My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

around my room, my eyes rested on my bookshelf. I had a copy of The Adventures of Robin Hood sitting there, nestled among a few other novels Dad had put in my room. He had given me that one because it had been a favorite of mine when I was little. I had always loved the way Robin Hood stood up to the Sheriff of Nottingham to help the op-pressed people.
    I was only thinking out loud, trying to figure out a solution to my unhappiness. I spoke so quietly that Chrissy shouldn’t have been able to hear it. “I wish Robin Hood were around today. He would know what to do.”
    “Good choice,” Chrissy said. “He’s totally hot.” She swept her wand in my direction and a flurry of sparkles surrounded me, hundreds of tiny lights zinging everywhere.
    “Wait!” I sputtered.
    “Oh, don’t worry,” she called, her voice sounding far away. “I wouldn’t let you meet him looking like that. I’ll throw in a free makeover.”
    When the light cleared, she and Clover were gone. And there in my bedroom stood a dozen scraggly-looking men.

    Chapter 4
    For a moment, I just stared at the men. They wore tunics and leggings, with bows and arrows slung over their shoulders. A couple were older, with gray in their hair and beards, but most were young with muscled arms and tanned faces. I guess I had never considered what a bunch of men who lived in the forest and never showered would smell like, but in the confines of my bedroom, the smell of sweat, dirt, and unwashed clothes hit me with nose-curling strength. I tried to breathe through my mouth.
    The men looked around my room, drawing swords and knives, then turned to me with fierce expressions.
    “Chrissy!” I hissed, both panicked and elated—panicked because a dozen scary men were brandishing weapons, and elated because—talk about superstar sightings—Robin Hood and his Merry Men were in my bedroom.
    Chrissy didn’t come back.
    “What devilry is this?” one of the men demanded.
    “This has the look of magic to it,” another said.
    Actually my room had the look of the JCPenney teen department.
    Sandra decorated it before I moved in. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you here,” I said, gulping. “There’s been a mistake.” A young man with shoulder-length blond hair, a pointed green cap, and a dark green tunic stepped toward me, sizing me up. His features were sharp and flawlessly handsome. His eyes were startlingly blue in his tanned face. Chrissy hadn’t been exaggerating when she said Robin Hood was hot.

    56/356
    His gaze ran over me, and he raised an eyebrow. I glanced at my reflection in my closet mirror to see what he was looking at. I wore a velvet green dress that swept around my ankles. My hair was pulled up into a bun with loose ringlets. No sign of tears or mascara streaks remained on my face. In fact, I wore bright red lipstick and smoky green eye shadow. This apparently was Chrissy’s idea of a makeover. I looked like I was about to go to the prom.
    “Who are you?” Robin Hood asked, his voice cautious. “Why have you brought us hither?”
    “I didn’t mean to.” I lifted my hands up to show them I didn’t have a weapon. “It was an accident. I’m trying to get her to come back and fix it.” I glanced around the corners of my ceiling, hoping Chrissy might be floating around up there. “Chrissy, this isn’t what I meant!” Robin Hood sheathed his sword and folded his arms, but the other men kept their swords and knives drawn, which made them seem more menacing than merry. A burly man with a thick brown beard stepped forward. He stood at least six and a half feet tall, towering over everyone else. Little John, I guessed. “Who be this Chrissy you call for?”
    I took a step back from him. He didn’t seem to have any concept of personal space. Or hygiene. “Chrysanthemum Everstar. She’s my fairy godmother.”
    This caused a round of grumbling from the Merry Men. “I knew it was magic,” one of them growled, and then spat on my