing a tiara with a water droplet design. “I’m Princess Aqua. We’re so glad you’re here. Feel free to have a seat.” She nodded toward the green winged armchair Clara and Lucinda had flown to Feather Palace.

  “Thank you, but honestly I think I’m a little too excited to sit down,” Clara said, giggling and hopping from one foot to the other.

  “Well then, feel free to stand and hop,” said a pink pegasus. She wore a tiara with a jumble of gemstone letters. “I’m Princess Rosetta, but you can call me Rosie.”

  “I think you must be the only creature in the Wing Realm right now without wings,” said a peach pegasus wearing a tiara with gemstones arranged in spirals. She smiled and winked. “I’m Princess Flip.”

  “We couldn’t be more pleased you’re here,” a black pegasus said, smiling warmly. “I’m Princess Star.” Her tiara had gemstone stars, moons, and planets.

  “I’m Princess Stitch,” said a green pegasus wearing a tiara with a scissors, needle, and thread design. “We are thrilled to have a human friend.”

  “I’m Princess Dash,” a lavender pegasus said. “It’s so nice to meet you.” Her tiara had a gemstone arrow design.

  “And I’m Princess Snow,” a white pegasus wearing a tiara with a gemstone snowflake design said. “Welcome!”

  “It’s amazing to meet all of you,” Clara said. “Thank you for inviting me here. I can’t wait to help with the cloud maze party potion.”

  Mist, Aqua, Snow, Stitch, Rosie, Flip, Star, and Dash all grinned. Then Mist looked at Clara with twinkling eyes and said, “Are you ready to come with me to the Cloud Forest?”

  “Absolutely,” Clara said.

  Mist leaped off her throne, trotted over to Clara, and kneeled. “Climb on up,” she said.

  Clara sucked in her breath. She was about to ride a pegasus! She swung her leg over Mist’s silver back and held on to Mist’s shiny mane, which felt cool and silky. Mist stood up, turned her head to the side, and smiled at Clara. “I’ve never had a passenger before,” she said.

  “I’ve never ridden a pegasus before,” Clara said.

  They both laughed.

  Mist turned to Lucinda. “Did you want to come with us to the Cloud Forest?” she asked.

  Lucinda finished licking her paw and looked up. “I’ll meet you there as soon as I play a guessing game with Princess Snow,” she purred. “I’m going to try to guess her favorite season in four tries. I think my first guess will be summer.”

  Clara kept herself from giggling. She didn’t want to hurt Lucinda’s feelings.

  The pegasus princesses all looked at each other, and Clara could tell they were trying not to giggle, too.

  “That sounds good, Lucinda,” Mist said. “We’ll see you soon.” Then she looked at her sisters. “Want to meet above the Cloud Forest in about an hour? I think Clara and I will be all ready by then.”

  “Sounds great,” Aqua said.

  “I can’t wait,” Star and Snow said at exactly the same time.

  “See you there,” Rosie said.

  Flip and Dash nodded and swished their tails.

  “I’ll come a little early just in case you need any help with the potion,” Stitch said.

  “Thanks, Stitch,” Mist said. Then she turned and trotted toward the palace’s double front doors. When she was a few feet in front of them, the doors swung open. Clara peered outside, expecting to see a palace garden with fountains, rose bushes, and more pegasus statues. But instead she saw blue sky, clouds, and treetops. The palace was floating in the air!

  “Hold on tight!” Mist said.

  Clara tightened her grip on Mist’s mane as the silver pegasus leaped forward and flew out the palace doors.

  As Mist soared into the sky, Clara turned her head and gazed back at Feather Palace. The castle, which looked like two enormous silver wings surrounded by towers and turrets, sparkled in the sun. “Your palace is beautiful,” Clara said.

  “Thank you,” Mist said, flying higher and higher. “I can’t wait to show you the Cloud Forest. I think it’s even more beautiful than Feather Palace. It’s just a little further up this way.”

  “I can’t wait to see it,” Clara said.

  Mist paused. And then she said, “Can I ask you something I’ve been wondering about?”

  “Of course,” Clara said.

  “Do you have any magic powers?” Mist asked.

  “I pretend I have magic powers all the time,” Clara said. “And my parents would say my magic power is to make messes when I do creative projects. But the truth is, I’m not magic at all.”

  “Interesting,” Mist said. “Do any of the humans in Gardenview, New Jersey, have magic powers?”

  “No,” Clara said, laughing. “Humans are just not magic.” She paused. “Do you have any magic powers?”

  Mist turned her head back toward Clara. “I’ll show you,” she said in a playful voice. “Though honestly, it’s not very interesting.”

  The swirl design on Mist’s tiara sparkled. And then, all of a sudden, Mist disappeared. Except Clara could still feel Mist’s back under her. She could still feel Mist’s mane in her hands. She could even still occasionally feel a feather from Mist’s wings brushing against her leg. “Are you still here?” Clara asked, feeling nervous.

  “I sure am,” Mist said. And then, suddenly, Mist reappeared. “My magic power is just to turn invisible.” She sighed and added, “It’s nothing fancy or special.”

  “I think being able to turn invisible is an amazing magic power,” Clara said.

  “Really?” Mist asked, sounding surprised.

  “Yes,” Clara said. “I would love to be able to make myself invisible.”

  “Well, thank you,” Mist said, sounding pleased. “Honestly, sometimes I feel like all my sisters’ magic powers are better than mine. Aqua can breathe underwater and make bubbles. Snow can freeze things and create snow. Stitch can magically sew, knit, or crochet almost anything. Rosie can speak and understand any language. Flip can do a magic somersault and then turn into any animal. Star can magically feel, see, hear, and smell things no one else can. Dash can instantly transport herself anywhere within the Wing Realm. Being able to turn invisible just seems so boring.” Mist sighed.

  “I really do think being able to turn invisible is a wonderful magic power,” Clara said. “But I also completely understand how you feel when you compare yourself to your sisters. I feel jealous of my sister, Miranda, all the time. I feel jealous of how curly her hair is and how fast she can run. And when she learned to pump on a swing before I did, even though I’m older than she is, I felt so jealous I could hardly stand it.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” Mist said. “Snow is younger than I am, and she learned to fly before I did. I did not like that one bit.”

  “Do you know what my mother says when my sister and I feel jealous of each other?” Clara said, smiling. “She says, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy.’ It’s a little annoying when she says it. But I have to admit it’s true.”

  Mist laughed. “I definitely do not feel joy when I’m comparing myself to my sisters. So your mother is probably right,” she said.

  “I know I only just met you, but I want you to know I like you exactly the way you are. I wouldn’t want you to have a different magical power,” Clara said.

  “Thank you,” Mist said. “I can already tell you’re going to be a wonderful friend. And I don’t think that just because you’re human and you can help me make my potion. I think that because you’re kind. After talking to you, I’m even starting to feel proud of being able to turn invisible.”

  “I can tell you’re going to be a wonderful friend too,” Clara said. “And that’s not just because you’re a pegasus. You’re also kind, and that is the most important way for a friend to be.”

  Mist turned toward Clara and smiled. Then she faced forward. “Do you see those clouds up ahead? That’s the Cloud Forest. We’re almost there. This is going to be so much fun.”

  Clara looked off in the distance and saw the edge of what looked like a thick blanket of silvery-pink clouds. As they flew closer and closer, Clara saw a stone wall a few feet from the edge of the cloud floor. And in the wall was a wooden door with a sign above it that said, in swirly silver writing, Welcome to the Cloud Forest.

  Mist flew up to the door. And then, to Clara’s astonishment, she landed right on the pink clouds. “Would you like to get down?” she asked.

  “Can I really walk on the clouds?” Clara asked.

  “These are special magic clouds,” Mist said. “I promise you won’t fall through them. Though I don’t usually walk on them.”

  “What do you do instead?” Clara asked.

  “You’ll see,” Mist said in a playful voice as she kneeled.

  Clara slid off her back. Under her feet, the clouds felt spongy and springy—just like a trampoline. Clara bent her knees, about to jump. She glanced over at Mist, who was also bending her knees, about to jump. They locked eyes and grinned at each other. And then, at exactly the same time, they jumped high into the air. “Whee!” Clara called out. She landed and jumped again. And again. And then again.

  “One of the best things about the Cloud Forest is you can jump along all the paths instead of walking or flying,” Mist said, jumping up and somersaulting in the air. “So,” she continued, bouncing from side to side, “are you ready to see the Cloud Forest and get the potion from the hedgehogs?”

  “Yes,” Clara said.

  “Jump up to the gate and close your eyes,” Mist said. “I want to surprise you.”

  Clara hopped over to the door and shut her eyes. She held her breath as she heard the door creak open. Then, Mist said, “Take six jumps forward.”

  Clara jumped six times. She heard the gate swing closed behind her. “Now you can look,” Mist said.

  Clara opened her eyes. She stood at the edge of a forest—but it was unlike any forest she had ever seen. All the trees were completely silver, with shimmering silver trunks, silver leaves, silver pine needles, and silver pinecones. And everywhere, Clara could see silvery-pink mist. Wide ribbons of mist spiraled up tree trunks. Thin threads of mist slid along tree branches. Tangled balls of mist drifted slowly in the air.

  “This is an incredible place,” Clara said.

  “I had a feeling you’d like it,” Mist said. “This path leads right to the hedgehogs’ tree. And on the way, I can show you something really neat.”

  Mist began to jump along a pink cloud path that cut through a thick grove of silver cedar trees. Clara jumped alongside her, closing her eyes for a moment to breathe in the cedar smell.

  The path wound through patches of silver ferns blanketed in a thin layer of pink mist, silver willow trees wrapped in pink mist ribbons, and giant rocks covered in glittery, silver moss. Just before the path turned sharply to the left, Mist stopped jumping and looked at Clara. She whispered, “What I want to show you is just ahead. Follow me for a moment and be as quiet as possible.”

  Mist crept slowly off the path and stood behind a thick, silver tree trunk. Clara tiptoed right behind her. “If you look this way,” Mist said, nodding toward a clearing on the other side of the tree, “you can see the two-lips and the ear-flower tree.”

  Clara peered over a bush. Sure enough, Clara saw a tall thin tree with large yellowy-silver flowers that looked just like pegasus ears. Below the tree was a patch of reddish-silver flowers shaped like giant mouths. “Do you see the ear-flowers and the two-lips?” Mist whispered.

  “Yes,” Clara whispered.

  “Now, watch this,” Mist whispered. “Come with me.” They crept back to the path and walked silently along it as it passed right in front of the ear-flower tree and the two-lips. Immediately, the two-lips turned their flowers toward Clara and Mist. The mouth-shaped flowers grinned. And then they began to sing, “Hello! Hello! Hello!”

  As soon as the two-lips began to sing, the ear-flowers rolled up and curled into tight balls.

  “That’s amazing,” Clara said.

  Mist nodded. “The only way to see the ear-flowers is to hide where the two-lips don’t notice you and sneak a peek. They’re some of my favorite Cloud Forest plants.”

  “Thanks so much for showing me,” Clara said.

  “My pleasure,” Mist said. “So, shall we go get the potion from the hedgehogs now?”

  “That sounds great,” Clara said. She and Mist jumped along a path as it crossed a field of long silver grass and snaked up a hillside. Ribbons and balls of mist drifted through the air and shimmered in the sunshine. And then Clara and Mist came to an enormous silver tree covered in threads and ribbons of mist. On each of the branches hung a purple hammock. And in each hammock was a sleeping purple animal with shiny violet wings, a pointy nose, purple bristles, and a tiny tail.

 

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