Page 1 of The Cursed Kingdom

Prologue

TWENTY YEARS AGO

ABBY FLATTENS HER sweaty palms against the smooth, blue interior of the slide, her shoulders straining as she struggles to find a good foothold. Why can’t she get this? Everybody else in her first-grade class can climb up the slides, and she’s tired of hearing their frustrated sighs whenever it’s her turn. They say she’s too slow, and it’s embarrassing.

Her right palm slips with a loud squeak, prompting her to flail and kick her legs even farther to the sides. It’s the wrong move, one she’s made over a dozen times already, and she grunts as she loses her grip and tumbles to the bottom of the slide.

There’s no reason for this to be as hard as it is.

“Hi.”

Abby would know that voice anywhere, and she barely resists an eyeroll as she shoves her damp, blonde hair out of her face and spins toward the intruder.Lillian Collins. Abby’s brown eyes meet vibrant violet ones, the sight only worsening her already sour mood.

Lillian and her mom are new to town, and Lillian has already managed to ruin Abby’s life.

Abby’s older brother, Aaron, no longer wants to play with her, and, after much deliberation, Abby has decided it’sLillian’s fault. All Aaron and Tommy Knocker—the absolute love of Abby’s life—want to do is follow Lillian around the neighborhood.

That’s allanybodywants to do.

They think Lillian is exciting with her violet eyes and stark-white hair, but Abby doesn’t think it’s that cool.

Lillian gestures to the slide. “Can I try?”

Abby crosses her arms over her chest, debating sayingno. There are no adults around to scold Abby for her bad behavior, so there’s no reason to be nice. Aaron was supposed to come to the park with her, but he and Tommy Knocker ran away the first chance they got. Abby tried to keep up, but their nine-year-old legs were too fast.

She has no idea where they are, and it’s all Lillian’s fault. Everything was perfect before the quiet, violet-eyed girl moved into town.

“No.” Abby wipes her palms on her pants. “It’smyslide.”

Her pants are new, but the stretchy, pink fabric is already covered in dirt. There’s also a tiny hole behind the knee, a blemish Abby hopes her mom won’t notice when she gets home.

Lillian presses her lips together and rocks back on her heels. She’s wearing a long, blue dress, and while the color is pretty, it looks about two sizes too big on her.

Abby takes pleasure in that, and she turns back to the slide and begins another climbing attempt with the determination only a six-year-old can muster. She makes it almost halfway up before losing her grip and falling back down.

Lillian watches the entire time, a fact that greatly annoys Abby. Nobody ever comes to this park, and Abby’s come to think of it as her own.

This is just another thing Lillian has ruined.

Abby makes three more attempts to climb the slide before losing her patience and turning toward the still-staring Lillian.

“Go away.”

***

Lillian points to the slide. “I want to try.” Her mom wants her to befriend Abby. She says Lillian needs to blend in with the humans, and making a friend is the most human thing she can do.

Abby jumps off the bottom of the slide, and Lillian can’t help but wonder what she’s done to make the other girl so angry. Everybody liked her back in Bellmere, even Prince Kieran. He declared her his best friend before the entire court, and that means something.

Well, it did. She and her mother are no longer welcome in the faerie realm, and her mom says she should forget about her life there. That’s easier said than done.

Abby chews at her bottom lip and glances around the empty park. Lillian counts the seconds.

Exactly seven pass before Abby finally sighs and points to the slide. “You have to climb to the top.”

Lillian climbs onto the base of the slide. “I can do that.”

They didn’t have playgrounds in Bellmere, but Lillian’s finding she’s pretty good at most human activities. Her mom says not to be too athletic and draw attention, but this will be easy.

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