The Blue Flame's End

Mariza stood in the temple courtyard, watching her three best friends practice their magic. The nature goddess Ivy made flowers bloom with a touch. The young goddess Luna spun moonbeams into silver threads. The youngest, Clover, giggled as she tried to balance a watermelon on her fingertips.

"Watch this!" Clover called out, spinning the heavy fruit above her head.

Mariza smiled and raised her hands. Blue flames danced between her fingers, warm and bright. She loved how the fire listened to her thoughts, swirling in patterns only she could create.

"Mariza, catch!" Clover shouted.

The watermelon flew through the air, much harder than Clover intended. Mariza reached up with her flaming hands, but the fruit struck her forehead with a loud thunk.

Pain exploded through her skull. The blue flames flickered and died. The world spun wildly as she crashed to the stone ground.

"Mariza!" her friends screamed, but their voices grew distant and hollow.

Darkness swallowed her whole.

The Girl in Blue

Mariza's eyes fluttered open to find herself lying on soft, impossibly green grass. The sky above swirled with cotton-candy clouds in shades of pink and purple she'd never seen before.

"Oh good, you're awake!" said a cheerful voice.

Mariza sat up slowly, her head still throbbing. A girl about her own age sat cross-legged nearby, wearing a blue dress with a white apron. Her blonde hair fell in gentle waves to her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"I'm Alice," the girl said, extending her hand. "Welcome to Wonderland, though I suspect you didn't choose to come here either."

"Wonderland?" Mariza touched her forehead where the watermelon had struck. "But that's just a story."

Alice laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "I thought so too, until I fell down that rabbit hole three days ago. Now I'm stuck here, just like you apparently are."

A butterfly with wings like stained glass landed on Alice's shoulder. Its colors shifted from emerald to sapphire as it whispered something in her ear.

"The Cheshire Cat says there might be a way out," Alice said, standing and brushing grass from her apron. "But we'll need to work together."