Page 16 of Soaring into the Midlife

"Vague, but not entirely unhelpful," Zara said as we continued our trek toward the castle. "Let's just hope this Candy King isn't as terrifying as he sounds."

"Agreed," Kendra said. "I'm not really in the mood for a showdown with some psycho sugar monarch."

"Neither am I," I admitted, my thoughts racing with strategies for outsmarting the candy inhabitants.

"Okay, girls," I said once as we stood before the candy castle, its licorice drawbridge lowered before us. "Let's try to avoid any more run-ins with the local confectionary population, shall we?"

"Agreed," Kendra nodded while Zara fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"Zara, you're on secret passage duty." I addressed the youngest member of our trio. "And remember - enthusiasm is great, but so is subtlety."

"Got it," she said with determination. "I won't let you down."

As we entered the castle, I marveled at the sheer absurdity of our surroundings. Every surface glistened with sugar, and the air was heavy with the scent of a thousand different candies. It was like stepping into a child's dream or a dentist's nightmare.

"Hailey, look," Zara said excitedly, pointing to a tiny door hidden behind a curtain of gumdrops. "Do you think this could be a secret passage?"

"Only one way to find out." I urged her forward with a grin. "After you, fearless explorer."

"Wait," Kendra said suddenly, grabbing my arm. "Do you hear that?"

"Shh," I instructed, straining my vampire-enhanced ears. Sure enough, there was a faint rustling sound coming from above - asif something invisible were moving through the air, preparing to strike.

"Get ready," I mouthed to my friends, quickly scanning the ceiling for signs of our unseen attacker. But before I could spot anything, Zara let out a triumphant cry.

"Guys, I found it." She threw open the hidden door to reveal a dark tunnel. "Come on, let's go."

"Perfect timing." Kendra looked nervously toward the ceiling. "Let's get out of here."

I hustled Zara into the passage. "Right behind you." Whatever was lurking above us, I had no intention of sticking around to find out.

We emerged from the hidden passage into a wide-open plaza, the ground beneath our feet paved with what appeared to be giant rainbow-colored mints. The colorful surroundings did little to ease my unease, though, as I quickly realized that we had stumbled right into an ambush.

"Uh, guys?" Zara said nervously. "I think we have a problem."

"Understatement of the century," Kendra said as she took in the sight before us.

An army of candy soldiers stood at attention; their ranks filled with everything from gumdrop infantry to licorice archers. At the head of the confectionery force was a fierce-looking gingerbread warrior, his icing armor gleaming menacingly in the dim light.

"We can't fight them all, and running isn't an option. We need something clever, something they won't expect." Too bad I couldn’t think ofanythingunexpected.

"Like what?" Zara asked, her eyes wide with fear. "These things look like they're ready to tear us apart,"

"Exactly." Inspiration struck like a bolt of lightning. "So let's use that against them."

"Hailey, you're not making any sense," Kendra said, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Look around." Excitement built in my chest. "This whole place is made of candy. That's got to be their weakness, right?"

"Are you suggesting we... eat our way out of this mess?" Zara asked incredulously.

"Sort of," I said with a grin. "But first, we need weapons."

Quickly scanning our surroundings, I spotted a nearby structure made entirely of rock candy. With a few swift yanks, I broke off several long, sharp-edged pieces that would make perfect makeshift swords.

"Here." I tossed one to each of my friends. "Arm yourselves."

Kendra eyed the candy weapon in her hand skeptically. "Are you sure about this?"