Morning Discovery

Hazel pushed through the heavy glass doors of the Gargantuan Greenhouse, her sneakers squeaking against the damp floor. The air felt thick and warm, almost like breathing through a blanket.

"Whoa," she whispered, her hazel eyes widening.

Plants stretched everywhere she looked. Vines twisted around rusted metal beams that reached toward the foggy glass ceiling. Strange flowers hummed soft melodies while others pulsed with gentle blue and purple light. A massive tree in the center had silver bark that seemed to shimmer.

Hazel's hands tingled, and tiny diamond sparkles appeared between her fingers. She quickly stuffed them into her hoodie pocket. Her diamond powers always acted up when she felt excited or nervous.

A rustling sound came from behind a cluster of singing daisies. Hazel froze. She wasn't supposed to be here alone.

"Hello?" she called softly.

The rustling stopped. Then she heard footsteps—heavy ones, moving toward the back of the greenhouse.

The Unexpected Visitors

Hazel crept toward the back of the greenhouse, her sneakers silent on the moss-covered walkway. The heavy footsteps had stopped, but she could hear hushed voices now.

"The singing violets are worth thousands," a woman's voice said sharply. "Cut them carefully."

"What about the glowing ones?" a gruff man replied.

Hazel peeked around a massive fern and gasped. Two people in dark clothes were stuffing magical plants into metal cages. The woman had short black hair and wore thick gloves. The man carried bolt cutters that gleamed under the purple plant light.

"Boss wants them all destroyed after we take the valuable ones," the woman said. "Can't have anyone else finding this place."

Hazel's hands began to sparkle with diamond dust. She stepped backward and accidentally bumped into a hanging vine.

CRASH!

A clay pot fell and shattered on the stone floor.

Both thieves spun around. "Who's there?" the man shouted.

Hazel's heart pounded as she ducked behind the silver-barked tree. The sparrows nesting in its branches chirped nervously above her head.