EXCERTP

 Then Mara sped off to the side of the building. Her nightgown was so long that Evie couldn’t see her feet and she almost appeared to be floating. Evie hesitated for a moment, then followed Mara, ignoring the chill she felt wrapping itself around her like a scarf. Mara led her to a large brick wall, and then whispered a few words that Evie couldn’t understand. 

Suddenly, they were inside a beautiful cave full of glistening crystals. Evie gasped as they walked into a tall, spacious room. It was carved out of the living stone beneath the ground and it glowed with a soft light. Luminous stalactites dripped from the ceiling and crystals studded the floor. The light came from the crystals and from the air itself, which was thick with energy. Evie had never seen anything like it, and she didn’t know whether to be terrified or excited. 

“What is this place?” she asked.

Mara smiled and held up the dark obsidian stone. “Things seem difficult now, Evie, but soon you’ll be on top. Just locate the portal that resembles this stone… I will do the rest.” 

Before Evie could even reply, the mystery girl vanished into thin air. Only the stone remained. Evie bent down and picked it up. It was a shiny black obsidian with swirls of gray and silver.

Evie jerked up to the loud sound of her alarm clock. Ooh baby I love you… She slammed her hand on the Snooze button. She had cried herself to sleep and didn’t want to hear anything about love. Was that a dream? Evie thought to herself. It had felt too real to be a dream. As she lifted her head off the pillow, she noticed something hard and smooth underneath. She slowly reached under her pillow and pulled out a round, shinyobsidian stone. She stared in amazement and ran her fingers across the surface. Mara’s instructions echoed in her head: “Locate the portal that resembles this stone.” 

She placed the stone in her backpack and tried to forget about her strange encounter.