Page 91 of Barbie: Dreamscape

The only sound is the howl of wind beyond the thick school walls… A storm is raging just beyond them, worse than any I’ve ever heard before in Heartland.

There are no yells for help. No screams.

Part of me almost believes that what I’m seeing in the compact isn’t real… until I reach the end of the passageway, turn toward the balconies that look out into the courtyard—

And see that every single window has been bricked over, as though the walls have overtaken the glass panes. I press my palm against the cold rock, but it’s sturdy, coated with a sheen of magic.

I swallow, then continue toward the spiral stone staircase that leads to the dorms.

That’s when I finally hear something.

A single squawk, sharp and piercing, echoing through the hall.

Slowly, I turn in its direction. I squint into the darkness.

Then shrieks are shredding my senses, and I’m screaming, crouching to the ground, hands over my ears, as the sound bounces through my head.

My eyes widen as I finally see the source of the mayhem.

The small, twittering, helpful birds that populate the school—Robin’s eyes and ears—have morphed into massive beasts, hardened into metal, with feathers as sharp as blades.

And they’re all racing toward me.

I try to drag myself away from them, still on the ground, but it’s too late.

Before I can move a single inch, they’re on me, in glimmering flashes of silver and gold. Then, the fabric at the back of my neck is in one of their giant beaks, and I’m dragged into the air.

I bellow as the beast flies me through the corridors, fabric choking my throat. It turns effortlessly, fast as lightning, expertly navigating the halls. I finally reach for my magic to set myself free, to fight against this creature’s hold. But when I focus on that seed of power in my heart—

It’s gone.

I draw in a shallow breath, trying to stay calm even as the castle walls blur around me in streaks of dark gray. I try again, focusing on the pink glow at my center, clearing my mind of anything else, just as Lune taught me.

Still nothing.

My chest clenches in panic.

My compact—I squeeze it in my hand, using it as an anchor…

Yet all it does is let off one small burst of light… before guttering out.

What was once a strong ember is just ashes.

I was wrong. Robin’s magic isn’t just strong enough to beat mine.

It’s strong enough to suppress it.

We veer sharply up to the private quarters, and within a moment my bedroom door is flung open… and I’m being thrown inside, tumbling onto the ground.

The door slams shut behind me. The room is pitched in darkness, not even a candle for light.

“Wait!” I exclaim, banging against the door. I reach for the handles—but they’re gone. It’s just a smooth expanse of wood.

The beasts’ squawks grow fainter and fainter.

My windows.

I race toward the three glass panels, stumbling in the dark, not really even knowing what I’ll do if they open since my room is so far up, just needing some way out of here.