Chapter One: Wylanda Coven

 

November 19, Spring Breeze, Dreamland. . .

 

“Look out!” Cloudy cried.

Sniper, who was running a race with Yodi and Pancake, skidded to a stop to avoid slamming into his sister. “Cloudy, what are you doing standing in the middle of our racecourse?” Sniper demanded. “You’re in the way!”

“She’s always in the way,” Yodi said.

“That’s because she’s a girl,” Sniper sneered, a look of triumph in his eyes.

Cloudy drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, counting to ten. She didn’t want to blurt out something impolite. “Mommy told me to tell you that it’s time for dinner, so come inside now,” she said.

Sniper shrugged, then turned to Pancake and Yodi. “Sorry, guys, we’ll have to forfeit the race for now. We gotta eat.”

Cloudy slowly followed Sniper and her other brothers inside, pausing only to smell the roses. Springtime was in the kitchen and setting the table when they walked in. “Hello, children,” she said sweetly. “Go wash up. Supper will be ready in a few minutes.”

Cloudy joined her other siblings as they crowded into the bathroom, struggling to be the first to get to the sink. Cloudy stood a little ways off from the arguing and shouting puppies, staring uncomfortably at the floor. She didn’t like hearing anyone yell at or fight or make fun of one another. She knew to follow the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Jesus Himself had said this in the Bible, and Cloudy determined to live for the Lord and follow Him no matter what.

“What is happening in here?!” Springtime cried, darting into the bathroom and trying to separate the wrestling children. “Stop this! Stop right this minute!”

At last, she managed to quiet the puppies down. Frowning disapprovingly at them, she said in a sharp tone, “I don’t want to hear you all yelling at each other again. You need to get along. Don’t forget, God put you in the same family. You have to love, show kindness, and extend grace to one another when you mess up. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all answered respectfully in one voice except for Sniper, who tossed his head.

“Good. Now wash up and be respectful,” said Springtime, exiting the bathroom. The puppies obeyed, lining up carefully.

Sniper smirked at Cloudy as he passed by her to exit the bathroom. “Too bad you’re the youngest, Cloudy,” he laughed. “If you were the oldest, you’d get the special privileges that all the firstborn children do.” He stood tall and bragged, “Mommy like me the best ‘cause I’m the eldest.”

“Who cares?” Cloudy scoffed. “If firstborns act as mean as you do, then I’m perfectly content not to be one.”

Sniper uttered a low growl in his throat. “Excuse me? I’m the oldest child here. You have to obey me!”

“Oh, brother! You’re not my boss! You can’t order me around!” Cloudy retorted.

“Can you two please shut up now?” Star sighed, turning to fix them with her bothered gaze, her dark blue eyes communicating annoyance. “Honestly, your bickering gets sort of bothersome sometimes.”

“We’re not bickering—” Cloudy started to say, but Sniper cut her off.

“You’re one to talk. You who were arguing not ten minutes ago!” snapped Sniper, glaring at Star.

Star rolled her eyes, thoroughly fed up with Sniper’s attitude. “Well, unlike you, Mr. I-Love-Being-A-Brat, I am not rude and nasty to everyone like you are!”

“Wanna rephrase that?” Sniper snarled.

“No.”

Cloudy shook her head. Why couldn’t her siblings just stop going at each other!

 

* * * * *

 

Nearly twenty minutes later, the puppies and their parents were seated around the table, devouring fruit salad, yams, yogurt, and lemon crème pie. Cloudy complimented her mother on her excellent cooking skills.

Springtime flushed. “I try my best,” was her humble reply.

Showerstorm laid down his fork and asked Cloudy, “So, Cloudy, how was school for you kids today? Learn anything new?”

Cloudy shrugged. “I learned how to solve one-digit division problems in math and we learned how energy works in science. But otherwise, I didn’t really learn anything very new.” Her voice was toneless.

Springtime flashed a worried look at her daughter. “Dear, are you okay? You’re not doing badly in school, are you?”

“Of course she’s not,” Star broke in. “Out of the whole class, her grades are the highest.”

“Really, Star,” Cloudy said firmly. “We don’t need to brag, okay? It’s not that big of a deal.”

“I’d say it is,” Springtime answered. “If you’re doing the best out of everyone, then I’d say you’re well on your way to a good future in education.”

Sniper took a sip of water. “Well, actually, she just cheats.”

“What!” Showerstorm blurted out.

“Will you shut it? I do not,” Cloudy said. “If anything, that sounds like something you would do.”

Sniper was briefly nonplussed, but blinked and said stoutly, “Well, you know I don’t cheat, either.”

“Okay, children, let’s not start something stupid, okay?” Springtime said. “We want to be on our best behavior, don’t we?”

Showerstorm sounded displeased when he said, “I hope you children don’t behave this way in school.”

“Oh, we don’t,” Sniper said. “However, there’s a certain girl who loves to pester the life out of Clo—”

Before Sniper could finish his sentence, Cloudy kicked him under the table.

“Ow!” Sniper exclaimed. “Who kicked me?”

“Will you be quiet?” Cloudy hissed in his ear. “Don’t tell them that!”

“Fine, fine,” Sniper grumbled, taking another sip of his water.

“I’m sorry,” Springtime said, surprised at Cloudy’s reaction. “What were you saying, Sniper?”

Sniper glanced at Cloudy, but her expression was stern as she shook her head ever so slightly. “Uhh. . .I was just saying that there’s a certain girl at school who loves, uh, when it’s cloudy outside.”

“What does that have to do with pestering?” Showerstorm asked, sounding extremely confused.

“Oh, ah, you see, um. . .” He looked to Star for help, but she just shrugged. “Uh, she-she loves it when her brother pesters her on cloudy days.” He grinned weakly. “It’s a bit weird, but you know. . .”

Springtime and Showerstorm looked at each other, their expressions saying plain as day, “That made no sense whatsoever.”

“O-kay. That sounds unique,” Springtime said. “Very unique.” She cleared her throat. “Okay. You children had better get to bed now. You have a busy school day tomorrow and you wouldn’t want to sleep through the lessons, would you?”

 

* * * * *

 

The next morning, Cloudy packed her schoolbooks and lunchbox in her black backpack scattered with red roses. She slipped the backpack over her shoulders, then wrapped a red scarf around her neck. The November days were very chilly now, and the nights were even colder.

“Are you kids ready yet?” shouted Springtime as she fussed with Cloudy’s bow. “Hurry up! You’re going to be late!”

“I can’t find my backpack, Mommy! Sniper hid it!” Yodi hollered.

“No, I didn’t,” Sniper called. “It’s in your bedroom, you idiot!”

“I already checked there twice and I couldn’t find it! I left it by the window yesterday, but it’s not there anymore! You did hide it! I know you did!”

“No! He’s lying, Mommy!”

“I am not! You’re the liar!”

“I did not take your backpack! Don’t blame me because you misplaced it! You need to keep up with your own junk!”

“You took it and you’re lying about it!” Yodi screamed. “Give it back right now!”

Springtime felt like she was going to explode at these kids if they did not shut their mouths and hurry up and get to school. They were driving her nuts, especially Sniper and Yodi!

“Yodi,” Star said, appearing at the foot of the stairs and holding up a brown backpack. “Is this yours?”

Yodi stared at the backpack for a second. “Why, yes!” he exclaimed in astonishment. “But where did you find it?”

“You dropped it by the front door yesterday when you came home from school and forgot to take it up to your room,” replied Star.

Yodi blushed. “Oh.”

Cloudy rolled her eyes.

“Aha!” Sniper yelled at the top of his lungs. “I told you! I told you I didn’t take it! You liar!”

“Okay, I’m sorry!” Yodi cried. “But how was I supposed to believe you? You’ve taken and hidden my backpack many times before in the past!”

“Well, just because I’ve done it in the past doesn’t mean I did it now, does it?”

Yodi slowly shook his head. “Well, no.”

“There! You see? You assumed I was the big fat liar and in reality you’re the big fat liar!”

“Dude, I said I was sorry! Let it go!”

Sniper blew out his breath and stormed off back into his room in a huff. Yodi stepped carefully down the stairs, took the backpack from Star, and slipped it onto his back. “Thanks for finding my backpack, Star.”

“You’re welcome,” Star said. “But we have to get a move on before Mommy blows a gasket.”

The rest of the puppies skipped down the stairs and received a hug from Springtime, then rushed out the house and crossed the street to their school, Emmanuel Elementary, a Christian school. Cloudy always loved going to school, except for one thing. . .

“Uh-oh,” Star whispered, quickly shielding Cloudy with her body as they stepped into the cool hallway. “Don’t look now, but here comes Wylanda Coven and her crew.”

Cloudy peeked around Star and saw a brown-haired humanoid girl around ten years old standing with five or six other kids about the same age. Cloudy sighed. Wylanda was a spoiled brat who bothered younger kids and bragged about this mansion she lived in and all the pretty things she had and how her parents were so wealthy. Though Cloudy hadn’t told her parents, Wylanda always annoyed her and played pranks on her. Once when Cloudy was drinking from the hallway fountain, Wylanda had dumped pencil shavings on her head. Another time she had put pepper in Cloudy’s backpack and Cloudy had sneezed continuously for two days straight without knowing why. Springtime worried she might be coming down with something until Cloudy figured out it was just pepper. But the most bothersome thing Wylanda did was gossip about Cloudy’s mother behind Cloudy’s back. Cloudy was not okay with that and wanted so much to get back at Wylanda, but she dared not.

Star put her mouth close to Cloudy’s ear. “Have you told Mommy and Daddy about Wylanda and how she’s been bugging you?”

Cloudy shook her head.

“Why not?” Star asked.

“It’s not bothering me,” Cloudy lied.

Star scoffed. “Not bothering you? Ha. Lies. I know perfectly well you’re annoyed by this. Why don’t you just tell them?”

“Why don’t you?” Cloudy shot back.

“Because it’s not my place to tell them. It’s yours,” Star said as if the answer were completely obvious.” Besides, me or your brothers telling Mommy and Daddy about your plight won’t teach you to speak up for yourself.”

Cloudy knew her sister was right, but refused to admit it.

“Well, lookie here!” Wylanda said loudly, advancing toward Cloudy. “Nice to see you again, Prophesied One.”

For a moment, just a moment, Cloudy wished she were not the Prophesied One. Then maybe she wouldn’t attract so much attention from the bullies. “Hi, Wylanda,” Cloudy said, forcing herself to speak politely.

“On your way to the kindergarten room?” Wylanda said condescendingly. “That’s cute. Wonder what you’ll be doing today. Maybe learning how to draw. Just don’t eat the crayons, okay? They’re not good for your digestion.” She laughed, and her in-crowd followed her example.

“Okay, that’s enough, Wylanda,” Star snapped. “My sister had more talent in one paw than you do in your entire body!”

“Oh, is that so? Well, I’m a whole lot smarter. After all, I’m in fourth grade.”

“I don’t care if you’re in ninth grade,” Sniper said rudely. “Being bigger than someone else gives you no right to be mean to little kids. Especially kindergartners. Girl, use your common sense!”

Cloudy thought that Sniper’s statement was rather ironic, considering the fact that he was mean to her just about every second of every day. Still, she knew he loved her too much to let anyone else bother her.

“She can’t,” Yodi said sadly. “She doesn’t have any.”

“Yeah,” Sharkell agreed. “She’s too dumb to have any common sense.”

“You boys need to grow up,” said Wylanda angrily. “How dare you say such rude things to a lady?”

“No, you need to grow up,” Star retorted. “How do you ever expect to make a life for yourself if you’re always mean? You’ll never be able to get a job, much less a husband, unless he acts just like you.”

“I’ll manage somehow,” Wylanda said calmly.

“Ugh,” Star groaned.

“Star, never mind,” Waffle said. “Let’s just get to our room. We don’t need to engage with her, you know.”

“Yeah. Okay,” Star said.

The puppies turned away and were about to walk off to their classroom when they heard Wylanda say, “You know, Cloudy, your mom’s so ugly I get repulsed when I see her.” She burst into laughter.

Cloudy stopped in her tracks and whirled sharply to face Wylanda, who was smirking at her. “What?” Cloudy said in a low tone. “What did you say about my mother?”

Wylanda grinned. “Your mother’s so ugly I get repulsed when I see her.”

“Don’t say that about Mommy!” Cloudy ordered. “She’s very beautiful, probably much more beautiful than yours!”

“You’re ugly too. Just like your mom.” Wylanda burst into laughter.

That was all Cloudy could take. She was furious. No one talked about her mother that way and got away with it! Without even stopping to consider the consequences, she leapt on Wylanda and knocked her to the floor, and Wylanda screamed and pushed Cloudy off her. Cloudy grabbed the hem of Wylanda’s dress in her teeth and tugged it so hard a piece of it tore.

Wylanda let out a loud shriek. “You moron!” she shouted. “That was my best school dress! It cost over a thousand dollars!”

“I don’t care how expensive it was!” Cloudy yelled. “No one calls my mother ugly!” She bit Wylanda’s dress sleeve and yanked at it with all her strength while Wylanda tried to shove her away.

Star was almost hysterical. “Cloudy, no! Stop!” she cried in horror. “You’re gonna get in trouble!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Cloudy tore the dress sleeve off and dropped it onto the floor, then lunged at Wylanda again. Wylanda screamed loudly as Cloudy’s claws raked her arm, and she grabbed Cloudy by the scruff and slammed her down onto the hard linoleum.

“What in the world?!” the third-grade teacher cried out as she darted over to the two struggling girls and with great difficulty separated them. “Stop this right now! You girls ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Fighting in the hallway! What’s gotten into you?”

Wylanda coughed and wiped some blood off her dress. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” she said sweetly, “but Cloudy here was attacking me!”

The teacher looked shocked. “What?! Why?!”

“Well. I just—”

“She called my mother ugly!” Cloudy yelled.

“No, I didn’t,” Wylanda told the teacher. “She’s lying. What really happened is that I invited her to my house for the weekend, and she called me an idiot and said she wouldn’t come over even if I begged her to. So I just said okay and walked off without reacting, so she called my mom a moron and dared me to fight. I didn’t want to, and that was when she leaped on me and attacked me!”

The teacher frowned disapprovingly at Cloudy and shook her head in disgust. “I’m afraid you need to come with me to the principal’s office, Cloudy.”

“What?” Cloudy gasped. “But. . .But. . .”

“No buts. Come with me now.”

“Wait, ma’am!” Star called frantically. “It wasn’t Cloudy’s fault! It was Wylanda who—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” the teacher said sternly. “You guys need to get to class anyway.”

“But Cloudy didn’t—”

“I said I don’t want to hear it! Get to class!” the teacher commanded, and the puppies scurried away.

“Come with me,” the teacher firmly told Cloudy, and Cloudy followed, her tail drooping.

 

* * * * *

 

Cloudy sat on a leather chair in front of Principal Millie Daze, who was eyeing Cloudy with a steady gaze. Cloudy couldn’t look at her. She felt so ashamed.

“I heard what happened from Mrs. Monsoon,” Principal Daze said shortly. “She said you attacked Wylanda Coven and tore her dress because she wouldn’t fight you.”

Cloudy said nothing, but kept her eyes trained on the floor. What was there to say? Even if she told the truth, she doubted anyone would believe her anyway.

Principal Daze straightened up in her chair. “Okay. So what really happened out there?”

Cloudy couldn’t believe her ears. Had she actually heard Mrs. Daze right? She raised her eyes to the principal’s face and saw that Mrs. Daze was smiling. Could it be? Did Mrs. Daze know Wylanda’s story was false?

“Wait a second,” Cloudy said, leaning forward in her chair. “Are you saying you don’t believe Wylanda?”

Principal Daze laughed. “You’re kidding, right? There’s no way I would ever believe anything that girl told me. She’s been coming here for three years and she’s lied to me several times before. No, I don’t believe her story. But I would like to hear yours.”

“Mine?” Cloudy was bewildered. “But why?”

“I believe you will tell me the complete truth,” Principal Daze explained. “I know your mother is raising you and your brothers and sister to be honest. Go ahead, Cloudy. I trust you.”

So cloudy told her everything—from Wylanda being mean to her ever since she started school in September to Wylanda calling her mother ugly. Principal Daze did not interrupt at all during the story. She merely sat with her chin in her hand and listened until Cloudy was finished.

“Okay, I see,” Mrs. Daze said. “Wylanda was being mean to you and insulted your mother and you got angry and attacked her, is that right?”

“Yes,” answered Cloudy. Then she hung her head. “But I suppose I shouldn’t have jumped on her, huh?”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” Principal Daze replied. “But I can understand if you did. Little kids tend to fly off the handle if something or someone gets on their nerves.” She rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I know. I have three kids all under the age of five. They can be a handful.”

Cloudy nodded. “So. . .am I in trouble?” she asked in a small voice.

Principal Daze shook her head. “After hearing both sides of the story and considering all the evidence, I’d say you had a right to attack her. Not that I’m condoning you acting so violent, but she had it coming. I will punish her and let you off the hook just this once. But,” she added sternly, leaning over her desk do that she was glaring Cloudy right in the eye, “I will say this. DO NOT ever attack anyone in this school again—or anywhere, for that matter—or you will end up in severe trouble. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Cloudy said respectfully, sitting up straight.

“Good. Now get to class.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cloudy jumped out of the chair and turned to leave, but then looked back. “Principal Daze. . .thank you.”

Mrs. Daze grinned. “You’re welcome. Now get going!”

Cloudy left the office and hurried to class. On the way, she grabbed her backpack on the floor where she had dropped it in her fight with Wylanda and dashed to her classroom just as Mrs. Ivy was starting math, their second subject of the day.

Cloudy entered the room and the door banged shut. The sound echoed throughout the room and caused every student to look her direction.

Mrs. Ivy blinked. “Cloudy, you’re late. Where were you?”

“With Principal Daze,” Cloudy answered, taking her seat beside a gray husky she had never seen before. She gazed at him curiously, and he briefly glanced at her and then returned his attention to his math book.

Upon seeing Cloudy looking at the newcomer, Mrs. Ivy chuckled and said, “That’s Arrow, Cloudy. He moved here just last week.”

Cloudy nodded, barely hearing Mrs. Ivy’s words. “Hi, Arrow,” she said, trying to be friendly.

“Hi, Cloudy,” Arrow replied, beaming her a warm smile. Cloudy felt her heart skip a beat as she turned to page 57 in her book. She wondered if she and Arrow were going to be the best of friends. . .maybe more.

After math and science came history, and this was where Cloudy learned about something very interesting that she had never heard of before. It was a holiday called Thanksgiving. Mrs, Ivy taught about how, when, and where the first Thanksgiving originated in Dreamland, and Cloudy listened with rapt fascination.

“Three hundred years ago,” Mrs. Ivy began, “a group called the Pilgrims set aboard a ship called the Moonflower to go to the New World. They left their hometown to seek religious freedom, or the freedom to worship God. Their time on the ship was very hard and unhealthy, but none of that mattered when they reached the New World. They built houses and farmed for their living. However, many died that first winter of disease and poor nutrition. But in the spring, an Indian named Sumosot came to help them, as well as another Indian named Squinto. Missisoit and his tribe helped them too, and the Pilgrims made a peace treaty with the Indians. And that fall, they all had a big feast and partied and praised God.”

Cloudy was amazed by the story, but she didn’t fully grasp why Thanksgiving was celebrated.

 

* * * * *

 

After school was dismissed at three o’clock that afternoon, Cloudy packed her books neatly in her backpack and left the school. The sun was shining and the sky was a bright blue, and a few rose petals from the school’s neatly trimmed rosebushes were at her feet. Cloudy bent down and sniffed one, sighing with delight at its smell. She had always loved roses. They were her favorite flower.

“Hey, Cloudy!” a voice called from behind her. Cloudy turned and smiled upon seeing Arrow. He looked even handsomer in the sunlight than he did in the classroom. His grayish-green eyes were bright with enthusiasm and his smile was contagious. Cloudy sighed dreamily. He was so handsome, he could be the ideal picture of any girl’s dream boy.

Wait, Cloudy thought to herself, frowning. Why do I feel this way toward Arrow? Am I in love? That’s way too weird. I’m too young to have a boyfriend. Why am I falling for him? I don’t even know him that well. I’ve absolutely got to stop myself before I start acting all mushy and lovey-dovey toward him.

“On your way home, Arrow?” Cloudy asked as he fell in step with her.

“Nah,” Arrow replied. “I just wanted to talk to you real quick.”

“Really?” Cloudy’s pulse quickened in anticipation. “About?”

“Well,” Arrow said slowly, scuffing his paw in the dirt, “I don’t have any friends here, so I was wondering if. . .well, if, if you would. . .if you would be my friend.” He smiled a little. “You’re a really nice girl.”

Cloudy beamed excitedly. “I’d love to be your friend, Arrow,” she said sweetly. A little embarrassed by her tone of voice, she quickly cleared her throat and asked nonchalantly, “So, Arrow, where did you originally come from?”

Arrow paused in midstep, looking as though he weren’t quite sure what she was asking. “Um, my mother?” he said uncertainly.

Cloudy laughed hysterically as Arrow glanced uneasily at her. “You’re funny. But seriously, where are you from?”

Arrow gazed blankly at her. “I have no clue what you mean.”

“I mean, what location were you from before you moved here?” Cloudy asked, being more clear this time. She chided herself for her own thoughtlessness. That’s what you get when you have eyes only for a handsome boy, she thought.

“Oh! I was born and raised in Leupochena,” Arrow said. “It’s a tiny town off the northern coast of Spring Breeze.”

Leupochena? Cloudy thought. “My Auntie Summer and Uncle Soldier live there with my cousins.”

“Hey! My dad’s name is Soldier!” Arrow said, chucking a little. “But my mom is Ruby. I also have two sisters named Turquoise and Opal and an older brother named Button. I live in an apartment near Oromo Thuli Hospital.”

“I have five brothers named Sniper, Sharkell, Yodi, Pancake, and Waffle. Snuper is really annoying and rude. I also have a sister named Star. She can be a pain, but overall she’s nice. I live in that house across the street there. I love living there. I even have a balcony I can stand on and look out at the pasture. It’s amazing! And I like my school too! It’s the best ever! Mrs. Ivy is the nicest teacher in the whole world. Oh, by the way, did she tell you I’m the Prophesied One?”

Arrow grinned widely and held up a paw to stop Cloudy’s seemingly endless chatter. “No, she didn’t tell me. But I’m glad I met you, Prophesied One. You must be famous!”

“I don’t get much recognition at my age,” Cloudy confessed. Then a scowl darkened her face. “Actually, no, I take that back. Wylanda Coven, the school bully, seems to enjoy bugging me because I’m the prophesied Star Warrior. Why, just today she called my mom ugly and I attacked her!”

Arrow’s eyes widened. “Whoa! You attacked her? That’s going a bit too far, don’t you think? I mean, you could’ve walked away and not engaged with her.”

“I realize that now, and Principal Daze understood my actions,” Cloudy said. “But she warned me never to attack anyone again or I’m busted.”

“Ooh, that’s scary. Better not attack anyone, then.”

“I won’t.”

For the next fifteen minutes, the two spoke to one another and got to learn much about each other. Both had been born in March that year and were nearly the same age, Arrow being a few days older. Both were Christians and wanted to be missionaries when they grew up, but Arrow wanted to be a preacher instead of a traveling missionary like Cloudy.

At a quarter to four, Cloudy looked up at the clock on the front of the school and gasped. “Oh, goodness!” she exclaimed, leaping to her feet. “I should have been home the minute school was dismissed! Gotta go!”

“Pray that your mother forgives you,” Arrow teased, his eyes dancing.

“Very funny,” Cloudy said. “See you!”

“See you tomorrow!” Arrow shouted after her as she darted away.