is always magic, but we fail to see it. There is always mystery, but we fail to solve it. There is always a quest, but we fail to complete it. There is always a question, but we fail to answer it. That is, until Katrina came along. That is, until Katrina set out to find the glass rose made of earth, fire, and water. Katrina will change the lives, and expectations, of many.
CHAPTER 1.

Katrina had been in the town library for over two hours now. She was totally absorbed in a book called, "The Treasures of Old", and she just couldn't put it down. It talked of old legends, myths, and hidden objects, still waiting to be found. There were so many that fascinated her, but her favorite was the one hidden in Mt. Althea, the mountain next to her home, the little town of Karpend. Karpend was a small town, but it thrived. Most people traveled to the town Durming to trade and buy things such as clothes, food, animals, jewelry, and even the occasional toy for the children. Many tourists came to Karpend for a few days to see the beautiful Mt. Althea. Many people spent years studying Mt. Althea. But Katrina bet that nobody knew that a glass rose was hidden inside of Mt. Althea. Nobody knew that the glass rose had all power, and was made of earth, fire, and water. But Katrina did. She had been studying all about it from the little book.

A voice interrupted Katrina's thought. It was Ms. Dester, the librarian.

"Katrina," Ms. Dester said, "you're mother is outside."

"Thanks for telling me Ms. Dester. Good-bye!" said Katrina as she walked out, placing the book on a shelf by the door.

"Good-bye, dear." Ms. Dester said as she left.

Katrina looked around as she got outside. Her mother wasn't by the shoe-makers, the clock repairers, the schoolhouse- oh! There she was, over at the trading house, getting into the wagon. Katrina walked across the street and hopped into the wagon after petting Twilight, the horse pulling the wagon. Katrina and her mother had had Twilight ever since Katrina's dad died in a shooting. He was trying to protect Katrina and her mother when he accidently got shot in the head. Every time Katrina saw Twilight, the memory came back, no matter how hard she tried to block it out.

"Hi mom. Have a good day at work?" asked Katrina as her mom guided the horse back towards the house.

"Sure did." her mom replied. "The saloon was a little busier than usual. That's why I'm late. How was school today?"

"Fine. I had a good time. And I found a really interesting book at the library!"

"Great! Now let's go home, I'm starving!" 

After dinner Katrina went to her room and started reading her only book for about the millionth time. She loved reading, but one can get tired with reading the same book over and over. She practically knew it by heart now! That's why Katrina loved going to the library so much. The only thing is, since books are so hard to make, no one can check them out of the library for fear of ruining them, and then all the knowledge in them will be lost forever. Some of the educational ones are even chained up!

Since Katrina didn't want to read her book anymore, she decided to write one instead. She grabbed a piece of paper (one of the 5 left on her desk) and a pencil. Then she sat down at her desk and thought. She wasn't sure what she wanted to write about. There were so many things that she wanted to write about, but her mind wouldn't settle on just one! She decided to write an adventure/romance book. The setting would be in the African jungle. There would be an explorer trapped there, and then a lovely young lady will help him to escape and they'll live happily ever after.

Katrina smiled and started to write. After a few minutes her hand started to cramp, but she continued on. A few minutes later she had filled the paper and was starting on the back when her mom came in.

"Katrina." she said. "I managed to get some blueberries, so I made some muffins. You want one?"

Katrina looked up from her work.

"Sure. Thanks mom!" said Katrina, grabbing a muffin off the plate. Her mom set the plate down on the dresser.

"What are you doing?" asked her mom, looking down at the paper.

"Trying to write a story." Katrina replied.

Her mom held the paper and began reading. "'There once was brave explorer. He was looking for ancient artifacts in the African jungle when a bunch of people jumped out and captured him. He was taken to their hideout and was forced to tell them where the treasure was hidden. He refused to tell them, so they trapped him in a lion's den. They told him that he had one night to make a final decision. If he still chose not to help them, they would release the lions. The explorer, Davis, looked around the den. It's walls had claw marks on it. Dry blood lay scattered across the floor. On the roof next to the hole, which he had been dropped through into the den, was a drawing. But Davis couldn't make out what it was. It had and x on it, a tower, a small village, and some hills and mountains. Then Davis realized that it was a map to where the treasure was hidden. This map had more detail than his own. He grabbed some paper and a pencil and started to copy it down.

' Why Katrina!" her mother exclaimed, "That is absolutely amazing! So you're going to be an author now are you?"

Katrina smiled. She wondered if she should. She knew that if her book got published that it would be worth a lot of money, but she didn't know if it were good enough.

"I don't know mom. I don't think that it's good enough. It needs to explain more. Have more detail! Books are better that way."

Her mother smiled. She took Katrina by the arm and pulled her onto the bed. She looked deep into Katrina's eyes. "Katrina, you have real talent. Don't be afraid! You can do whatever you want to, as long as you put your mind to it! I promise."
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That night, as Katrina lay in bed, she thought about the glass rose. She wanted to find that rose more than anything. Even more than going back to the library and reading all day tomorrow! Then she remembered that tomorrow was a weekend, so she wouldn't have school, her mom would have work, and she would get to spend half the day at the library.

"Tomorrow," thought Katrina, " I can do some more research on the glass rose. Maybe I can figure out just where it's hidden. Then I can go get it." Then she fell asleep.

Her mom came in a little later, leaned over, and kissed Katrina on the head. She sat there stroking Katrina's hair, then she gently got up and walked out, shutting the door behind her. She stood in the hallway leaning against the wall. She looked at the picture on the wall that Katrina had drew when she was little. It was of a tree on a hill in the night. All kinds of animals were gathering around the tree to listen to the wise owl. Coyotes howling, birds chirping. The moon shone high above the tree like a light to all the animals. Katrina's mother knew that Katrina has so much promise, she just has to show Katrina that.
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The next morning Katrina woke up and went into the kitchen. Her mother was heating up the muffins from last night. Katrina grabbed one. Her mother smiled, then went into her room. She came back out a few minutes later dressed in her saloon dress. She handed Katrina a mirror.

"Hold this for me while I brush my hair, please." her mother said.

Katrina held the mirror with one hand and ate her muffin with the other.

"I'm going to the library today, right?" asked Katrina between bites. Her mother took the mirror back.

"Of course. Why wouldn't you? It's Saturday." her mother replied.

"Just making sure. I want to look at that book some more. It was quite fascinating!"

"Must have been or you wouldn't be so worked up about it." Katrina's mother looked around the room. "Katrina, have you seen my hair clip? The one I use for buns?"

Katrina got up and picked up a hair clip off the coffee table and handed it to her mom. She sat back down and watched as her mom put her hair into a bun and stuck the clip in. She thought about the clip. It was gold, and looked kind of like a miniature comb. The top of it had black frills on it. The frills had a pretty spiraling pattern. Her mother had gotten it from Katrina's grandmother, Margret. Margret gave the clip to her mother before she died saying to her,

"Mary, I want you to have this. This was the clip that my husband gave me as a wedding present. He is gone now and I will soon be too. I want you to have it. Keep hold of it, and when it's your time, I want you to give it to Katrina. When it is her time I want her to give it to her beautiful daughter, and so on. This clip shall remain in this family for generations, and we shall be remembered."

Katrina remembered her mother taking the clip and grasping it tight. Then grandma Margret waved us out. We walked slowly home, mom carrying the clip the whole way.

"Do I look okay?" asked her mother.

Katrina looked up, a little dazed. "Huh? Oh, yes. You look lovely!" she answered. Katrina smiled at her mother and her mother smiled back.

"Okay then. Time for me to go to work and time for you to go to the library."
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Katrina walked into the library and sat down on the big old chair in the corner. It was red, had gold armrests, and stuffing was coming out the bottom. Even with the stuffing coming out, it was a beautiful chair. So old, and beautiful. Katrina reached over to the bookshelf next to the chair and grabbed the book called, "The Legends of Old". She opened the book to page 6, about the Glass Rose. It was the next to the last page in the book, so it was easy to find. She read about the rose:

The Glass Rose is a magnificent rose, made from earth, fire, and water. It has many powers. it can control the weather, make an ocean or a puddle, and even make fire. Anyone would be lucky to have this rose because with it, anyone can do anything. It can control minds, actions, and thoughts. However, in the wrong hands, it can cause destruction and horror. It might mean the end of the world!

The rose was foraged by dwarves in Mt. Althea, and is heavily guarded by dwarves. No one is allowed to see the glass rose except for the guards and the king dwarf, King Alaf. King Alaf is the only one allowed to permit others to see the Glass Rose. No human, pixie, or troll has ever seen the rose. The only ones to see it has been the Dwarfs.

Katrina smiled. That means that if she were to find it, she would be the first to see it. Well, if she could get past the guards. And there was another problem. She didn't know where in Mt. Althea it was hidden. Mt. Althea was a huge mountain. Just going around the bottom takes a week at least. Going from the bottom to the top takes about 5-7 days, and even if she could do that, there's the whole mountain to search. She would have to find the entrance, then make her ways through the tunnels. Even getting that far would be tough because of the trolls that hunt on the face of the mountain. Trolls are greedy little things, that will eat anything that dares to come near them, whether that be a cricket or a person. But since they live on the face of the mountain, they might know where the entrance is!

Katrina was so thrilled she didn't realize that she was laughing and talking aloud. Luckily, there was no one in the library except for the librarian who was shelving books, too busy to notice Katrina, and Alex, a boy from school. He was looking at her like she was crazy. Katrina couldn't blame him; she probably looked pretty crazy.

Then Alex walked out of the library. Katrina put the book back and went over to ask Ms. Dester what the time was.

"One in the afternoon. Do you need to go meet your mom?" asked Ms. Dester.

As Katrina ran out she called back, "Yes. I was supposed to an hour ago! Thanks Ms. Dester. Good-bye!"

She ran out before Ms. Dester could reply. She looked around as she got outside. Her mother was waiting by the saloon with Twilight and the wagon. She was nibbling on a piece of bread.

"There you are!" said Katrina's mother as Katrina hopped into the wagon with her mother. "I was about to come get you. I was waiting for an hour. Luckily there was some extra work I could do for a little extra bread. Here, have a piece." She handed a piece to Katrina. "You were reading weren’t you?"

"Yes. I was reading, then I got to thinking, and the time just got away from me. Sorry."

"That's okay. When we get home I'll make a couple sandwiches for lunch."

"Sounds great! I'm starved!" Katrina said with a laugh. "Reading can really make a person hungry."
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After lunch, Katrina decided to go to town to do some trading. She grabbed a piece of paper, two hairclips, and some wood chips. She knew that the wood chips would be worth at least one loaf of bread. A lot of people needed any kind of wood before winter started. Last winter, one family was so desperate for wood that they traded one person a cup of blueberries, two pillows, and a half- loaf of bread. That person must have eaten like a king! Katrina would absolutely love to eat like that for a night. The biggest dinner she had ever had was two slices of bread, a quarter cup of mashed strawberries, and some fresh lemonade. Even then, the bread was stale, the strawberries were going bad, and the lemonade was sour. But it still filled her up, and she didn't complain. But to have a fresh meal for a night, that would be nice! Katrina walked into the trading center. There were a bunch of people inside with baskets of food and supplies that they were trading. Katrina walked around, trying to trade her wood, hairclips, and paper. The paper was taken quickly by a writer wanting to write another textbook for teachers. In exchange, Katrina got a pair of gloves. The next things to go were the hairclips. A recently married man bought them for his wife. He gave Katrina a pillow and a strawberry for it. Katrina walked around some more trying to sell the wood chips, but no one wanted them. Someone must have had just been to Durming and gotten some wood. Everyone was lined up around him wanting to exchange almost anything for it. Then Katrina's schoolmate, Alex, came over and asked if he could have the wood chips in exchange for a loaf of bread and a potato.

"Sure. Here you are." said Katrina handing Alex the wood and grabbing the bread and potato.

Then Alex walked off towards the home appliance section, while Katrina headed off in the other direction to go back home. As she was walking, she passed the man who was selling the wood. She stopped and looked at it. Something was very odd looking about it. She thought back to when paper wasn't scarce and everyone took it for granted. It was when she was in kindergarten. She was making papier-mâché items. She looked at the wood closer. Then she walked up to the man and said innocently, "Sir, why are you selling papier-mâché wood?"

The man looked startled. He looked around as the people started picking at the wood. Each one started to unravel. Soon there was a pile of sticky paper on the floor. Everyone looked up at the man. He took one look at their faces and ran. People ran after him, wanting to get their stuff back. Katrina continued on home, glad that she had stopped a scam.

When she got home she gave the bread, potato, and strawberry to her mother for that nights dinner and the next morning's breakfast. The pillow and the gloves, however, she kept for herself. Then she told her mother all about the scam.

"There are people like that Katrina. You have to be careful at the trading centers. So many scams go on that you don't know who to believe or trust. I've gotten scammed a few times, but, luckily, I got my stuff back."

"I'll be careful mom." promised Katrina. Then she went to her room to read. She picked up the book, read for a few minutes, then put the book back down. She knew the book by heart, so she decided to say it to herself. She soon got board of that. After all, the book was for little kids. It was about some kids wanting to go to town to see their friends, but it was snowing outside. So they made a sled and went to town.

Katrina wished she could do that. But it hardly ever snowed in Karpend. And even if it did, it wouldn't last long. It would quickly melt, and then all that would be left is mush. Slimly, brown, dirty, mush. And the grossest thing is, some people were actually so hungry that they ate it! They would grab a cup, walk down the road and scoop up a handful or two of dirty snow and eat it! Katrina hoped that her mother would go to the trading center tomorrow and get some more food so that she wouldn't have to be forced to do that just to survive. Her mom came in with some blackberries and corn. She sat down on the bed across from Katrina. She set the bowl of food down on the dresser next to Katrina's unfinished story.

Her mother picked up the story and read it again.

"Have you been thinking about what happens next?" her mother asked.

Katrina looked up at her mom, grabbed a piece of corn, and said, "Not really. I don't think I'll finish this one. Maybe I'll write something else."

"I really think that you should keep working on this one Katrina. It's very good. You seem to have a talent."

Katrina smiled. She wanted to believe that, but she knew that her mother was just saying that to make her feel good. She knew that it wasn't her talent. She didn't have a talent. Well, that she knew of. Katrina wanted to find her talent so that she could use it in a way to help prosper Karpend. Karpend was having problems with housing and feeding people. People were hungry, and those who had food couldn't afford to share it with others because they might run out. Durming was almost a day's ride away, so it was hard to get there and back soon. And you had to be careful of robbers. They camped along the side of the road, and at night they would mob a wagon coming down the road, taking almost everything in it. In the last month alone there had been twelve to thirteen robberies on the main road. People would leave Durming with loads of stuff, a year's worth of stuff, and come back with nothing. Katrina remembered one night when she was out on the road with her mother. Katrina was 5, shortly after her father had died, and her mother and she were coming back from Durming. They were driving along with their horse Toby, when some robbers jumped out and took Toby and everything in the cart. Katrina and her mother were left stranded a couple hours away from either town. They walked in the direction of Karpend, trying to make their way back home. They got back just around sunrise, and told the police what had happened. The police told my mother and me that some robbers had come into the city and stole from a few houses and from City Hall. He said that the people of Karpend were going to be hired to build a wall around the small town to protect everyone from robbers. To this day, no wall has been built. Everyone can come in and out as they please. The police have become careless and don't care if people get robbed or kidnapped. Unless there's a murder, the police refuse to get involved. That's why so many robberies and scams have been taking place.

Katrina's mother took the bowl and walked out of the room. Katrina lay on the bed and looked at the paper sitting on her desk. Then she got up and grabbed her pencil. She looked at what she had already wrote. Then she started writing.

After Davis had copied it down, he traced his finger along the map. He realized that the treasure wasn't in Mt. Kasha, but it was in the cell he was in. He just couldn’t figure out where. He looked around. Davis figured he could dig up the whole cell to find it, but it would draw to much attention. The African people would notice and keep watch on him. They would figure out that the treasure was in the cell. That was going to be hard. He wasn't sure if it was in the walls or the floor. He wanted to be sure. But then he realized, even if he DID get the treasure, there was no way he was getting out of the cell. He would have to convince the Tribe to let him out. But that probably wouldn't work since he would have the treasure.


Katrina put the pencil down and studied the paper. It was almost full. She could use the back, but then that would be all she would have. The rest of her few remaining papers would be for school work.

She decided to start working on her homework. She read the assignment:

Create a character selling bread. Use detail to make the character come to life. Use no verbal interaction, just describe the person.

Katrina grabbed a piece of paper and her pencil. She started to make her character come to life.

A tall lady with dark brown hair, green eyes, and tattered clothing walks down the street trying to sell a piece of half burnt bread. She walks with a limp in her left leg, and her right eye is swollen shut. She's about 50 years of age, and she seems sick. Nobody pays much attention to her. Her blouse is a light blue with a button-up front, and her skirt is a dirt-brown that reaches her knees. Her shoes are worn brown sandals. Her hair is tangle and matted. Her face is dusty like the rest of her body. She has mud clinging to her hair, face, and clothing. A horse trots by splashing into a puddle and getting the lady all wet. No one seems to care. The bread is now soggy, like the rest of her.

Katrina looks at the paper. She was pleased with her work. She loved to write, she just didn’t think she was good. She thought she was an amateur, but her mother told her that she could do it as a profession. Katrina had always thought that her mother was just saying that. But looking back over her work, she saw that, if she kept trying hard, she would have potential.

Katrina went into the kitchen. Her mother was at the table sipping a cup of honey tea. Honey tea had always been her mothers' favorite. Katrina remembered a story that her mother had told her. Her mother had said, "My very first date with your father was at the saloon where I now work. He bought me my lunch of bread and butter and honey tea. It was the best honey tea I had ever tasted, and your father said that it was because I was with him. He always knew how to make me laugh. He had such a wacky sense of humor. Always coming up with stupid jokes, but I laughed. Mainly because he thought that they were so funny. That, and… they were occasionally funny. "

Katrina smiled as she thought of the memory. Her mother looked at her.

"Want me to look over your homework, Katrina?" she asked. "I may not be the smartest mother in the world, but I think I can help with a simple writing assignment. However, you're an amazing writer all on your own.

Katrina smiled. "Okay. Hold on, let me grab it from my room." Katrina ran to her room and grabbed the paper off her desk. Then she ran back and gave it to her mother. Her mother read it while Katrina got an apple from the kitchen counter. She didn't like sitting next to her mother when she read her schoolwork. It made her feel like her mother would have to say something nice so she wouldn't hurt her feelings. She always tried to avoid being there while her mother was reading or grading something.

Her mother put the paper down. "Amazing, Katrina. Absolutely amazing! I don't think anyone could do any better. You have a real talent. I'm so lucky to have you as a daughter."

Her mother crossed the room and gave Katrina a hug. Katrina smiled and looked up at her mother. She loved the way her light brown wavy hair framed her perfect face. Her beautiful brown eyes matched her hair. It all went together so well. She wished she could be as be as beautiful as her mother. Katrina looked at the kitchen counter. She saw her reflection in the glass bowl on the counter. She had hazel eyes, dark brown hair, and a regular face. She was a regular person. Someone that no one remembers by face. Her mother was the complete opposite. She was like a model. Everyone remembered her face. Katrina thought her mother was lovely, and she wanted to be just like her. She thought of her mother as the supreme role model.

Her mother leaned back. She cradled Katrina's face in her hands. She looked at Katrina for a while. Katrina looked back at her mother, afraid to blink for it might ruin the moment. Her mother seemed to have the same thought.

"I love you more than you can ever imagine." Katrina's mother said.

"I love you too." Katrina said. She was getting hot, but she didn't pull away from her mother. She wanted to savor every moment. Her mother was the only one in her life. The only one that saw her.
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Katrina walked into the classroom on Monday morning. She looked around. Everything was normal. Since school didn't start for another 5 minutes, everyone was chatting. She saw her friend Allie at her desk talking to some kids. The teacher, Ms. Hall, was at her desk getting some papers together. Katrina went and sat at her desk in the back of the class behind Allie. Allie turned toward her and said hi. Then she went back to talking with the other kids. Katrina took her homework out of her bag and set it on the desk. She studied her desk. It was a chair with a piece of hackberry wood for a desk. The wood was a nice light color. It was shiny; freshly polished. There was a little compartment under her chair where she kept her book bag. Her bag was a simple brown shoulder bag. Nothing interesting. No patterns or colors like Tiffany Thompson. Tiffany was the most popular girl at school since she had the newest fashions. From her hair to her book bag, she was stylish. Today she was wearing a red dress with white laced sleeves. Her shoes were shiny and black, and on the heel of each was a pearl. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a half ponytail. She had on make-up and her book bag was red with black spots everywhere. It all went together so well.

The bell for class to start rang. Everyone sat at their desks. Ms. Hall took her place behind her desk. Katrina studied Ms. Hall. She was such a nice teacher. Kind, gentle, caring, and understanding. She had beautiful brown hair that fell past her shoulders. Ms. Hall always wore her hair in a braid that fell along her back. She didn't wear make-up (she believed in natural beauty), and her dress was a simple light blue with a button-up front. As usual, she looked amazing. Compared to me, she was like my mother; a goddess. A beautiful, 20 year old goddess.

"Okay class," said Ms. Hall, "Please hand your homework to the person in front of you. Let's get them all to the front row. Today we will be talking about the history of Mt. Althea."

Katrina handed her homework to Allie. She was so excited to be learning about Mt. Althea. She wanted to learn as much as possible. Maybe she could convince Ms. Hall to tell her something about the dwarves. Like what their strengths and weaknesses are.

"Ms. Hall?" called out Tiffany. She was raising her beautifully manicured hand. "Could we please talk about how the jewels on Mt. Althea are perfect for necklaces and bracelets? Or how the dwarfs are so selfish for keeping all the berries to themselves?"

"We'll see Tiffany." was Ms. Hall's reply. She turned her attention to the class. "Now," she began, "Mt. Althea is a beautiful mountain. Most people don't realize that it's actually a volcano. It hasn’t erupted in a few hundred years, but if, say, a boulder were to fall in… well, Karpend might have some problems. It would take about 24 hours before it erupted, but we would have to start for Durming very soon."

"Oh I know what we can talk about!" exclaimed Tiffany, "We can talk about how the dwarves are so selfish in not letting us up the mountain."

"Or see what's in the mountain." Katrina muttered.

"What was that Katrina?" Ms. Hall asked.

"Oh, nothing. I've just…. I've just been reading a book at the library that's quite interesting. It, umm… it has a few things about Mt. Althea. Nothing big." Katrina said. She was hoping that Ms. Hall wouldn't ask her to tell the class about what she had read, or what book it was in. Katrina wanted to be the only one that knew about the glass rose.

"Oh, that's nice Katrina." She turned her attention back to the class. "As I was saying, We would have to start for Durming quite soon. We wouldn't want to be here when it erupted."

The bell for recess rang. Everyone jumped up from their seats and ran out the door. Katrina stood up and walked out. Ms. Hall fiddled with some papers on her desk. As Katrina walked outside she looked around to see what everyone else was doing. Most children went across the street to the little park. A few went to the trading shops and markets. Katrina normally hung out on the front steps of the school and doodled in the dirt. If Allie wasn't busy hanging with someone else, she would come play tick-tack-toe with Katrina. Allie was a nice girl. Short black hair in a bob around her shoulders, clean clothes, and pretty hazel eyes. She was a short girl, and her shoes were black sandals. Her dress was black and went to her knees. She loved everything and anything to do with nature. Nature walks were her favorite activity! Sometimes, she would raise money by taking people out and telling them all about nature. She believed that every living thing has a purpose. Right now she was in the middle of a rally, "Save the Pigeons!" She had banners, signs, and a committee. Everything you could possibly need for a petition. The reason she was doing this was because it was currently being debated whether or not to make hunting pigeons legal. People were hungry after all. But Allie said she would eat her arm before she ate a living animal. That's why she was a vegetarian.

Today Allie was talking with Maryanne Jordan. She was like Allie's twin. The only difference was that she had green eyes; bright red, frizzy hair; and her clothes were blue. Today she was wearing a dark blue blouse, a long light blue skirt that went to her ankles, and blue slippers. She was a very nice girl. Very caring and always willing to listen to your problems.

Katrina listened to Allie and Maryanne.

"So, we're still on for tonight right?" Allie asked Maryanne.

"Yep! I told everyone to meet at City Hall today after school. It's time to make a stand to save the pigeons!" replied Maryanne.

Boring! Thought Katrina. She decided to listen to Tiffany, who was heading to town with a few friends.

"So I told her, 'There's NO WAY I'd be caught dead with those shoes!' and she was all like, 'Very sorry Miss!' Then we went to the base of Mt. Althea and daddy offered the dwarves one hundred dollars for their finest jewels. And do you know what? They refused! Don't they know that they are never going to get a better offer?! I can't believe it!"

The rest of the conversation faded as she walked farther away from the school yard. Katrina rolled her eyes. Prissy girls! She thought. She couldn't believe that some people could be so stuck up and obnoxious. And she knew that Allie couldn't stand Tiffany because she was all for eating the pigeons. Allie had told Katrina that Tiffany had said, "Pigeons are no good vermin! They serve no purpose and they are just a big nuisance. All they do is walk around all stupid- like." Allie had been so mad her face was red and steam was coming out of her ears. Maryanne had to drag Allie away before Allie charged at Tiffany. That definitely wouldn’t have ended well. When Allie's mad, you want to be at least 100 yards away from her. Otherwise, you're in the danger zone and you might not live to see another day. And that's if it's not you she's mad at! Katrina remembered the time when Allie was protesting the dwarves being removed from Mt. Althea. She said that it's always been their home and that they deserve to live there. They shouldn't have to find a new place to make their home. That would be unfair. She said to put ourselves in their place. How we would feel about that. Well, her argument didn't persuade the mayor, Mayor Wesley. So, Allie threw a hissy fit. Right there, in front of the crowds. Mayor Wesley had never heard anything like that so, mostly to make her stop, let the dwarves stay, as long as they stayed at Mt. Althea and didn't bother the townspeople. The dwarves agreed, as long as the people didn’t come and bother them. So we had an agreement. The dwarves don't bother us, and we don't bother them. Even though there's many riches there. Even though we're tempted to climb the mountain and find food to feed our families during the hard winter.

Katrina, again, surveyed the town around her. Across the street was a little park. It had a few benches; some trees, bushes, and grass; a make-shift see-saw; two swings. Most of the kids hung out there after school. To her right was the woods. Katrina had only been in their once when she was really young. If you walk a few miles, you come to a sweet pretty lake. There's fish in it and animals all around. You can sit in the shade of the old oak tree, hang your feet in the water, and watch the fish swim about. Or you can swim in the lake.

Not too far from that is an old house. It only has one room and the ceiling is falling apart in places. It used to be an old storage shed. Now it serves as a home for mice.

To Katrina's left was the town square. There's the saloon (where her mother worked), the bakery, the trading market, and the church. It's a small town square, but it's nice. After school, Katrina will walk by the bakery on her way to the market and smell the freshly baked bread. Occasionally her mother will give her a few coins to by a loaf to bring home. At the market, she would normally go by the food stations, using things she had brought from home or some coins her mother had given her to get some food. Sometimes, if she had a coin or two of her own, she would get herself something nice to wear to church on Sunday. Katrina didn’t waste her time on being all fancy! She barely had enough money to get by. She was going to spend those few coins on food, not jewelry and dresses. Unlike some people.

Katrina looked in Tiffany's direction. She and her friends were heading to town to get some fresh bread at the bakery. But they could afford it. Their parents were high ranking people and got almost a whole dollar a week! Katrina's mother was lucky to get a dollar a month! But that's life. And Katrina knew that she had it better than some. She should be grateful for what she has. Not envy others from what they have. Katrina found that stupid, and that jealous people never appreciated life.

Katrina heard the bell ring. Everyone started back towards the school. Katrina got up and went back into the classroom. Ms. Hall was writing on the chalk-board. She was putting down multiplication tables. Under that she put 'Facts About Mt. Althea'. Katrina studied Ms. Hall's handwriting. It was smooth and neat. She didn’t scribble, and she spaced everything perfectly. Her words had proper punctuation, and flowed together. Her handwriting had to be the best ever! Ms. Hall believed in good handwriting. She said that one day it'll save our lives. We'll be stranded somewhere and have to send a note by wind for help. That note, if neatly written, will bring help without fail. That was the example she always gave.

Ms. Hall cleared her throat. "Now class. Earlier we were talking about Mt. Althea. Well, please copy 'Facts About Mt. Althea' onto your paper. Now write all the facts you know. And use good penmanship!"

The room got silent and all you could hear were the scribbles of pencil on paper. Katrina thought about what to write. First she put: Run by dwarves; She thought some more. Then she got a bunch of facts:
Run by dwarves; holds a treasure; no one knows about the treasure; tourists come to see the beautiful Mt. Althea; Mt. Althea is a mystery; there is only one book that holds the truth; the truth is not all;

Katrina put her pencil down and passed her paper to the front of the room. Once Ms. Hall collected all the papers, Ms. Hall looked at them a while. After a few minutes, Ms. Hall's voice rang out and quieted the murmurings. "Okay class. Let's work on our multiplication!"

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After the bell rang for school, Katrina was just heading out the door when Ms. Hall called Katrina to her desk.

"Yes Ms. Hall?" asked Katrina.

"Katrina, I was reading your paper earlier and I saw 'Holds a treasure', 'No one knows about the treasure', Only one book that holds the truth' and, 'The truth is not all'. Would you like to explain what that means?"

"Well, I found this book at the library. It talks of different legends. One is of Mt. Althea. It says that in Mt. Althea there's an all powerful glass rose that's made of earth, fire, and water. But no one knows where exactly in the mountain it is, and it's guarded heavily by dwarves. No human has ever seen it! But I intend to be the first to see it… you know, besides the dwarves."

Ms. Hall looked at Katrina. Then she said, "That's quite interesting. And what an imagination you have! You may go now. I don't want to keep your mother waiting."

Katrina walked out without another word. She didn't want Ms. Hall to think that Katrina was crazy. Although, she probably already did. Katrina had to admit, her story sounded a little wacky. There being a glass rose that holds all power in the world hidden in Mt. Althea. It might explain why the dwarves were so picky about people coming onto the mountain, but it was still a childish explanation for why the dwarves were so picky!

Katrina headed home. Her house was on the west side of town. It was a small house, just big enough for Katrina and her mother. If you opened the door you'd be in the kitchen. It had a stove, a counter, a sink, and a few cabinets. Next to that was the living room. It had two chairs (with stuffing coming out of them), a small table where Katrina and her mother ate, and an old rug. Then there was the bathroom which connected to her mother's room. Her mother's room had a big bed, a desk, a closet, and a dresser. Katrina's room was just down the hall. Her room contained a twin bed with gray sheets, a small desk with a hard wooden chair, and a shelf on which she kept her clothes. It was supposed to be a bookshelf, but Katrina had no books or a place for her clothing, so she put her clothes there. Her school books (the only books she had) were kept on her desk. She also had one window that was above her desk; it looked out at the forest. Katrina liked the view. She could see the birds flying around.

Katrina sat at her bed and listened to the quietness. Katrina liked hearing things so quiet. It made her feel good and at ease. When there were a lot of people around it made Katrina nervous. She was a very shy girl and didn't like to be bothered. She liked to sit in peace. Right now, it was so peaceful, Katrina could hear the birds in the forest outside the house. That made Katrina think of her father. He would whistle to the birds a tune, and they would whistle a tune back to him. Katrina loved hearing that.

Katrina got up and walked across the room. She opened the tiny window and stuck her head out. She whistled a tune. She heard silence. A few moments passed and she heard the birds whistle back to her. Katrina smiled as she closed the window. It had been so long since she had done that. Since her father died actually. Her father had been the one who had taught her to whistle and every time she had done it after his death only made her sad. So she just never went. She would go to school, go home, walk to the library or market, then come back home. But once she sang with the birds, she felt amazing! For the first time in a long time, she finally felt like her father was still there with her.