Katie Grace Amazing Adventure

View Katie Grace Amazing Adventure flipbook.

BOOK ONE THE SECRET DOOR IN THE OLD HOUSE The Old House It was a hot Saturday afternoon. Katie and Grace were walking along a quiet road at the edge of town. Katie was ten years old. She had dark hair, bright eyes, and a very curious mind. She loved asking questions. Grace was nine. She was clever, careful, and always liked to think before she acted.

Today, they were going to visit an old house. The house belonged to Mr. Thomas, an old friend of Katie's family. Nobody lived there anymore. The house stood behind a large rusty gate. Tall grass grew around the walls, and green plants climbed up the windows. Katie stopped at the gate. "Wow!" she said. Grace looked at the house. "It looks a little scary." Katie smiled. "That's because you have a good imagination." Grace raised an eyebrow. "And you don't?" Katie laughed. "I have a great imagination." She pushed open the rusty gate. It made a long, loud sound. CREEEEAK! Both girls jumped. Katie looked at Grace. Grace looked at Katie. Then they started laughing. "Maybe the house is saying hello," Katie said. "Maybe it's saying, 'Go home!'" Grace replied.

They walked towards the old house. Neither girl knew that this was going to be the most amazing day of their lives. Mr. Thomas's Key Mr. Thomas was waiting for them. He was an old man with white hair, round glasses, and a large smile. "Hello, girls!" he called. "Hello, Mr. Thomas!" said Grace. Katie looked around. "Is it true that nobody has lived here for years?"

Mr. Thomas nodded. "Yes. It belonged to my grandfather." "Was he a magician?" Katie asked. Mr. Thomas laughed. "No, Katie. He was a teacher." Mr. Thomas gave Katie an old brass key. "Your mother said you could look around the house. But remember, it is very old." Katie held up the key. "What does this open?" Mr. Thomas smiled. "The front door." He said. "Perhaps you'll find something exciting inside." Katie's eyes became wide. Grace noticed. "Oh no." "What?" Katie exclaimed in surprise. "That look." Grace giggled. "What look?" Katie said confused. "The look you get when you think you're going to discover something." Grace said confidently Katie smiled. "Maybe I am."

Mr. Thomas opened the front door. The smell of old wood and dust came out. Inside, the house was dark and quiet. Katie stepped inside. "Hello?" Her voice echoed through the hallway. Suddenly, a voice filled the room! "Hello... hello... hello..." Grace whispered, "I think the house answered you." The Upstairs Room The girls explored the ground floor first. There was an old kitchen, a dining room, and a large sitting room. Everything was covered with a thin layer of dust.

"Look at this!" Katie shouted. She pointed at an enormous clock. "It's taller than you," Grace said. Katie stood beside it. "Only because I'm still growing." The clock suddenly made a noise. TICK... TOCK... Then it stopped. Katie jumped. "Why did it stop?" Grace shrugged. "Maybe it doesn't like you." "Very funny." Katie said. They walked upstairs. At the end of the hallway was a bedroom. Inside were old books, boxes, photographs and paintings. Katie walked slowly around the room. Grace opened an old book. "Look! This book is about stars." Katie wasn't listening. She was looking at the floor. One wooden board was different from the others. It was slightly raised. Katie knelt down. She touched the board. It moved. "Grace!" she squeeled. "I think I've found something."

"What?" Grace jumped with surprise. Together they pulled the board upwards. Underneath was a small space. Inside the darkness was an old wooden box. Katie's heart began to beat faster. Grace looked at her. "Do you think there's treasure inside?" Katie smiled. "I hope so." The Golden Star Katie carefully lifted the wooden box. It was small and covered with dust. There was no lock. She opened it. Inside was a piece of dark blue cloth. Katie slowly pulled it away. Something golden was underneath. Grace leaned closer. "What is it?" Katie lifted the object. It was a beautiful golden star. It was about the size of Katie's hand. Five points reached out from the centre. The star was old, but it looked almost new.

Katie turned it over. There were strange lines and symbols on the back. "Do you know what these mean?" Grace asked. Katie's eyes became wide. "Maybe it's a treasure map." "Maybe!" Grace shook her head. "You always think everything is a treasure map." Katie turned the star over again. Suddenly - FLASH! The star gave off a bright golden light. Both girls screamed. Katie dropped it. The star landed on the floor but it didn't make a sound. It simply floated a few centimeters above the wooden floor. Grace stared. "Katie..." "I can see it." Katie was bewildered. "The star is floating." Neither girl moved. The golden light became brighter. Then five tiny symbols appeared on the back of the star. Katie whispered: "What is happening?"

Five Symbols The girls slowly moved closer. The five symbols were now clear. The first looked like a dragon. The second looked like a moon. The third looked like a wave. The fourth looked like a flame. The fifth symbol was different. It looked like an eye. Grace pointed at it. "What do you think that is?" Katie thought for a minute....."An eye." "Why is there an eye on the star?" Grace asked. Katie shrugged. "Maybe the star is watching us." Grace took one step backwards. "Don't say things like that." Katie laughed. Then the golden star suddenly became cold. The light disappeared. It fell onto the floor. CLINK! The girls stared at it. Katie picked it up. "It stopped."

Grace looked carefully at the back. "The symbols are gone." The back of the star was completely blank. Katie rubbed it with her finger. Nothing happened. Grace sighed. "Maybe we imagined it." Katie shook her head. "We both saw it, so we didn't imagine it." Grace thought for a moment. "Then we need to find out what it is." Katie smiled. "Now you're talking." The Message Katie put the star back in the box. Then she noticed something under the blue cloth. A piece of paper. It was very old. She carefully unfolded it. There were only eight words written on it. Grace read them aloud. "When the star shines, find the door." "What door?" Grace asked.

Katie looked around the room. "Maybe there's a secret door." Grace sighed. "Of course there is." They searched the bedroom. They looked behind the curtains. Nothing. They looked inside the wardrobe. Nothing. Katie knocked on the walls. "Maybe it's behind the wall." Grace knocked beside her. TOK. TOK. TOK. Then— TOK. TOK. Katie stopped. "Did you hear that?" Grace nodded. They knocked again. TOK. TOK. One part of the wall sounded different. "Hollow!" Katie shouted. They searched the wall carefully. There was an old painting hanging above a wooden table. It showed a man standing beside a large golden star.

Katie stared at it. "Grace... Look at the star in the painting." Grace moved closer. It looked exactly like the star in their box. Katie reached towards the painting. "Maybe..." She pulled it from the wall. Something fell onto the table. CLINK! It was a small silver key. The Strange Key Katie picked up the key. It was very old. There was a tiny star carved into its handle. Grace looked at the wall. "Do you see a keyhole?" They searched the room again. Nothing. Katie put the key into her pocket. "Maybe it opens something downstairs." They hurried down the stairs. In the hallway they checked every door. The kitchen. Nothing. The dining room. Nothing. The sitting room. Nothing.

Then Katie noticed a small wooden panel beside the stairs. "What's that?" Grace looked. "It looks like a door." Katie tried to open it. It didn't move. She looked closer. There was a tiny keyhole. Katie took out the silver key. Grace grabbed her arm. "Wait! Maybe we shouldn't." Katie looked at her. "You want to know what is behind it." "Yes....But?" Grace swallowed. "But I'm a little afraid." Katie smiled. "Me too." They looked at the tiny door. Katie slowly put the key into the lock. CLICK. The lock opened. Neither girl moved. Then the little door opened by itself. Behind it was not a cupboard. It was a staircase. The stairs went down into darkness. Katie whispered: "That's impossible."

Down the Stairs The girls stood at the top of the staircase. Katie looked down. "I can't see the bottom." Grace looked at Katie. "Maybe we should tell Mr. Thomas." Katie nodded. Then she heard something. A faint sound came from below. Ding... ding... "What was that?" Katie said with fear. Grace grabbed Katie's arm. "I don't know." The sound came again. Ding... ding... ding... Katie took one step down. Grace followed. "Stay close," Grace said. The staircase was narrow. The walls were made of old stone. After ten steps, the door above them closed. BANG! Katie jumped. Grace grabbed her hand. "We're trapped!" Katie tried the door. It wouldn't open. "Don't worry." She said bravely.

Grace became annoyed. "How can you say that?" Katie smiled nervously. "Because worrying won't help." Grace looked at her. "That's actually a good point." They continued down. The air became colder. The sound became louder. Ding... ding... ding... At the bottom of the stairs, they found a small room. In the middle was a round table. On the table was a candle. The candle was burning. Katie stared at it. "Who lit that?" Grace whispered: "I don't think we want to know." Then the candle flame turned blue. The Underground Room The blue flame suddenly became bright. The whole room lit up. Katie and Grace gasped. The walls were covered with pictures.

There were mountains. Rivers. Forests. Islands. Castles. Strange animals. And stars....Hundreds of stars. "This place is amazing," Katie whispered. Grace walked slowly around the room. "Who built it?" Katie scoffed at Grace. "How would I know?" At the far end of the room was a huge stone door. On it was a golden star. Katie took the star from the box. The moment she held it up, the stone door began to glow. RUMBLE! The door moved. Dust fell from the ceiling. Grace coughed. "Maybe we should have brought a broom." Katie laughed. The door slowly opened. Behind it was an enormous chamber. And in the centre of that chamber stood something that made both girls completely silent. It was a giant map.

The Giant Map The map was enormous. It covered almost the entire floor. Katie walked towards it. "This isn't a map of our town." Grace shook her head. "It isn't even a map of Vietnam." The map showed mountains, forests, oceans and islands. Some places were familiar. Others looked completely impossible. There was a mountain with a castle on top. There was an island shaped like a crescent moon. There was a dark forest. There was a giant blue river. And there were five golden stars. Four stars were dark. One star was shining. Grace pointed. "Look!" The shining star was exactly where they were standing. Katie looked at the golden star in her hand. Then she looked at the map. "They're connected."

Suddenly, the map moved. The lines began to glow. A golden path appeared. It travelled from their feet towards the centre of the map. Then it stopped. Five words appeared. FIND THE FIVE STARS. Katie read them aloud. "Find the five stars." Grace looked worried. "Five stars?" Katie nodded. "Maybe there are four more." Before Grace could answer, a deep voice filled the chamber. "You have found the first." The girls froze. The Voice Katie looked around. "Who's there?" No answer. Grace whispered, "Maybe we should leave." The voice spoke again. "The stars were separated long ago." "Who are you?" Grace asked.

The voice did not answer. Instead, the map changed. A picture appeared in the air above it. It showed five people standing around a large golden star. One carried a sword. One held a book. One stood beside a dragon. One stood beside the sea. The fifth person wore a dark cloak. Katie stared at the picture. "Who are they?" The voice replied: "Guardians." The picture disappeared. Grace asked: "What happened to them?" There was silence. Then: "They failed." Katie swallowed. "Failed to do what?" The chamber became completely dark. For a moment, neither girl could see anything. Then the golden star in Katie's hand began to glow. A single sentence appeared on the map..... WHEN THE FIVE STARS ARE UNITED, THE DOOR WILL OPEN. Grace read it twice. "The door to where?"

No answer came. Katie looked at her. "I think we're going to find out." Three Doors Three doors suddenly appeared around the chamber. One was covered with pictures of mountains. One was covered with waves. One was covered with trees. Grace looked at Katie. "This is definitely not normal." Katie smiled. "I know." A message appeared: CHOOSE THE PATH. Katie walked towards the mountain door but Grace stopped her. "Why that one?" "It looks interesting." Katie said bravely. "That's not a reason." Grace replied. "Okay. It looksVERY interesting." Katie laughed. Grace shook her head. "We need to think." She examined the symbols. "The mountain means strength." She pointed at the wave. "The wave means

change." Then she pointed at the forest. "The forest means..." She stopped....."Life." Katie looked at the golden star. One of the symbols on it began to glow. It was the symbol of the forest. "The star is choosing." Grace nodded. "Then we choose the forest." Katie put her hand on the door. The forest symbol glowed. The door opened. Warm green light filled the chamber. A sweet smell of flowers came through. Katie smiled. "After you." Grace looked at her. "But you're the adventurous one." Then she walked through. Katie followed. The door closed behind them. The Magical Forest The girls stepped into a forest. But it wasn't an ordinary forest. The trees were enormous. Their branches reached high into a purple sky. Tiny lights floated between the leaves. Flowers glowed blue,

pink and gold. Butterflies with sparkling wings flew around them. Katie slowly turned around. "Where are we?" Grace looked at the sky. "I don't know." Suddenly a flower spoke. "Hello." The girls screamed. The flower laughed. "Why are you screaming?" Katie pointed. "You spoke! Flowers aren't supposed to speak." "Why not?" said the flower. Katie opened her mouth. Then closed it. She looked at Grace. Grace shrugged. "I don't know what to say." The flower smiled. "That's okay. Most visitors are surprised." Katie crouched down. "What's your name?" "Petal." "Hello, Petal." "Hello, Katie." Katie froze.

"How do you know my name?" Petal looked at the golden star. "The star knows everything." Grace stepped closer. "What is this place?" Petal's smile disappeared. "The Forest of Whispers." A cold wind moved through the trees. Petal whispered: "And you shouldn't stay here for long." The Forest of Whispers "Why?" Grace asked. Petal looked around. "Because something is looking for you." Katie stood up. "Who?" Petal did not answer. A sound came from the trees. CRACK. Everyone became quiet. Another sound. CRACK. Something was moving through the forest. Katie held the golden star tightly.

Grace whispered: "I think it would be a good idea to hide now." They hid behind a large tree. The sound became louder. CRACK... CRACK... CRACK... Katie peeked around the tree. Nothing. Then a black shadow moved between the trees. It was tall. Very tall. Katie pulled her head back. "Did you see that?" Grace nodded. "Yes...what was it?" The shadow stopped. For one terrible moment, it stood completely still. Then it turned towards them. Katie felt a chill. The golden star began to glow. The shadow raised one hand. The forest became silent. Then the shadow disappeared. Grace whispered: "Was that a person?" Katie's heart was pounding so hard. "I don't know." Petal's tiny voice came from behind them. "That was the Shadow Keeper."

The Shadow Keeper "Who is the Shadow Keeper?" Katie asked. Petal trembled. "He searches for the stars." Grace looked at the golden star. "Does he have any of the other stars?" Petal nodded. "Perhaps. No-one knows" The girls heard a strange sound. Woof! Katie turned. "Was that a dog?" Woof! A small brown dog walked out from behind a bush. He had floppy ears, a white patch on his chest and a very serious expression. Katie smiled. "Hello!" The dog looked at her. "Hello." Katie jumped. "You talk too!" Grace laughed. "What is your name?" "Milo." the dog said. Katie knelt down. "Are you a magical dog?"

Milo looked offended. "Of course I'm a magical dog. I can make biscuits disappear." Katie laughed. "That's not magic." Milo looked at her. "Give me a biscuit and watch." Grace giggled. For the first time since entering the forest, the girls felt safe. But Milo suddenly became serious. "You have the first star." Katie nodded. "Do you know what it means?" Milo looked towards the dark trees. "Yes." Milo's Secret Milo sat down. "The five stars are very old." Katie sat beside him. "How old?" "Older than this forest." Grace asked, "Who made them?"

Milo looked at the golden star. "The Guardians....the one's who failed" Grace nodded. "What happened?" Milo lowered his voice. "Long ago, the five Guardians protected a magical place called the Golden Kingdom." Katie's eyes became wide. "Does it really exist?" "It did." Milo said. "The kingdom disappeared when the five stars were separated. Without them, the kingdom lost it's magic" Katie looked at Grace. "Can we bring it back?" Milo shook his head. "Maybe. You must find all five stars first." Grace asked, "Where are they?" Milo pointed towards the dark forest. "One is hidden beyond the Dragon Mountain." Katie looked surprised. "A dragon?" Milo nodded. "The first clue is the dragon." Katie smiled. "That sounds exciting."

Milo stared at her. "Dragons are dangerous." Katie's smile became smaller. "Oh." Milo added: "And hungry." Katie looked at Grace. "How hungry?" Milo thought. "Very." The Riddle Milo led them deeper into the forest. Soon they reached a small stone bridge. On the bridge was an inscription. Grace read it. "I have no mouth, but I speak. I have no ears, but I listen. I have no body, but I travel." Katie frowned. "What am I?" Milo sat down. "Good question." Grace thought. "An echo?" The bridge began to glow. CORRECT. A hidden path appeared.

Katie smiled. "That was easy." Milo looked at her. "Don't become too confident because the next one won't be easy" They continued. Soon they reached a clearing. In the middle stood a large stone statue. It was a dragon. Katie walked around it. "It's beautiful." Grace noticed something. "There is something in its mouth." It was another golden symbol. A tiny dragon. Katie touched it. The statue's eyes suddenly opened. ROAR! Katie screamed. Grace screamed. Milo jumped into a bush. "Run!" he shouted. The stone dragon moved its head. Then it spoke. "WHO SEEKS THE STAR?" Katie looked at Grace. Grace looked at Katie. Katie slowly raised her hand. "Um... us?"

The Dragon's Question The stone dragon lowered its enormous head. "WHY DO YOU SEEK THE STARS?" Katie thought. "Because... we found one." The dragon stared at her. Grace whispered: "That's not a very good answer." Katie whispered back: "I know." The dragon asked again. "WHY?" Grace stepped forward. "We want to understand the mystery." The dragon was silent. Then it said: "AND IF THE MYSTERY IS DANGEROUS?" Katie answered: "Then we'll be careful." The dragon's eyes became brighter. "AND IF YOU ARE AFRAID?" Katie swallowed. "Then we'll be brave." The dragon made a strange sound. It almost sounded like laughter. "WISE."

The ground shook. The dragon opened its mouth. Inside was a small golden key. "TAKE IT." Katie reached inside. She took the key. The dragon spoke again. "THE FIRST STAR HAS CHOSEN YOU." Katie looked at the golden star. "But why us?" The dragon replied: "THAT IS THE QUESTION YOU MUST ANSWER." Then the statue became stone again. Milo climbed out of the bush. "Is it gone?" Grace laughed. "I thought magical dogs were brave." Milo shook the leaves from his fur. "I was protecting the bush." The Hidden Path The golden key began to glow. Katie held it up. A path appeared through the trees. It was narrow and covered with silver leaves. Milo looked worried. "We need to go."

"Why?" Katie asked. "The Shadow Keeper." Milo whispered. They followed the silver path. The forest became darker. The magical flowers disappeared. The butterflies flew away. Even Milo stopped talking. Katie whispered: "Where are we going?" Milo whispered: "Back to the chamber." Suddenly— WHOOSH! A black shape flew over their heads. Katie ducked. Grace grabbed her arm. "Run!" They ran. Branches hit their faces. Leaves flew everywhere. Milo raced ahead. "Faster!" Katie shouted: "I'm trying!" They reached the stone bridge. The bridge began to disappear. One stone vanished. Then another. Grace shouted: "Jump!"

Katie jumped. Milo jumped. Grace jumped. They landed safely on the other side. Behind them, the bridge disappeared completely. Katie looked back. The Shadow Keeper stood in the trees. He was watching them. The Shadow The Shadow Keeper raised his hand. The golden star became hot. Katie cried out. "Ow!" She almost dropped it. Grace grabbed her hand. "Let go!" The star was stuck to Katie's hand. "I can't!" The Shadow Keeper moved closer. Milo barked. "Don't let him take it!" Katie looked at the star. A bright golden light came from it. The light grew stronger. The Shadow Keeper stepped back. Katie shouted: "Go away!"

The light exploded. FLASH! The Shadow Keeper disappeared. Katie fell to the ground. Grace ran to her. "Are you okay?" Katie nodded. "Yes." Milo looked around. "He's gone." Grace breathed out. "What was that?" Milo stared at the star. "The star protected you." Katie looked at her hand. The star was no longer stuck. But something had changed. There was now a tiny golden mark on her palm. It looked like a star. Grace touched it. "It's warm." Katie looked worried. "Is that bad?" Milo shook his head. "No." "Then what is it?" Katie was worried. Milo looked towards the dark forest. "It's a promise."

Back to the Chamber The girls followed Milo through the forest. At last, they saw the stone doorway. The moment they stepped through, the forest disappeared. They were back in the underground chamber. The three magical doors were gone. The giant map was still there. But something had changed.... Five golden circles now appeared on the map. One was shining. Four were dark. Katie placed the star over the shining circle. The entire room shook. RUMBLE! Grace grabbed the table. "What's happening?" A golden line appeared on the map. It travelled North. Then it stopped at a mountain. Above the mountain was a dragon. Katie smiled. "Dragon Mountain." Milo nodded. "Your next adventure." Grace looked at him. "You're coming with us, aren't you?" Milo looked nervous. "Perhaps."

Katie laughed. "That's a yes." Milo sighed. "I suppose someone has to protect you." Grace smiled. "From what?" Milo looked at Katie. "Her." Katie gasped. "Hey!" Milo wagged his tail. "I'm joking." They all laughed. Then the map began to glow again. The Missing Piece Suddenly a dark shape appeared above the map. It moved quickly. WHOOSH! Something flew across the room. Katie reached for the star. But the object struck the map. A small piece of the map broke away. Grace shouted: "Look!" The dark shape disappeared through a crack in the wall.

Milo barked. "The Shadow Keeper!" Katie ran to the map. A small piece was missing. "What did he take?" Grace examined the empty space. "A piece showing the mountain." Katie frowned. "So he knows where we're going." Milo nodded. "And now he knows you have the first star." Grace looked worried. "That's not good." Katie folded her arms. "Then we have to get there first." Milo looked at her. "Dragon Mountain is far away." The three friends looked at the map. Then another message appeared. DO NOT TRUST THE SHADOW. Katie read it aloud. "Who is the Shadow Keeper?" Nobody knew. But somewhere far away, something laughed.

The Five Clues The map changed again. Five symbols appeared around the first star. A dragon. A wave. A moon. A flame. And an eye. Grace copied them into an old notebook. "We need to remember these." Katie nodded. "What does the eye mean?" Milo looked uncomfortable. "I don't know. Perhaps the eye means someone is watching." Katie looked around. "Who?" Milo didn't answer. Grace closed her notebook. "Then we'll find out." The golden star began to glow. A tiny voice whispered: "Four remain." Katie looked at Grace. "Did you hear that?" Grace nodded. "Yes." Milo looked frightened. The voice came again. "Four remain." Then silence.

Katie looked at the four dark circles on the map. "The adventure is only beginning." Grace smiled. "Are you excited?" Katie smiled back. "Very." Milo groaned. "I'm not." Katie laughed. "You'll be fine." Milo shook his head. "I've heard that before." The Golden Book Grace noticed a small book hidden under the map. She pulled it out. The cover was made of dark blue leather. On it was a golden star. Katie opened it. "Look." The first page was blank. The second page was blank. The third page was blank. Then Katie touched the star. Words appeared. THE STORY OF THE FIVE GUARDIANS Grace began reading. "Long ago, five Guardians protected the Golden Kingdom."

The next words appeared slowly. "The Guardians were chosen because they had five qualities." Katie read: "Bravery." Grace read: "Wisdom." Milo added: "Kindness." Another word appeared. "Truth." The girls looked at each other. Then one final word appeared. "Hope." Katie smiled. "I like that one." Grace turned the page. But the rest of the page was covered by black ink. "Someone erased it." Milo sniffed the page. "Recently." Katie looked surprised. "How do you know?" "I'm a dog. We have excellent noses" Grace smiled. Katie looked at the black ink. "Someone doesn't want us to know the story." Milo nodded. "And that someone may be the Shadow Keeper."

A Secret Warning Grace turned another page. There was a small drawing. It showed five stars. Underneath was a warning: WHEN THE STARS ARE UNITED, THE GOLDEN DOOR WILL OPEN. Katie looked excited. "What is the Golden Door?" Milo shook his head. "No one knows." Grace pointed to another sentence. "But someone wrote this." The words were almost impossible to read. THE DOOR MUST NEVER BE OPENED BY THE WRONG PERSON. Katie became serious. "Who is the wrong person?" Milo looked at the dark doorway. "The Shadow Keeper." Grace asked: "What is behind the door?" Milo shook his head. "I don't know." Katie closed the book. "Then we need to find the stars."

Grace nodded. "But we have to be careful." Katie looked at the golden star. "We will." The star suddenly became very bright. A new message appeared. THE DRAGON WAITS. Then another. THE MOUNTAIN CALLS. Katie smiled. "Dragon Mountain." Milo sighed. "I was afraid you would say that." Grace laughed. "We're going to need a lot of food." Milo's ears stood up. "Did someone say food? Adventures are hungry work" The Way Home The chamber began to shake again. The map folded itself. The golden book closed. The blue candle went out. Grace looked around. "What now?" A small golden door appeared in the wall. Katie touched it. It opened. Behind it was the upstairs bedroom of the old house.

Katie stared. "We can go home." Milo walked through first. The girls followed. They were back in the dusty bedroom. Everything looked normal. The old wooden box was still on the floor. The painting was still on the wall. The secret door had disappeared. Katie checked the wall. Nothing. Grace looked under the floorboard. Nothing. It was as if the entire adventure had never happened. Katie held up the golden star. At first it looked like an ordinary piece of metal. Then it gave one tiny flash. Grace smiled. "So it was real." Katie nodded. Milo jumped onto the bed. "I told you." Grace looked at him. "Can Mr. Thomas see you?" Milo froze. "Ah." Katie laughed. "You're coming home with us." Milo looked nervous. "Does your house have a cat? I don't like cats"

A Normal Afternoon They went downstairs. Mr. Thomas was sitting in the kitchen. He looked surprised. "That took you a long time." Katie tried to look innocent. "We were exploring." "Did you find anything interesting?" Mr. Thomas enquired. Grace and Katie looked at each other. "No," Katie said. Mr. Thomas smiled. "Really?" Milo sat behind Katie. Mr. Thomas looked down. He frowned. "Did you bring a dog?" Katie smiled. "Maybe." Milo whispered: "I thought he couldn't see me." Grace covered her mouth to stop herself laughing. Mr. Thomas looked at the dog. Then he smiled. "That's Milo." Katie froze. "You know him?"

Mr. Thomas nodded. "He belonged to my grandfather." Milo's ears moved. Mr. Thomas looked at him carefully. "I haven't seen him for many years." Katie stared. "How old is Milo?" Mr. Thomas smiled strangely. "Older than you think." Milo looked at Katie. "Don't ask." Katie immediately wanted to ask. But Mr. Thomas had already turned away. The Photograph Before leaving, Grace noticed an old photograph on the kitchen wall. It showed Mr. Thomas's grandfather. He was standing outside the same house. But beside him was something strange. A small golden star. Grace called Katie. "Look." Katie stared at the photograph. "That's the star." Mr. Thomas became very quiet.

Katie asked: "Mr. Thomas, where did your grandfather get this?" He looked at the photograph. "I don't know." "Did he ever talk about it?" Mr. Thomas hesitated. "Sometimes." Katie and Grace both said: "What did he say?" "He said there were five." Mr Thompson answered. Katie's heart jumped. "Five what?" "Five stars." he said. Grace stepped closer. "What happened to them?" Mr. Thomas shook his head. "He told me never to look for them." Katie looked at Grace. "Why?" Mr. Thomas looked towards the window. "Because some things are better left hidden." Katie looked down at the star in her hand. She didn't agree.

The Mark On the way home, Katie kept looking at her hand. The tiny golden star-shaped mark was still there. Grace noticed. "Does it hurt?" "No." Katie said thankfully. "Does it glow?" Grace asked. Katie looked. "Not now." Milo walked beside them. "That's good." Katie looked down. "Milo, what did you mean when you said it was a promise?" Milo was quiet. Then he said: "The star has chosen you." Katie was really confused. "Why?" "I don't know." Milo said. Katie stopped walking. "Milo. Will the mark disappear?" Milo shook his head. "Not until the journey is finished." Katie's eyes widened. "The whole journey?"

Milo nodded. Grace looked at Katie. "This is bigger than we thought." Katie smiled. "Good." Grace laughed. "You really like adventures." Milo sighed. "I liked my old life." Katie looked at him. "What did you do?" Milo thought. "I slept." Katie laughed. "That sounds boring." "It was wonderful." Milo exclaimed. The First Clue That night, Katie put the golden star on her bedside table. She climbed into bed. Grace had gone home hours earlier. The house was quiet. Katie closed her eyes. Then— FLASH. Her bedroom filled with golden light. Katie sat up. The star was floating above the table. She jumped out of bed. "Grace?"

She remembered that Grace wasn't there. The star turned slowly. A beam of light appeared on the wall. Words appeared. THE FIRST JOURNEY BEGINS WHERE THE DRAGON SLEEPS. Katie stared at the message. Then she heard a sound outside. Tap. She looked at the window. Tap. Tap. Katie slowly walked towards it. She opened the curtains. Milo was sitting outside. Katie opened the window. "What are you doing here?" Milo looked up. "I heard the star." Katie blinked. "You heard it?" Milo looked at the glowing message. Then he smiled. "I know where we have to go." Dragon Mountain Milo looked at Katie. "Dragon Mountain." Katie whispered: "Where is it?" Milo smiled. "Very far."

Katie crossed her arms. "That's not an answer." Finally, Milo said "We leave tomorrow." Katie's eyes became wide. "Tomorrow?" Katie smiled. "This is going to be amazing." Milo looked worried. "I hope so." Suddenly the golden star flashed again. A tiny picture appeared above it. A mountain. At the top was a dragon. Then the picture changed. Katie saw a dark figure standing behind the mountain. The Shadow Keeper. Katie's smile disappeared. "He knows." Milo nodded. "Yes." Grace's voice suddenly came from outside the house. "Katie!" Katie opened the window. Grace was standing below. "You said there was an adventure!" Katie smiled. "How did you know?"

Grace pointed at the sky. "Because your bedroom is glowing." Katie looked up. The entire night sky above the house was filled with golden stars. Except one..... Four Stars Remain The girls stood together in silence. Five stars appeared in the sky. One was bright. Four were dark. Then the four dark stars slowly began to glow. Katie whispered: "Four remain." Grace nodded. "The dragon. The wave. The moon. The flame." Milo looked up. "And the eye." The fifth symbol appeared between the stars. The eye. It opened. A cold wind swept through the garden. The golden star in Katie's hand became hot. Then a voice whispered through the darkness. "Find the stars if you dare."

Katie looked at Grace. Grace looked at Katie. Milo growled. The voice continued: "But remember......someone is looking for them too." The girls stood perfectly still. Then Katie smiled. "Tomorrow, we find Dragon Mountain." Grace smiled. "Together." Milo sighed. "With food?." Katie laughed. "Yes, Milo....with food." They looked towards the dark mountains in the distance. Their first adventure was over. But the mystery had only just begun......