looking in the direction that Walker was pointing.
âEddie, please stop that,â Walker pleaded. âHow can you take her to the Kingdom if she canât see or hear you?â
âIâve changed my mind,â said Eddie.
âWell, I havenât,â Walker assured him. âSo if youâd just go away please and leave us alone, we have things to do.â
Frankie looked quite bewildered, but not nearly as confused as she did when she suddenly saw Eddie standing right next to her.
âAll right, then. If thatâs the way youâre going to be,â said Eddie, âweâll all go.â
âOh wow!â cried Frankie. âHow dâyou do that? That is amazing! Iâm Frankie, by the way.â
âNo kidding!â said Eddie. âI kinda guessed that. Youâre the only skinny girl around here that I can see.â
âAnd Iâm kinda guessing that youâre rude, and itâs not cool to be rude to people you just met,â said Frankie.
âOh, Iâm so sorry.â Eddie smirked. âIf I upset you that much maybe youâd prefer to stay here and not have to be in my company.â
âNice try, buster,â said Frankie, âbut I donât upset easily.â
âWill you two stop?â yelled Walker. âYouâre making me remember why I never wanted friends.â
Much to Walkerâs surprise they both fell silent.
âAre we going to the Kingdom or not?â he demanded.
âYes,â grumbled Eddie. âWeâre going.â
The three of them made their way back to the hole in the ground and stood on its edge.
âNow hold hands and donât let go until weâre in motion,â Eddie said sternly.
âHow will we know weâre in motion?â asked Frankie.
âYouâll know because youâre moving,â replied Eddie. âThatâs what motion means.â
âIs he always this nasty?â Frankie asked Walker.
Walker just sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and took hold of her hand. He felt Eddieâs hand close around his other one.
âOn the count of three we jump,â Eddie commanded. âOneâtwoâthree!â
They leaped into the air, and instead of the jarring sensation on their feet and ankles, they were enveloped in the smooth, silky blackness and strange floating feeling that Walker now knew meant they were on their way to the Kingdom. After what seemed both forever and no time at all they found themselves standing upright, only this time they were in the courtyard of the Palace.
âOhâmyâGod!â Frankie cried. âThat was totally awesomeâI mean absolutely, completely the most amazing thing that ever happened to me, way better than snowboarding.â
She looked around in wonder, staring at the people, the buildings, and the silver birds high above her head.
âThis,â she said in an unusually hushed voice, âis the most beautiful place Iâve seen anywhere.â
Walker looked at her with admiration; she seemed to have no fear. He also noticed for the first time how pretty she was. She glowed, not just in the way that everybody in the Kingdom glowed, but also because of excitement and anticipation. Then anxiety overtook him. He knew that by coming back he could be walking into a trap. Even though the king had let him return to the Outerworld before, there was no guarantee he would again, and bad as it would be to be captive himself, it would be far worse to know that Frankie was caged because of him.
Chapter 9
W alker was still a little anxious as they mounted the steps to the Royal Apartments. But he also found he was feeling surprisingly at home. It was fun to be here with Frankie. He was wary of strange things himself, but all the way to the castle she had been exclaiming with wonder and delight.
âLook at that cute dragon!â
âWow, what a weird instrument! How great would it be to have
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