Chapter 31

Lyra’s POV

I stood frozen beneath the familiar archway that proclaimed, “Welcome to Disney Park.” The bold letters gleamed in the afternoon sun, and for a moment I could barely process where I was. Goosebumps prickled along my arms, and my heart thudded so loudly I was certain Alistair beside me could hear it. Was this really happening? After all these years, was I truly back at the place I’d dreamed of as a child?

When I was little, I longed more than anything to visit Disneyland Park, but my parents simply couldn’t afford it. Every morning I trudged out the front door with a backpack bulging with books instead of souvenirs, and I listened to other kids giggle about their last visits there: the dazzling fireworks, the thrilling rides, the parade floats that sparkled like fairy tales come to life. Some of them were kind classmates, but a few were nasty, and they taunted me mercilessly for never having been. They’d ask, “So, Lyra, when are your rich parents finally