I’m glad that Roger is my brother, thought Candy. I know him so well. And in this case, it’s an advantage.

The next night, after a horrible meal of gruel that tasted like sawdust, Candy escaped the guest bedroom only to find the giant wall of the castle looming in front of her. Well, that sucks, she thought. Now I have to get over that and not get caught. What’s next? She began to climb the ivy covered wall, and soon was twenty feet above the ground. There are times like this that I’m glad I’m not afraid of heights, Candy thought. After reaching the top, she looked around. Wow, this view is beautiful! Candy thought. Imagine living here! She started to climb down, which, believe it or not, felt worse than climbing up. The ground looked far down despite her lack of fear of heights. When she reached the bottom of the huge walls, she sighed with relief. Her muscles ached from all the climbing.

“Phew”, she said. “Thank goodness that’s over.” Candy ran into the woods nearby for cover. The sun’s coming up already? I need to run faster next time, she thought. Candy kept running, her legs crying out for her to stop. A root tripped her, and she suddenly was pulled up. “Who are you?!” Candy asked, annoyed. “And also, can you, you know, let me go?” “Are you a palace guard?” The boy, who she assumed made the trap, asked.

“No!”
“That’s what they all say.”

“Well, I’m not part of that “they”.”

“What’s your name then?”

“Candy. So, can you let me go?”

“Candy. . .” He said, consulting a list. “You’re not on the list, so I suppose I can let you go.” “Great! Well, I’m off.” Candy said. “What are you in such a rush for anyway?” The boy asked. “Guards are chasing me”, she said bluntly. “Guards? I can help you with that! There are all kinds of traps in this forest. I can trap them for you!” He said excitedly. “Not all of them”, she requested, thinking of Denise. “One of them is named Denise. She hates the king.”

“How can I tell who it is?”

“Ask all the trapped guards’ names. They don’t know who we’re looking for.”

“Will do!”

“Why are you helping me anyway?”

“I can tell you’re powerful.”

“But I’m. . . Not?”

“No, I can tell you are.”

“Oh. . .” Candy said, clearly confused. “Don’t you have to run?” The boy asked. “True, but before I go, what’s your name?” “Zach. Bye, I guess.” “Bye.” Candy ran off. After running all day, she was tired, but she forced herself to keep going.

Candy reached a cave. Wow! She thought. That cave’s a good place to stay. They couldn’t find me there. Her hands grasped the rocks on the side of the mountain. The nights in the kingdom were always cold, and chill air swirled around her. When she reached the cave, she looked around at the land below her. So this is what it’s like to be a ruler, she thought. I could get used to this. Candy spotted Zach’s red hair against the green of the forest. What’s he doing here?