Blush Cutiebunny's Arc

Chapter 7 of 12

Blush woke up Saturday morning and heard voices in the kitchen. Emma's voice. She crept to the doorway in her bunny slippers and saw Emma's two younger sisters sitting at the table with her mom. They were maybe four and five, wearing matching butterfly shirts. The smaller one held out a worn leather wallet. "Someone took this from our cubby at preschool yesterday," she said, her voice wobbly. "Emma told us your hero cards could keep us safe, but they didn't. They just laughed and said heroes aren't real." The older sister nodded. "Warren's group has a place with neon lights and music near the field. Emma said they do actual magic there. We want to join them instead." Blush's mom looked at her, waiting. Blush took the wallet and saw a photo inside—some girl she didn't know, with coins scattered around it. Real protection would have stopped the stealing. Her cards hadn't. Blush walked to the field after breakfast. A maroon bicycle with a cupcake in the basket sat by the entrance to a building she'd never seen before—black bricks with bright red concert signs glowing even in daylight. Music thumped from inside. Emma's sisters stood by the bike, holding hands, staring at the doors like they were waiting for something wonderful. Blush could see other kids through the windows, watching Warren float colored blocks in the air. She'd come to convince the sisters her group was enough, but the words died in her throat. She couldn't compete with floating blocks and neon lights. She walked back home and sat on her bed with the wallet still in her pocket. The sisters were right—feeling brave didn't stop theft or protect cubbies. Warren's magic was real and visible. Her invisible glitter and hero cards were just pretend. But then she thought about the three kids at the school gate who'd wanted cards, about Zorie's seed jars hidden safely at the cottage, about how her protection sign had made Emma smile before the puzzle broke. Maybe real magic wasn't about floating things. Maybe it was about noticing when someone needed help and actually showing up. She pulled out her art supplies and started making something new—not hero cards this time, but a map showing every safe place she'd created, every hiding spot, every kid she'd helped. If grown-ups wouldn't believe kids could be heroes, she'd prove it by keeping track of every single rescue, invisible or not.