chapteR nine
The Sparkle Trail
It started in the hallway.
Right by the drinking fountain.
Just a shimmer at first—like glitter caught in sunlight.
But it didn’t go away.
It followed her.
Everywhere Nic walked that day,
a sparkle trail appeared behind her.
Tiny flickers of light—like someone had spilled stardust
and forgot to sweep it up.
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At first, she thought she was imagining it.
But then Maisie O’Kelly said:
“Uhhh… Nic? Your shoes are, like… glowing?”
And they were.
Only a little.
Only if you looked close.
Only if you still believed in anything at all.
But it was there.
Clifford was thrilled.
He wagged his tail so hard it knocked over the laundry basket.
Because he knew what it meant.
The veil had thinned.
​
The remembering wasn’t just inside Nic anymore.
It was leaking out.
Seeping into the air, the floor, the sky.
​
Even her notebook started to act funny.
It flipped to blank pages on its own.
Then wrote things.
In her handwriting.
Things like:
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“It’s almost time.”
“He’s not far now.”
“Get ready to leap.”
​
She tried telling Ms. Bloomfire.
But Ms. Bloomfire just smiled
and handed her a peppermint and said:
“You’re about to cross into Act Two, darling.
Don’t forget your wand.”
​
And Nic got chills.
Because she hadn’t told her there were acts.
That afternoon, the sparkle trail got stronger.
Someone from another class stopped her and asked:
“Are you the girl from the song?”
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