Liliana Wood
By Scarlett Biggs


Prologue
About 15 years ago…
April 8, 1984

It was a peaceful spring Sunday in Phoenix Feather Island. The vibrant colored flowers were just beginning to bloom while the palm trees towered high over the island, a few birds singing from within them. The Miller couple, Scarlett and Henry, walked together along a sandy path near the shoreline, enjoying the nice cool weather and the beautiful life all around.
“Oh, Henry, it’s so beautiful today,” Scarlett said softly, leaning on his shoulder looking out at the waves as they gently crawled up to the shore. Scarlett and Henry often followed this path on their daily morning stroll.
Suddenly, Scarlett let out a gasp. “Oh my! Henry, look!” She pointed at something floating in the water.
Henry jumped, surprised by her sudden shout. He looked out at the ocean and saw what she was so surprised about.
About 100 feet out was a wooden raft with what looked like a small handwoven basket.
“What could be in it?” said Scarlett, sounding curious and worried at the same time.
“I’m not sure,” said Henry, straining his eyes to see what was inside the basket.
Eventually, the raft bumped up onto the sand and the Millers rushed over, wondering what this could possibly be and where it had come from. There was a little whimpering coming from inside the basket on the raft.
Scarlett peeked into the basket and once again, gasped, but this time she sounded more surprised.
Inside the basket was a small, lightly freckled baby wrapped in multiple layers of blankets.
“Henry! A Baby!” She exclaimed.
“Look, there’s a note,” Henry picked up a small, soggy piece of paper from the basket, “It’s a little hard to read because it’s wet, but I’ll try,” he paused, looking at the note. Then he read it aloud,

“Whoever finds this, take care of our little Liliana.”
-Lucy and Owen Wood

There was a second of complete silence. Then Henry said, “Her parents must not have been able to take care of her.” The couple starred in astonishment as the quiet whimpers turned to cries.
“She must be starving,” said Scarlett, finally realizing the baby was crying. She carefully placed her hands under the infant, lifted her, and slowly rocked back and forth.
“We’ll take her in,” Henry said quietly.
“Yes. We should call her Lily for short,” agreed Scarlett. “Let’s take her to the village nurse.”
The couple silently walked towards the peaceful village in the direction of Phoenix Feather’s doctor’s house.

Chapter 1

Liliana Wood walked along the edge of Phoenix Feather Island, her long sandy-blonde hair waving slightly in the wind. It was a gorgeous evening. The sky was just beginning to turn golden-orange along the horizon as the sun slowly set. The sun shone beautifully on her bright green eyes. How was she supposed to tell her adopted parents, Scarlett and Henry Miller, that she wanted to leave this lovely island? Lily had no idea how they would respond. Hopefully, they would understand.
Today was her birthday, or at least that’s what they always called. It was the day she arrived on Phoenix Feather Island. Lily showed up on a raft when she was about 1 year old with just a few blankets and a note.
She was always so curious about her parents and where she’s from, and now that Lily was 16, she was an adult—for there 16 was the age of an adult. She could take care of herself. So why would Scarlett and Henry say no? Lily thought. Well, I guess they would really miss me, and I would also really miss them, she thought, answering her own questions.
Lily heard a bell ringing and a distant voice calling her name, immediately interrupting her deep thoughts. She knew what that meant. It was time for dinner.
Lily decided she’d better hurry and go. It was extremely rude to be late for an event—even a meal—in Phoenix Feather.
“Coming!” She shouted back, as she started walking into the small, tropical village.
Mostly everyone was inside eating. It was very quiet except for a couple of birds calling from the trees above.
Lily strolled along the pathway that she was so familiar with. Every evening she would go down to the beach and walk along the shoreline. And when Scarlett rang the dinner bell, she would come walking this same way toward her small house on the far left side of the village.
Lily walked over to her little home, and slowly twisted the doorknob. She entered the living room. There was a cushioned couch and a leather chair sitting to the left of it. On the right side of the couch, there was a wooden bookshelf holding about 20 books. Lily walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.
“Hi, honey,” Scarlett said, walking over to the table to sit next to her, “Did you have a nice walk?”
“Yeah, it was good,” said Lily softly. She was trying to think of how to tell them about leaving. Lily could say that they couldn’t stop her now that she was an adult. No. That sounds too rude, thought Lily. Then what could she say?
“Lily, I made your favorite, shrimp. Since, well, you know, it’s your birthday,” Scarlett said, making Lily look up quickly.
“Oh, yeah. Thank you,” said Lily trying to sound excited. “Um… so, yeah… uh, about that—you know—my birthday,” she said, piercing the shrimp with her fork. “I’ve been thinking, since I’m 16 now, well…” Lily paused, afraid to say it.
Then, all of a sudden, the words burst out of her mouth like a rocket. Lily said it so fast, she didn’t even know if Scarlett and Henry understood her. “I’ve always wondered about my real parents, and where I’m from. And now that I’m an adult, I was thinking about leaving the island and figuring out where I came from.” When Lily finished she winced, terrified of what the outcome could be.
There was a deathly silence in the room. Lily waited for her adopted parents’ refute. But instead, they just looked at each other surprised and slightly confused.
“Oh, Lily,” Henry said in a gentle tone, “Scarlett and I knew you would eventually say something like this.”
Lily was so overcome by relief that they hadn’t gotten mad at her. But they still hadn’t said if she could go yet, so she was still crossing her fingers.
“So does that mean I can go?” Lily asked, hopefully. After all, they hadn’t said no.
“We’ll have to think about it, Lily,” said Scarlett hesitantly. Scarlett and Henry knew Lily was bound to ask that question soon. But they never actually planned a response for it.
For the rest of dinner, everyone was silent. When Lily was done, she quickly went upstairs to her room.
“Do you think we should let her leave?” Scarlett said as soon as Lily was out of earshot.
“Well, I mean… she is 18…” said Henry, not knowing what to say.
“I just… I just don’t think I can let her go,” said Scarlett bursting into tears. “She’s been with us for so long,” she said through sobs.
Henry wrapped an arm around her, comfortingly. “We have to, Scarlett. There’s no stopping her.”
Scarlett grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. “Okay, I guess you're right, we must do it. But she won’t be leaving right away. It’ll take a few weeks to get ready,” said Scarlett, calming down slightly.
“Yeah, good idea. Now, let’s go to bed and get a good night's rest,” said Henry, “And we’ll tell her the plan in the morning.”



Chapter 2

There were bright flashes of light all around. The frantic cries of a woman filled Lily’s ears. There was a sense of panic and fear in the air.
Suddenly, Lily felt someone softly push whatever she was lying on out and into calm waters. She peacefully floated away from all the chaos and noise. She floated for a long time in the quiet, open sea. But soon, the waves started to get much stronger and harsher. They splashed up onto her. The water was freezing and felt like sharp knives stabbing into her skin. There was a deafening crash of thunder and Lily woke with a start.
She sat upright, breathing heavily and shaking all over. Lily had this same nightmare very often but still got so frightened from it every time. It always felt so real, so familiar. But what had been going on? Who was the woman? Why was everyone so worried?
Lily often pondered on these questions, but she never understood what had been happening in the dream.
A streak of light shone brightly through Lily’s curtains and she realized it must be morning. Suddenly, she remembered that Henry and Scarlett still hadn’t answered her question: Could she leave Phoenix Feather? She quickly slipped on her clothes and headed downstairs to the small kitchen, where the delicious smell of eggs and bacon being fried drifted over to her nose.
“Breakfast smells delicious,” said Lily, making Scarlett look over her shoulder.
“Good morning, Lily,” she looked as though she was about to cry.
“Good morning,” Lily replied, wondering about the strange look on Scarlett’s face. She put some eggs and bacon onto her plate and sat down at the table.
Henry came down the stairs and swiftly walked over to Scarlett, “Should we tell her?” he whispered, as quiet as possible, not wanting Lily to hear the conversation.
“Yes, I think we should,” Scarlett said, almost immediately. She had been thinking about it all morning. Scarlett was dreading her beautiful, kind, adopted daughter’s departure. But she also wanted Lily to be happy, and if that was what it would take to make her happy, that’s what she would do.
“Lily,” Henry said, sitting down at the table across from Lily, with Scarlett by his side. “Scarlett and I have decided that we’re going to let you leave the island.”
Lily looked at them, not knowing what to say. She felt as though she could jump with glee. They were actually letting her go! She would finally be able to venture into the world and find her homeland. Her family.
“When could I leave? What should I use to sail? How much supplies should I bring? I’ve got to start packing right away!” said Lily, joyfully, hardly able to contain her excitement.
“Well, first, maybe you should just calm down,” said Scarlett. “To answer your first question, you probably shouldn’t leave right away, you need some time to pack and get ready.”
“She’s right, you’ll need at least a few weeks to prepare,” agreed Henry. “And I’m sure you'll be allowed to use one of the village boats, there are most definitely enough.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan,” said Lily. But inside, she was arguing against it. How was she ever supposed to wait at least a few weeks?

~

A few days passed, yet for Lily, it felt like a lifetime. Because when you’re waiting for something, time seems to slow down tremendously.
Lily, Scarlett, and Henry were able to get the mayor to let Lily use a beautiful white sailboat that was about fifteen feet long and had a twelve-foot tall white sail. It had two small storage compartments on the floor, which she planned to put food, water, and anything else in.
Finding something to sail with might not have been so hard, but finding enough food and water, on the other hand, was a little more difficult. They decided she would have to bring mostly dried food that didn’t need refrigeration like cereal or crackers. She also planned to bring rice, fruit, and vegetables in a cooler, though she knew it wouldn’t stay cold long. Scarlett and Henry helped Lily collect ten plastic jugs of water; they hoped it would be enough.
Somehow, word leaked out that Lily was leaving—someone probably overheard a conversation. She received many encouraging statements like, “Good luck on your journey, Lily,” or “We’ll miss you.” All she ever did back was give a small smile.

“Okay, let’s get all the stuff in the boat,” said Lily the morning it was time to leave. She was so excited. It was finally time! What she’d been waiting for for so long. Lily and her adopted parents loaded the boat with all of her things: blankets, food, water, and change of clothes. Together they struggled to push the heavy sailboat off the sand and into the shallow water with it still tied to a stake in the sand.
Lily, facing the ocean, suddenly spun around and hugged Scarlett and Henry tightly.
“I love you guys so much,” she said, tears springing into her eyes. “I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me.”
“I love you, too,” said Scarlett, she had started crying, too.
“I love you, Lily,” Henry said.
Lily sniffed. Was she ever going to see them again? Lily desperately wished she could just stay wrapped in this warm hug forever. It was so peaceful and full of love.
Time passed. Lily didn’t know how long it had been, she was numb with pain. When Lily had the strength, she said, “Well, I guess I’d better get going.”
They pulled out of the hug and Lily climbed onto the boat. Henry pulled out a pocket knife, slowly bent down to the stake, and clutched the knife tightly in his hand. He squeezed his eyes shut. Henry cut the rope. The sail boat floated in place for a few seconds until it slowly drifted out towards the open ocean.
“Bye, Scarlett! Bye, Henry!” Lily shouted, through tears. “I’m gonna miss you so much! Love you!” The boat was now about 10 feet out.
“Bye, Lily! I love you!” Scarlett cried out, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Goodbye, Lily! Stay safe! We’ve loved you from the day you arrived on this island!” Henry yelled out to her, refusing to cry.
Soon, Lily was too far out to see her adopted parents. She turned to face the ocean, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind, she was determined to find her family.

~

About an hour had passed since Lily left beautiful Phoenix Feather island. She was heading east towards the Atlantic Ocean using a compass Henry gave to her for her eleventh birthday. As soon as Lily had the thought, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and quickly shut her eyes to hold back tears, clutching the compass to her chest. Would the whole trip be like this?
Suddenly, a big wave crashed up onto the boat rocking it wildly and making Lily lose her balance. Another wave splashed and she fell into the water. Lily expected freezing water, like in the dream she had, but to her surprise it was lukewarm. But she didn’t have time to worry about that, she had to worry about getting back to her boat and back on course.
Lily was practically blinded from the saltwater in her eyes, and the sudden violent waves kept pulling her under the water, before she had a chance to take a breath, filling her lungs with seawater. She blindly tried to feel around for the boat, but there was nothing. Lily thrashed her arms, desperate to swim to calmer waters, but despite her efforts she went nowhere.
Lily felt something bump her legs. Out of instinct, she kicked around wildly, hoping to hurt whatever pushed her, even if it was just another wave. Yet, her legs only brushed against some seaweed.
Bump!
There it is again, she thought. What could it be, though? Whatever it was it could be dangerous, Lily had to get away from it.
The bump came again from behind, this time pushing her legs out from under her and she fell completely under the water.
Lily swallowed a bunch of seawater making her choke. She had to go up for air, and fast. She was starting to feel light-headed and the world was beginning to fade to black. Lily desperately tried to swim to the surface before she passed out, when she felt water start to swirl around her as if she was in a mini whirlpool.
The “whirlpool” quickly moved forward, dragging Lily along with it. What in the world is going on? Lily thought, trying to get the salt water out of her eyes so she could see what was pulling her.
Suddenly, Lily’s ribs bumped painfully into something hard. She felt around. It was her boat! The thing that had been pushing her had led her to her boat!
Lily, with much trouble, hoisted herself onto the boat and grabbed the paddle (which was somehow still right where she dropped it) ready to steer away from the harsh waves. Until she noticed they were gone. Just gone. How could they have just disappeared? Well, I guess the same way they all came so suddenly, Lily thought.
Thump!
Something bumped against the bottom of the boat. Lily saw a few bubbles pop up in the water. It couldn’t have been a fish, it wouldn’t have made such a loud noise. Is it the same thing that saved me? She wondered.
Then, a small pastel turquoise-colored head poked its way up to the surface. It sort of looked like a sea turtle. Though the color patterns were very odd. It had bright green eyes and purple splotches on its head. The rest of its body floated to the surface. The creature’s shell was navy blue with pentagon patterns. The flippers were the same as the head: turquoise with purple spots.
It tilted its head towards Lily looking proud. So this is what saved me! A sea turtle! She thought. Though she was debating whether it was a turtle or not. It looked much different, and how did it make that whirlpool?
“Thanks for helping me, little guy,” said Lily. But the creature shook its head rapidly. “Oh, you’re a girl?” This time it nodded.
Just then, Lily realized she was actually talking to a turtle, and it understood her!
“Wait, can you understand me?” she asked after having the realization. It nodded and Lily just stared in amazement.
“Do you have a name?” she asked. The little creature shook her little head slightly. Lily looked at her. “Hm… you look like an "Alexis. Does that sound pretty good?” The turtle made a happy noise. “Well then, Alexis, I’m Lily. And I’m looking for the island I came from. My parents, Lucy and Owen, sent me away when I was little. Do you happen to know what island they’re on?” she really hoped Alexis could help. Lily didn’t exactly know her destination yet. Alexis let out a squeak and made a gesture for Lily to follow. Lily followed Alexis, really hoping she knew where she was going.
The rest of the day, Lily followed Alexis. She started steering them North East. It was slowly starting to get dark and Lily knew it would be hard to stay on course if she fell asleep. She yawned, thinking about sleep. Lily decided she should get something to eat. She grabbed a banana and some cold rice out of her cooler and ate in silence.
Then, Lily heard a little whine coming from her left side and looked over. Alexis was looking at her with wide eyes.
“Oh! Do you want food?” Lily couldn’t stand that look of begging. She tossed out a few strawberries and Alexis ate them up in two gulps. “I guess you’re hungry!” said Lily, a look of surprise on her face as she threw out a few more strawberries.
Lily lied on her back and gazed up at the stars; they were so beautiful. Her eyelids drooped. The edges of the sky began to turn black and her eyes closed completely.




Chapter 3

Thud!
The boat bumped up slightly and Lily’s head bonked hard onto the boat waking her up fast.
“Ow.” Lily looked to the side painfully and saw Alexis looking mischievously at her. “Did you do that?”
A little grin spread across Alexis’s face.
“That hurt, you know,” said Lily with a laugh.
Then, she remembered she slept through the whole night. Lily quickly pulled out her compass and checked it. They had slowly been moving south. Overnight, they drifted completely off course! Lily quickly adjusted a few ropes and started paddling until the arrow on the compass was pointing a little left of the shiny N.
“Okay, there we go. Back on track,” said Lily relieved. Hopefully, she wouldn’t sleep through every night. Lily’s stomach rumbled soundly. She poured some cereal into a plastic bowl and ate it using a spoon she found in one of her baskets of supplies. It felt good to eat. And that made sense because she’d had a very small dinner the previous night.
When Lily finished she tossed her bowl and spoon back into the basket for later use. “Time to get going, Alexis. Lead the way.” Lily watched Alexis swim forward and paddled after her, eager to find her destination.
“So, Alexis, have you ever been to wherever we’re going?” Lily asked after a while. She was curious how Alexis knew exactly where she wanted to go.
Alexis nodded.
Lily sighed “I just wish you could tell me more about my home…”
Alexis looked up and started waving flippers dramatically and making little squeaking sounds.
“Whoa whoa whoa, wait! I don’t speak sea turtle, remember?” Lily thought for a moment. Ugh! I wish I could understand her.
Very suddenly and very clearly, Lily heard a soft, sweet voice saying, “Lassonia is the most beautiful place, everyone is so nice. That was a very special island. They had a secret I must never tell. A secret that no one but the Lassonians know.”
“What just happened?!?” Lily shouted out in confusion. Alexis just stared at her, head tilted and a look of discombobulation on her face.
“Did you hear that?” Lily said, noticing Alexis’s discombobulated expression. Alexis tilted her head the other way and made a noise. But Lily didn’t hear the noise, instead, she heard the strange voice again.
“What?”
“Wait. Is that you, Alexis?” Lily was completely baffled. Could she really understand Alexis? Or was she dreaming? Alexis slowly nodded and the voice said, “I think so?”
“H-how is this possible?”Lily stuttered. “Am I actually understanding you? No, no, I just can’t be. This is crazy. It’s all in my head. Alexis, quick, splash some water on me.”
Alexis splashed water up onto Lily, completely soaking her. “Okay. Nope. Definitely not dreaming,” said Lily, wiping her eyes dry. “But how?”
Alexis smiled and whispered one word: Magic.
“Wow,” Lily breathed, “Magic? Magic actually exists?”
“Of course it exists!” Alexis said, like it was something completely normal.
“Can you do magic, Alexis?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Oh yeah! That whirlpool thing that you did to save me! That was magic, right?”
“Yep, it was,” said Alexis in a matter-of-fact tone.
“This is—this is amazing,” said Lily, absolutely astonished by the fact that magic was real. “I guess we’ll be able to communicate lots better now, right?” she said with a laugh.
“Yeah. We should probably get going now,” said Alexis, noticing they had stopped and started to drift off track. She started heading north east again, Lily followed.
“So, I remember you saying something about Lucy and Owen being your parents,” Alexis said, breaking the silence.
Lily nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, if they’re your parents why aren’t you with them?” asked Alexis.
“It’s kind of a long story,” said Lily.
“I mean, we might as well have something to talk about,” said Alexis, curiously.
“Okay. Well, when I was about a year old,” Lily began, “Lucy and Owen for whatever reason weren’t able to take care of me. So, they sent me off in a basket on a raft hoping someone would find me. And somehow—probably because of magic—I survived. I arrived on Phoenix Feather Island, the island over there—” she pointed south west, “—the Miller couple found me and raised me. And then a few weeks ago, when I turned 16, I decided I wanted to find my family and where I came from. And then I met you and here we are now.” Lily sighed happily, “I can’t wait to meet my parents.”
“I would tell you why your parents sent you away, but I don’t know. I wasn’t on the island when it happened. But I do know something bad happened, but I was never told what,” Alexis said.
“Oh,” said Lily, “Can anyone else understand you?”
“Just a few,” Alexis said. “Your mother, Lucy, was one of them. She was so nice. We were really close.” Alexis looked out at the sunset in deep thought.
“Wow. My mother could understand you, too?” Lily always wanted to meet her parents.
“Yeah,” said Alexis. “Come to think of it, I haven’t visited Lassonia in a while, or seen Lucy and Owen. Until just a little while ago, I didn’t even know they had a child.”
“Oh, so it really has been a long time,” said Lily.
“I hope everyone’s doing alright. Well, I’m sure they are. Lassonia is very well protected.” Alexis said.
“That’s good to hear,” Lily said, digging around for something to eat.
“We should be getting close.” Alexis squinted at the sunset. Lily put a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun and looked ahead, too.
“I don’t see it, yet. Do you?”
“No.” Alexis looked over at Lily. “But there’s a spell of the island making it harder to see from a certain distance. So it’ll probably be visible by morning.”
Lily hoped they would get there soon. Though, she didn’t expect the trip to be this short—probably because she didn’t know she’d have a guide who knew exactly where she wanted to go. Lily yawned.
Alexis, noticing, said, “We should get some sleep.”
“You’re right,” agreed Lily. With that, she leaned back on a pillow and closed her eyes.

~

When Lily woke the next morning, dark gray clouds dotted the early morning sky. Lily sat up and stretched. She looked up at the sky.
“Looks like it’ll rain today,” she said to herself.
“That can’t be good,” said Alexis, making Lily jump.
“Oh, Alexis. Hi. Didn’t see you there. I really hope we can get to Lassonia before it rains,” Lily said.
“I think we will!” exclaimed Alexis, pointing a flipper ahead. “Look!”
Far ahead the silhouette of a lush green island swam into view.
“Yes! Finally! I get to meet my family!” Lily was overwhelmed with excitement. She could hardly wait. I wonder if I have any siblings! thought Lily.
Alexis looked at Lily and then ahead again. “To Lassonia!”
Lily looked off into the distance, lost in thought. Would her parents recognize her after all this time? After 17 years? Will the Lassonians allow her access onto the island? Would she be able to make friends, unlike in Phoenix Feather? These questions along with many others raced in her head, as Lassonia grew nearer. Lily didn’t know if she was more excited or worried.
To the side of Lily, Alexis was looking up anxiously at the dark sky covered in clouds. “Uh, Lily…”
Lily, being pulled out of her thoughts, looked at Alexis. “Yeah?” But then she saw Alexis looking up, and too, looked toward the sky. “Oh,” she whispered.
Then, suddenly, thunder boomed. Alexis and Lily looked at each other worriedly. They were headed straight for a storm.



Chapter 4

“We have to hurry!” shouted Lily, as the wind started to pick up. They sped up, Lily going as fast as she could and Alexis swimming at a miraculous speed. Rain started to drip from the sky.
Lily let out a small laugh, “Normally, I actually really like the rain. But, right now, I’m not so sure it’s good.”
“Uh, yeah, ya think?!” Alexis yelled over the rain and thunder.
Waves thrashed and jagged bolts of lightning struck the darkening sky. The boat tipped and turned. Lily pulled a rope, turning the sail and hoping to speed up.
“Come on, come on!” she muttered to herself. And then, a brilliant idea popped into her head. Lily concentrated hard, pictured the boat moving faster than ever before, and then thought; Speed up. Speed up.
With no warning, the boat sped through the water at tremendous speed. Lily hung on tightly, her knuckles turning white, while Alexis swam not far behind.
“We’re almost there!” yelled Lily, though she didn’t know if Alexis even heard her through the loud rain and wild waves.
Suddenly, a giant wave formed in front of them when Lily was looking back.
Alexis called, “LILY!!” But no one heard. The wave smashed itself into the boat, flinging Lily off the wrecked boat immediately. The boat tossed wildly in the stormy sea.
Lily was thrown about by the waves. She tried to get to the surface to swim to Lassonia, but the ocean was too harsh. Lily was pulled back under the water, seawater flooding into her mouth and nose. She was becoming lightheaded from the lack of air and being tossed around in the water. Soon, Lily no longer had the strength to stay conscious.
Meanwhile, Alexis, able to breathe underwater, was trying desperately to find Lily. Whenever she was able to surface, she’d look around in search of Lily. Though she was nowhere to be seen, only the crashing waves and pieces of the boat flying everywhere. Alexis was gasping and trying to find her way towards Lassonia, but it was too dark and she was moving around too fast.
Alexis swam and swam, though, not sure if she was going the right way. She grew exhausted as she swam on against the thrashing waves. When would this dreaded storm end? Soon, Alexis was so tired and beat up from the harsh waves that she, too, lost consciousness.

~

Lily’s head throbbed horribly. She tried to sit up, but a pain like needles shot into her body and she closed her eyes and leaned back onto the sand again. Lily lay motionless except for her heaving chest. She groaned in pain. Where was she? Oh yeah. We crashed from the storm. I’m not in the water or on the boat, she thought. So that means I’m in—
“Lassonia!” Lily said in a scratchy voice. Just then, she could faintly hear the sound of feet shuffling on the sand. There were gasps and murmurs amongst the approaching group.
“Who is that?” The voice was a middle-aged female.
More whispers came, saying things like, “How did she find us?” and “Where did she come from?”
A man from the small, whispering group shouted, “Look! She’s got a Lassonian sea turtle with her!”
“Are they alive?” said the adult female voice.
“The girl is breathing,” said a man.
“Someone go get Mayor Finley!” said a voice, “And hurry!”
A woman started running in the direction of Lassonia’s mayor’s office, yelling, “Stranger! A stranger has arrived near the southwest side of the island! Get Mayor Finley!”
The Lassonians whispered and gasped. Many curiously began to head to the shore. The woman kept running through the crowd. Finally, when she got to the mayor’s office, she knocked rapidly on the door and spoke in a firm, urgent voice, “Mayor Finley, I’m very sorry, but this is an emergency. A young woman has arrived unconscious with a Lassonian sea turtle near the southwestern side of the island.”
The door swung open to reveal a dark-skinned, curly black haired woman with vivid green eyes and a surprised look on her face standing in the doorway.
“What? How? A‒a stranger?” Mayor Finley sputtered.
“I have no idea. But, come with me. I’ll show you,” said the woman.
They walked through the town. Finley pushed through the noisy crowd, shouting, “Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!!”
Meanwhile, on the beach, Lily was starting to get up, when she noticed the crowd of people surrounding her. “Oh. Uh, hi,” she said. Several gasped when they saw her face.
“Excuse me! Let me get through! I’m the mayor,” came Finley's voice. She came to the front of the crowd.
When Lily saw her she started to speak, “Miss, uh, Ma'am? I uh—”
“Nope, stop. Do not speak,” Finley cut her off. “Everybody get back to what you were doing,” she waited, “NOW!” People started walking back to their homes to go play or do chores or care for their young.
Finley approached Lily and held a hand out to help her up. Lily accepted and pulled herself up.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I am Mayor Finley. Come with me,” Finley said in a firm voice.
Lily followed the mayor through the village. The island was very lush and beautiful. There were many palm trees hanging over them, each with a few coconuts starting to grow. Far in the distance was a gushing waterfall with beautiful life all around. At the bottom of the waterfall was a small lake with a stream flowing out and into the village. Lassonia was a much bigger village than Phoenix Feather. Soon, Finley and Lily arrived at Finley’s office and walked in.
In one corner, was an office desk and a comfy-looking leather chair. Finley sat in the chair and invited Lily to sit in the chair opposite of her.
“So,” Finley started, “I’m going to ask you a few questions. Who are you? Nothing more for now, just your name.”
“Liliana Wood,” Lily said. “I go by Lily, though,” she added quietly.
Finley made a small noise, but quickly covered it by clearing her throat. “So, Lily, why did you come here and how did you find this place?”
“Well, I’m originally from Lassonia. My parents, Lucy and Owen Wood, were unable to care for me and sent me away. I came back here, hoping to maybe find them. And how I got here, well, at first, I was just exploring and waiting to find something when a colorful sea turtle showed up and gave me directions. Then we washed up here after a storm.”
Finley took in the information and thought for a moment. Was Lily telling the truth? Could she be trusted? Then she said out loud, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Finley got up and walked out the door, leaving Lily sitting in silence. What could Finley be doing? Was she going to go get something? Or perhaps someone? Lily bit her lip nervously.
Just then, Lily heard voices outside the door.
A man started talking, “Lily? That’s what she said her name was? And her parents, Lucy and Owen. Could this mean—?”
“Yes,” started a woman, “But—but how? After all these years?”
Then Lily heard Finley’s voice, “Whoa, whoa, wait. Before you get your hopes up, we need actual proof. Proof she is who she says she is. That girl in my office could very well be impersonating Liliana Wood so they can get into Lassonia.”
“Okay. Well, let’s go ask her for proof, then,” said the still anonymous woman.
As the door knob turned, Lily quickly looked down at her hands so it didn’t look like she was eavesdropping. The door opened and Finley walked in.
“I’m back. Now. How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Lily didn't know what to say. Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
“Ah-ha, just as I thought. You—”
But Lily quickly interrupted her. “Wait, no! I—I can…” she paused.
“Yes?” Finley asked.
“I can do magic.”
“Magic? Show me,” she said firmly.
Lily thought hard. What could she do? Usually she just concentrated really hard on something. “Well, I’m not very good, but…” she trailed off. “I’ll try.” Lily put her hand on the table and closed her eyes. Lily concentrated as hard as she could on what she wanted to happen.
As planned, the desk began to shake slightly and then slowly lifted off the ground. It levitated about a foot above the floor. The desk stayed floating there for about half a minute, and then slowly floated back down with a slight thud.
Lily and Finley sat there in silence, and Finley starred, eyes wide wide with amazement. Her mouth was hanging open slightly at this, though she closed it after realizing.
“Hm. So, you have magic in you. But I still don’t fully believe you. You could be an enemy with magic. Give me proof you’re the daughter of Lucy and Owen Wood,” Finley said.
Lily opened her mouth to speak, “Uh—” She closed her mouth again, “Hm.” Now what? Maybe I could say what mom and dad put on the note they sent with me. Or is that not enough? Well I guess it’s worth a try, Lily thought.
“If I told you exactly what Lucy and Owen put on the note they sent with me as a baby, then would you believe me?” Lily said.
“Maybe,” said Finley. Lucy and Owen had actually showed her the note to see if it sounded good. So Finley would know right away if Lily was lying.
“Okay. Let me remember,” Lily thought for a second, and then said, “The paper said: Whoever finds this, take care of our little Liliana. From Lucy and Owen Wood.”
Finley’s eyes widened a little bit as she took in the truth. She had never imagined Lily would ever return to Lassonia. “Well,” she started. “I’m so sorry for mistrusting you, Lily.”
Lily felt a rush of excitement flow through her. She had gained Finley’s trust and would get to stay in Lassonia. Many thoughts of excitement raced through Lily’s mind and after a minute or so she spoke.
“Mayor Finley,” she started. “Thank you so much for this.”
“You’re very welcome,” said Finley, talking much more kindly this time. “Now, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Lily’s heart raced at these words. Was it her parents? Surely it was. Who else would it be? Lily was the happiest she’d ever been before.
They walked quietly to the door. Finley placed her hand on the cold, silver door knob and twisted. Lily’s heart pounded with slight nervousness, but mainly excitement. The door opened with a small creak, revealing two middle aged adults (they looked like they’d been listening to the conversation) looking surprised.
The man was tall with brown hair and gray blue eyes. The woman, shortish, wavy strawberry blonde hair and dark brown eyes, was looking at Lily, chin quivering.
The woman stuttered one word. “L-Lily?”
Lily stared at the couple, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, the two people ran up to her and embraced her in a hug.
“Oh, Lily. We never thought we’d see you again. We thought you’d never come and find us,” said the woman through tears of happiness.
“Yes, we’ve missed you so much,” said the man. Then, his smile faded into a face full of sadness. “Paige…we must tell her the truth.”
The woman named Paige sucked in a breath. “You’re right,” she breathed in a quavering voice and then sniffed.
They pulled apart and the man spoke:
“My name is Mason. Mason Wood. I know you might’ve expected me to be your father, Owen, but I’m his brother. This is my wife Paige,” he motioned towards the woman, “Around 17 years ago, as you know, your mother and father sent you away. I'm sure you’ve wondered why for a while now,” His voice wavered a bit at the last part, “Well. An evil man called Viermortem came and invaded Lassonia. No one knows why, but he went for your family. Someone heard him mutter ‘Lily’. Others heard him repeatedly shout ‘Wood’. We don’t know what he wanted from your family.
“When Lucy and Owen got word he was coming for them, they decided it best to send you away, because even if they hid Viermortem might find you. There were no available boats at the time, so you guys couldn’t all leave. So Lucy and Owen sent you off with a protection spell. Right after you disappeared into the sea, well—” he paused and sniffed. So did Paige.
Lily had a look of terror on her face as she listened, terrified of what Mason was about to say.
“No,” Lily whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “NO!” she screamed. “NO! THEY CAN’T!” She choked on a sob. “They—they just can’t…” Lily whispered. She started to cry and suddenly stood up and ran out the door crying.




Chapter 5

Lily sat under a shady palm tree, arms wrapped around her legs. She was sobbing heavily into her knees. Lily had been there for about fifteen minutes because her aunt and uncle had decided to give her some space.
Lily lifted her head up, leaned her head back against the trees and crossed her legs. She let out a sigh. Her life would never be the same. It would be better, but also somewhat worse. She’d have a much better time here, but she’d also had to live with the fact that her parents were gone. Forever. The stabbing pain of grief would never part.
But then Lily thought about how they died. They put her life before theirs. And so did many others that were there. Lily stood up and stretched. She walked back to Finley’s office.
When Lily got there, she asked where her aunt and uncle lived. Finley gave her the address and Lily departed. As she walked she thought about what she could tell Mason and Paige. She planned to mainly just ask more about Lassonia and her family. Well, and of course, if she could live with them. Which they would surely say yes. Lily wanted to stay here forever. It was very gorgeous—even prettier than Phoenix Feather, which was pretty gorgeous.
Lily thought about Scarlett and Henry. They really were her family, and she missed them so much. Then Lily realized something amazing. She could see them again. Now that Lily knew how to get to Lassonia, she could visit Scarlett and Henry whenever she wanted.
Lily was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts as she realized she was almost at her aunt and uncle’s house. Lily passed a few houses and then stopped at the right one. It was a pretty, white house with a dark brown brick roof. Lily walked onto the porch of the small house and knocked.
The door opened and Lily saw Paige standing there smiling. “Come in,” she said, opening the door all the way.
“Hi,” said Lily, “Sorry about earlier.”
Mason approached them. “No. We owe you an apology. That must’ve been so hard for you. And now, if you’ll excuse us, I must very quickly discuss something with Paige.” Mason walked into another room with Paige, leaving Lily standing alone.
Lily looked around. She was standing in a pretty living room. There was a three-cushioned leather couch with a wood coffee table in front of it. On the other side of the room stood a beautiful grand piano with a few photos scattered across the flat part of it.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring room, Mason and Paige discussed Lily.
“So we are going to let Lily live here with us, right?” asked Mason in a half whisper.
“Of course we are!” Paige said.
“Just checking that you’re okay letting an 18 year old live with us.” said Mason defensively.
“She’s our niece! And doesn’t have anywhere to live. And just found out her parents are dead!” said Paige, almost too loudly.
“Okay, okay. Now let’s go offer her,” Mason said.
The couple walked into the living room where Lily stood, her eyes wandering about the room.
Mason cleared his throat. “So, Lily. Me and Paige were wondering if you would like to live here with us?”
Lily felt a wave of relief. She thought it would’ve been awkward for her to bring it up. “Actually, I was just about to ask,” Lily said. “I would gladly live with you.”
The three embraced in a hug. Lily was going to start over in Lassonia. Make friends, spend time with family. Right now Lily felt like everything would be okay.
They slowly pulled out of the hug. Paige was the first to speak.
“You can sleep in the guest bedroom,” she told Lily.
That evening Lily got a tour of the house and was shown her room. There was a queen bed with a nightstand sitting next to it. On the other side of the room, was a white dresser with a lamp on it. Paige and Mason put some pictures of her parents in the room.
Later, Lily ate a delicious dinner with Mason and Paige. Lassonia had a much bigger variety of food than Phoenix Feather. Everything also stayed fresh much longer. But that, of course, was because it was preserved by magic.
Lily wanted to learn more about magic. How it works, the limits, how to use and control it.
“Will you guys teach me how to better use magic?” Lily asked Mason and Paige.
“Of course we will,” said Mason.
“We can show you around the island, and Mayor Finley announced your arrival, so people know you’re back. We’ll introduce you to everyone we know. And you might make some new friends, too.” Paige said excitedly.
“This all sounds great. Thank you guys so much for all this,” said Lily.
“You’re welcome.” Paige smiled sweetly.
~

“Goodnight,” said Lily when the three of them had finished eating.
“Goodnight,” said Mason and Paige at the same time. Once in her room, Lily climbed into her cozy bed and closed her eyes, peacefully falling into dreamless sleep.

Lily woke to the early morning sun shining through the light gray curtains in her new bedroom. She yawned and got out of bed. Lily slipped on some normal clothes and headed downstairs for breakfast, deep in thought.
Today was going to be fun. She would get to meet lots of new people, some of which her age.
Lily hurriedly ate her breakfast and asked when they could start the tour of Lassonia.
“Now, if you want,” replied Mason with a look towards Paige. She nodded slightly.
Lily, Paige, and Mason started out the door, Lily feeling very excited.






Chapter 6

The first place they stopped was the family a few houses down, which actually turned out to be Lily’s cousins on her dad’s side.
Lily hadn’t met them when she first arrived because they have a lot of kids and are usually really busy. But they wanted to be the first to see her after Mason and Paige.
Lily had five cousins. Her aunt and uncle were Kim and Zach.
When the door opened there was a lot of noise coming from the house. As Lily looked in, she saw a blonde boy with the same light freckles as Lily playing on a rocking horse, a black haired girl who looked about 12, a little girl with black hair running to the door, and two almost identical blonde kids—a girl and a boy—who looked around 8 or 9, arguing loudly.
A black haired man and a blonde woman stood in the doorway.
The woman said, “Lily, come on in!”
“Thank you,” said Lily.
The three hugged tightly.
“I’m Kim as you must know and this is Zach,” Kim said, “We’re so glad you came back.”
“Sorry about all the noise,” said Zach.
By now Lily’s cousins had stopped what they were doing and were staring at Lily.
“I’ll introduce you to your cousins. This,” Kim said, pointing to the blonde boy that had been on the rocking horse, “is Billy. He’s 3 years old. The twins are Grace and Logan, they’re 8. The little black haired one is Amy, she’s 5. And the oldest is Hazelle, age 12.”
“Is dat Wiwie?” Billy quietly asked his mom.
“Yes, that is Lily,” Kim told him.
“Hey, Billy!” Lily said brightly. “Hi everyone!”
The kids smiled shyly. Except for Grace. Grace stepped forward.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m Grace.”
Lily spent the next hour playing with her cousins. It was very entertaining. Amy was very energetic and Grace had a need for attention. Logan was kind of a nerd, and the oldest, Hazelle was very shy, but once you got to know her she was really funny. Billy—like most toddles—was pretty bossy.
“See you later. That was really fun. Bye!” Lily said after hanging out with her cousins a while.
“Bye!” Amy shouted unnecessarily loudly.
Lily, Mason, and Paige left the house and started walking to the house of a couple Paige knew.
When they got there, the couple introduced themselves as Joanne and Ethan Smith. The Smith’s kids had all moved out and the couple looked in their 60’s.
As far as Lily could tell, they were very nice people.
They had a farm with three horses. A tan one named Gage, a brown one with a black mane named Gidgit, and a white one named Abby. The Smith’s also had chickens, a family of pigs, and a brown goat named Odie. Lily was very fond of the horses.
After visiting the Smith’s, Lily met Makenna Porter who looked to be in her late 20’s. She had curly brown hair and was really short. Makenna was very smart and funny. Lily and Makenna talked for a little bit and got to know each other. Makenna seemed like she’d be a really good friend.
The next family they visited was the Brown’s—the mayor’s. Evening was approaching so they stayed for dinner.
Mayor Finley had two kids: Alice Brown, who was around Lily’s age, and Lyla Brown, who was six years old. Alice had dark skin and around shoulder-length curly, black hair.
“Hi, Mayor Finley,” Lily said, sitting down at the nice table.
“Oh, you can just call me Finley.” Finley began dishing out the food. “This is Alice—she’ll be 16 in September—and Lyla,” she said, gesturing towards her daughters.
Lily spoke to Alice, “So you're the daughter of the mayor. Pretty cool.”
“Not really. It’s not much of a big deal here—you know, being mayor.” Alice said, casually.
“Oh—I, uh—it’s just back in Phoenix Feather, they're very formal—and, uh, yeah,” said Lily, feeling embarrassed.
As if Alice read Lily’s mind, she said, “It’s totally fine. No need to feel embarrassed.”
“Thanks.” Lily's mood lifted.
There was a minute of silence while everyone ate. Then very suddenly, from the direction of the neighbors, something came flying through the air and landed splat on the ham they were eating. Everyone whipped towards the neighbors then towards what had landed on the table.
It was a light blue book titled The History of Lasssonia.
“Oops!” someone said from over the wall.
“Oh no,” groaned Alice.
“What?” Lily asked.
Then someone climbed onto the wall separating the Brown’s yard and the neighbors and hopped over. It was a tall boy who looked about Lily’s age and had dirty blonde, almost brown hair and bright blue eyes.
“Uh, sorry about that.” he looked around and his eyes landed on Lily. “Hey, wait. You’re Lily, aren’t you?”
“Uh, yeah. I am,” Lily said. “And you’re…?”
“He’s Lucas. Lucas Johnston. And,” Alice paused slightly annoyed, “my neighbor.”
“Yep. Exactly,” said Lucas.
“Okay, now that we’re done with introductions, why did you throw that book over the wall?” asked Lily.
“Oh yeah… that. Sorry. I was just, uh,” Lucas seemed embarrassed to say whatever he was going to say, “I was just showing my little brother, Cooper, the levitating spell, and, well, I accidentally flung it over the wall.” he winced.
“Oh, that’s fine. I’m just glad you didn’t throw it,” Lily said.
Alice made a noise.
“Thanks, Lily,” Lucas said.
“Oh, and could I borrow that book please? I'll also clean it off,” asked Lily.
“Sure. Here.” Lucas handed her the book.
There was a second of silence. Then Finley said, “Lucas, would you like to join us for dinner?”
Lucas' eyes widened. “Of course! Thank you ma’am.” Clearly he had never been offered to stay for dinner with the Browns (most likely because Alice was so annoyed by him).
They talked for the rest of dinner and Lily got to know Lucas and Alice a bit. Alice was really thoughtful and understanding and Lucas was funny and liked to joke around. They also promised they would teach Lily to use her magic.
When dinner was over Lily and her aunt and uncle went back home. Lily went to bed early because she was pretty tired.

Lily woke up the next morning and realized she was in Lassonia. A magical island. It was still hard to get used to. She checked the clock, it read 8:40 a.m. Lily got out of bed and stretched. She couldn’t wait to start learning about magic.


To be continued…(I haven't written any more than this yet lol and I will slowly keep adding to this)

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Wowww! This is so good! Can't wait for more! <3

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)))) Thanks!

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this is really great!

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SkimbleShanksCat wrote:

this is really great!

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Thanks!

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Hufflepuff_yay wrote:

Liliana Wood
By Scarlett Biggs


Prologue
About 15 years ago…
April 8, 1984

It was a peaceful spring Sunday in Phoenix Feather Island. The vibrant colored flowers were just beginning to bloom while the palm trees towered high over the island, a few birds singing from within them. The Miller couple, Scarlett and Henry, walked together along a sandy path near the shoreline, enjoying the nice cool weather and the beautiful life all around.
“Oh, Henry, it’s so beautiful today,” Scarlett said softly, leaning on his shoulder looking out at the waves as they gently crawled up to the shore. Scarlett and Henry often followed this path on their daily morning stroll.
Suddenly, Scarlett let out a gasp. “Oh my! Henry, look!” She pointed at something floating in the water.
Henry jumped, surprised by her sudden shout. He looked out at the ocean and saw what she was so surprised about.
About 100 feet out was a wooden raft with what looked like a small handwoven basket.
“What could be in it?” said Scarlett, sounding curious and worried at the same time.
“I’m not sure,” said Henry, straining his eyes to see what was inside the basket.
Eventually, the raft bumped up onto the sand and the Millers rushed over, wondering what this could possibly be and where it had come from. There was a little whimpering coming from inside the basket on the raft.
Scarlett peeked into the basket and once again, gasped, but this time she sounded more surprised.
Inside the basket was a small, lightly freckled baby wrapped in multiple layers of blankets.
“Henry! A Baby!” She exclaimed.
“Look, there’s a note,” Henry picked up a small, soggy piece of paper from the basket, “It’s a little hard to read because it’s wet, but I’ll try,” he paused, looking at the note. Then he read it aloud,

“Whoever finds this, take care of our little Liliana.”
-Lucy and Owen Wood

There was a second of complete silence. Then Henry said, “Her parents must not have been able to take care of her.” The couple starred in astonishment as the quiet whimpers turned to cries.
“She must be starving,” said Scarlett, finally realizing the baby was crying. She carefully placed her hands under the infant, lifted her, and slowly rocked back and forth.
“We’ll take her in,” Henry said quietly.
“Yes. We should call her Lily for short,” agreed Scarlett. “Let’s take her to the village nurse.”
The couple silently walked towards the peaceful village in the direction of Phoenix Feather’s doctor’s house.

Chapter 1

Liliana Wood walked along the edge of Phoenix Feather Island, her long sandy-blonde hair waving slightly in the wind. It was a gorgeous evening. The sky was just beginning to turn golden-orange along the horizon as the sun slowly set. The sun shone beautifully on her bright green eyes. How was she supposed to tell her adopted parents, Scarlett and Henry Miller, that she wanted to leave this lovely island? Lily had no idea how they would respond. Hopefully, they would understand.
Today was her birthday, or at least that’s what they always called. It was the day she arrived on Phoenix Feather Island. Lily showed up on a raft when she was about 1 year old with just a few blankets and a note.
She was always so curious about her parents and where she’s from, and now that Lily was 16, she was an adult—for there 16 was the age of an adult. She could take care of herself. So why would Scarlett and Henry say no? Lily thought. Well, I guess they would really miss me, and I would also really miss them, she thought, answering her own questions.
Lily heard a bell ringing and a distant voice calling her name, immediately interrupting her deep thoughts. She knew what that meant. It was time for dinner.
Lily decided she’d better hurry and go. It was extremely rude to be late for an event—even a meal—in Phoenix Feather.
“Coming!” She shouted back, as she started walking into the small, tropical village.
Mostly everyone was inside eating. It was very quiet except for a couple of birds calling from the trees above.
Lily strolled along the pathway that she was so familiar with. Every evening she would go down to the beach and walk along the shoreline. And when Scarlett rang the dinner bell, she would come walking this same way toward her small house on the far left side of the village.
Lily walked over to her little home, and slowly twisted the doorknob. She entered the living room. There was a cushioned couch and a leather chair sitting to the left of it. On the right side of the couch, there was a wooden bookshelf holding about 20 books. Lily walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.
“Hi, honey,” Scarlett said, walking over to the table to sit next to her, “Did you have a nice walk?”
“Yeah, it was good,” said Lily softly. She was trying to think of how to tell them about leaving. Lily could say that they couldn’t stop her now that she was an adult. No. That sounds too rude, thought Lily. Then what could she say?
“Lily, I made your favorite, shrimp. Since, well, you know, it’s your birthday,” Scarlett said, making Lily look up quickly.
“Oh, yeah. Thank you,” said Lily trying to sound excited. “Um… so, yeah… uh, about that—you know—my birthday,” she said, piercing the shrimp with her fork. “I’ve been thinking, since I’m 16 now, well…” Lily paused, afraid to say it.
Then, all of a sudden, the words burst out of her mouth like a rocket. Lily said it so fast, she didn’t even know if Scarlett and Henry understood her. “I’ve always wondered about my real parents, and where I’m from. And now that I’m an adult, I was thinking about leaving the island and figuring out where I came from.” When Lily finished she winced, terrified of what the outcome could be.
There was a deathly silence in the room. Lily waited for her adopted parents’ refute. But instead, they just looked at each other surprised and slightly confused.
“Oh, Lily,” Henry said in a gentle tone, “Scarlett and I knew you would eventually say something like this.”
Lily was so overcome by relief that they hadn’t gotten mad at her. But they still hadn’t said if she could go yet, so she was still crossing her fingers.
“So does that mean I can go?” Lily asked, hopefully. After all, they hadn’t said no.
“We’ll have to think about it, Lily,” said Scarlett hesitantly. Scarlett and Henry knew Lily was bound to ask that question soon. But they never actually planned a response for it.
For the rest of dinner, everyone was silent. When Lily was done, she quickly went upstairs to her room.
“Do you think we should let her leave?” Scarlett said as soon as Lily was out of earshot.
“Well, I mean… she is 18…” said Henry, not knowing what to say.
“I just… I just don’t think I can let her go,” said Scarlett bursting into tears. “She’s been with us for so long,” she said through sobs.
Henry wrapped an arm around her, comfortingly. “We have to, Scarlett. There’s no stopping her.”
Scarlett grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. “Okay, I guess you're right, we must do it. But she won’t be leaving right away. It’ll take a few weeks to get ready,” said Scarlett, calming down slightly.
“Yeah, good idea. Now, let’s go to bed and get a good night's rest,” said Henry, “And we’ll tell her the plan in the morning.”



Chapter 2

There were bright flashes of light all around. The frantic cries of a woman filled Lily’s ears. There was a sense of panic and fear in the air.
Suddenly, Lily felt someone softly push whatever she was lying on out and into calm waters. She peacefully floated away from all the chaos and noise. She floated for a long time in the quiet, open sea. But soon, the waves started to get much stronger and harsher. They splashed up onto her. The water was freezing and felt like sharp knives stabbing into her skin. There was a deafening crash of thunder and Lily woke with a start.
She sat upright, breathing heavily and shaking all over. Lily had this same nightmare very often but still got so frightened from it every time. It always felt so real, so familiar. But what had been going on? Who was the woman? Why was everyone so worried?
Lily often pondered on these questions, but she never understood what had been happening in the dream.
A streak of light shone brightly through Lily’s curtains and she realized it must be morning. Suddenly, she remembered that Henry and Scarlett still hadn’t answered her question: Could she leave Phoenix Feather? She quickly slipped on her clothes and headed downstairs to the small kitchen, where the delicious smell of eggs and bacon being fried drifted over to her nose.
“Breakfast smells delicious,” said Lily, making Scarlett look over her shoulder.
“Good morning, Lily,” she looked as though she was about to cry.
“Good morning,” Lily replied, wondering about the strange look on Scarlett’s face. She put some eggs and bacon onto her plate and sat down at the table.
Henry came down the stairs and swiftly walked over to Scarlett, “Should we tell her?” he whispered, as quiet as possible, not wanting Lily to hear the conversation.
“Yes, I think we should,” Scarlett said, almost immediately. She had been thinking about it all morning. Scarlett was dreading her beautiful, kind, adopted daughter’s departure. But she also wanted Lily to be happy, and if that was what it would take to make her happy, that’s what she would do.
“Lily,” Henry said, sitting down at the table across from Lily, with Scarlett by his side. “Scarlett and I have decided that we’re going to let you leave the island.”
Lily looked at them, not knowing what to say. She felt as though she could jump with glee. They were actually letting her go! She would finally be able to venture into the world and find her homeland. Her family.
“When could I leave? What should I use to sail? How much supplies should I bring? I’ve got to start packing right away!” said Lily, joyfully, hardly able to contain her excitement.
“Well, first, maybe you should just calm down,” said Scarlett. “To answer your first question, you probably shouldn’t leave right away, you need some time to pack and get ready.”
“She’s right, you’ll need at least a few weeks to prepare,” agreed Henry. “And I’m sure you'll be allowed to use one of the village boats, there are most definitely enough.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan,” said Lily. But inside, she was arguing against it. How was she ever supposed to wait at least a few weeks?

~

A few days passed, yet for Lily, it felt like a lifetime. Because when you’re waiting for something, time seems to slow down tremendously.
Lily, Scarlett, and Henry were able to get the mayor to let Lily use a beautiful white sailboat that was about fifteen feet long and had a twelve-foot tall white sail. It had two small storage compartments on the floor, which she planned to put food, water, and anything else in.
Finding something to sail with might not have been so hard, but finding enough food and water, on the other hand, was a little more difficult. They decided she would have to bring mostly dried food that didn’t need refrigeration like cereal or crackers. She also planned to bring rice, fruit, and vegetables in a cooler, though she knew it wouldn’t stay cold long. Scarlett and Henry helped Lily collect ten plastic jugs of water; they hoped it would be enough.
Somehow, word leaked out that Lily was leaving—someone probably overheard a conversation. She received many encouraging statements like, “Good luck on your journey, Lily,” or “We’ll miss you.” All she ever did back was give a small smile.

“Okay, let’s get all the stuff in the boat,” said Lily the morning it was time to leave. She was so excited. It was finally time! What she’d been waiting for for so long. Lily and her adopted parents loaded the boat with all of her things: blankets, food, water, and change of clothes. Together they struggled to push the heavy sailboat off the sand and into the shallow water with it still tied to a stake in the sand.
Lily, facing the ocean, suddenly spun around and hugged Scarlett and Henry tightly.
“I love you guys so much,” she said, tears springing into her eyes. “I’ll never forget everything you’ve done for me.”
“I love you, too,” said Scarlett, she had started crying, too.
“I love you, Lily,” Henry said.
Lily sniffed. Was she ever going to see them again? Lily desperately wished she could just stay wrapped in this warm hug forever. It was so peaceful and full of love.
Time passed. Lily didn’t know how long it had been, she was numb with pain. When Lily had the strength, she said, “Well, I guess I’d better get going.”
They pulled out of the hug and Lily climbed onto the boat. Henry pulled out a pocket knife, slowly bent down to the stake, and clutched the knife tightly in his hand. He squeezed his eyes shut. Henry cut the rope. The sail boat floated in place for a few seconds until it slowly drifted out towards the open ocean.
“Bye, Scarlett! Bye, Henry!” Lily shouted, through tears. “I’m gonna miss you so much! Love you!” The boat was now about 10 feet out.
“Bye, Lily! I love you!” Scarlett cried out, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Goodbye, Lily! Stay safe! We’ve loved you from the day you arrived on this island!” Henry yelled out to her, refusing to cry.
Soon, Lily was too far out to see her adopted parents. She turned to face the ocean, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind, she was determined to find her family.

~

About an hour had passed since Lily left beautiful Phoenix Feather island. She was heading east towards the Atlantic Ocean using a compass Henry gave to her for her eleventh birthday. As soon as Lily had the thought, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and quickly shut her eyes to hold back tears, clutching the compass to her chest. Would the whole trip be like this?
Suddenly, a big wave crashed up onto the boat rocking it wildly and making Lily lose her balance. Another wave splashed and she fell into the water. Lily expected freezing water, like in the dream she had, but to her surprise it was lukewarm. But she didn’t have time to worry about that, she had to worry about getting back to her boat and back on course.
Lily was practically blinded from the saltwater in her eyes, and the sudden violent waves kept pulling her under the water, before she had a chance to take a breath, filling her lungs with seawater. She blindly tried to feel around for the boat, but there was nothing. Lily thrashed her arms, desperate to swim to calmer waters, but despite her efforts she went nowhere.
Lily felt something bump her legs. Out of instinct, she kicked around wildly, hoping to hurt whatever pushed her, even if it was just another wave. Yet, her legs only brushed against some seaweed.
Bump!
There it is again, she thought. What could it be, though? Whatever it was it could be dangerous, Lily had to get away from it.
The bump came again from behind, this time pushing her legs out from under her and she fell completely under the water.
Lily swallowed a bunch of seawater making her choke. She had to go up for air, and fast. She was starting to feel light-headed and the world was beginning to fade to black. Lily desperately tried to swim to the surface before she passed out, when she felt water start to swirl around her as if she was in a mini whirlpool.
The “whirlpool” quickly moved forward, dragging Lily along with it. What in the world is going on? Lily thought, trying to get the salt water out of her eyes so she could see what was pulling her.
Suddenly, Lily’s ribs bumped painfully into something hard. She felt around. It was her boat! The thing that had been pushing her had led her to her boat!
Lily, with much trouble, hoisted herself onto the boat and grabbed the paddle (which was somehow still right where she dropped it) ready to steer away from the harsh waves. Until she noticed they were gone. Just gone. How could they have just disappeared? Well, I guess the same way they all came so suddenly, Lily thought.
Thump!
Something bumped against the bottom of the boat. Lily saw a few bubbles pop up in the water. It couldn’t have been a fish, it wouldn’t have made such a loud noise. Is it the same thing that saved me? She wondered.
Then, a small pastel turquoise-colored head poked its way up to the surface. It sort of looked like a sea turtle. Though the color patterns were very odd. It had bright green eyes and purple splotches on its head. The rest of its body floated to the surface. The creature’s shell was navy blue with pentagon patterns. The flippers were the same as the head: turquoise with purple spots.
It tilted its head towards Lily looking proud. So this is what saved me! A sea turtle! She thought. Though she was debating whether it was a turtle or not. It looked much different, and how did it make that whirlpool?
“Thanks for helping me, little guy,” said Lily. But the creature shook its head rapidly. “Oh, you’re a girl?” This time it nodded.
Just then, Lily realized she was actually talking to a turtle, and it understood her!
“Wait, can you understand me?” she asked after having the realization. It nodded and Lily just stared in amazement.
“Do you have a name?” she asked. The little creature shook her little head slightly. Lily looked at her. “Hm… you look like an "Alexis. Does that sound pretty good?” The turtle made a happy noise. “Well then, Alexis, I’m Lily. And I’m looking for the island I came from. My parents, Lucy and Owen, sent me away when I was little. Do you happen to know what island they’re on?” she really hoped Alexis could help. Lily didn’t exactly know her destination yet. Alexis let out a squeak and made a gesture for Lily to follow. Lily followed Alexis, really hoping she knew where she was going.
The rest of the day, Lily followed Alexis. She started steering them North East. It was slowly starting to get dark and Lily knew it would be hard to stay on course if she fell asleep. She yawned, thinking about sleep. Lily decided she should get something to eat. She grabbed a banana and some cold rice out of her cooler and ate in silence.
Then, Lily heard a little whine coming from her left side and looked over. Alexis was looking at her with wide eyes.
“Oh! Do you want food?” Lily couldn’t stand that look of begging. She tossed out a few strawberries and Alexis ate them up in two gulps. “I guess you’re hungry!” said Lily, a look of surprise on her face as she threw out a few more strawberries.
Lily lied on her back and gazed up at the stars; they were so beautiful. Her eyelids drooped. The edges of the sky began to turn black and her eyes closed completely.




Chapter 3

Thud!
The boat bumped up slightly and Lily’s head bonked hard onto the boat waking her up fast.
“Ow.” Lily looked to the side painfully and saw Alexis looking mischievously at her. “Did you do that?”
A little grin spread across Alexis’s face.
“That hurt, you know,” said Lily with a laugh.
Then, she remembered she slept through the whole night. Lily quickly pulled out her compass and checked it. They had slowly been moving south. Overnight, they drifted completely off course! Lily quickly adjusted a few ropes and started paddling until the arrow on the compass was pointing a little left of the shiny N.
“Okay, there we go. Back on track,” said Lily relieved. Hopefully, she wouldn’t sleep through every night. Lily’s stomach rumbled soundly. She poured some cereal into a plastic bowl and ate it using a spoon she found in one of her baskets of supplies. It felt good to eat. And that made sense because she’d had a very small dinner the previous night.
When Lily finished she tossed her bowl and spoon back into the basket for later use. “Time to get going, Alexis. Lead the way.” Lily watched Alexis swim forward and paddled after her, eager to find her destination.
“So, Alexis, have you ever been to wherever we’re going?” Lily asked after a while. She was curious how Alexis knew exactly where she wanted to go.
Alexis nodded.
Lily sighed “I just wish you could tell me more about my home…”
Alexis looked up and started waving flippers dramatically and making little squeaking sounds.
“Whoa whoa whoa, wait! I don’t speak sea turtle, remember?” Lily thought for a moment. Ugh! I wish I could understand her.
Very suddenly and very clearly, Lily heard a soft, sweet voice saying, “Lassonia is the most beautiful place, everyone is so nice. That was a very special island. They had a secret I must never tell. A secret that no one but the Lassonians know.”
“What just happened?!?” Lily shouted out in confusion. Alexis just stared at her, head tilted and a look of discombobulation on her face.
“Did you hear that?” Lily said, noticing Alexis’s discombobulated expression. Alexis tilted her head the other way and made a noise. But Lily didn’t hear the noise, instead, she heard the strange voice again.
“What?”
“Wait. Is that you, Alexis?” Lily was completely baffled. Could she really understand Alexis? Or was she dreaming? Alexis slowly nodded and the voice said, “I think so?”
“H-how is this possible?”Lily stuttered. “Am I actually understanding you? No, no, I just can’t be. This is crazy. It’s all in my head. Alexis, quick, splash some water on me.”
Alexis splashed water up onto Lily, completely soaking her. “Okay. Nope. Definitely not dreaming,” said Lily, wiping her eyes dry. “But how?”
Alexis smiled and whispered one word: Magic.
“Wow,” Lily breathed, “Magic? Magic actually exists?”
“Of course it exists!” Alexis said, like it was something completely normal.
“Can you do magic, Alexis?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Oh yeah! That whirlpool thing that you did to save me! That was magic, right?”
“Yep, it was,” said Alexis in a matter-of-fact tone.
“This is—this is amazing,” said Lily, absolutely astonished by the fact that magic was real. “I guess we’ll be able to communicate lots better now, right?” she said with a laugh.
“Yeah. We should probably get going now,” said Alexis, noticing they had stopped and started to drift off track. She started heading north east again, Lily followed.
“So, I remember you saying something about Lucy and Owen being your parents,” Alexis said, breaking the silence.
Lily nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, if they’re your parents why aren’t you with them?” asked Alexis.
“It’s kind of a long story,” said Lily.
“I mean, we might as well have something to talk about,” said Alexis, curiously.
“Okay. Well, when I was about a year old,” Lily began, “Lucy and Owen for whatever reason weren’t able to take care of me. So, they sent me off in a basket on a raft hoping someone would find me. And somehow—probably because of magic—I survived. I arrived on Phoenix Feather Island, the island over there—” she pointed south west, “—the Miller couple found me and raised me. And then a few weeks ago, when I turned 16, I decided I wanted to find my family and where I came from. And then I met you and here we are now.” Lily sighed happily, “I can’t wait to meet my parents.”
“I would tell you why your parents sent you away, but I don’t know. I wasn’t on the island when it happened. But I do know something bad happened, but I was never told what,” Alexis said.
“Oh,” said Lily, “Can anyone else understand you?”
“Just a few,” Alexis said. “Your mother, Lucy, was one of them. She was so nice. We were really close.” Alexis looked out at the sunset in deep thought.
“Wow. My mother could understand you, too?” Lily always wanted to meet her parents.
“Yeah,” said Alexis. “Come to think of it, I haven’t visited Lassonia in a while, or seen Lucy and Owen. Until just a little while ago, I didn’t even know they had a child.”
“Oh, so it really has been a long time,” said Lily.
“I hope everyone’s doing alright. Well, I’m sure they are. Lassonia is very well protected.” Alexis said.
“That’s good to hear,” Lily said, digging around for something to eat.
“We should be getting close.” Alexis squinted at the sunset. Lily put a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun and looked ahead, too.
“I don’t see it, yet. Do you?”
“No.” Alexis looked over at Lily. “But there’s a spell of the island making it harder to see from a certain distance. So it’ll probably be visible by morning.”
Lily hoped they would get there soon. Though, she didn’t expect the trip to be this short—probably because she didn’t know she’d have a guide who knew exactly where she wanted to go. Lily yawned.
Alexis, noticing, said, “We should get some sleep.”
“You’re right,” agreed Lily. With that, she leaned back on a pillow and closed her eyes.

~

When Lily woke the next morning, dark gray clouds dotted the early morning sky. Lily sat up and stretched. She looked up at the sky.
“Looks like it’ll rain today,” she said to herself.
“That can’t be good,” said Alexis, making Lily jump.
“Oh, Alexis. Hi. Didn’t see you there. I really hope we can get to Lassonia before it rains,” Lily said.
“I think we will!” exclaimed Alexis, pointing a flipper ahead. “Look!”
Far ahead the silhouette of a lush green island swam into view.
“Yes! Finally! I get to meet my family!” Lily was overwhelmed with excitement. She could hardly wait. I wonder if I have any siblings! thought Lily.
Alexis looked at Lily and then ahead again. “To Lassonia!”
Lily looked off into the distance, lost in thought. Would her parents recognize her after all this time? After 17 years? Will the Lassonians allow her access onto the island? Would she be able to make friends, unlike in Phoenix Feather? These questions along with many others raced in her head, as Lassonia grew nearer. Lily didn’t know if she was more excited or worried.
To the side of Lily, Alexis was looking up anxiously at the dark sky covered in clouds. “Uh, Lily…”
Lily, being pulled out of her thoughts, looked at Alexis. “Yeah?” But then she saw Alexis looking up, and too, looked toward the sky. “Oh,” she whispered.
Then, suddenly, thunder boomed. Alexis and Lily looked at each other worriedly. They were headed straight for a storm.



Chapter 4

“We have to hurry!” shouted Lily, as the wind started to pick up. They sped up, Lily going as fast as she could and Alexis swimming at a miraculous speed. Rain started to drip from the sky.
Lily let out a small laugh, “Normally, I actually really like the rain. But, right now, I’m not so sure it’s good.”
“Uh, yeah, ya think?!” Alexis yelled over the rain and thunder.
Waves thrashed and jagged bolts of lightning struck the darkening sky. The boat tipped and turned. Lily pulled a rope, turning the sail and hoping to speed up.
“Come on, come on!” she muttered to herself. And then, a brilliant idea popped into her head. Lily concentrated hard, pictured the boat moving faster than ever before, and then thought; Speed up. Speed up.
With no warning, the boat sped through the water at tremendous speed. Lily hung on tightly, her knuckles turning white, while Alexis swam not far behind.
“We’re almost there!” yelled Lily, though she didn’t know if Alexis even heard her through the loud rain and wild waves.
Suddenly, a giant wave formed in front of them when Lily was looking back.
Alexis called, “LILY!!” But no one heard. The wave smashed itself into the boat, flinging Lily off the wrecked boat immediately. The boat tossed wildly in the stormy sea.
Lily was thrown about by the waves. She tried to get to the surface to swim to Lassonia, but the ocean was too harsh. Lily was pulled back under the water, seawater flooding into her mouth and nose. She was becoming lightheaded from the lack of air and being tossed around in the water. Soon, Lily no longer had the strength to stay conscious.
Meanwhile, Alexis, able to breathe underwater, was trying desperately to find Lily. Whenever she was able to surface, she’d look around in search of Lily. Though she was nowhere to be seen, only the crashing waves and pieces of the boat flying everywhere. Alexis was gasping and trying to find her way towards Lassonia, but it was too dark and she was moving around too fast.
Alexis swam and swam, though, not sure if she was going the right way. She grew exhausted as she swam on against the thrashing waves. When would this dreaded storm end? Soon, Alexis was so tired and beat up from the harsh waves that she, too, lost consciousness.

~

Lily’s head throbbed horribly. She tried to sit up, but a pain like needles shot into her body and she closed her eyes and leaned back onto the sand again. Lily lay motionless except for her heaving chest. She groaned in pain. Where was she? Oh yeah. We crashed from the storm. I’m not in the water or on the boat, she thought. So that means I’m in—
“Lassonia!” Lily said in a scratchy voice. Just then, she could faintly hear the sound of feet shuffling on the sand. There were gasps and murmurs amongst the approaching group.
“Who is that?” The voice was a middle-aged female.
More whispers came, saying things like, “How did she find us?” and “Where did she come from?”
A man from the small, whispering group shouted, “Look! She’s got a Lassonian sea turtle with her!”
“Are they alive?” said the adult female voice.
“The girl is breathing,” said a man.
“Someone go get Mayor Finley!” said a voice, “And hurry!”
A woman started running in the direction of Lassonia’s mayor’s office, yelling, “Stranger! A stranger has arrived near the southwest side of the island! Get Mayor Finley!”
The Lassonians whispered and gasped. Many curiously began to head to the shore. The woman kept running through the crowd. Finally, when she got to the mayor’s office, she knocked rapidly on the door and spoke in a firm, urgent voice, “Mayor Finley, I’m very sorry, but this is an emergency. A young woman has arrived unconscious with a Lassonian sea turtle near the southwestern side of the island.”
The door swung open to reveal a dark-skinned, curly black haired woman with vivid green eyes and a surprised look on her face standing in the doorway.
“What? How? A‒a stranger?” Mayor Finley sputtered.
“I have no idea. But, come with me. I’ll show you,” said the woman.
They walked through the town. Finley pushed through the noisy crowd, shouting, “Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!!”
Meanwhile, on the beach, Lily was starting to get up, when she noticed the crowd of people surrounding her. “Oh. Uh, hi,” she said. Several gasped when they saw her face.
“Excuse me! Let me get through! I’m the mayor,” came Finley's voice. She came to the front of the crowd.
When Lily saw her she started to speak, “Miss, uh, Ma'am? I uh—”
“Nope, stop. Do not speak,” Finley cut her off. “Everybody get back to what you were doing,” she waited, “NOW!” People started walking back to their homes to go play or do chores or care for their young.
Finley approached Lily and held a hand out to help her up. Lily accepted and pulled herself up.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I am Mayor Finley. Come with me,” Finley said in a firm voice.
Lily followed the mayor through the village. The island was very lush and beautiful. There were many palm trees hanging over them, each with a few coconuts starting to grow. Far in the distance was a gushing waterfall with beautiful life all around. At the bottom of the waterfall was a small lake with a stream flowing out and into the village. Lassonia was a much bigger village than Phoenix Feather. Soon, Finley and Lily arrived at Finley’s office and walked in.
In one corner, was an office desk and a comfy-looking leather chair. Finley sat in the chair and invited Lily to sit in the chair opposite of her.
“So,” Finley started, “I’m going to ask you a few questions. Who are you? Nothing more for now, just your name.”
“Liliana Wood,” Lily said. “I go by Lily, though,” she added quietly.
Finley made a small noise, but quickly covered it by clearing her throat. “So, Lily, why did you come here and how did you find this place?”
“Well, I’m originally from Lassonia. My parents, Lucy and Owen Wood, were unable to care for me and sent me away. I came back here, hoping to maybe find them. And how I got here, well, at first, I was just exploring and waiting to find something when a colorful sea turtle showed up and gave me directions. Then we washed up here after a storm.”
Finley took in the information and thought for a moment. Was Lily telling the truth? Could she be trusted? Then she said out loud, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Finley got up and walked out the door, leaving Lily sitting in silence. What could Finley be doing? Was she going to go get something? Or perhaps someone? Lily bit her lip nervously.
Just then, Lily heard voices outside the door.
A man started talking, “Lily? That’s what she said her name was? And her parents, Lucy and Owen. Could this mean—?”
“Yes,” started a woman, “But—but how? After all these years?”
Then Lily heard Finley’s voice, “Whoa, whoa, wait. Before you get your hopes up, we need actual proof. Proof she is who she says she is. That girl in my office could very well be impersonating Liliana Wood so they can get into Lassonia.”
“Okay. Well, let’s go ask her for proof, then,” said the still anonymous woman.
As the door knob turned, Lily quickly looked down at her hands so it didn’t look like she was eavesdropping. The door opened and Finley walked in.
“I’m back. Now. How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Lily didn't know what to say. Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
“Ah-ha, just as I thought. You—”
But Lily quickly interrupted her. “Wait, no! I—I can…” she paused.
“Yes?” Finley asked.
“I can do magic.”
“Magic? Show me,” she said firmly.
Lily thought hard. What could she do? Usually she just concentrated really hard on something. “Well, I’m not very good, but…” she trailed off. “I’ll try.” Lily put her hand on the table and closed her eyes. Lily concentrated as hard as she could on what she wanted to happen.
As planned, the desk began to shake slightly and then slowly lifted off the ground. It levitated about a foot above the floor. The desk stayed floating there for about half a minute, and then slowly floated back down with a slight thud.
Lily and Finley sat there in silence, and Finley starred, eyes wide wide with amazement. Her mouth was hanging open slightly at this, though she closed it after realizing.
“Hm. So, you have magic in you. But I still don’t fully believe you. You could be an enemy with magic. Give me proof you’re the daughter of Lucy and Owen Wood,” Finley said.
Lily opened her mouth to speak, “Uh—” She closed her mouth again, “Hm.” Now what? Maybe I could say what mom and dad put on the note they sent with me. Or is that not enough? Well I guess it’s worth a try, Lily thought.
“If I told you exactly what Lucy and Owen put on the note they sent with me as a baby, then would you believe me?” Lily said.
“Maybe,” said Finley. Lucy and Owen had actually showed her the note to see if it sounded good. So Finley would know right away if Lily was lying.
“Okay. Let me remember,” Lily thought for a second, and then said, “The paper said: Whoever finds this, take care of our little Liliana. From Lucy and Owen Wood.”
Finley’s eyes widened a little bit as she took in the truth. She had never imagined Lily would ever return to Lassonia. “Well,” she started. “I’m so sorry for mistrusting you, Lily.”
Lily felt a rush of excitement flow through her. She had gained Finley’s trust and would get to stay in Lassonia. Many thoughts of excitement raced through Lily’s mind and after a minute or so she spoke.
“Mayor Finley,” she started. “Thank you so much for this.”
“You’re very welcome,” said Finley, talking much more kindly this time. “Now, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Lily’s heart raced at these words. Was it her parents? Surely it was. Who else would it be? Lily was the happiest she’d ever been before.
They walked quietly to the door. Finley placed her hand on the cold, silver door knob and twisted. Lily’s heart pounded with slight nervousness, but mainly excitement. The door opened with a small creak, revealing two middle aged adults (they looked like they’d been listening to the conversation) looking surprised.
The man was tall with brown hair and gray blue eyes. The woman, shortish, wavy strawberry blonde hair and dark brown eyes, was looking at Lily, chin quivering.
The woman stuttered one word. “L-Lily?”
Lily stared at the couple, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, the two people ran up to her and embraced her in a hug.
“Oh, Lily. We never thought we’d see you again. We thought you’d never come and find us,” said the woman through tears of happiness.
“Yes, we’ve missed you so much,” said the man. Then, his smile faded into a face full of sadness. “Paige…we must tell her the truth.”
The woman named Paige sucked in a breath. “You’re right,” she breathed in a quavering voice and then sniffed.
They pulled apart and the man spoke:
“My name is Mason. Mason Wood. I know you might’ve expected me to be your father, Owen, but I’m his brother. This is my wife Paige,” he motioned towards the woman, “Around 17 years ago, as you know, your mother and father sent you away. I'm sure you’ve wondered why for a while now,” His voice wavered a bit at the last part, “Well. An evil man called Viermortem came and invaded Lassonia. No one knows why, but he went for your family. Someone heard him mutter ‘Lily’. Others heard him repeatedly shout ‘Wood’. We don’t know what he wanted from your family.
“When Lucy and Owen got word he was coming for them, they decided it best to send you away, because even if they hid Viermortem might find you. There were no available boats at the time, so you guys couldn’t all leave. So Lucy and Owen sent you off with a protection spell. Right after you disappeared into the sea, well—” he paused and sniffed. So did Paige.
Lily had a look of terror on her face as she listened, terrified of what Mason was about to say.
“No,” Lily whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “NO!” she screamed. “NO! THEY CAN’T!” She choked on a sob. “They—they just can’t…” Lily whispered. She started to cry and suddenly stood up and ran out the door crying.




Chapter 5

Lily sat under a shady palm tree, arms wrapped around her legs. She was sobbing heavily into her knees. Lily had been there for about fifteen minutes because her aunt and uncle had decided to give her some space.
Lily lifted her head up, leaned her head back against the trees and crossed her legs. She let out a sigh. Her life would never be the same. It would be better, but also somewhat worse. She’d have a much better time here, but she’d also had to live with the fact that her parents were gone. Forever. The stabbing pain of grief would never part.
But then Lily thought about how they died. They put her life before theirs. And so did many others that were there. Lily stood up and stretched. She walked back to Finley’s office.
When Lily got there, she asked where her aunt and uncle lived. Finley gave her the address and Lily departed. As she walked she thought about what she could tell Mason and Paige. She planned to mainly just ask more about Lassonia and her family. Well, and of course, if she could live with them. Which they would surely say yes. Lily wanted to stay here forever. It was very gorgeous—even prettier than Phoenix Feather, which was pretty gorgeous.
Lily thought about Scarlett and Henry. They really were her family, and she missed them so much. Then Lily realized something amazing. She could see them again. Now that Lily knew how to get to Lassonia, she could visit Scarlett and Henry whenever she wanted.
Lily was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts as she realized she was almost at her aunt and uncle’s house. Lily passed a few houses and then stopped at the right one. It was a pretty, white house with a dark brown brick roof. Lily walked onto the porch of the small house and knocked.
The door opened and Lily saw Paige standing there smiling. “Come in,” she said, opening the door all the way.
“Hi,” said Lily, “Sorry about earlier.”
Mason approached them. “No. We owe you an apology. That must’ve been so hard for you. And now, if you’ll excuse us, I must very quickly discuss something with Paige.” Mason walked into another room with Paige, leaving Lily standing alone.
Lily looked around. She was standing in a pretty living room. There was a three-cushioned leather couch with a wood coffee table in front of it. On the other side of the room stood a beautiful grand piano with a few photos scattered across the flat part of it.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring room, Mason and Paige discussed Lily.
“So we are going to let Lily live here with us, right?” asked Mason in a half whisper.
“Of course we are!” Paige said.
“Just checking that you’re okay letting an 18 year old live with us.” said Mason defensively.
“She’s our niece! And doesn’t have anywhere to live. And just found out her parents are dead!” said Paige, almost too loudly.
“Okay, okay. Now let’s go offer her,” Mason said.
The couple walked into the living room where Lily stood, her eyes wandering about the room.
Mason cleared his throat. “So, Lily. Me and Paige were wondering if you would like to live here with us?”
Lily felt a wave of relief. She thought it would’ve been awkward for her to bring it up. “Actually, I was just about to ask,” Lily said. “I would gladly live with you.”
The three embraced in a hug. Lily was going to start over in Lassonia. Make friends, spend time with family. Right now Lily felt like everything would be okay.
They slowly pulled out of the hug. Paige was the first to speak.
“You can sleep in the guest bedroom,” she told Lily.
That evening Lily got a tour of the house and was shown her room. There was a queen bed with a nightstand sitting next to it. On the other side of the room, was a white dresser with a lamp on it. Paige and Mason put some pictures of her parents in the room.
Later, Lily ate a delicious dinner with Mason and Paige. Lassonia had a much bigger variety of food than Phoenix Feather. Everything also stayed fresh much longer. But that, of course, was because it was preserved by magic.
Lily wanted to learn more about magic. How it works, the limits, how to use and control it.
“Will you guys teach me how to better use magic?” Lily asked Mason and Paige.
“Of course we will,” said Mason.
“We can show you around the island, and Mayor Finley announced your arrival, so people know you’re back. We’ll introduce you to everyone we know. And you might make some new friends, too.” Paige said excitedly.
“This all sounds great. Thank you guys so much for all this,” said Lily.
“You’re welcome.” Paige smiled sweetly.
~

“Goodnight,” said Lily when the three of them had finished eating.
“Goodnight,” said Mason and Paige at the same time. Once in her room, Lily climbed into her cozy bed and closed her eyes, peacefully falling into dreamless sleep.

Lily woke to the early morning sun shining through the light gray curtains in her new bedroom. She yawned and got out of bed. Lily slipped on some normal clothes and headed downstairs for breakfast, deep in thought.
Today was going to be fun. She would get to meet lots of new people, some of which her age.
Lily hurriedly ate her breakfast and asked when they could start the tour of Lassonia.
“Now, if you want,” replied Mason with a look towards Paige. She nodded slightly.
Lily, Paige, and Mason started out the door, Lily feeling very excited.






Chapter 6

The first place they stopped was the family a few houses down, which actually turned out to be Lily’s cousins on her dad’s side.
Lily hadn’t met them when she first arrived because they have a lot of kids and are usually really busy. But they wanted to be the first to see her after Mason and Paige.
Lily had five cousins. Her aunt and uncle were Kim and Zach.
When the door opened there was a lot of noise coming from the house. As Lily looked in, she saw a blonde boy with the same light freckles as Lily playing on a rocking horse, a black haired girl who looked about 12, a little girl with black hair running to the door, and two almost identical blonde kids—a girl and a boy—who looked around 8 or 9, arguing loudly.
A black haired man and a blonde woman stood in the doorway.
The woman said, “Lily, come on in!”
“Thank you,” said Lily.
The three hugged tightly.
“I’m Kim as you must know and this is Zach,” Kim said, “We’re so glad you came back.”
“Sorry about all the noise,” said Zach.
By now Lily’s cousins had stopped what they were doing and were staring at Lily.
“I’ll introduce you to your cousins. This,” Kim said, pointing to the blonde boy that had been on the rocking horse, “is Billy. He’s 3 years old. The twins are Grace and Logan, they’re 8. The little black haired one is Amy, she’s 5. And the oldest is Hazelle, age 12.”
“Is dat Wiwie?” Billy quietly asked his mom.
“Yes, that is Lily,” Kim told him.
“Hey, Billy!” Lily said brightly. “Hi everyone!”
The kids smiled shyly. Except for Grace. Grace stepped forward.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m Grace.”
Lily spent the next hour playing with her cousins. It was very entertaining. Amy was very energetic and Grace had a need for attention. Logan was kind of a nerd, and the oldest, Hazelle was very shy, but once you got to know her she was really funny. Billy—like most toddles—was pretty bossy.
“See you later. That was really fun. Bye!” Lily said after hanging out with her cousins a while.
“Bye!” Amy shouted unnecessarily loudly.
Lily, Mason, and Paige left the house and started walking to the house of a couple Paige knew.
When they got there, the couple introduced themselves as Joanne and Ethan Smith. The Smith’s kids had all moved out and the couple looked in their 60’s.
As far as Lily could tell, they were very nice people.
They had a farm with three horses. A tan one named Gage, a brown one with a black mane named Gidgit, and a white one named Abby. The Smith’s also had chickens, a family of pigs, and a brown goat named Odie. Lily was very fond of the horses.
After visiting the Smith’s, Lily met Makenna Porter who looked to be in her late 20’s. She had curly brown hair and was really short. Makenna was very smart and funny. Lily and Makenna talked for a little bit and got to know each other. Makenna seemed like she’d be a really good friend.
The next family they visited was the Brown’s—the mayor’s. Evening was approaching so they stayed for dinner.
Mayor Finley had two kids: Alice Brown, who was around Lily’s age, and Lyla Brown, who was six years old. Alice had dark skin and around shoulder-length curly, black hair.
“Hi, Mayor Finley,” Lily said, sitting down at the nice table.
“Oh, you can just call me Finley.” Finley began dishing out the food. “This is Alice—she’ll be 16 in September—and Lyla,” she said, gesturing towards her daughters.
Lily spoke to Alice, “So you're the daughter of the mayor. Pretty cool.”
“Not really. It’s not much of a big deal here—you know, being mayor.” Alice said, casually.
“Oh—I, uh—it’s just back in Phoenix Feather, they're very formal—and, uh, yeah,” said Lily, feeling embarrassed.
As if Alice read Lily’s mind, she said, “It’s totally fine. No need to feel embarrassed.”
“Thanks.” Lily's mood lifted.
There was a minute of silence while everyone ate. Then very suddenly, from the direction of the neighbors, something came flying through the air and landed splat on the ham they were eating. Everyone whipped towards the neighbors then towards what had landed on the table.
It was a light blue book titled The History of Lasssonia.
“Oops!” someone said from over the wall.
“Oh no,” groaned Alice.
“What?” Lily asked.
Then someone climbed onto the wall separating the Brown’s yard and the neighbors and hopped over. It was a tall boy who looked about Lily’s age and had dirty blonde, almost brown hair and bright blue eyes.
“Uh, sorry about that.” he looked around and his eyes landed on Lily. “Hey, wait. You’re Lily, aren’t you?”
“Uh, yeah. I am,” Lily said. “And you’re…?”
“He’s Lucas. Lucas Johnston. And,” Alice paused slightly annoyed, “my neighbor.”
“Yep. Exactly,” said Lucas.
“Okay, now that we’re done with introductions, why did you throw that book over the wall?” asked Lily.
“Oh yeah… that. Sorry. I was just, uh,” Lucas seemed embarrassed to say whatever he was going to say, “I was just showing my little brother, Cooper, the levitating spell, and, well, I accidentally flung it over the wall.” he winced.
“Oh, that’s fine. I’m just glad you didn’t throw it,” Lily said.
Alice made a noise.
“Thanks, Lily,” Lucas said.
“Oh, and could I borrow that book please? I'll also clean it off,” asked Lily.
“Sure. Here.” Lucas handed her the book.
There was a second of silence. Then Finley said, “Lucas, would you like to join us for dinner?”
Lucas' eyes widened. “Of course! Thank you ma’am.” Clearly he had never been offered to stay for dinner with the Browns (most likely because Alice was so annoyed by him).
They talked for the rest of dinner and Lily got to know Lucas and Alice a bit. Alice was really thoughtful and understanding and Lucas was funny and liked to joke around. They also promised they would teach Lily to use her magic.
When dinner was over Lily and her aunt and uncle went back home. Lily went to bed early because she was pretty tired.

Lily woke up the next morning and realized she was in Lassonia. A magical island. It was still hard to get used to. She checked the clock, it read 8:40 a.m. Lily got out of bed and stretched. She couldn’t wait to start learning about magic.


To be continued…(I haven't written any more than this yet lol and I will slowly keep adding to this)

First, how is Lilianna 16, then turned 17, then 18 all in the same year? Secondly, how does Lilianna’s hair color change from blonde to black throughout the story? Other than that, AWESOME STORY!