Table of Contents

Title Page
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Sneak Peek at Forever Fairies #2
Also by Maddy Mara
About the Authors
Copyright
 Contents

Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Sneak Peek at Forever Fairies #2
Also by Maddy Mara
About the Authors
Copyright
It was the first day of spring and magic was in the air. In a little glade within a vast forest,
four flowers swayed in the breeze: a daffodil, a tulip, a poppy, and a lily. The flowers were
waiting for the sun to rise. Slowly, the pink-and-gold dawn melted across the sky.
The first flower touched by the morning light was the daffodil. Its petals began to open,
filling the air with a gentle scent. Curled inside was a tiny fairy. She had honey-brown hair
with a bright blue streak in it, and long eyelashes. The fairy was wearing a little yellow
dress. Her wings were folded neatly against her back.
The daffodil wobbled gently. “Wake up, Aayla,” the flower murmured. “It’s your Sprout
Day!”
 The little fairy opened one eye and then the other. She sat up and looked around. So
this was the world! Aayla’s flower had been whispering stories and singing songs into her
dreams as she grew. Finally, Aayla could see it all for herself. See it and explore it!
Aayla fluttered her wings. It felt good to stretch them. She had been curled up inside
her flower for a long time. Her wings were twitching to go.
The daffodil’s sweet words filled the air. “Before you try out your wings, take a sip of
flower nectar. You’ll need the energy.”
A drop of nectar glimmered on the petal like a pearl. Aayla reached up and caught it in
her tiny hands. It tasted like sunshine. Energy raced through her. Now she was ready to fly!
Aayla had never flown before—after all, she had only just sprouted. But with a couple
of quick flaps, she zoomed into the air and hovered above her flower.
“Good work, Aayla!” the daffodil sang. “Go higher! I’ll catch you if you fall.”
Aayla rose until she could see all the flowers in the glade. Were there any other fairies
about to sprout? She really, really hoped she wasn’t the only one sprouting today. Exploring
with others would be much more fun!
The sun had just reached the tulip. As Aayla watched, its purple petals opened. Aayla
could feel in her wings that something wonderful was about to happen.
A little face peered around a petal. This fairy had velvety dark curls with purple
streaks, and big brown eyes. She was wearing a cute little hat and a purple dress.
“Happy Sprout Day!” Aayla called, fluttering over to the tulip. “I’m Aayla. I just
sprouted, too.”
The fairy smiled. “Happy Sprout Day to you!” she said. “I’m Jalynn. Is flying fun?” Just
then, a gust of wind blew the fairy’s hat off her head and into the air.
In a flash, Aayla darted after the hat and caught it easily. She handed it back to Jalynn.
“Flying is so much fun. And it’s useful for rescuing hats! Come and try it.”
First, Jalynn took a sip of nectar from her tulip. Then she flapped her wings, rising up
to hover beside Aayla.
“See that big poppy?” Aayla pointed. “I have a feeling there’s another fairy inside!”
Aayla and Jalynn watched closely. As soon as the sun touched the poppy, it unfurled.
The red petals twinkled in the gentle light.
Sure enough, another fairy was sitting cross-legged at the poppy’s center. She was
wearing bright red. Her hair, glossy black with gold streaks, fell across her shoulders.
“Happy Sprout Day!” Aayla and Jalynn sang together.
A smiled blossomed on the fairy’s little face. “Thanks! I’m Stella. Who are you?”
“This is Jalynn,” Aayla said, pointing at Jalynn.
“And that’s Aayla,” Jalynn said, pointing at Aayla. “Take a sip of flower nectar, then
come join us!”
Stella drank thirstily. Then she shook out her wings and launched into the air.
“Where’s the fourth fairy?” Stella asked. “My flower said there were four of us sprouting
today.”
 Aayla looked around. At the edge of the glade was a huge lily plant. Upon it grew a
single pale pink bud. “I think she’s on her way!” Aayla said, excited.
The morning sun touched the lily. The flower gave a little shake and the petals opened.
The fairies watched with big eyes.
But no fairy appeared!
Aayla, Jalynn, and Stella looked at one another. What was going on?
“Let’s go and see,” Aayla suggested.
Aayla zipped over to the flower. Jalynn and Stella were not far behind. They peeped in.
Lying inside the lily, fast asleep, was the fourth fairy. She had wavy pale hair streaked with
pink, the same color as her dress. And this fairy was the tiniest of them all!
“What’s that sound?” Jalynn asked, looking around. “Is it a bee buzzing?”
Stella burst out laughing. “She’s snoring! How can such a big noise come from such a
tiny thing?”
The lily gave a little shake. But the sleeping fairy kept on snoring.

Aayla, Jalynn, and Stella grinned at one another. “HAPPY SPROUT DAY!” the three
fairies sang at the top of their lungs.
 The final fairy stretched and yawned. Her eyes blinked open. When she saw three faces
looking down at her, she sat up. “Good morning! I’m Brooke. You must be Aayla, Jalynn, and
Stella. My flower’s sleeping song was all about you.”
Brooke scooped up some nectar from her lily, drank deeply, and then spread her tiny
wings and rose out of her flower to join the others. “It’s great to finally meet you! I wonder
what happens now?”
The sound of fluttering made the four fairies look up. Another fairy was flying toward
them—very, very quickly! She was bigger than Aayla and the others, and had a long
ponytail streaked with blue. Her sleek blue outfit had a stripe of yellow down one leg and
an A embroidered on the front. The fairy did a neat loop in the air and came to a stop.
I’m going to learn how to fly like that, Aayla thought.
“Welcome to the Magic Forest, little Sprout Wings!” the fairy called.
Aayla, Stella, Jalynn, and Brooke clustered around the bigger fairy. They all began talking at
once.
“Hi! What’s your name?”
“What do we do next?”
“How did you know we were here?”
“Are we going to fly somewhere?”
The bigger fairy put up her hands and laughed. “Slow down, Sprouties! You’ll find out
much more if you let me speak.”
The little fairies fell silent. Their wings shimmered in the morning light.
“My name is Kacey,” said the fairy, flicking back her ponytail. “And I’m here to bring
you to the Forever Tree.”
 Aayla’s daffodil had told her about the Forever Tree. The Forever Fairies all lived
within its branches. Aayla could hardly wait to see it!
The Sprout Wings had a thousand more questions.
“How far away is it?”
“Do you live there?”
“What happens when we arrive?”
“Can we go there right now?”
Kacey laughed again, shaking her head in wonder. “You are the most excited Sprouties
I’ve ever met. I’ll explain on the way. But first, zip over to those white flowers and back. We
have a long journey ahead. I need to see how well you can fly.”
The four little fairies fluttered across the glade toward the white flowers. Aayla was in
front. She just loved flying! With each flap of her wings, she surged through the air, faster
and faster.
As Aayla neared the white flowers, she saw a bug sparkling in the sunlight—and it was
about to fall off a petal! Aayla swooshed over and caught the bug in her arms. “I’ve got you!”
She popped it safely onto a bigger petal and kept flying. Aayla was going so fast she almost
crashed into Stella, Jalynn, and Brooke coming the other way. “Sorry!” she called.
“Wow! You’re so speedy!” Jalynn said.
“Wait for us!” Stella laughed.
Aayla hadn’t realized how far ahead she was. The funny thing was, she didn’t feel like
she’d been trying very hard.
When Aayla returned, Kacey smiled. “Good flying. And that was a nice rescue.
Sparklebugs can be so clumsy! Let me guess, you had lots of flying dreams when you were
growing in your flower?”
“I did!” Aayla said. “But it’s even better in real life.”
Kacey nodded. “You and I are alike.”
Aayla beamed. She loved the idea of being like this fast, cool fairy.
Soon, Jalynn, Stella, and Brooke joined them, panting but happy.
“Was that okay?” Brooke puffed. “We’re not as fast as Aayla. She’s amazing!”
Aayla felt a flash of worry. Should she have slowed down? She didn’t want the others
to think she was showing off. She already liked the other Sprout Wings, and she wanted
them to like her back!
“You all did wonderfully,” Kacey said. “Sprouties usually take a while to get the hang of
flying. But you four are naturals.”
 “Shall we go?” Stella asked. “I can’t wait to see the Forever Tree.”
“I like your enthusiasm, Stella. Yes, let’s go!” Kacey turned and headed for the dense
thicket surrounding the glade. Stella, Jalynn, and Brooke followed close behind.
Aayla turned to look at her daffodil one last time. It gave a bob of its yellow head. “Safe
travels, Aayla. I know you’ll make me proud!”
Aayla waved goodbye and sped off after the others. She caught up easily.
Kacey spoke as they flew over a grove of wildflowers. “The Forever Fairies protect the
forest in lots of different ways. We’ve done this forever—and we’ll keep doing it forever!
Even the oldest creatures of the forest cannot remember a time when we weren’t here,
helping out.”
Jalynn looked curious. “How do we look after the forest?”
“That depends on which pod you’re put into,” Kacey said.
“Ooh! My flower told me about the fairy pods,” Stella said. “There are four different
ones, right?”
 “That’s correct,” Kacey said. “There are the Flutterflies, that’s my pod. Then there are
the Shimmerbuds, Twinklestars, and Sparkleberries. Over the next few days, you will do a
series of tryouts to discover which pod you each belong in.”
Stella clapped, excited. “What do we have to do for these tryouts?”
Jalynn looked calm and thoughtful. “Will we be given time to practice?”
Brooke was gazing off dreamily. “What’s it like, being in Flutterfly?”
Aayla had a question, too. It was a big one: Could all four Sprout Wings be in the same
pod?
But before Aayla could ask anything, Kacey called, “Watch out, everyone!”
Kacey ducked under the low-hanging branch that had appeared. Aayla did the same,
followed by Stella. Jalynn approached next, swooping under the branch in her careful way.
Aayla looked around for Brooke. She was trailing behind the group, gazing around in
wonder. She clearly hadn’t heard Kacey’s warning.
In a flash, Aayla zoomed back to the tiny fairy. She grabbed Brooke’s hand and pulled
her under the branch just in time.
“Whoops!” Brooke looked frazzled. “Thanks, Aayla!”
Kacey nodded at them approvingly. “It’s good that you’re watching out for your fellow
Sprouties, Aayla.”
Aayla felt a glow of pride.
They were deep in the forest now, flying between huge, mossy trees. Beams of
sunshine filtered through the canopy. Aayla felt like she could fly forever. But then she
glanced at the others. Jalynn’s wings were looking a little droopy. So were Stella’s and
Brooke’s.
I’ll help them out, Aayla decided. She looped up and over the group so that she was
behind them. She started flapping the air with her wings to push the other fairies along. But
instead of helping, Aayla’s gusts of wind tossed the little fairies in all directions. Jalynn’s hat
got caught in Brooke’s long hair, and Stella was flipped upside down.
“Oops! Sorry!” cried Aayla.
But everyone just laughed as they straightened themselves out.
“That was a good thought, Aayla,” Kacey said. “The Turbo Boost is a very complex
Flutterfly move, and you nearly nailed it. I’ll teach you how to perfect it someday. But don’t
worry, we’re almost at the tree now. We just need to get through those brambles.”
Up ahead was a twisted snarl of vines studded with thorns. Aayla could just make out a
few narrow tunnels through the tangle.
“Follow me,” Kacey called cheerfully. “But don’t get hooked on the thorns!” She
disappeared into the brambles. After a moment’s hesitation, Stella followed.
“Here goes,” muttered Jalynn, flying through a little slower.
Aayla knew she could zip through the brambles easily. But then she looked at Brooke.
Her face was very pale.
“Let’s go through together,” Aayla suggested.
 Linking arms, the two fairies squeezed through the gap, nipping under one vine and
around another, avoiding all the sharp thorns.
A moment later, Aayla and Brooke burst through the brambles. Waiting for them on
the other side was the most incredible sight.
An enormous tree loomed before them. Its mossy trunk was as wide as three normal trees.
It was so tall, Aayla couldn’t see the top! Countless little windows were dotted along the
sturdy branches. At the base of the trunk was a grand door, golden and etched with
swirling patterns.
Aayla gasped. “The Forever Tree!”
“It’s just how I imagined.” Stella sighed.
Jalynn nodded, her eyes sparkling. Brooke simply stared.
As they watched, the Forever Tree gave a dramatic shake … and burst into bloom! In
an instant, the branches were covered in flowers of every color imaginable.
“Come on, Sprouties!” Kacey cried, hovering near the huge trunk. “The other fairies are
waiting.”
 The four Sprout Wings looked at one another, confused. What other fairies?
There was the sound of tinkling bells and the front door flung open. A stream of fairies
poured out and surged into the air, cheering loudly. More fairies squeezed out of the
windows, flitting here and there in the golden sunlight.
There were boy fairies and girl fairies, tall fairies and short fairies. Fairies with long
raven-black hair and fairies with short purple hair. Some of the fairies were around Kacey’s
age, and others were only a bit bigger than the Sprout Wings. All the fairies were dressed in
colorful outfits. And all of them were chattering with excitement.
“The new Sprouties are here!”
“Look how cute they are!”
“So tiny! They still have pollen on their wings.”

Kacey flew to the front of the crowd. “Flutter back, everyone!” Her voice rang out clear
and firm. “Give our new Sprout Wings some space. Remember what it felt like on your first
day.”
The fairies moved back, but Aayla still felt self-conscious. She’d never had so many
eyes on her! Brooke pressed close, clearly feeling the same.
 “Where are the other Alpha Wings?” Kacey called to the crowd.
“What are Alpha Wings again?” Stella asked the other Sprouties.
“They’re like the head fairies,” Jalynn explained. “I think there’s one for each pod.”
“We’re coming!” came a friendly voice. “Make way, please.”
The crowd parted and three fairies joined Kacey. They looked like they were all about
the same age. They each had an A for Alpha on their chests, just like Kacey.
The Alphas were all dressed differently. One wore a shimmery skirt made of deep
green leaves with a purple petal top. Another was wearing a silver dress, shaped like a bell
and pulled tight with a golden sash. She had lights in her hair. The third fairy wore a long
dusty-pink-and-aqua dress covered in flowing ruffles.
Aayla stared at them in awe. They looked so amazing!
Kacey caught her eye and winked. “Don’t be intimidated by the Alphas. We were once
little Sprout Wings like you. In fact, we four sprouted together.” Kacey turned to the fairy in
the silver bell dress. “Do you remember our first day, Timi?”
“Of course! Vida and I crashed into each other just as all the other fairies came out of
the tree,” Timi said, grabbing the hand of the fairy in the leafy skirt.
“It was worse for Mave.” Vida gave the elegant fairy in the long ruffly dress a teasing
smile.
Mave groaned. “Don’t remind me.” She turned to the Sprout Wings. “I was so stunned
by the Forever Tree that I totally forgot to flap my wings. I fell straight into a puddle. I had
to meet everyone for the first time dripping in mud!”
Everyone laughed, and Aayla relaxed. These big fairies didn’t seem scary now that she
could picture them making mistakes.
Stella put up a hand. “I have a question,” she said. “When do we start the tryouts?”
“Tomorrow,” Kacey said. “First, we need to grow you a room. You four will stay
together until the Pod Picking, which happens after all the tryouts are completed.”
Aayla, Jalynn, Stella, and Brooke huddled together and squealed in delight.
“Did you say grow us a room?” Brooke asked.
Timi smiled. “Watch! Fairies, please move away from the tree.”
Like a fluttery, multicolored cloud, the fairies flew to the edges of the clearing. The four
Alpha Wings gathered before the majestic tree, their wings flapping in unison. Each Alpha
pulled out a shimmering silver wand from their belt. Together, they lifted their wands high
and began to make beautiful, complicated shapes in the air.
Aayla felt a buzz of excitement. Beams of glittery color flowed out of the wands, each of
a different hue. The glittering trails spread until they wrapped all around the massive tree.
A tiny shoot began growing out of the tree’s trunk. It was the bright green of fresh
growth. Waving back and forth, the new shoot became bigger and bigger. Darker leaves and
flower buds sprouted forth. Soon, the shoot was nearly as big as the other branches!
“Can I do the windows?” the Alpha called Vida asked. “That’s my favorite part.”
 The other Alphas nodded. Vida gave her wand a sharp flick, sending a stream of pink
magic swooshing over to the new branch. Little curtained windows popped up along its
length.
“Perfect, Vida!” Kacey turned to Aayla and the others. “Want to see inside your new
home?”
It was a silly question. Of course they did!
“This way!” Kacey flew toward the main entrance. “And don’t forget to change your shoes!”
At the golden door, Kacey hovered above a little patch of purple moss. There was a puff
of sparkly dust, and Kacey’s outdoor shoes transformed into little slippers. One by one, the
other Sprout Wings paused above the moss. The sparkly dust tickled Aayla’s feet! Admiring
her soft slippers, Aayla followed Kacey and the others inside. A stream of other fairies flew
in behind them, still chattering away as slippers magically appeared on their tiny feet.
Inside was a huge, dimly lit hall. There was just enough light for the fairies to see the
mosaic of gleaming, twinkling stones that covered the floor.
“My flower said this floor is made of a thousand gemstones from every corner of the
Magic Forest,” Brooke said.
 Kacey nodded. “And the pattern changes to match what’s happening for the Forever
Fairies.” Next, Kacey looked upward. “Hi, bees! Lights, please!”
Instantly, the hall was flooded with warm light. A faint scent of honey filled the room.
“Are they glow bees?” Jalynn asked, gazing at the moving orbs of light above.
“Yes! The glow bees live in a nearby hive,” Kacey explained. “Every day, a group of
them comes here and provides us with light. In return, the Shimmerbud fairies nurse them
when they’re ill. The creatures of the forest all help one another when they can.”
Now that the lights were on, Aayla saw that countless staircases were carved into the
tree. They curved up and around until they disappeared out of view. Little doors were
dotted here and there, leading to all the different branches.
Four glow bees flew closer to the Sprout Wings, their fluffy bodies pulsing with
comforting light.

“Ah! Here are your bee guides,” Kacey said. “They will show you to your sleeping
branch, where you’ll find everything you need. I know this is all really exciting, but try to
have a nap. You’ll need all your energy for the Flutterfly tryout tomorrow.”
Aayla’s stomach swirled. She didn’t know if it was from excitement or nerves! She had
a feeling she would like being a Flutterfly. “What sort of fairies become Flutterflies?” she
asked.
“Well, we’re the sporty fairies,” Kacey explained. “We are fast, and we use our flying
and acrobatic skills to help the forest’s creatures. For example, if an animal is trapped by a
falling tree or stuck in a flood, we’re the first on the scene.”
Flying around the forest helping others sounded great to Aayla!
 “But being a Flutterfly isn’t all serious.” Kacey did an elegant midair backflip as she
went on. “We also organize the Fairy Games!”
Stella raised a hand eagerly. “What do we have to do for the Flutterfly tryout?”
“Good question. It’s an adventure course. You’ll have to fly fast and do stunts, too. It’s
the best way for the judges to see if you have the right skills to be a Flutterfly. It’s fun, but
it’s not easy!” As she was talking, Kacey had stepped into a handstand.
Aayla wanted to learn how to do that, too!
There was a sudden chiming of bells. Kacey flipped back up. “Gotta go!” she called
cheerfully, heading for the door. “I have to help set up the course. Remember, take a nap!”
“This way, Sprout Wings,” buzzed the glow bees in unison. They flew toward the
staircase. “Please note there is no flying on the stairs—unless you’re a glow bee.”
Aayla and the others dropped to the ground and tucked in their wings. They hurried to
follow the bees. There were a lot of stairs to climb. Luckily, they were wonderful to walk on.
Each step made a soft musical tone! Aayla was almost sorry when the bees stopped a few
flights up. They were standing in front of a green door with a little golden knob.
“This leads to your Sprout Wings branch,” the bees buzzed. “Go on!”
Stella opened the door and the Sprout Wings burst through. The glow bees followed,
taking up position near the ceiling. The branch filled with their soft glimmer as the door
swung closed.
The walls of the sleeping branch were polished and smooth, like in the entrance hall.
But the wood here was pale, with the fresh smell of new growth. Along one side were four
windows, with a bed below each. The beds were plump with pillows and cozy coverlets
made from petals. One was made from daffodils, another from purple tulips. The third was
made from poppies and the last from pink lilies.
“They match our sprout flowers!” Aayla sighed happily, running her hand over the
daffodil coverlet. Her name was written in curling golden letters on the headboard.
“Look! We each have a suitcase,” Jalynn said, admiring a tiny case made from a walnut
shell. “I wonder what’s inside.”
 “Lots of things!” Stella had already opened hers. “There’s a nightdress, a toothbrush,
and some fluffy socks.”
“And this must be for the tryout tomorrow.” Aayla held up a blue-and-yellow flying suit
just like the one Kacey wore. The only difference was Aayla’s had an S embroidered on the
front.
“S for Sprout Wing!” Stella sang, admiring her suit.
Aayla looked closely at hers. “I don’t think this is going to fit me—the legs are too
short.”
“Me neither!” Brooke held her enormous costume against her tiny frame.
“Let’s try them on,” Jalynn suggested. “I have a feeling it will work out.”
Aayla nodded. Jalynn didn’t say much—but when she did, she was usually right! Aayla
pulled off her daffodil sprouting dress and stepped into the stretchy blue-and-yellow suit.
As she did, the material shifted and changed to fit her body. Soon, it was a perfect fit. Aayla
immediately felt comfy and sporty, like she was ready to fly anywhere.
She looked at the others. Their costumes were also adjusting to fit. The Sprouties
twisted this way and that, enjoying their new flying suits.
“Don’t forget to nap,” buzzed the glow bees from above.
“I don’t feel like napping,” Stella admitted.
Neither did Aayla. She was wide-awake and still full of flower nectar energy.
 “We could nap,” Brooke said, smiling mischievously. “Or we could practice for the
Flutterfly tryout.”
Aayla liked this idea!
To her surprise, the glow bees hummed approvingly. “That’s what we would do,” they
buzzed. “Why waste time sleeping when you could be bizzzzy?”
Jalynn nodded. “But how do we practice?”
“Like this!” Brooke sprang onto her bed and began jumping up and down, fluttering
her tiny wings to go higher, and then tucking them in tight to fall faster.
Soon, all four fairies were leaping and flying and tumbling from one bed to another.
Pillows and petal coverlets flew in every direction. Aayla jumped so high she touched the
ceiling!
“Why do the new Sprout Wings always jump on the beds?” Aayla heard one glow bee
ask another.
Aayla was about to explain how fun it was when she caught sight of something out the
window. She stopped mid-jump and yelped in surprise.
The other Sprout Wings stopped jumping, too.
“What is it?” Stella asked.
Aayla pointed. “I just saw two faces peeping in the window! But they vanished when
they saw me looking.”
“Maybe it was some bigger fairies?” Brooke said. “They seem pretty interested in us.”
Aayla shook her head. “They were green. And they didn’t have wings.”
“No wings?” Jalynn’s eyes were wide. “How did they get up so high?”
“I think they were dangling from ropes.” Aayla was starting to wonder if she’d
imagined the whole thing. But no! She had definitely seen two green faces. They had
grinned at her. And one of them had crossed their eyes in a very rude way!
 “Sounds like trolls,” said the glow bees from above. “They’re extremely curious.
They’re always buzzing around our hive—they love our honey.”
“Are trolls good?” Aayla asked the glow bees. “Or are they bad?”
“Neither,” buzzed two of the bees.
“Both,” buzzed the other two at the same time.
The Sprout Wings looked at one another. That was not very helpful!
“No more questions, Sprout Wings. Kacey is about to knock,” the bees declared.
Sure enough, there was a friendly rap on the door and Kacey walked in—on her hands.
The Sprout Wings burst out laughing. Kacey seemed to spend as much time upside
down as the right way up!
Even more impressively, Kacey was balancing a basket on top of her slipper-covered
feet. When she reached the middle of the room, she kicked the basket into the air, flipped
upright, and neatly caught it in her hands. “This is your dinner.” Kacey put the basket in the
corner. “But before you eat, we’re going on a tree tour. Everyone ready?”
First, they visited the library, a huge branch lined with rows and rows of books. Fairies
lounged about on comfy cushions, reading. Aayla noticed that lots of the readers were
dressed in the Shimmerbud colors of purple and green.
A flock of books fluttered over to greet the new arrivals. The books particularly liked
Jalynn and started following her around.
“Fairy books are good at sniffing out readers,” Kacey told Jalynn. “I think you’ll be
popular in here.”
Next, they explored the craft branch, which the Sparkleberries kept neat and well
stocked with all kinds of supplies. Tiny Brooke was soon lost among the bolts of fabric,
brushes, and paint.
“Can I come here every day?” Brooke’s eyes shone as she sifted through a chest full of
color-changing beads.
“Of course!” a Sparkleberry mending her pink-and-aqua dress responded. “You can
even take some things with you now, if you like.”
Delighted, Brooke gathered up some string and beads.
“What are you going to make?” asked Aayla.
Brooke just smiled. “You’ll find out!”
Finally, they visited one of the tree’s many magical kitchens. Twinklestar fairies in
silver aprons flittered here and there, baking and stirring, adding and tasting. It all smelled
delicious! Stella kept asking questions and peering into steaming pots. She looked like she
never wanted to leave.
“Okay, Sprouties—it’s getting late. Are you hungry?” Kacey asked.
They nodded.
“Of course you are! Sprouties are always hungry. Let’s get back to your branch. I’ll
grow you a table where we can eat dinner.”
 The group traveled along narrow branches and up and down spiraling staircases all
the way back to their cozy branch. There, Kacey pulled out her sparkly wand. Aayla looked
at it enviously. Her flower had sung to her about wands. She couldn’t wait to get one
herself.
Kacey waved her wand in an intricate pattern, and out swirled trails of yellow and blue
light. The floor of the bedroom began to shudder. A new sprout burst up like a water
fountain. It twisted and grew until it was waist-high, and then flattened to form a tabletop.
It even had a leafy tablecloth! With another clever swish of her wand, Kacey made five little
stools grow up around the table.
Next, Kacey unpacked the plates, bowls, and cutlery. She unwrapped thick slices of
fresh bread, spread with something golden.

“That’s glow honey,” the glow bees buzzed proudly. “You’re lucky to be trying our
latest batch.”
“There’s also a dash of it in the soup,” Kacey told the bees, pulling an acorn out of the
basket and lifting off its cap. Inside was a shimmering liquid that filled the room with a
delicious, sweet scent.
 The four little fairies ate hungrily, if a little clumsily—none of them had used a spoon
before. Aayla kept spilling soup on her flying suit.
“Anyone who thinks fairies are dainty should watch Sprout Wings eat their first bowl
of soup,” tutted a glow bee.
Aayla felt her face go red, but Kacey chuckled. “You four are doing great. I dropped my
first soup bowl on the floor! And anyway, mess-fixing spells are easy. Watch.”
With a few quick, expert flicks of Kacey’s wand, the dishes were clean and returned to
the basket, and the splodges of soup on Aayla and the other Sprout Wings vanished.
“It’s not a glamorous spell,” Kacey said, tucking her wand back into her sleeve. “But it
sure comes in handy.”
Brooke let out a yawn. “Sorry! Why am I so tired?”
The other three caught Brooke’s yawn and joined in.
Kacey raised an eyebrow at the yawning Sprout Wings. “Did you four have a nap, like I
suggested?”
The Sprout Wings looked at one another guiltily.
“Knew you wouldn’t.” Kacey laughed as she tucked the basket under one arm. “But it’s
been a huge day, and tomorrow will be even bigger. So have an early night, yeah? And
absolutely no leaving the tree after sunset. Sprout Wings are not allowed out after dark.
Sleep tight! I’ll be here early in the morning to collect you.”
Kacey gave them each a tender look and flew out of the room. Three glow bees
followed her, leaving a single bee pulsing gently like a night-light.
As the day began to fade, the fairies changed into their nightgowns, brushed their teeth
in their tiny bathroom, and climbed into their soft beds.
“It’s like a cloud.” Brooke sighed. She fell asleep almost immediately, as did Jalynn and
Stella. Except for gentle fairy breathing, silence fell over the Sprout Wings’ branch.
Only Aayla was awake. She kept thinking about the Flutterfly tryout tomorrow. She felt
more and more certain that it was the pod for her. But what happens if I do badly in the
tryout? she worried.
From outside came a sudden sound. Aayla slipped out of bed and fluttered to the
window. She pushed it open and voices floated in. They definitely weren’t fairy voices.
Could they be trolls? Aayla hadn’t been in the Forever Tree for long, but she already wanted
to protect it. I have to check, she decided.
But there was one problem: Kacey had told them not to leave the branch after dark,
and Aayla didn’t want to break the rules. But what if the trolls were up to something?
Something dangerous?
She looked at the three Sprout Wings sleeping soundly. They’re my friends! she realized
suddenly. If there’s danger nearby, I need to know.
Taking a big breath, Aayla flew out the window and into the cool night air.
It was so exciting to be out! Aayla had heard about the night sky—but it was something else
to see it, full of stars that twinkled like gemstones.
Once again, she heard voices. Looking up through the branches, Aayla spotted two
pairs of dangling legs. Green ones! Her heart was beating as quickly as her wings, but she
pushed herself to fly higher. Finally, she came face-to-face with two creatures. One had
short, spiky hair and the other’s was long and tangled.
“Nana! Here’s the fairy who saw us through the window,” said the long-haired one.
“You’re right, Munchkin. She broke a fairy rule by sneaking out here! I didn’t think
she’d be brave enough,” said the spiky-haired one.
Aayla put her hands on her hips. “Fairies are brave! And sometimes they break the
rules.”
 The two creatures grinned at her.
“Well said, little one,” said Nana. “The best fairies are nearly as naughty as trolls.”
“So you are trolls!” Aayla said breathlessly.
Nana and Munchkin looked at each other.
“Let’s see,” said Munchkin. “Gorgeous green hair. Super powerful green legs. Adorable
green snub noses. Yep, I’d say we’re trolls.”
The trolls laughed in a deep, earthy way that made Aayla want to join in.
“We’ve seen you flying. You’re pretty good,” Nana said, looking at Aayla. “Let me guess
—you want to be a Flutterfly?”
Aayla frowned. “How did you know that?”
“Trolls just know these things.” He shrugged. “The Flutterfly tryout is hard this year. Or
should I say tricky?”
“Maybe you should say sticky?” Munchkin grinned.
The trolls found this extremely funny. But Aayla didn’t! She wondered if they were
planning to mess with the adventure course tomorrow. They wouldn’t actually hurt her
and her friends, right? “What do you mean?” she demanded.
“Let’s just say, we know you’re good at flying. But how good are you at falling?” Nana
chuckled.

Before Aayla could ask what they were talking about, the trolls jumped to their broad
feet. “Fairies are coming!”
 “Really?” Aayla looked around. She couldn’t hear anything.
“Yep. Troll hearing is better than fairy hearing.” Munchkin uncurled a vine from her
waistband in one smooth movement. “Got to go. Good luck with the tryout tomorrow. And
if anyone asks, you didn’t see us!”
Munchkin and Nana swung on their ropes and disappeared. Then Aayla heard the
flutter of wings and quiet voices. Fairies were nearby!
Aayla’s mind was racing as she zoomed down to her window and slipped back inside.
Should she wake the others? But the three fairies were still fast asleep. I’ll tell them about
the trolls in the morning, Aayla decided as she snuggled under the daffodil covers.

“Wake up, Sprouties! It’s the Flutterfly tryouts today!”

Aayla blinked open her eyes. Kacey was flying backward around the room, wildly
jingling a silver bell.
Stella, who was on Aayla’s left, yawned and sat up. Next to Stella was Jalynn, stretching
like a flower in sunlight. Brooke, on Aayla’s other side, was a small lump under her coverlet.
“Can we sleep a little longer?” she mumbled.
“Nope,” Kacey said. “You’re invited for breakfast in the Flutterfly branch. Come on, it
smells delicious!”
The four Sprout Wings leapt out of bed in a flash. Even Brooke! They pulled on their
flying suits, feeling very excited. They couldn’t wait to meet all the Flutterflies and see their
branch.
Aayla and the others followed Kacey up the spiraling stairs at top speed, passing many
little doors on the way. Aayla longed to explore each and every branch, but there was no
time.
Finally, Kacey stopped at a cheerful yellow door and threw it open. “Here we are!”
“Welcome to Flutterfly!” called a big group of fairies dressed in yellow and blue.
The Flutterfly branch was much bigger than the Sprout Wings’ one, and its walls were
the rich brown of old growth. On the floor was plush blue carpet, dotted with yellow
flowers. There were cozy armchairs, and fairy books floated in neat rows along the back
wall. To one side was a pair of thick blue curtains.
“Come into the dining area,” called one of the Flutterflies, opening the curtains with a
flourish.
A long wooden table was all set up for breakfast. Blue cushions bobbed in midair
before each place. Down the center of the table were trays covered in yellow cloths.
“We’re having puff cakes with cloudberry sauce,” said a fairy, pulling off the cloths to
reveal trays and trays of little sponge cakes. The trays began hovering in the air. “The
perfect thing to eat before the Flutterfly tryout.”
 “Why is that?” Aayla asked as they all gathered around the table, everyone hopping
onto one of the floating cushions.
“Firstly, they’re light,” explained a tall boy fairy with dark hair. “So they’re excellent for
keeping you in the air.”
“Secondly, they’re delicious,” Kacey said, taking one as a tray floated past.
Aayla helped herself to a puff cake and took a bite. It was warm and soft—and oozing
with cloudberry sauce.
“This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” Stella declared, reaching for another.
“I’ve never met a fairy who doesn’t love a puff cake or three,” Kacey said.
“Have some morning dew tea,” said a curly-haired Flutterfly, grabbing hold of a yellow
teapot as it fluttered along the table. “So, did you all enjoy your first night in the Forever
Tree?”
Aayla’s nighttime adventure came flooding back. She needed to talk to the others about
it, but now was not the time. She took a gulp of tea and kept quiet.
“I slept so well,” Brooke said. She was clearly a champion sleeper.
“Same,” Stella said. “It was good to stretch out after being curled up in my sprout
flower.”
“I had a lovely sleep, too,” Jalynn said. “I feel as safe here as I did in my flower.”
“That’s because the Forever Tree is your home.” Kacey smiled at the little fairies.
There was the sound of tinkling bells. The Flutterflies began to chatter all at once.
“It’s nearly time!”
“The tryout is starting soon!”
“Time to go, Sprouties,” Kacey said, hopping off her cushion. “The whole tree is
excited.”
“The whole tree?” Brooke looked worried.
“Yes. All the Forever Fairies will be watching. We fairies love pod tryouts as much as
we love puff cakes!”
The Sprout Wings glanced at one another. Aayla had a jumpy feeling in her chest. She
was nervous, but more importantly, she had to warn the others about the trolls!
Before Aayla could utter a single word, Brooke clutched her arm and groaned. “I’m
soooo nervous! I don’t think I’ll do very well today.”
“I’m nervous, too,” Jalynn admitted shakily. “I’m not a very fast flyer.”
Even confident Stella seemed worried.
Aayla looked at her friends’ faces. She couldn’t tell them about the trolls right now. It
would only add to their jitters. They were nervous enough already!
It dawned on Aayla what she had to do instead: She must stay ahead of her friends on
the adventure course, and keep an eye out for danger.
“Don’t worry!” she assured the others, happy to have a plan. “We’re all going to be
great. Let’s go do this adventure course!”
As Aayla, Jalynn, Stella, and Brooke hurried down the curved stairs behind Kacey—the
musical notes now going lower instead of higher—a cheer erupted. The hall below was
filled with excited, fluttering fairies. And they were all clapping and whooping for the
Sprout Wings!
When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Kacey flew through the crowd to
meet them. She looked very different in a flowy yellow dress with a blue sash, and satin-
blue slippers. Kacey saw Aayla looking at her outfit and pulled a face. “The Forever Wings—
our elders—say we must be in flounce wear for the tryouts.”
“Flounce wear?” Brooke giggled.
“That’s what I call this formal stuff.” Kacey had to shout over the noise of jostling
fairies. “Look!”
 “‘Go, Team Sprouties!’” Stella read the banner strung up high. “Awww, that is so
sweet.”
“We really are a team, aren’t we?” Jalynn said thoughtfully.
“Of course we are! A great one!” Stella cried.
Aayla took a deep, happy breath and gathered her new friends in a group hug.
“Come on, Sprouties. Let’s get out there.” Kacey led the way through the crowd. Fairies
patted them on the back and called out encouragement as they passed.
“We’ll be cheering for you!”
“You’ll do great!”
As the Sprout Wings moved across the floor, Aayla felt a calm warmth rise from her
feet up through her whole body. It was as if the tree itself was telling her that everything
would be okay. It reminded Aayla of being folded inside her daffodil, safe and loved.
The heavy front door swung open and morning sunshine flooded in. Kacey and the
Sprout Wings rose above the crowd and over to the door. They each paused above the
patch of moss at the entrance while the shoe spell was reversed. Their slippers disappeared
and were replaced with flying shoes. Then they flew outside, where the morning air was
warm and golden.
Aayla gazed up at the Forever Tree. Yesterday, it had been covered in tiny blooms of
every color. Today, the branches were adorned with yellow and blue blossoms as big as
pom-poms.
“The tree is wearing Flutterfly colors!” Brooke clapped her tiny hands together.
Kacey chuckled. “We say the Forever Tree has more outfits than any fairy who ever
sprouted.”
Shiny blue ribbons and yellow streamers hung all around them. Flags flapped in the
breeze, the words GO, SPROUTIES! in gold letters.
More and more fairies flew out of the tree. Soon, the air was filled with their happy
voices and flapping wings. The fairies flitted along the tree’s generous branches, searching
for the perfect viewing spot.
Close to the roots, a platform with four elegant chairs floated in midair. Sitting on the
chairs were four equally elegant fairies.
They’re like the Alpha Wings we met yesterday, Aayla thought, but older. Their long hair
was streaked with silver.
“The Forever Wings,” Kacey explained, sounding a little awed. “Our wise fairy elders.
The fairy in pink and aqua is Sparkleberry. The Shimmerbud elder is in green and purple.
Silver and gold are the Twinklestar colors. And you’ve probably guessed by now that the
fairy in yellow and blue is Flutterfly.”
“They look very important!” Jalynn said softly.
“They are! They judge the tryouts—and decide which new fairy goes into which pod,”
replied Kacey. “Come!”
 Aayla’s stomach flipped. Jalynn was right. The fairies looked very important—and a
little scary.
But as they approached the platform, the four elder fairies waved the Sprouties closer
with warm smiles.

The Flutterfly elder’s voice was rich and warm. “As you can probably imagine, today’s
tryout is particularly exciting for me. I just love watching each new season of Sprout Wings
do the adventure course!”
The Shimmerbud elder leaned forward. “Do you have any questions?”
“I have one! What exactly do we have to do?” Stella asked.
Thank goodness Stella is always brave enough to speak up! thought Aayla.
“Good question! You must make your way from the base of the tree all the way to the
top,” the elder fairy said, pointing. “But this adventure course is not just about flying.
There’s also climbing and agility to consider. Remember, to be a Flutterfly, you must get
around the forest quickly. You need to think fast when emergencies come up—and move
even faster when help is needed.”
“I guess we can’t simply fly straight up the tree?” Stella asked.
 “No! That wouldn’t be much of a challenge for a fairy, would it?” The elder chuckled.
“There are different stages. The first is stunt flying. Then comes the ‘no-fly’ stage, when you
must walk on your hands along the length of a branch. Cartwheels are also welcome! Next,
you need to catch the swinging vines from one side of the tree to the other. Finally, you’ll
wriggle up the hollow branches. Only when you’ve reached the very top of the Forever Tree
will you be finished.”
“Any other questions before we begin?” asked the Twinklestar elder.
“I have a question,” Jalynn said slowly. “Can only one of us be chosen for the Flutterfly
pod?”
Aayla’s ears pricked up. She had been wondering the same thing.
“Not necessarily,” said the elder in silver and gold. “Sometimes, two or more Sprout
Wings might be picked for the same pod. But it’s impossible to know which pod is right for
which fairy until all the tryouts are complete. A fairy’s talents can take time to show
themselves.”
Aayla felt even more excited than before. Maybe, just maybe, she and her new friends
could all be in the same pod!
The Flutterfly elder clapped her hands. “Let us begin!”
The Sprout Wings waved goodbye to the elders as Kacey ushered them to the starting
point at the base of the tree. The judges’ platform floated lower until it was hovering just
above the ground.
“Good luck, Sprout Wings!” called fairies from all directions.
“Go, Sprouties!”
Kacey pulled out her wand and gave it an elaborate swish. A glowing ribbon of light
twirled out and began weaving its way up the branches of the tree.
“That is your guiding light,” Kacey explained. “It will show you the way.”
The glowing ribbon curled around the trunk of the tree and looped over the lower
branches. Aayla was still nervous. But the idea of flying along that curly path was thrilling!
 Brooke pulled a bundle from her pocket. “I made bracelets for us all,” she said,
unwrapping it. “Yellow for Aayla, purple for Jalynn. This red one is for you, Stella. And mine
is pink. They’re our sprout flower colors.”
“Brooke! They’re beautiful!” Stella said as the fairies slipped on their bracelets.
“Good luck, everyone,” Jalynn said. “I might not be suited to Flutterfly, but I’m going to
try my best.”
“I think we’ll all do fine,” Stella said. “Especially you, Aayla! I can really imagine you as
a Flutterfly.”
The others nodded in agreement, and Aayla felt a wave of happiness. Oh, how she
wanted to be a Flutterfly! But for the first time, Aayla realized that it might not be the right
pod for the others.
“If we’re in different pods,” she said, her new worry tumbling out, “do you think we’ll
stay friends?”
The other Sprouties looked surprised.
“It doesn’t matter which pods we’re in, Aayla. We will always be friends,” Jalynn said.
“It’s going to take more than that to tear us apart!” Stella agreed, hands on hips.
“Really?” Aayla asked.
“Aayla,” Brooke said firmly, “fairies who sprout together are forever friends.”
Aayla felt instantly lighter—and ready for the tryout! Whatever happened, she could
handle it.
Kacey raised her wand and began the countdown.
“Three, two, one … GO!”
Aayla shot into the air. Energy pulsed through her as she chased the guiding light. She
zoomed around the massive trunk, following its twisty path.
“Great start, Sprout Wings!” cried the watching fairies.
Aayla glanced around, wondering if the trolls were watching. But she couldn’t see any
green faces in the crowd.
It felt good going fast. She could almost imagine she was racing through the forest on
an important Flutterfly rescue mission. Aayla did one last loop of a branch and looked
around for the guiding light. There it was!
 “No-fly zone!” chanted the watching fairies. “Time for acrobatics!”
Instead of swirling around the branches, the light wiggled and jumped along the
branches. Quickly, Aayla flipped onto her hands.
At first, she felt wobbly. But she soon found her balance and began to walk along the
branch. The more she did it, the easier it became—and she loved seeing the world upside
down! The sky was above her feet, the ground below her head. Aayla walked on her hands
for a bit, then swapped to cartwheels.
The watching fairies cheered and called out encouragement as the other Sprout Wings
reached the no-fly zone. They began doing handstands and cartwheels along the branch
behind Aayla.
 At the end of the acrobatics section, Aayla saw that she had to leap up and catch hold of
the branch above. Looking around, she noticed her friends were not far behind. They were
doing so well! Aayla was starting to tire a bit now, but she jumped as high as she could.
Could she reach it? Yes! Aayla swung herself up and stopped to catch her breath.
Through the leaves, she spotted the judges’ platform. It was rising as the Sprout Wings
got higher up the tree.
Once more, Aayla looked around for the guiding light. It was just above her, swinging
in midair! What did that mean? There were lots of vines dangling from the branch above.
They were all different lengths and swayed in the breeze. Whenever the vines bumped,
they lit up in the most magical colors.
“She’s reached the Rainbow Vines!” called a boy fairy dressed in Flutterfly colors.
“Ooh, it’s swing time. My favorite bit!” cried someone else from the crowd.
“Don’t worry,” said a voice Aayla recognized. Kacey was hovering nearby. “The vines
are strong. Use them to swing from one to another, until you get to the other side of the
tree. There you’ll find the hollow branches. You must squeeze through one—and then you’ll
be at the top!”
“That’s great news!” said a tired-looking Stella, pulling herself onto the branch next to
Aayla.
 “Sure is,” Jalynn puffed, appearing next.
Brooke was close behind. The littlest fairy was too exhausted to speak at all!
Aayla was very pleased to see her friends and to be nearly at the finish line!
But she was also distracted. The branch they were on was strangely familiar—oh! This
was where she had met Munchkin and Nana, the trolls! They had said the adventure course
would be tricky. And sticky?
Aayla gave herself a shake. She just needed to fly ahead and look out for danger.
As a vine swung past, Aayla sprang up to grab it. She missed! I’ll get it next time, she
promised herself. And sure enough, when the vine swung back, Aayla jumped up and
caught it easily. The vine turned bright purple and the watching fairies cheered.
Wheeeeee!
Riding on Rainbow Vines was the best feeling! Kicking with her legs, Aayla managed to
swing across to the next vine and grab it with an outstretched hand. Yes! It turned orange.
Then she swung to the next, which became blue. As she got the hang of it, Aayla began
swinging faster from one rope to the next, gradually climbing higher.
Aayla could hear her friends swinging along behind her, the crowd calling out the
colors as the vines were caught. Red! Yellow! Pink! She knew it must be beautiful, but she
didn’t dare look back for fear of missing the next vine.
Finally, there were only three vines to go. Beyond, Aayla could see a hollow branch.
She was so close!
Aayla reached out for the next vine. As soon as she took hold of it, Aayla knew
something was wrong. The others had been easy to grip. But this one was sticky and
slippery. It was covered in something glowing and gooey! Aayla had flown ahead and found
the danger, all right.
Glow honey! Aayla groaned as she lost her grip and began to fall …
Aayla tumbled through the air, too surprised to even flap her wings. But she didn’t fall for
very long. She just had time to think Uh-oh! before she landed on something soft and
springy.
The watching crowd breathed a loud sigh. Phew!
Aayla bounced on the soft material, blinking in confusion. What was going on? She
looked around. She had landed in the middle of a beautiful spiderweb. A very bouncy one!
“Aayla!”
“Are you okay?”
Aayla’s friends were dangling from Rainbow Vines above. They all looked very
worried.
“We’re coming down to help!” Jalynn said.
 “No, don’t!” Aayla called. “I’m fine, just a little dizzy. You should stay safe and keep
going!”
But Jalynn had already let go of her vine. She landed next to Aayla, causing them both
to bounce up and down a few times.
Jalynn grinned. “My flower told me that spiderwebs are super strong. But I don’t
remember her saying they’re bouncy. This is great!”
At that, Stella and Brooke also dropped from their vines with loud squeals. They, too,
landed on the spiderweb, grabbing Aayla’s and Jalynn’s hands as they did. Soon, all four
Sprout Wings were jumping up and down together. It was even more fun than jumping on
their beds!
The friends landed in a rumpled heap. Aayla pulled the other Sprout Wings into a hug.
“You three are the best! I can’t believe you left the adventure course to come check on me.”
“Of course we did!” Jalynn said.
“We’d never just leave you here,” Brooke added.

Stella nodded. “We’ve done everything together since we sprouted. We’re not going to
stop now!”
Aayla felt a strange mix of feelings. She didn’t know if she was going to laugh or cry.
Maybe both! At that moment she knew for sure that their friendship could survive anything
—even being in different pods.
 “Plus, this web is fantastic,” Brooke declared, bouncing up and doing a somersault in
the air.
“Of course it is,” said a voice.
Two familiar green faces were peeping out at them through the leaves.
“Trolls!” cried Stella, Jalynn, and Brooke.
Aayla crossed her arms. “Munchkin and Nana.”
Stella shot her a surprised look.
“It was you two, wasn’t it?” Aayla asked the trolls. “You put glow honey on that vine!”
“We sure did!” Munchkin said proudly. “It might be our best troll trick ever.”
They high-fived.
“Someone could have been hurt.” Aayla frowned.
“Chill, little fairy! You can all fly. Plus, we put this spiderweb here to catch you,” Nana
said.
“We added that after we met you last night. We like fairies who break the rules
sometimes,” Munchkin said.
“I’m confused.” Brooke looked at Aayla. “You’ve met these trolls?”
“We met Aayla when she snuck out last night. You were all asleep,” Munchkin
explained. “We had a good old chat, out there in the moonlight.”
Stella smiled. “I wish I’d been there!”
“It’s lucky no one saw you, Aayla,” Jalynn said.
“Oh, we saw her,” Kacey said, appearing through the branches.
Aayla froze.
Kacey looked stern, but a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. “We’ll talk about
this later. Stick to the rules from now on, okay?”
Aayla nodded. “I promise!”
Then, to all the Sprouties’ surprise, Kacey bowed to the trolls and said, “I admit, that
was a good trick.” She turned back to the Sprout Wings. “Troll tricks are often annoying.
But it’s useful to know how Sprout Wings cope with the unexpected. That’s an important
part of being a Flutterfly. Now, remember, the adventure course isn’t over yet!”
Aayla jumped to her feet and pulled up her friends. “Kacey’s right, we need to finish!
But hang on, how are we going to get back up there if we’re not allowed to fly?”
“Shall we use the bouncy web?” Jalynn suggested.
“Great plan!” called Kacey as she fluttered back into the crowd. “See you at the finish
line!”
The Sprout Wings held hands.
“Ready?” Aayla asked.
“Ready!”
Together, the four fairies began to jump. Soon, they were almost as high as the vines.
Then they were even higher.
 On the next jump, Aayla spotted the guiding light on a high branch. “That’s where we
need to go!”
The Sprout Wings fell back down and bounced into the air again—and landed neatly
on the branch, right next to the light.
“It’s wriggle time!” called the watching fairies.
“You’re close now, Sprouties!”
An excited buzz spread through the crowd and around the tree. Aayla felt charged and
tingly. The guiding light had split into four paths, each one disappearing inside a hollow
branch, which reached to the sky like the points on a crown. At the very top of each branch
fluttered a yellow-and-blue flag.
Aayla couldn’t wait to see the view! “See you up there!” she called, diving in.
Her nerves had disappeared, and all that was left was excitement. Aayla knew that if
anything went wrong, her friends would help her out. Or maybe even the trolls would, in
their own tricky way!
It was dark inside the hollow branch. Wriggling up it was difficult. Aayla had to push
against the wood with her hands and feet. But it was also quite fun! Keeping her wings
pressed to her back, she wriggled up the tunnel as quickly as she could.
Gradually, the light at the end of the hollow branch grew brighter. Then Aayla was
right there, at the very end! It was a tight fit to squeeze through, but she squirmed until
finally, she popped out.
Aayla was high above the treetops! The Magic Forest stretched out in all directions. A
second later, Jalynn, Stella, and Brooke popped out of their branches, each fairy laughing
and out of breath.
And as they did, hundreds of fairies surged up from the branches below, cheering,
clapping, and doing excited midair loops.
“They’ve done it! The Sprout Wings have completed the adventure course!”
Kacey whooshed up to them. “Congratulations!” she cried with delight. “I didn’t tell you
earlier, but it’s quite rare for all four Sprout Wings to finish this course. You did great!”
The Sprout Wings beamed. Aayla felt she might burst with happiness. She was so
proud of them all!
“Let’s head back down,” Kacey said. “The elders would like to speak with you.”
“I can hardly fly,” groaned Brooke.
“Same,” said Stella. “Every bit of me is aching.”
Kacey smiled. “Sprout Wings are always pooped after the tryouts. You get to return in
style! We’ve made you a flower carpet.”
A group of fairies approached, each holding the edge of a rug woven from sweet-
smelling grasses and brightly colored flowers.
 “Climb aboard!” called the fairies.
The Sprout Wings stepped carefully onto the carpet. Secretly, Aayla wasn’t even that
tired. She almost wanted to do the course again, just for fun. But there was no way she was
missing out on a flower carpet ride!
“It’s like floating in a meadow.” Brooke sighed, stretching out. Stella and Jalynn
lounged next to her and closed their eyes.
But Aayla sat cross-legged and gazed out at the forest. It was so beautiful—and so big!
This is home, Aayla told herself. MY home. She couldn’t wait to explore every inch of it.
“Look, Aayla!” Kacey pointed.
Aayla peeped over the edge. In front of the tree was a banquet table laden with cakes
and cookies and other fairy treats. The goodies were all shaped like fairy wings and
hovered just above the table. Prettily painted teapots and teacups were lined up, jiggling
softly.
With a gentle bump, the carpet landed on the ground. Instantly, the grasses and
flowers merged with the earth as if they had been growing there all along.
The crowd parted, forming a pathway to the grand table. At its head stood the four
Forever Wings. The Flutterfly elder was holding a long, thin wooden box in her hands.
A hush fell.
“What’s going on?” Stella whispered as the four friends inched toward the elder.
“Maybe we’re about to find out who gets into Flutterfly?” Brooke suggested.
Jalynn shook her head. “We only find out our pods after we’ve done all the tryouts,
remember?”
“Jalynn is correct,” said the elder. “The Pod Picking isn’t until you’ve completed all four
tryouts. You did wonderfully today, Sprout Wings. We’re very impressed, aren’t we?” She
turned to the other elders, who nodded sagely. “It’s not just that you all managed to finish
the course. It’s the way you supported one another. Working together is an important part
of a Forever Fairy’s life. Today we saw that you four are already doing that. Well done!”
Brooke was so overcome by this praise that she tried to hug her four friends at once.
This was impossible for such a tiny fairy, and they all fell over. Everyone laughed—
including the Forever Wings.
When the Sprout Wings had clambered to their feet again, the Flutterfly elder
beckoned. “Please stand before me.”
Holding hands, the Sprout Wings formed a line in front of the elegant fairy. She opened
the wooden box. Nestled inside were four silver rods, glinting in the sunlight.
“Wands!” the Sprout Wings gasped in unison.
“Take one each,” said the elder. “They are identical. A wand only changes when its fairy
holds it.”
Jalynn took one, followed by Stella and Brooke. Aayla took a big breath and reached for
hers. The wand felt cool at first, but warmth began spreading through it. And was her wand
glowing brighter, too?
 “Your wands are bonding with you,” explained the elder. “Look closely—a fairy’s wand
tells the story of a life’s journey.”
As Aayla watched, an engraving appeared on her wand.
“A tiny pair of wings!” exclaimed Stella, staring at her own wand.
The Shimmerbud elder leaned in. “That is the Flutterfly symbol. Each time you
successfully complete a tryout, that pod’s symbol will appear on your wands. The next
tryout is for my pod: Shimmerbud. Our symbol is a flower. That tryout will be about
learning to heal the forest’s creatures and working with nature.”

“When do we start?” Jalynn asked, her eyes bright.

“Very soon.” The Shimmerbud elder laughed. She was clearly pleased to see Jalynn’s
enthusiasm.
“You fairies have bonded with one another so well,” Kacey said. “Would you like to
bond your wands as well? That means you’ll always know when a bonded fairy is in need.”
Aayla didn’t think twice. Of course she wanted to always know when her friends
needed her! She held her wand out, and the others did the same. When the four wands
touched, a burst of stars and colorful light puffed into the air. It twinkled brightly and then
floated away.
 The four friends grinned at one another. Since sprouting, they’d done a lot together.
Aayla knew there was still so much to discover about being a Forever Fairy—and she
couldn’t wait.
Turn the page for a special sneak peek of Jalynn’s fairy adventure!
All the fairies were fast asleep. All the fairies, that is, but one. Jalynn the Sprout Wing had
just woken up. She was confused. Where am I?
Jalynn sat up and looked around. Oh, that’s right. The bedroom branch in the Forever
Tree!
Until recently, Jalynn had been curled inside her flower, growing and growing. Her
tulip had sung her songs and whispered stories, helping Jalynn learn the ways of the Magic
Forest. Two days ago, on the first day of spring, Jalynn had sprouted! And so had three
other fairies: Aayla, Stella, and Brooke. The four new fairies were called Sprout Wings—and
now they lived in the Forever Tree with all the other, bigger Forever Fairies.
 The fairies hadn’t known one another for long, but it already felt like they’d be friends
for life. It’s because we sprouted on the same day, decided Jalynn. That makes us forever
friends.
Morning was just breaking, but Jalynn knew it would be a while before anyone else
awoke. Even the glow bee on night-light duty had his eyes shut.
She tried reading the book she’d borrowed from the library branch. But she couldn’t
focus—her brain was whirring! She kept thinking about the fairy pods. There were the
Flutterflies, the Shimmerbuds, the Twinklestars, and the Sparkleberries. Which pod would
she be put in? And what about her friends? Jalynn knew it all depended on how they each
did in the pod tryouts.
Yesterday, Jalynn and the other Sprout Wings had finished their very first tryout. It
was for the Flutterfly pod. They had all done well, but Aayla was definitely the best flyer.
Next up was Shimmerbud! This was the pod that looked after the creatures of the Magic
Forest.
Jalynn couldn’t stay in bed a moment longer. She decided she would watch the sun rise
while she waited for everyone else to wake up. Very quietly, she tiptoed across the smooth
wooden floor and opened a window. The delicious smells of the Magic Forest filled her little
nose. Jalynn stretched her wings and flew out the window into the cool air.
All around, the forest was slowly coming to life. There were the low buzz of insects and
the happy chirping of birds. Jalynn listened to their intricate songs. One bird in particular
caught her attention. Its whistle was so happy, it made her want to dance! Jalynn pursed
her lips and tried to copy the sound.
Not quite right . . . She tried again, and this time she was much closer!
Just then she heard someone else whistle. Looking about, Jalynn saw a creature sitting
on a nearby branch. A troll! She had green hair tied into high bunches and dark-green
freckles splashed across her green face. In fact, the only part of her that wasn’t green was
the very tip of her nose, which was pink.
The troll waved at Jalynn. “Early riser, huh? I’m the same. How can anyone lie in bed
when there’s a whole forest waiting to be explored? You’re good at bird sounds. That’s a
gleebird you just imitated. I’ve been trying for ages to copy it. I’m Lex, by the way.”
“I’m Jalynn,” said Jalynn, fluttering over. “Mind if I join you?”
Jalynn wasn’t normally chatty, but she was very excited to meet a troll. When she was
growing in her flower, Jalynn had loved hearing stories about trolls. She knew they were a
lot more mischievous than fairies, but they loved the Magic Forest just the same. Jalynn and
the other Sprout Wings had already met a pair of trolls called Nana and Munchkin. But this
troll was new and exciting and . . .
“Achoo!”
. . . unwell?
 “Wow! That was my biggest sneeze yet.” Lex pulled out a giant green hankie and blew
her nose loudly. “As you can see, I have a cold. But don’t worry—I won’t sneeze on you.
You’re one of the Sprout Wings, right? Do you know which pod you’re going to be in?”
“Not yet,” said Jalynn. “We’re still doing tryouts.”
Lex swung her legs back and forth. “If I were a fairy, I’d want to be in the pod that looks
after the forest’s creatures. You know, the one that makes remedies and medicines for the
sick and injured animals?”
“That’s the Shimmerbud pod,” Jalynn said. “They wear the purple-and-green costumes.
We’re doing their tryout next.”
Jalynn was still learning about the different pods, but she had to agree with Lex: The
Shimmerbuds sounded wonderful.
“That’s the one.” Lex nodded. “They run the hospital burrow under the Forever Tree.
We often take wounded creatures there if we can tell they need fairy medicine more than
troll medicine.”
“Trolls make medicine, too?” Jalynn asked.
“Of course!” Lex sounded proud. “It’s not the same as fairy medicine because trolls
don’t do magic like fairies do. But we use ancient troll knowledge, and our remedies are
very powerful. I am on my way to pick tangfruits now, actually. Tangfruit juice is an
important ingredient in our cold remedy.”
Jalynn was about to ask Lex what else was in the troll remedy when she heard a
tinkling bell.
Lex laughed. “There’s always a bell ringing somewhere in the fairy world! What does
that one mean?”
“I think it’s the breakfast bell. I’d better get going.” Jalynn was reluctant to leave—she
wanted to stay and chat with Lex. But Jalynn was not a very fast flyer, and she didn’t like
being late.
She spread her wings wide and rose into the air. “It was very nice meeting you, Lex!”
The troll let out another explosive sneeze. This one was so loud it shook the leaves. Lex
grinned at Jalynn. “Nice to meet you, too. I’d better go and pick that tangfruit before my
next sneeze knocks over the Forever Tree!”
 By Maddy Mara

#1: Aayla Flutters

#2: Jalynn Shimmers
#3: Stella Twinkles
#4: Brooke Sparkles

#1: Azmina the Gold Glitter Dragon

#2: Willa the Silver Glitter Dragon
#3: Naomi the Rainbow Glitter Dragon
#4: Mei the Ruby Treasure Dragon
#5: Aisha the Sapphire Treasure Dragon
#6: Quinn the Jade Treasure Dragon
#7: Rosie the Twilight Dragon
#8: Phoebe the Moonlight Dragon
#9: Stella the Starlight Dragon
#10: Grace the Cove Dragon
#11: Zoe the Beach Dragon
#12: Sofia the Lagoon Dragon

#1: The Thunder Egg

#2: The Frozen Sea
#3: The Battle for Imperia
Maddy Mara is the pen name of Australian creative duo Hilary Rogers and Meredith
Badger. Hilary and Meredith have been making children’s books together for many years,
including the Forever Fairies, Dragon Games, and Dragon Girls series. They love dreaming
up new ideas and always have lots of projects bubbling away. When not writing, Hilary can
be found cooking weird things or going on long walks, often with Meredith. And Meredith
can be found teaching English online all around the world or daydreaming about being able
to fly. They both currently live in Melbourne, Australia. Their website is maddymara.com.
Copyright © 2024 by Maddy Mara
Illustrations by Cristina Gó mez, copyright © 2024 by Scholastic Inc.

All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

First printing 2024

Cover art by Cristina Gó mez, © 2024 Scholastic Inc.

Cover design by Cassy Price

e-ISBN 978-1-339-03701-1

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