Karli Sands stared at the rows of vendor tents, hunched her shoulders, and sighed. Why was she even here in the first place? She should have acted more assertively and told her parents that she was staying home this year.

When she was little, The Sunrise Shield Faire had been the highlight of summer: witches, sorcerers and shapeshifters from all over New England converged on this one spot to sell crafts, tout their businesses or projects, and generally have a good time. Back then, whenever she reached for a gemstone or ogled over a wand talisman, her parents would smile indulgently and say, "That's for when you're older."

Well, she got older and nothing happened.

On her fourteenth birthday, Karli's parents sat her down and sadly explained that she might be a null—a person, who despite having magical ancestry, never came into their abilities.

Karli had said nothing, only stared at her younger sister enviously. At ten, Vanessa was already performing simple spells she'd learned at the academy. Of course she was magical—both of her parents were witches; Karli's biological father was normal. Null children were more common between witches and regular humans.

"I'm going over there," Karli said, jerking a thumb down a row of tents at random. She didn't want to be around Vanessa when her sister started gleefully fawning over all the arcane items she just had to have.

Without waiting for parental approval, Karli disappeared down the aisle. Life sucks, she thought, kicking the trampled ground. Witches and shapeshifters were so cool, so unique, so ... special. What was even the point of existing if you couldn't do magic or turn into a massive wolf?

Edging around a cluster of patrons, Karli turned and nearly ran into a small orange tent. Where the hell did that come from? The tent sat squarely in the middle of the aisle, leaving only a few inches on either side.

As Karli watched, anyone who passed by the tent blurred slightly, only to reappear on the other side completely oblivious. Her mouth rounded in an "O". What sort of magic was this?

"Hey."

One side of the tent opened up, revealing a young boy in baggy beige trousers and a puffy white shirt. Dark coppery hair was tied back in a short queue. His freckled nose wrinkled and he crossed his arms. "Oh, great, another teenage girl." He sighed heavily and shrugged. "Very well, come in." Without waiting for a reply, the boy ducked back inside the tent.

Karli blinked. "Wait—what?" In a blind rush, she raced towards the tent, grabbing the flap before it seamlessly joined with the fabric wall. "What are you talking about ..."

Once inside, she stopped dead in her tracks. "It's bigger on the inside," she whispered, craning her head back to stare at the vaulted ceiling with its exposed beams, myriad skylights and several twisting levels stuffed to the brim with books, scrolls, and knickknacks of every imaginable variety. "How ... ?"

The boy frowned, but a feminine voice echoed throughout the impossible tent. "What do we have today, Beauregard?"

"Just another silly girl," Beauregard shouted back, sounding completely bored.

"Hey!" Karli interjected hotly, only to have the boy's silencing hand in her face.

Karli reached up to shove the boy's hand away, but to her surprise, the limb refused to budge.

"Don't even," he warned as Karli dropped his hand in shock. How was he so strong?

"Well, send her up," the unseen woman called out.

"You heard her." Beauregard pointed to a spot over Karli's shoulder. "All the way to the top. Go on, Mistress's time is valuable."

She twisted around only to come nose to nose with the newel post of a large spiral staircase. Where'd that come from? Putting a hand on the banister, Karli swallowed her reservations and quickly climbed the stairs.

"Ah, there you are."

Seated directly across the top of the stairs at a wide, cluttered desk was an elderly, toffee-skinned woman wrapped in an array of colorful silks. Curls of grey hair escaped from beneath an artfully-wrapped caftan. Her eyes, like twin pieces of onyx, studied Karli from behind a small pair of rounded glasses.

"Hm, let me guess: you're a null."

Karli froze, shocked at the woman's accuracy. "H-how did you know?"

The woman waved a bangled arm carelessly. "I'm very good at reading people. You came here seeking magic. I have what you need." Placing both hands on the desktop, she got to her feet. Karli watched as she shuffled to a cabinet, opened the glass doors and carefully removed a tray of six shot glass-sized crystal vials.

"Now, we don't have much time." She set the tray on the edge of her desk and retook her seat. "Be warned, results may vary, so choose carefully."

Karli took a hesitant step forward. "Just pick one?" she repeated.

The woman nodded. Biting her lip, Karli shuffled her feet until she was standing in front of the desk. Each one of the containers was a different color. Her eye immediately slid to the last vial: purple. Karli's mother's magic was purple. It seemed like the most logical choice.

"That one," she said, pointing.

"Indeed?" The old woman lifted a grey eyebrow. "Interesting." Plucking the vial from the tray, she set it down.

Karli reached for it, but the woman's hand swiftly blocked her. "There is the matter of payment, dear."

"Oh." Karli's eyes shifted around the room. "I don't have any money on me."

"Oh, I don't need money, dear. Just your life force."

Life force? Karli's hand lifted of its own volition to clutch at her throat. "Uh ... no, no thank you ..." she stammered, backing up.

The old woman made a tsk'ing sound. "Everyone has that reaction," she said, glancing at the ceiling as if seeking patience. "Dear child, what I need from you is the same amount of energy any witch would expend on a very complicated, powerful spell. This won't shorten your lifespan, steal your soul, or turn you into a wrinkled old woman like me." She bared her teeth in a brief, unnerving grin. "But you'll end up feeling like shit afterwards."

Karli blinked and licked her lips. "Do you promise?"

"Cross my shriveled old heart."

Karli stared at the vial. Never in a million years did she believe that she'd ever be like her parents and sister.

"Deal," she said quickly, before she could have second thoughts.

The old woman smiled and made a swift, snatching gesture with one hand. Immediately, Karli's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped to the floor as a great surge of energy left her body.

"Ughhh ..." Karli groaned, pushing herself upright on one elbow.

"I told you that you'd feel like shit, dear."

Long legs wrapped in colorful gauze swam into view. Karli tipped her head back as a wave of dizziness swept through her head, making the world spin. Oh God ... She slammed her eyes shut and prayed for the world to stop.

"Ride it out, dear; it's the only way. Here."

A vial of purple liquid was pressed into Karli's hands. Without thinking, she drank the whole thing in one gulp. A rush of electricity zipped across her skin, making every hair stand up. The world came to an abrupt halt and she was able to sit up. That ... that wasn't so bad. Blinking owlishly, she stared up at the old woman.

No.

The young woman.

"H-how ...?"

Luscious blue-black curls cascaded over the woman's shoulders and down her back. Her face was flush with the bloom of youth. "You'd best leave," she said with a knowing smile. "You don't want to go where we're going."

As if in response, the walls of the impossible tent began to shake.

Karli scrambled to her feet. "How do I know it worked?"

"You'll know. Now, go."

Karli's feet found traction and she raced down the stairs as the tent began to shake in earnest. All around her, objects and furniture began to blink in and out of existence.

Beauregard held the tent flap open. Karli burst into the middle of the aisle, nearly knocking into a couple. Breathless, she turned around, but the tent was nowhere to be seen. Giddy with adrenaline, she scrambled to her feet. Her parents would be thrilled!

Sssssssss ...

A cold chill slipped down Karli's back.

"Help me ..." someone whispered in her ear.

Heart leaping in her chest, Karli whirled around and found herself face-to-face with the pale, levitating form of a ghost.

"You have to help me ..." the ghost cried, translucent arms reaching out for her.

Screaming in terror, Karli ran through it.

"You can see me ..."

"Help ..."

"She can see us!"

Color draining from her face, Karli shoved through faire-goers as a dozen ghosts chased after her and wailed for attention.

"Oh, so that's what it does," a woman's voice observed from the ether. "Huh."