"Is there somewhere I can go, to be alone and think?" Christine asked Erica a week later. It was mid-morning, and Christine had a few spare hours she was going to take full advantage of.

Her friend nodded. "I know just the place for you," she said as her eyes sparkled. "It's a clearing with a small lake. The animals love to go there. Only one tree is there, and by it you'll know that's the place. It's the backwards tree."

"Backwards tree?" Christine asked, not sure what that meant.

"It only blooms in the winter," Erica explained. "All other seasons, it's completely bare. Head straight that way," and she pointed, "and you'll soon come to it."

"Thanks, Erica," Christine said, and then headed in the direction Erica had said. It was not long before she entered a forest of gigantic trees, unlike any other trees she had ever seen. The barks were brown, but had a silver shine to them. The leaves' veins were silver, which surprised Christine, but she dared not touch them. She eventually stumbled into a clearing. Beside the lake was a normal tree- well, except for the fact that it was almost summer, and it was bare. She sat down on the opposite side of the lake, and a squirrel eagerly jumped into her lap, climbed up her shoulder, and sat on her head.

Christine giggled. "You'll probably fall from there," she told him.

Yes, but I like it, the squirrel replied. I am Blur, for my speed while running through the trees. He ran down her back and sat staring at her. I have never met one like you before, one who can converse with animals.

"Nobody else here can?" she asked, surprised. This place had every other magic, so why not wild magic?

No, but the old squirrels tell of a girl, twenty Colds ago who could, he told her. It is fun to talk to a human. Suddenly, he stood straight and looked expectantly to the far end of the lake. All of the forest creatures were silent and looking near the backwards tree. Christine felt the perfectness in the air and did not move as well, but she had no idea why.

Then she felt a slight tingling in her mind. Before she could figure out what it was, however, a flash of white appeared in the outer edge of the forest. Then, a white horse stepped out toward the lake. At that moment, Christine knew why the clearing was perfect. It was not a horse, but a perfectly white unicorn. It looked just as Christine had imagined, and nothing like the traditional unicorn had been depicted for centuries. Its horn was not spiraled, and its hooves were not cloven like a goat's. The horn and hooves were solid silver, as its mane and tail seemed to be threads of silver. It had reached the lake and dipped its head down, drinking the refreshing water. Then, it lifted its magnificent face and looked directly at Christine, who dared not breathe for fear of scaring it away.

Hello, the unicorn spoke in her mind. I'm Lightning. I'm glad to see you are doing better than when I last saw you.

Christine was only slightly surprised to hear a female tone in Lightning's voice. Yes, I am. I wanted to thank you for before, but I didn't get to. I'm Christine, she silently added as an afterthought.

Lightning whinnied, as if she were laughing, and there was a hint of amusement in her voice. You needn't thank me, she said. It is what I'm for- to serve the pure-hearted. Yet, it is not common for one to come down with unicorn fever anymore, and even less common for one to be pure-hearted. Even more uncommon is for one to know the cure and come seeking me.

Well, Adam didn't want me to die, Christine said plainly.

It sounds like he cares about you a lot.

Yeah...we both care about each other. But not the forever love kind.

If you say so, the unicorn said with agreement in her tone. I shall meet you here again tomorrow, at the same time. I must go now, however. She spun around and trotted into the forest, and it was not long before the tingling sensation she created faded from Christine's mind.

"Thanks again, Alex," Christine said. "How would you like to go back to London with Adam and I for a few days? One of my dearest friends will be in town. You know, the Invincible Monkee Girl. Anyway, I wanted to see her again." She fingered one of her many rings. "I thought you might like to come, and Adam doesn't want you to lapse in your studies." She laughed. "Like three days will do you harm, especially since you're almost finished with learning your wild magic. But try telling him that."

Alex smiled. "I'd love to go," she confessed. "Just, how are we getting there?"

Christine grinned. "I understand you haven't tried dolphin-shape yet?" she asked, and Alex groaned.

"Every time I change back to my normal self, I'm naked," she complained. "Daine had the same problem."

"Oh, that's easy enough to fix," Christine told her. "You know how you have to think of yourself to become yourself again? Just think of yourself with clothes on. It works for me. Now, we leave tomorrow morning. I hope your sister's as good a babysitter as you, because I'm leaving the children in her charge."

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