The Green Guardian

Chapter 3: Portal to Another World

Twenty-four hours later

        Eleven-year-old Evie Amanda Madison slept not a wink overnight. Instead, she spent the time reading stories about the Paperblank Forest. After all, it was known as the most mysterious forest in all of Pinta Country. Even better, Evie was going to attend a one-week summer camp there starting today.

"Yahoo!" She tossed her white bedsheets over her head and leaped to her feet. Her curly, dirty blonde hair bounced all over the place as she jumped up and down on her bed. One by one, her stuffed animals fell onto the floor. "Today's the day! Today's the day!" Evie yelled.

The sunshine, mixed in with the light blue walls of her room, made it quite bright.

Evie hopped right over her chest at the foot of her bed and landed on her fluffy, white rug. She dug her toes into its fabric. Her pink pajama top and pants bounced with the rest of her body.

Evie rushed over to the corner of her room. In it was an enormous, wheeled suitcase. She had literally just thrown her clothes in it, not bothering to fold them or anything. She made haste to rush into her bathroom and pick up handfuls of makeup and jewelry.

Her bathroom was the smallest one in the house. It consisted of just a toilet, a sink, and a shower. There were tan-colored tiles on the floor and a few rugs. Her shower curtain had colorful flowers on it.

Evie chucked her makeup and jewelry into her suitcase. She then returned to the bathroom and fixed her hair. Evie patted it down, using a barrette to pull some of it behind her ear. The entire time she worked, she listed all the things she was looking forward to with the camp: "One week away from my parents! No rules, no chores! Even better, I can be just like Anthony!"

Ranger Anthony was the most well-known ranger in Pinta Country. He was the reason why Evie wanted to become a Pinta Park Ranger when she grew up. His missions took him to so many cool places. He was Evie's hero. Not to mention that the camp was for aspiring rangers to prepare them for Ranger School. In Pinta Country, trainees started attending the school when they were fifteen years old.

Evie styled her hair in a romantic tuck. She added a halo-like braid at the front of her head.

Her bedroom door opened, and her mother's voice wafted across the room. "Evie, are you up?"

"I sure am, Mom!"

Charlotte was in her late forties. She and Evie looked so much alike. Both of them had dirty blonde hair and blueberry-blue eyes. She appeared at her bathroom door. "Good morning, dear."

Evie stopped messing with her hair. "Morning, Mom."

"So, exciting day today, huh?" Charlotte asked.

Evie cheered. "Sure is! Mom, I'm going to the Paperblank Forest!" She literally could not contain her excitement. The eleven-year-old hurried out of her bathroom. She went to an open section of her bedroom, which was next to her toy box and a display of a few dolls. Behind her, morning sunshine cut through the area.

Evie played Pretend Ranger. She pointed at her ceiling and announced to all of Pinta Country, "I am Ranger Anthony, protector of the realm. I will befriend every magical creature, including the dragons. And one day, the king will personally invite me to his castle."

Not so long ago, the young king, Benjamin, threw a banquet in Anthony's honor. Evie read about it in the paper.

Charlotte chuckled, but her smile vanished when she saw Evie's suitcase. "Oh my. What's all that?"