Rey's eyes shifted around, making sure no one noticed her. It was after school dismissed, but still she'd rather not be spotted. Her heart sped up, pounding in her chest while her cheeks warmed in embarrassment. She was already teased enough for believing in fairies, which had landed her in this predicament in the first place, as she placed the note in the old tree behind the school; the paper which laid bare her secret. A dare from her classmates, one she had to complete for them to leave her alone.

Task done, she quickly looked around, and before she regretted what she just did, she left.

Sleep evaded her while she stared blankly at the ceiling. Anxious nerves weighed her down, unable to let her mind drift off. What if someone found her secret? Would there really be a treasure waiting for her— would it be worth the secret? Her mind raced endlessly. She had known not to mess with such things as fairies and lore, and yet she still did.

Morning came despite the restless night. She was wide awake, rushing to get ready and out the door, wanting to get to school before everyone.

Each step Rey took felt endless as her breath came out in huffs, as if time stilled despite her attempts to get there faster. She kept hurriedly walking though, while making sure no one was around.

In the eerie stillness, she had gathered no one was there with some small relief. She took a steading breath before going to the back of the school, easily spotting the tree on the school grounds.

Rey ran, wishing that her feet could stretch further, to cover more ground, unable to ignore the excitement that bubbled up. She wanted to know if her secret was still there or if a treasure was left in its place.

Staring at the hollow in the tree, she didn't see her note, but a stone. A bit unsure, she reached her hand in, feeling as if she plunged her hand into an icy stream. She winced from the pain as she picked it up. It was so cold that it burned at the touch.

And with that burning sensation in her hand, the world became distorted, as if she had been spinning around and could no longer tell which way was straight. Everything was hazy, blurring. It only took a moment, though, before things settled back down. Then she found herself straining her neck, ever just so, looking up and up at the tree.

"I'll be your friend!"

She turned her head in the direction of the voice, spotting shimmering eyes— and wings. Fairy wings! It was a fairy! She wanted to jump up and down, yelling at the world. She was right! Fairies were real.

Not only was the fairy real, it knew her secret. Her face warmed, noticing a paper flapping from a gust of wind. On it the words, I wish I had a friend, filled the page.