Amelia Fang and the Unicorns of Glitteropolis Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2018 by Laura Ellen Anderson

  Cover and interior art copyright © 2019 by Laura Ellen Anderson

  Lettering by Sarah J. Coleman

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Originally published in paperback in the United Kingdom as Amelia Fang and the Unicorn Lords by Egmont UK Ltd. in 2018.

  Delacorte Press is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Visit us on the Web! rhcbooks.com

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  Trade Paperback ISBN 9781984848420

  Ebook ISBN 9781984848437

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

  v5.4

  a

  FOR GRANDAD JOHN

  The cheekiest, most brilliant nine-fingered musician around.

  “About as handy as a frog on a bike!”

  Love you always.

  Twiglett xxx

  Contents

  Cover

  Also by Laura Ellen Anderson

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Map of Glitteropolis

  Meet the Nocturnians and Glitteropolans

  1. Why Do I have to be the Unicorn?

  2. The Wishing Well of Well-Wishes

  3. Pumpkin Poo

  4. McSparkle

  5. The Eternal Hug

  6. Rainboooow!

  7. Fabio

  8. Glitteropolis

  9. Feather Duster

  10. The Haunted-House Ride

  11. Strong, Independent Unicorn

  12. The Unicorn Banquet

  13. Florence’s Unique Talent

  14. The Candy Chambers

  15. Florence is Not a Beast

  16. A Tickle Behind the Ear

  17. Leprechauns, Assemble!

  18. Light and Dark

  About the Author

  SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! squeeed the pumpkin alarm clock as the sun began to rise.

  Amelia Fang stretched and scrambled out of her coffin. Her pet pumpkin, Squashy, was bouncing around licking everyone excitedly.

  “Oh, Squashy,” Amelia said through a yawn, “how are you so wide-awake?”

  “SQUISH EVERYTHING!” moaned Florence Spudwick, rolling over. Florence was a huge, rare breed of yeti, not to be confused with a beast. She was also one of Amelia’s best friends.

  “It can’t be time already!” Grimaldi groaned, pulling his hood over his face. Grimaldi Reaperton was Death himself. But until he was older, he only dealt with the deaths of small creatures in Nocturnia, leaving the bigger creatures to his grimpapa.

  It was almost Halloween, and the sun had risen in the Kingdom of the Dark, which meant that every creature in Nocturnia and the scary suburbs would be going to bed—apart from Amelia Fang and her friends. They were about to embark on a very big journey to the Kingdom of the Light.

  “FLORENCE!” said Prince Tangine La Floofle, clapping his hands twice. “I demand breakfast!”

  “DON’T CLAP AT ME!” said Florence, clenching her big hairy fists.

  “Tangine,” Amelia said with a sigh, “remember what we discussed. Try not to be so bossy.”

  “I keep forgetting,” Tangine said sheepishly. “Can’t I be a leeeettle bit bossy?”

  “No!” Amelia laughed. “We’re your friends.”

  “Maids.” Tangine smiled.

  “Fur-riends,” Amelia said.

  Tangine took a deep breath. “Fuuur…” He wiped his forehead. He tried again. “Fuuur…fuuurmaids?” He looked proud of himself.

  “That’s…progress,” said Amelia.

  When Amelia had first met Tangine, he had been quite mean to her and had stolen her pet pumpkin, Squashy. But it had turned out that Prince Tangine had been lonely and just wanted a friend. Tangine had grown up all alone in the palace with only Mummy Maids for company. He did have a mother—she was a fairy named Fairyweather. Tragically, Fairyweather had mysteriously disappeared when Tangine was just a baby. Prince Tangine’s father, King Vladimir, had been so sad about his wife’s disappearance that he had neglected his kingdom and Tangine, spending years searching in vain for her. This meant not only that Tangine had grown into a rather spoiled sprout (which was why he’d thought it was perfectly okay to steal poor Squashy) but also that he was half vampire, half fairy. This big secret of Tangine’s was something that would have terrified most Creatures of the Dark. But Amelia had discovered that Creatures of the Light weren’t as scary as they had all been told. It turned out that fairies did not steal your fangs and unicorns did not shoot killer rainbows from their butts.

  “I’m so tired. I’m not sure I can cope with being awake during the day,” Grimaldi said.

  “We’ll get used to it,” Amelia reassured him.

  As Amelia and her friends made their way along the corridor of the Fang Mansion, an eruption of laughter came from below, followed by a large belch. Amelia’s dad, Count Drake the Third, slowly floated butt-first out of the dining room and up toward the ceiling.

  “I WIN!” he yelled. “I wiiiiin! I put you in the grave, and then passed the Troll Bridge, where I collected two hundred Goblin Slime Points!”

  King Vladimir then swayed into view with a hiccup. He also began to float toward the ceiling. “INCORRECT, Drake!” BELCH. “I was ON the Troll Bridge way before you got there, because I used my Wolf Howl card combined with the Lightning Bolt bonus point I’d saved up….”

  “You both lose,” called Amelia’s mom, Countess Frivoleeta. “I got the Total Eclipse card. LOOK!” She waved an elaborate-looking card in front of their faces.

  “Good game!” the count and King Vladimir said together. They hugged each other and slowly rotated 360 degrees, before floating back down to ground level.

  “Moooom!” Amelia called from upstairs. “It’s first light. Didn’t you realize?”

  “Creeping crevices, you’re right!” the countess shrieked. “We got carried away playing Dungeons and Daymares! I can’t believe it’s that time already!” The adults clambered up the stairs.

  King Vladimir had cheered up a lot since Amelia and her friends had offered to help search for Fairyweather. He’d been searching alone for so long. Now he had help, and more importantly, hope.

  In preparation for their risky journey to the Kingdom of the Light, the countess had made Amelia, Florence, Grimaldi and the king clever disguises. As far as the Creatures of the Light were still concerned, vampires sucked their blood and yetis crushed their bones. They had to be careful.

  Squashy disguised himself as a big daisy. He pa-doinged in excitement while Amelia gave a little twirl in her new fairy costume.

  “It’s not bad…,” she said, admiring her glittery wings. “But aren’t I a bit big to be a fairy?”

 
“Nonsense!” the king said. “Fairies come in all shapes and sizes. Some are large and some are teeny-weeny. My Fairyweather was about the length of my arm. A great size for hugging.” He smiled.

  “WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THE UNICORN?” said Florence, straightening her horn as Grimaldi looked at his angel-kitten tail nervously.

  Tangine admired his (real) fairy wings in one of the countess’s many mirrors. “I think I look AMAZING!” he exclaimed. “Dad, did you ever dress in disguise when you used to travel to the Kingdom of the Light on your own?”

  “I tried,” the king said. “But I had nobody to help me, and I’m terrible at sewing. I tried to make a unicorn costume myself, but it fell apart en route to the Fairy Forest and I was left stranded…how do I put this?” The king paused. “Completely naked.”

  Everybody burst into laughter. “KING NAKED!” Florence bellowed. Then she punched the wall and dented it.

  “Yes, yes, calm down,” said the king, his normally deathly pale cheeks turned red.

  “But…couldn’t the Mummy Maids have helped make you a disguise?” Amelia asked through snorts of laughter.

  “PAH!” It was the king’s turn to chortle. “Have you ever seen a Mummy Maid try to use a sewing machine? They’d sew their heads together!”

  “Don’t fear, Your Majesty. This time I’ve made you the perfect disguise, and I promise it won’t fall apart.” The countess beamed. She handed the king a pair of spotty wings.

  “Um…” The king looked awkwardly at the disguise. “Is that a ladybird costume?”

  “Correct!” Countess Frivoleeta smiled and curtseyed. “A terrifying ladybird costume!” She looked very proud of herself.

  “I may be a tad large to pass as a ladybird,” the king murmured, pulling his costume on.

  Youuuu aaaare dead, you are dead! Grimaldi’s diePhone suddenly rang, letting him know some poor creature needed his services.

  “I’m not sure you’ll get a signal while we’re in the Kingdom of the Light,” the king said. “Your grimpapa says he’ll make sure any squished toads are taken care of while you’re away.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Grimaldi. He took the diePhone out of his pocket and handed it to Countess Frivoleeta for safekeeping.

  The countess took it, then wrapped Amelia in her arms. The scent of her mother’s new Slug Slime-Trail perfume was overpowering. “Oh, Amelia. Be safe out there, won’t you?”

  “I will, Mom. Don’t worry.” Amelia smiled.

  “YEAH, WE GOT A MASSIVE LADYBIRD TO KEEP US SAFE!” Florence chuckled.

  “And if you see any crossword puzzles in the Kingdom of the Light, do bring some back. I love a new challenge!” said the count.

  “Now, Tangine, do you have the map of the Kingdom of the Light?” the king asked.

  “I gave it to Florence because she likes maps.” Tangine blushed.

  “DON’T WORRY, I’M KEEPING IT SAFE,” Florence replied. “ROLLED IT UP ALL NICE INSIDE MY UNICORN HORN.”

  “Excellent!” the king said. Then, from inside his ladybird wing, he pulled a scrap of glittery parchment: the clue he had found in the Petrified Forest the night Queen Fairyweather had gone missing. It read:

  GLITTEROPOLIS, the city where the sun never goes down and your dreams always come true…

  “Let’s go and find Glitteropolis!” the king said.

  “Now, where’s the right door?” the countess asked.

  The doors in the Fang Mansion moved around a lot. It was a matter of skill—and a dollop of good luck—to know which door led where.

  “Here it is,” she announced, gesturing to a wooden door covered with vines. “If I remember correctly, this should lead you to the edge of the Petrified Forest, and according to the king’s map—”

  “THE KINGDOM OF THE LIGHT BORDERS THE FOREST,” Florence finished proudly.

  “Well, here goes,” said Amelia, opening the door. She reached up to her head and gave Squashy a reassuring pat.

  King Vladimir ruffled Tangine’s hair. “Come on, son, let’s go and find Mom!”

  “Wow,” Amelia said, as she stood at the border between the Kingdoms of the Light and the Dark.

  The scene that stretched before them was very different from the spindly gray trees and dead branches of the Petrified Forest. Ahead, the sun shone brightly on a wide green meadow dotted with colorful flowers.

  Contrary to some old myths that Creatures of the Light believed, vampires and other Creatures of the Dark were perfectly fine in the sun. They just weren’t used to it, since they were fast asleep during the day. The soft hum of bumblebees made Amelia feel a little uneasy. Grimaldi yelped as a bunny hopped into view.

  “The Meadow of Loveliness…,” King Vladimir said.

  Amelia took a deep breath. “Are we all ready?” she said, straightening herself up.

  The friends nodded and held hands tightly before stepping for the first time into the Kingdom of the Light.

  Amelia gasped as her foot sank into the soft ground. It felt strange and spongy. The long grass was shimmering, and even the air seemed to be sparkling. But it wasn’t as awful as she might have expected—just very different.

  “Flaaarg!” Grimaldi shrieked as a butterfly tried to land on his head. “It’s going to eat me!”

  “Grimaldi!” Amelia hissed. “You’ll draw attention to us!”

  “YEAH. YOU NEED TO BE MORE CREATUREY OF THE LIGHTY,” Florence said. “MAYBE WE SHOULD PRANCE. THEY LIKE TO PRANCE, RIGHT?”

  Without waiting for a reply, Florence pirouetted across the flowerbeds as if she were as light as a feather.

  Amelia noticed Tangine’s mouth drop open as he watched Florence dance among the flowers. She was surprised herself.

  “She’s quite the prancer!” the king said with a laugh, before attempting a skip, hop and jump. He stopped when he pulled a muscle in his back.

  “Not as nimble as I used to be…,” he said, wincing.

  Amelia felt a little nervous, but then she began shuffling her feet. And before she knew it, she found herself skipping through the long grass. “Come on, Grimaldi! It’s fun!” she called.

  Grimaldi stood frozen to the spot. Amelia ran over and grabbed both his hands, pulling him into the meadow.

  “Eeeeeeeeeek!” Grimaldi squealed. “I think something flew into my mouth!”

  “There’s nothing to fear, Grimaldi!” the king reassured him. “Look, the Creatures of the Light are just getting on with their lives.” He pointed at a small rabbit nibbling on some grass.

  “I don’t know,” Grimaldi mumbled. “Maybe it’s plotting something terrible as we speak….”

  “Oh, you are silly!” Amelia giggled.

  “Look, Dad!” Tangine yelled. “I’m flying!” Tangine was hovering a few feet above the grass, his sparkly fairy wings flapping fiercely.

  “You look just like your mother!” King Vladimir said, smiling.

  “THIS PLACE ISN’T SO BAD,” said Florence, performing one last pirouette.

  “Right,” the king said. “Let’s check the map and work out our best route.”

  Florence took the unicorn horn off her head and removed the map, which was neatly rolled into a cone.

  “Where do we start?” Grimaldi asked as Florence straightened the map out. “We have no idea where Glitteropolis city is—it’s not on the map.”

  “Hey, look! There’s the Wishing Well of Well-Wishes,” said Amelia, reading the map. “Maybe we could make a wish to find out where Glitteropolis is.”

  “Amelia, that is a great idea. I’d never thought of that!” The king beamed. Then he looked at Tangine fondly. “The Wishing Well of Well-Wishes is where your mom and I got married.”

  * * *

  The friends waded through the Meadow of Loveliness, stopping every so often for King Vladimir to catch his breath.

&nb
sp; “At least I’ll be in shape by the time we find Fairyweather,” he puffed.

  “That must be the Wishing Well of Well-Wishes!” said Grimaldi, pointing at a stone well. It appeared to be glowing, and sparkly flecks of light danced around its rim.

  Florence peered into the well and shouted, “HOW DO YOU MAKE A WISH?”

  WISH…

  WISH…

  WISH…

  Her voice echoed.

  “NO NEED TO SHOUT!” a voice boomed from within the well.

  SPLASH!

  A huge jet of water followed, drenching Florence from head to toe.

  “IT SPLASHED ME!” said Florence in shock. “AND IT SPOKE.”

  “I’ll do it again if you don’t stop referring to me as IT, you big oaf,” said the voice from the well.

  There was no doubt about it: the Wishing Well of Well-Wishes could talk. And it was really rude.

  “So, what brings you Creatures of the Dark to the Kingdom of the Light?” the well asked.

  Everyone looked at each other in surprise. How could it have seen through their disguises?

  “W-w-we’re not Creatures of the Dark!” Grimaldi said quickly. “Look! Meeeow!” And he swung his angel-kitten tail around.

  “Do you think I’m completely blind, little grim reaper?” the well said.

  “COURSE YOU ARE,” Florence cut in, “ ’CAUSE YOU HAVE NO EYES.”

  SPLASH!

  Tangine stifled a giggle as Florence received another face full of water.

  “All right, Vlad?” said the well. “Or should I say Sir Ladybird?”