find the Frost Queen’s castle. He said it would be different from all the others.”
“He’s right. That castle stands out in a way that none of the others do. However, no one can find the difference. The Frost Queen made so many replicas so she could protect herself and her possessions. You think you’re the only one who knows about the Hearts Under Ice? Thieves from all over have tried to steal them. No one has succeeded. Those who survived never dared to venture down that path again.”
“Wait, people don’t always survive?” she asked naively.
“You’re talking about a world where there is eternal winter, dear. Do you honestly expect to survive that long without much help?” Gemma asked. “Of course, the Frost Queen will be heavily guarded. Her castle is not one that you can walk up to and just knock on the door. She does not see people without them having a good reason to see her.”
“So how am I supposed to do this? I still cannot see why someone would ask me for help. Why not Donnie? Why not the person who had the car next to mine? They would all probably do a better job than I could!”
“I think you have something within yourself that you don’t know about yet,” Ms. Howard reasoned. “You’re scared, and for good reason. However, you were given that message because the person who delivered it trusted you. I can tell you that it wasn’t from us. We can help you get to the world while you’re awake, but we don’t bring messages back like that.”
“Will you be there with me in that world?” she asked. “I don’t know if I can go through it by myself. Donnie said he’d come along, but I don’t know how to take him.”
“You don’t need to worry about that part, dearie. We can take anyone into another world,” Alice chimed in. “The question we have is, are you are ready to go in one two day? Understand that it won’t take just a few hours. While time moves faster in other worlds, it will affect you. It will also affect everything that happens to you. You must be very careful when traveling from world to world. We will be there to guide you, but this is ultimately something that you must do on your own.”
“Great,” Olivia gulped. “Please don’t tell Donnie that I came to see you again. He has no idea that I’ve already made up my mind.”
“Oh, Donovan. You didn’t tell him about your decision yet?” Ms. Howard asked.
“I tried to, but he was so out of it today. He seems so lonely, though. Does he do anything for fun, or hang out with anyone? He never mentioned that.”
“Poor thing has been alone almost his entire life. After his parents perished in that accident, he never really connected with anyone. Whatever fun he has is usually on his on, in his lab. He’s not the social butterfly that you were probably hoping to find. Rest assured though, he is a very good man. He is very bright, and he will make you happy.”
Olivia blinked. “What do you mean by that? I’m not interested in Donnie in that way.”
“I knew it!” Gemma threw her hands up in the air. “It’s denial! She’s already in the stages of denial! First, she says that she doesn’t feel anything for him. Then, she’ll say that she isn’t interested, when she clearly is!”
“No, I’m not! Why are you so concerned with my relationships, anyway?” Olivia shook her head. “We have much more important things to worry about here. Donnie and I have nothing going on, and that’s that.”
“I know, dear.” Ms. Howard glared at her friends. “Please, we’re trying to keep the girl on our side. She has an important message, and we need to figure out why someone from the frost world would send it to her. Now Olivia, you have to be brave. I need you to come in two days, and you need to be ready. You need to be willing to accept the impossible. You must be alert, and you must not cave in to any temptations.”
“Oh, I’ve been warned about that, too.” She nodded. “I’m not planning to talk to anyone unless I need to buy something. I just want to get this over with.”
“Patience, Olivia,” Gemma said. “This is a delicate matter. Are you sure you do not want to wait for Donovan to decide?”
“I’m pretty sure about that,” she murmured. “Donnie