CHAPTER 1
Bad Morning
I would be going into middle school in September. It meantbigger responsibilities besides middle school. And for thenext four summers I would be traveling to a far-off placewith relatives who work for a billion-year-old tooth-collectingbusiness.
My little brother, Kai, came into the kitchen and took hisplace across the table. It was going to be his last day of third grade.He was grinning and chattering about what he planned to do allsummer.
Kai's hair was unevenly chopped into a cut he did on his own.It got me laughing. Mom took one look at it and rolled her eyes.She took a baseball hat off the counter and covered his head.
"Now that's better," Mom said.
Mom was hustling back and forth, talking to us as she wentabout the kitchen. She was putting things on the table, gettingthings out of the fridge, scrambling eggs, turning bacon, andburning toast. This was a morning ritual with Mom.
I knew she was trying to cheer me up with her endless chatter.She was obviously hoping to get me interested in the tooth-collectingbusiness. But it wasn't going to work. I was determinedabout that.
Kai finished his breakfast and hurried away. I munched downthe last bit of scrambled eggs and left Mom to do the cleanupchores. But she followed me to the door.
"Are you upset today is the last day of school, Magnolia?" sheasked. I didn't answer, and she looked concerned.
I knew I had to say something. I had to speak for myself; thetime was now or never. So I said, "Mom, I don't want to spendthe summer in Tooth Kingdom. I don't care about it. I want tostay here with my friends."
There was a knowing look on her face. And her eyelids seemedto be weighed down more than normal. I thought she might nothave slept well. I wondered if my summer trip to Tooth Kingdomwas bugging her too. Or was it Dad's snoring again?
"It's silly to worry about your friends," she said. "They willbe here when you come home. Tooth Kingdom is a beautifulplace. It's filled with tooth fairies and magic. You're going to havea wonderful time. I'm sure you'll even forget about your friendswhile you're there."
I opened the door and saw my best friend, Sun, walking upthe driveway. I couldn't help wondering what would happen ifshe found a new best friend over the summer. Tears welled up inmy eyes. I told Mom, "I won't forget my friends, but they mightforget me."
I didn't bother to wait for her reaction before running out thedoor. She was still calling after me when I caught up with Sun.
"Is everything okay?" Sun asked.
"Yes," I answered. I didn't want to lie to my best friend. ButI had to, because I remembered Dad's warning about keepingTooth Kingdom and its tooth fairy counterparts secret. He saidit's a law that must never be broken. The punishment is instantdeath. And that scared me.
Sun hugged her notebook and folder to her chest. She was sostudious; who else would have those things on the last day of school?
I gave up on being studious when spring started. What kindof kid wouldn't get excited over spring? Oh, that's right, a kid likeSun. She already has her whole future planned out. I thought I'dstart planning mine in about ten years.
Sun had a thick, golden bracelet on her wrist. It was set withrubies that seemed to twinkle in the morning sun. She didn'tusually wear jewelry; she was more the athletic type. And herfigure was filling out. My figure was boring next to hers. Momwas always telling me I'd fill out as I got older.
"I like your bracelet," I said. "Where did you get it?"
Her almond-shaped eyes lit up. "Thank you, Magnolia. Mygrandpa gave it to me. It belonged to my mother."
Everybody knew Sun's parents died years ago. She said it wasan accident, but she never went into detail about it. Part of methought there was a lot more to her story, but another part of mefigured it was just too hard for her to tell it.
I gave her my best smile. "It's beautiful, Sun. Take good careof it."
We reached the bus stop, and I heard footsteps behind us. Fora moment I thought it was Mom, but then I heard Kai say in asarcastic tone, "Thanks for waiting for me, Sis."
"Sorry, Kai. Mom was about to make me crazy," I replied. Ihugged his shoulder.
"I don't understand," he replied.
I expected him to be confused. After all, who wouldn't wantto visit Tooth Kingdom? From what Mom and Dad had told us,it was the most magical place in the world. And surely I wouldwant to go—if my friends could come along.
"I wish I was going to Tooth Kingdom," Kai said.
My heart sank as soon as I heard "Tooth Kingdom."
"What's Tooth Kingdom?" Sun asked.
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and my heartfelt like it was about to. I squeezed Kai's shoulder tightly, hopingit would be enough to keep him quiet. Otherwise there was notelling what might happen to him.
"It's some story Kai made up," I blurted out.
"I'd like to hear more about it sometime," Sun said to him.
Sun was waiting for a response, and it appeared Kai hadchoked up. I gave him a light nudge, and he spit out one word:"Sure."
An awkward silence fell over us. The bus came around thecorner. And I was nervous this conversation would come up againlater. For now, a blast of the horn put a stop to my worries. Thedoors opened, and I climbed the short stack of stairs.
CHAPTER 2
The Monarch
Kai sat with the other third-graders. I wasn't sure whichseat he fell into, but I knew it was somewhere in themiddle of the bus. That was where all the third-graderssat. But the fifth-grade graduates got the good seats, the ones inthe back.
As Sun and I walked the aisle, my eyes zoned in on the second-to-lastseat. That was where Sun and I sat every day together.Mallory always sat across from us, and she enjoyed sitting alone.But she didn't mind sharing if...
