Chapter 1

Redd sat stoically as her parents, the Queen and King of Hearts told her the news. I am going to have some small child competing with me soon, she thought, but perhaps this would make my parents less likely to watch my every move. More freedom would be nice, so with all the imagination she could muster, she put on a smile that didn't reach her eyes and said, "That's wonderful news." Relieved, Queen Theodora and King Tyman continued their dinner unaware of the jealousy brewing in their six-year-old daughter.

Wandering through Heart Palace that evening, Redd found herself in the one of the tall spires overlooking Wondertropolis. Despite all of her efforts, she had not been able to imagine a way out of Heart Palace so that she could explore on her own. In her frustration, she imagined lightning striking down on the top of her parents thee rooms in the Palace. As her imagination was still not completely under her control, the sky opened up and the rain came down pouring down buckets of rain along with the pounding thunder and bright lightning. Redd kicked the wall, angry that she was unable to control her imagination as she stomped to her rooms, knowing that if she was not there soon that the palace guards would be looking for her.

Over the next few months, Redd grew angrier as her mother's belly grew larger with the impending birth of that rival. Her thoughts revolving back to the one question that plagued her: Why should there be some other trying to vie for my throne? She found herself more and more in the tall spires overlooking Wondertropolis imagining gwormmies falling onto the guards of the palace gate, cart wheels turning from circles to squares, slime covering the tops of the Parliament members from each of the Diamond, Club and Spade coalitions, and turning commoners' parcels into shrieking cats that would run off or occasionally claw the holder. With each passing thurmite moon, her imagination grew and her tricks became more worrisome to the Queen and King. They were glad that her seventh birthday was fast approaching, marking her start of training the queenly ways with the royal tutor, Bibwit Harte. Perhaps, with her training in the ways of peace and harmony, she would stop her tricks and develop a healthy white imagination.

A fortnight before her birthday, Redd was brought to her parents rooms to see the urchin that was to be a challenge to her throne. Her father stood at the side of the large bed, beaming down at her mother, who looked appalling. Her hair was a disaster, strands plastered to her face which was splotchy and red in places. Ugh, Redd thought, why was I invited here? My mother looks terrible! Couldn't she have at least gotten herself presentable before I came? "Redd," Her mother said cautiously, "This is your baby sister. Her name is Genevieve." What a weak name, Redd thought to herself not even trying to hide the frown the marred her face. "I know she doesn't look like much of a playmate now," said King Tyman, "but in a few years time I'm sure the two of you will be inseparable friends."

With that, Redd walked out of her parents' bedroom in search of a way out of Heart Palace which had suddenly become too small, as though that small princess had reduced the size of the Palace to a closet. Each time she passed a servant she imagined herself wearing a piece of their clothes as they passed her. She would hate for anyone to think her anything but the future queen, but if she wanted to get out of the confines of the Palace this could be the only option. She bristled with anger as the stomped down the corridors of Heart Palace trying hard to confine her imagination, something that she had never practiced before. Every few feet she could feel prickly spines erupt along her back, rough horns along her arms, her nails elongating into claws, and her teeth sharpening into dagger-like points. If anyone were to see her like this, she would be in for more than one of those 'talks' about the importance of using only white imagination. Redd focused her anger on things she had been practicing, making gwormmies out of every piece of furniture she passed, until she realized that she was leaving a trail.

When she finally reached the palace gates, she was fully clothed in servants garb and had even imagined a mask that she hoped looked close enough to a commoner's face to attract no notice. As Redd approached the gate, she noticed the Diamond coalition was approaching the gate to enter the Palace, probably to see that horrid brat that just was born, Redd thought. Then a smile came to Redd's face, touching her eyes and making her look like a care-free child. As the Diamond coalition passed through the gates, Redd imagined the Lady of Diamond's clothes turning into gwormmies. Redd's smile only grew larger as her success became evident as the shriek came from both the Lord and Lady of Diamonds and the palace guards rushed to their aid. Out in Wondertropolis, Redd sighed in relief, feeling freer than she had ever felt before. Her freedom was soon squashed though when she realized that out in Wondertropolis she couldn't take off her disguise or else she would be taken straight back to the confines of Heart Palace.