The Frights of Fiji by Sunayna Prasad (books to read for self improvement .txt) 📕

from Regulus’s band.

“How are we going to do that?” asked Jasmine.

Two familiar voices singing the tune of “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic attracted the girls’ attention. Alyssa turned to the ocean as the voices grew louder.

“How do they know that song?” Jasmine asked.

Alyssa answered, and the song ended. Flukes flapped against the surface of the water. Rosaline and Penelope popped their heads up. All the girls except Alyssa gasped.

“I don’t believe it,” said Jasmine.

“Me either,” said Madison.

“Hey, guys,” Alyssa said to Rosaline and Penelope.

Rosaline created the same smoke-filled glass cube from last time and handed that to Alyssa. Then she spoke her native dermaiden language, and the words appeared inside the glass.

 

Penelope and I have the seashells you’ll need to defeat whoever’s after you. They are in the pouches in our tails. We’ll get them out now.

 

The two reached into their tails’ pouches and pulled out the seashells.

“Thank you,” said Alyssa. “Come on, guys, let’s take them.”

Each girl took one seashell and put it in her shorts pocket.

“How did you get pouches?” Alyssa asked Rosaline and Penelope.

Rosaline spoke, and the words spelled out inside the cube.

 

Our father gave us these when we received Regulus’s message about you being hunted down.

“Cool,” said Alyssa.

Then Penelope spoke and made her words spell out into the cube.

 

Rosaline and I need to go since we don’t want to get hurt in case whoever’s hunting you down sees us. We’ll be back after we see that you’ve defeated your enemies.

 

The dermaidens swam away, and Alyssa waved goodbye to them. Regulus walked up to her with words on his band.

 

I’m not impervious to magic, unlike most magical creatures, so I am going to fly away until Rosaline and Penelope find out that you’ve defeated the villains. Good luck.

 

Alyssa sighed. “Fine.”

Regulus trotted away from her and the other girls and took off. Alyssa stared at him until he flew too far away.

“All right, guys, let’s start now,” Alyssa turned to them.

“There they are!” roared David.

Alyssa and the others gasped. David, Seamus, Clarissa, and Master Beau had appeared here.

“You may have escaped from the prison room, but that doesn’t mean we’re giving up!” growled Master Beau.

“If you’re wondering why we’re here now, it’s because Master Beau’s laptop, which has a tracking program to track y’all, had a problem,” Clarissa said. “But now it’s fixed, and we found you.”

“Clarissa, you didn’t have to tell them that,” said Seamus.

“All right, guys, that’s enough,” Master Beau said. “Seamus, can you make the minute vase appear?”

“Yes, sir.” He held out his arms and made a vase filled with water appear. Then he handed it to Master Beau.

“Okay, girls, here’s how it works,” said Master Beau. “The water will fog and eventually turn white like milk. While that happens, you will lose your strength and weaken until you die. That’ll happen when the water turns white.”

“Why didn’t you buy it before?” Clarissa asked.

“It wasn’t available anywhere until today,” Master Beau put it down and whipped his wand at it. Fog clouded the water, and the girls inhaled.

“Let’s run,” said Alyssa. She and the other girls dashed, but her legs ached, and she slowed down. The same thing happened with the other kids, and each one dropped to her knees and then hands. Alyssa gasped and panted while her arms shook.

“That’s right, get weaker,” said Master Beau. “In thirty seconds, you’ll be dead.”

Alyssa’s arms dropped, and her eyes drooped. She breathed more and relaxed herself—but remembered that she and the others needed to think of good memories.

“Guys, h-hurry and think of something g-good you remember,” Alyssa whispered.

She shut her eyes and slowed down her breathing. With few seconds left to live, she thought about what it’d be like to be dead. No—she shouldn’t. She had to think of a good memory.

The first image that came to her mind was a tin of decorated sugar cookies. Right—Aunt Laura had baked those. Then Aunt Laura came to her mind—which led to the Christmas of 2005, when Aunt Laura had made cookies. Alyssa managed to get a picture of that time in her head.

Although death drew nearer to her, she still heard a laser shooting out of the seashell in her shorts pocket—followed by screaming and a thump on the ground. She lifted her head up and opened her eyes. She gasped and pushed herself up. But the other girls still lay on the ground. Tears watered Alyssa’s eyes—until they too gasped and pushed themselves up.

“Oh my god, we’re okay!” cried Madison.

Alyssa turned to Master Beau, who lay on the ground.

“You killed him.” David turned to Alyssa.

“Look, the water in the vase is gone,” Seamus said.

“That’s what’s supposed to happen, Seamus,” said David. “You need to read more.”

“Shut up,” said Seamus, his voice breaking.

Alyssa looked at Hailey, Madison, Jasmine, and Destiny, who all had their eyes shut. Green lasers shot out of their shorts-pockets (except for Destiny), and hit David, Seamus, and Clarissa. They screamed and then fell to the ground. The girls stared and breathed.

“We did it,” said Madison. “We’re safe.”

“But how are we going to let the dermaidens know?” asked Jasmine.

A caw grew louder from the sky. The girls looked up and saw Regulus flying toward them.

“Regulus,” said Alyssa.

He lowered toward the island and landed. He trotted to the girls, and Alyssa saw words form on his band.

 

Congratulations on defeating your enemies. Rosaline and Penelope will come soon so that you can return the seashells.

 

“How’d you know to come?” asked Jasmine.

 

When those seashells defeat someone evil, the magic in the lasers sends signals to whoever owns them and lets them know what happened. After Rosaline and Penelope found out, they sent a signal to me to tell me to come here.

 

“Are you going to take us back to the tent?” asked Jasmine.

 

Yes—but after you return the seashells to Rosaline and Penelope.

 

Alyssa turned to the ocean, where Rosaline and Penelope singing the tune of “Seasons of Love” from Rent ascended. Their flukes churned the water as they came closer. When their song ended, they popped their heads out of the water and held their hands out. Each girl returned her seashell to Penelope or Rosaline. Then Rosaline created the cube and gave it to Alyssa. She spoke, and Alyssa looked into the cube.

 

Great job on defeating the villains. Now hop onto Regulus’s back, and he’ll take you back to wherever you’re staying.

 

“Okay,” said Alyssa.

Rosaline spoke again.

 

If you’re able to go home, I want to wish you a safe trip. Now it’s time to say goodbye.

 

Alyssa handed the cube back to Rosaline and said, “Thank you for everything.”

The dermaidens waved and swam away. Alyssa turned to Regulus, who placed his head on the ground.

“Let’s go, guys,” Alyssa told the others.

She climbed onto him, and he knelt so that the other girls could climb onto his back too. After they all did that, he stood up, trotted, and took flight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17

 

Regulus landed on the beach where the tent stood, and he trotted toward it. He then slowed down and stopped to let everyone off. He placed his head on the ground, and Alyssa slid off him. The other girls got off, and Regulus lifted his head up.

Alyssa petted his feathery neck. “Thanks, Regulus. I couldn’t have won without you.”

Regulus’s eyes watered.

“Goodbye.” Alyssa removed her hand from him, and he trotted away from her. He flew away, and Alyssa sprinted into the tent and down into the living room, where Mathias, Simon, and Isabelle stood.

“Blimey, you did it.” Simon smiled.

“We’re so proud of you girls,” said Mathias.

“Thanks.” Alyssa grinned.

“How’d you defeat Master Beau?” Isabelle asked.

Alyssa explained everything from the time Regulus had rescued her and the other girls from the dark magic center to when Master Beau and his three favorite workers had died.

“Wow, that’s incredible,” said Isabelle.

“I was so happy when my body unfroze and I then flew and disappeared back here,” said Simon.

“Did you ever get your WiPod back?” Madison asked.

“Sadly, no.” Simon frowned. “But I do have everything backed up on my laptop, which I left at home. So when I do get a new one, I don’t have to buy everything all over again.”

“Great,” said Madison.

“What’s going to happen with the dark magic center now that the charms are gone?” asked Alyssa.

“I’m going to report them,” said Mathias.

“Why don’t you do that later?” asked Isabelle. “We should work on getting these girls home.”

“Isabelle, you can call your pilot and see if he’s available,” Mathias told her. “And if you could go—”

“Why do you need—?” Isabelle sighed. “You’re right. Go ahead and report that place wherever you’re comfortable.”

“Thanks.” Mathias walked into the bedroom, and Isabelle made her cell phone appear. She pressed her device’s screen and held it to her ear. Alyssa sat down on the wide couch and watched Isabelle greet her private pilot.

“When are you next available?” she asked over the phone.

Alyssa continued to watch to find out an answer.

“I need to send five girls to New Jersey. How is this all going to work?”

A long pause occurred. Alyssa assumed that the pilot had to provide lots of details.

“Okay, thanks. See you tonight. Bye.” Isabelle hung up. “All right, girls, my pilot will be here at midnight. Now here’s how it’s going to work. When you get back to the United States, you won’t be going directly home.”

“Why not?” asked Hailey.

“Because you technically entered this country illegally, even though it wasn’t your fault,” Isabelle said.

“So where will we be going?” asked Hailey.

“To a magical immigration center called Griffin Immigration Center for Magical Travel,” replied Isabelle. “It’s not far from you guys. It’s in the Bronx.”

“What are we going to do there?” asked Hailey.

“Well, Mathias is going to write a note that proves you were kidnapped. The person at the front desk will run it through a truth-detecting machine. After they find out that the note is true, you’ll all get wristbands to wear to confirm that you were kidnapped. But because you are all underage and will be unaccompanied, you’ll have to have attendants escort you through the process.”

“You’re not coming with us?” asked Madison.

“Sorry, no,” said Isabelle. “Also, you’re going to have to deal with being jetlagged. People aren’t allowed to bring potions when they travel.”

“Not even in their luggage?” asked Madison.

“Nope,” Isabelle said. “It can be dangerous. So you’re going to have to let your mind adjust to the Eastern Time Zone naturally.”

“Okay,” said Madison.

“That’s fine,” said Alyssa.

“All right, guys, the police are on their way to the dark magic center.” Mathias walked out of the bedroom.

“Good to hear,” said Isabelle. “Can you write a note explaining that the girls were kidnapped?”

“Why?” asked Mathias.

Isabelle told him the same thing she’d told them.

“Okay.” Mathias turned to Simon. “You should return your tracking app now.”

“I’ll do that.” Simon made his tablet appear and worked on returning the tracking app.

“Should we go pack now?” asked Madison.

“Yes,” said Mathias. “I’ll go write the note in the