I couldn't help but look in awe at the whole castle. I've never been in an actual castle before. There were stained glass windows everywhere, making the hallways shine like a rainbow after a storm. The ceilings had murals, some of the clouds in the sky, and others showcasing the beautiful nature surrounding the castle. People bustled in and out of the corridors, making me wonder how they were able to navigate through this enormous place.

"You get used to it after a while," Candy said as if she read my mind. "Your mind starts to form a map of the place. Come on, let's use our feet now."

She gracefully landed back to the ground, but I stumbled a little. Don't judge me. My wings moved faster than my brain at times.

"I feel like I should wear something more...dressy. You know, since we're in a castle and all."

"Dressy? Please. You wear whatever you want to wear here. See that clown at the end of the hall?"

I thought she was talking about somebody dressed like a goofball at first. But no. She was actually talking about a clown, with a big red nose, messy blue hair, and a terrible makeup job that made him look a little sad. His big red shoes didn't help with his look, either.

"That's Larry. When he was twenty-seven, he wished to be able to make his niece laugh more often. She's sick, so her personality began to dim a lot when she had to be in and out of the hospital. Her favorite uncle happens to be a circus clown. And he can do magic tricks that not even he can understand sometimes."

"Aw...that's so sweet."

"Right? He's the funniest guy you'll meet here, I promise. Hm...who else should you know? Oh, I'm sure you saw a few mermaids as we entered the main gates. One of them is my friend. Her name is Jade. She used to be on her school's swim and dive team, but then she got injured and couldn't participate anymore. She was heartbroken. So, on the night of her sixteenth birthday, she wished to be a mermaid. Just as a joke. She didn't think anything of it."

"Then let me guess, she drank some water and grew a tail?"

"No, that's weird. She woke up with a tail, duh. It took her a little while to learn how to get her legs back."

"Huh. I'd ask more questions, but at this point, I'm just rolling with it. Hey, what's that long line over there?"

I didn't think that there was a theme park in the castle. I wouldn't be surprised if there was. Instead of rollercoasters, though, all I saw was a long line of people waiting in front of a single velvety-cushioned golden and red throne chair.

"That's the unfortunate wand line. No amount of magic can make that line shorter. It's basically where people stand to discuss matters with the queen or...get their wand."

"We get wands? Don't tell me I'll be able to cast spells too."

"No," Candy chuckled. "None of us can cast spells-well-I don't know, maybe some of us can. Our wands are just for making portals. If you ever want to come back here, you use your wand to do so."

She pulled out her want to showcase it. It was short and skinny, with fancy swirly carvings engraved into the darkly-colored wood.

"Everyone's wand is unique. Yours will be too."

"So I have to stand in that line to get my wand, how fun."

"I know it sucks, but come on. It's a wand. Haven't you always wanted one as a kid?"

"Oh for sure. I used to "cast spells" on my dad and try to make him eat my vegetables."

"Did he ever eat them?"

"...No."

"Oh. That's a bummer. Well, you still can't force your dad to eat vegetables with your actual wand, but at least you can be transported to a magical land anytime you want. Feel like standing in line? It'll move fast."

"I'll take your word for it, Candy."

The line did not move fast. At all. You know how it feels to wait at a doctor's office? Well, imagine that but three times worse. At least I had my wings, so I didn't have to stand the entire time. I felt bad for everyone else, though. Especially Larry. I couldn't imagine the discomfort he had in his feet due to his big shoes.

"Almost there," Candy said excitedly. "And it took us only thirty minutes to get to the front."

"It has not been thirty minutes, Candy. I feel like we've been waiting for two hours."

"Time is a bit weird here. The days and nights seem longer than they actually are, it's some strange occurrence that has to do with all the magic in the area. The queen can explain it better than I can."

"What's the queen like?"

"She's sweet. Better than a lot of queens out there. She never forgets a face or a name. And there's a lot of faces and names here, so that says something about her."

"She technically has over five hundred children, doesn't she?"

"In a way, yeah. But she has a strong bond with everyone here. I swear, she's the type of woman who you can talk to for hours without feeling judged. She's a wonderful listener."

"Sounds like you two are close."

"We are. I've shared a lot of things with her that I haven't with anyone else. You might, too."

I nodded in understanding. She had to be a nice woman if people were willing to stand in such a long line just to have a conversation with her. I felt like I was getting ready to have a meet-and-greet with a celebrity. A magical celebrity.

"Next in line," a voice suddenly said, taking my attention from my thoughts. A sharply dressed man with slicked-back hair motioned towards me, his lips forming a slight smile. "Shall I take you towards the queen's quarters, ma'am?"

I looked over at Candy. She gave me a thumbs up, but nothing more. So this was an individual thing. Candy was never planning to follow me in. No biggie.

"Uh...yeah. Sure."

I hesitantly followed him down, my eyes focused on the castle floors as I did so. Why were they so clean? I could see my reflection with every step. Matter of fact, why was I even focusing my attention on the floor? Why wasn't I looking up to see where I was going? What if I bumped into somebody? Why was I asking myself so many questions? Oh-I know why. Because it was my first time meeting royalty. Period. I felt just as nervous as when I was pushed into that portal. I don't know how this day went from me being bored in class to me having the chance to meet a queen. Instead of wishing for wings, I should've wished for all of this to be some sort of dream. Or literally anything else.

"Right through those wooden double doors."

"The doors in front of me?"

"Yep."

"Those? The wooden ones?"

"It's normal to be nervous," the man laughed. "I was nervous too when I met her for the first time. But she's a lovely woman. You'll be glad that you met her."

"...Okay."

The doors opened up the second I got close. When they opened, they revealed this lovely bedroom that looked straight out of a fairytale movie. White and gold everywhere. Everything was extravagant, from the bejeweled chandelier to the beautifully patterned furniture that looked too expensive for a person like me to ever think about sitting on. On the walls were different paintings of women, all of them with a fair skin complexion and dark, silky straight hair. I expected the queen to look like them too. Since I was focused on the castle floors before, I decided to study them again as I walked in. The floor in her bedroom was shiny, like the rest, but also wooden and covered with this large rug that looked like it was made with stars. It was difficult for me to describe how breathtaking this room was. It was just...something straight from a children's book.

"You can sit down if you'd like," a woman's voice said, her voice sounding friendlier than any voice I've heard. "I can have someone bring up some refreshments if you're thirsty. Or, if you'd rather sit and have a meal, that can also be arranged."

I looked around to see where the voice was coming from. I knew I heard her. I knew she was in here. Why else would they bring me here if she wasn't?

"I'm over here, Imani."

Her knowing my name threw me off. My head suddenly whipped towards the window, where I saw a figure of a white-haired woman standing by. Her hair was long. Really long. It was barely grazing the ground. So she wasn't dark-haired like I originally thought. I was curious to see her face.

"How do you know my name?"

"You're in a castle full of magical beings and that's the first question that comes to mind, hm?"

"Well-I have about a dozen more questions. But I know you don't really have the time to answer so-"

"I have as much time as I choose," she laughed, her voice sounding as sweet as honey itself. "Being a queen has its perks."

She turned to walk towards me. She definitely did not look like the rest of the women on the wall. For one, she had white hair because she was albino. Her skin was pale, and her facial features were European. She was young. Older than me, but younger than I imagined her to be. Maybe in her lower thirties. Her eyes were two different colors. One was brown, the other a grayish-purple. She truly had to be the rarest kind of human I have ever seen in my life. Her makeup was visible but natural. She had on a formal gold dress combined with a fur coat that made her stand out even more. I did not feel worthy to be in her presence...at all.

"I love gold so much," she said with a smile. "Though, silver looks better on me."

"No-gold looks perfect on you. Like it was made for you if that makes sense."

"Well thank you, Imani. I hardly wear any other color. If you see me ever wearing a color like bronze, it isn't me."

"Noted! So um...this place...can you..."

"Explain? Sure, sit down."

I took a seat by a nearby sofa, feeling guilty that I was sitting on it with sweatpants on. Candy should've told me to wear my prom dress.

"Long ago, a German family lived in a tiny village. The village didn't have much. Life was hard for every peasant. Winters made it harder. But they survived. Still, though, this one little girl desired more for them all. She saw how hard her parents worked. She also noticed how rough her neighbors had it. And, since they lived in a small settlement without any form of leadership, the little girl didn't know who to turn to for help. So, on her tenth birthday, she made a wish. She wished that her family became royal and that all of her neighbors lived within their kingdom."

"And that wish came true."

"It did. Germany used to be larger, you know. But a piece of it broke off after the girl made her wish, and over time it slowly turned into its own island and started floating away from the continent of Europe. Right now, we're in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean."

"And how have people not discovered this place yet?"

"One of my descendants wished for this place to be hidden by most, but seen by many."

"That doesn't make much sense."

"When you make a wish, it doesn't have to make sense. It just has to come from the heart."

I looked back towards the portraits I saw earlier.

"The girl who wished for this castle-Ida-is the second portrait you'll see. The list of rulers goes in order from left to right. The first portrait is her mother, the first ruler."

"What about the kings?"

"Kings aren't a thing here. A queen can have a husband, yes, but within the royal family, only women can be granted wishes. Therefore, the women of the family are considered to be more powerful. One of my descendants wished for that to happen a while back. I think she was sick of her husband or something."

"Wait-are you capable of choosing which wish gets granted?"

"No."

"...So...how does the whole wish-granting thing work then?"

"For as long as you have birthdays, you will have wishes. Not every wish you make will have a guarantee of coming true. It’s random. And your wish is more likely to be granted when you’re a kid. Nobody knows who grants wishes. If you’re religious, you might believe that your god is the one who grants them. Others believe it’s just a matter of luck. Whatever the case may be, your wish will not come true unless it comes from the heart. It must be from deep inside your heart. You can’t make a greedy wish. And those who get their wishes granted will notice within the week they make it.”

“I understand. And I’m assuming those who make the most unusual wishes get to stay here?”

“Yes. Some people can hide their granted wishes more easily like others, such as you and I.”

“What did you wish for?”

“To create portals.”

“Oh! So that line outside is because you can use your power to allow others to create portals too. That’s really cool.”

“Well thank you,” she blushed. “I do my best. My power does have limits, though. There are only so many wands I can make in a day…and there are so many wishers out there. Including the ones we haven’t discovered.”

“Speaking of which, how do you discover wishers?”

“Those with the necessary gifts are able to find other people like us. Sometimes we find people when they’re younger, sometimes when they’re older. But for recruitment, we always send out a shapeshifter. Just to watch over you for a bit to make sure you’re a person who has made an unusual wish.

“Are the shapeshifters the men in those sharply dressed suits? Like Arthur?”

“Yes, just like Arthur. He’s my husband.”

“He’s what!?”

“You seem so surprised!”

“Well-he’s just so…you know. And you’re so…you know.”

“He’s grumpy, yes, but he’s also the most caring man I’ve ever known.”

“Well thank you.” We both turned our heads as Arthur walked in, a slight smile curving on his face. “And you’re the most caring woman I’ve ever known, dear.”

“Oh, I know it. I love you.”

“I love you too, my queen.”

“Okay-um-well I hate to seem like I’m in a hurry, but I really should get back home before my roommate calls the cops to report a missing person.”

“Fair enough. Let me give you your wand before you go.”

“Oh yeah-right. What do I need to do for you to make it? Should I close my eyes or…”

I could hear Arthur let out a laugh behind me. When the queen wasn’t looking, I turned and gave him the coldest glare I could. He laughed even harder at me.

“You don’t have to close your eyes. I already have a wand in mind for you to use. It’s one of mine, actually.”

“Seriously? Well I wouldn’t want to-”

“Never decline a gift from a queen, Imani.”

“I don’t want to, Arthur, but-”

“It’s okay,” she smiled. “I haven’t used this wand in a while. And for some reason, I feel like you’d be the perfect person to carry it.”

The queen kept her warm smile as she pulled out this most intricate golden wand, more unique than any of the others I’ve seen people carry. It had a spherical shape at the top, with a curvy pattern that went all the way down. I looked over at Arthur again-not to glare at him-but to give him a look that asked if I should take it or not. He nodded his head.

“I can tell that you’re special, Imani. Something about your aura is just…it’s not like the others. And I can tell that you’re going to do great things in the future with your gift. This wand is now yours. It’s bound to you. If you lose it, it’ll always make it's way back to your hands. Promise me you’ll treat this wand with care.”

“I promise, Your Majesty.”

“Blech, too formal. Just call me Aurelia. Queen Aurelia.”

“Okay. I promise, Aurelia. Thank you.”

I took the wand, feeling its coolness against my skin. Even though it used to be hers, it did feel like I’ve had it my whole life. I guess that’s what she meant by it being bound to me. And, in a way, me taking the wand meant that I was bound to the castle as well. There was really no turning back from this point. I was officially a part of the society.