Agatha'S Stolen Curve

by Hensley Tran

Overview

In the faraway kingdom of Laviersa, known as the Lands of the Ancients, thirteen-year-old Princess Agatha loves to run on her garden path. But one day, she and her friend Jos discover something odd. The paths curve is gone, and Jos sees a mysterious shape lurking nearby.

They soon realize that Crisis, a villain intent on causing mayhem in the kingdom, has stolen the curve. In a dream, Agatha sees what Crisis is using the curve for: a shield that will protect his entire camp and keep him from being defeated. Agatha and Jos decide to set out on an adventure and take back her stolen path piece from the hateful Crisis.

The two friends encounter allies and enemies, and sometimes its difficult to tell them apart. The further they go, the more danger they find themselves facing. With Crisis following their every move, Agatha and Jos even have gods helping them on their quest.

But they are about to encounter another, more dangerous threat to the kingdom. Can Agatha and Jos save the ones they love in time?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475973112
Publisher:	iUniverse, Incorporated
Publication date:	02/15/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	109 KB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Hensley Tran currently attends middle school. She lives with her family in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Read an Excerpt

Agatha's STOLEN CURVE

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By HENSLEY TRAN

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2013 Hensley Tran
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-7310-5

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Chapter One

"Wait up!" Agatha shouted, a teenage girl with curly dark brown hair and light freckles. José, her best friend, had dirty-blond hair, and whenever anyone asked his name, they would also ask why he had a Spanish name, and all he would say was his mom liked it. The two thirteen-year-olds were racing to the castle gardens, and José was way ahead of Agatha. She was the princess of the Lands of the Ancients, also known as Laviersa. As Agatha was running, she noticed something different about this path she had run on for years.

She said, "José, I feel there's something wrong with my path, the Path of Agatha."

"Of course there is; you're not running on it," José said. They both giggled.

Then Agatha's face was serious again. "I mean, there's a curve missing. I felt it. You know I've been on this path for more than twelve years."

"All right, I believe you, but where's the curve that's missing?" José said.

"I'm trying to figure that out. All I know is that I felt it," Agatha said.

"Are you starting a mystery?" José asked.

"Maybe, and it might involve those evil ancients," Agatha said.

Ring, ring! "Hello. Okay. Bye. My mom called. I have to leave. Meet me here at 3:00?" José said.

"Okay, it looks like it's going to rain. Why don't you ask your mom if you can stay at the castle because of the rain?" Agatha suggested.

Meanwhile in the castle, Queen Nina was saying, "Where is my Agatha? She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago. I hope when she gets home, she tells me everything that happened. Well, I'm thinking I don't have to worry about that. She always tells me about what happens."

"Nina, don't worry; she'll be here," King Kingsford said.

"Hi!" Agatha and José said at the same time.

"Excuse me!" the queen said. "Sorry, Mom!" Agatha said.

"Sorry, your—" José began.

"No need to say sorry, José. I was talking to my daughter," Queen Nina said.

"So what happened today?" King Kingsford asked. Agatha spilled everything out as fast as she could, telling about the change in the path.

"Oh!" both parents said in unison.

"This has been a very interesting month so far. Sweetheart, are you sure it's the ancients?" the king asked.

"Yes, of course!" Agatha replied.

"Well, ... I did see ... a mysterious ... shape," José stammered.

"What? You never told me!" Agatha was clearly annoyed.

"Now, Agatha, do not be mad," the king insisted.

"Well, the shape was the same as the shape of an ancient from last week, when we had that ancient attack that all the news reporters called a freak accident, and it was picking finstelberries," José explained.

"Why would an ancient pick finstelberries? I mean, they don't have a sense for fruits like finstelberries and eiselfruit," Agatha said.

"It might've been the ancient finstelberries," Queen Nina said.

"What do you mean by ancient?" Agatha asked.

"A long time ago when your mother and I were children, half of the finstelberry fields were cursed by the ruler of the ancients, Crisis. Since then, people never went into those parts of the fields. If they did, they would get manipulated and become one of his many slaves," King Kingsford answered.

"Well, that's obvious. Because it was so dark, I could only see its silhouette," José replied.

"Agatha, I'll call José's mom and tell her he's spending the night," the queen said.

"All right, Mom. José and I will be in the arcade playing games and trying to figure things out," Agatha replied.

"Now, Agatha, do not be in a rush. Make sure you're careful with the electricity. I hear thunder, so this storm is going to continue on for a while," the king reminded her.

"Okay," José and Agatha replied in unison. When they got to the arcade, they found out that the king and queen had bought a new game. It was the game Agatha had been begging for her whole life (technically, since last week). She wanted to learn more about ancients and their past.

After the arcade, they ate dinner. They had a choice between mashed potatoes and gravy with rice or corn with chicken. Everyone chose option one. After dinner, they went back to talking about ancients.

The next day, Agatha and José went on an adventure. Their plan was to go to the finstelberry fields and see if they could detect any sign of an ancient past the field symmetry line. If they found a sign, they would dare to go through the dark and cursed part of the fields. They would eventually hit the castle—or lair—of Crisis. Then they would learn about the past of Crisis. Agatha especially wanted to meet Crisis; she had been hearing a rumor around the city that her father was the brother of Crisis. She wanted to find out everything that was going on around her. That was the thing about Agatha ... she was only settled when she knew everything there was to know.

As they started their adventure, the castle guards in the gardens seemed to be falling asleep, one by one. The only guard they didn't see sleeping was Tailon. He was one of the quietest guards. He was the only person who noticed them, but he didn't say a word. He just looked at them with a feeling of hatred. For some reason, he didn't like children, and that's why no mere child would go near the castle without one of the royal people giving him or her permission.

"Do you think that Crisis is really evil?" José asked.

"Of course I think that, but you can't just go up to a person and ask them that," Agatha replied.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to make you mad," José said. After that little picky conversation, the two were off on their adventure.

First they went to the finstelberry fields. The first move they made into the fields was a big mistake. They quickly sidestepped into the field, and as soon as they stepped in, they were greeted by Tailon's twin brother, Source. He would be in sixth place if he were in a beauty pageant with any five other people. For some reason, their mother loved Tailon more than Source. At the moment, Source was occupied by a little puppy.

"Wow, and I thought my mom was obsessed with dogs," José whispered to Agatha. Agatha knew that José's mom loved pups and had ten of them.

As they tried to pass, José accidentally stepped on a branch. Source suddenly stood up and looked like he was sniffing. This was weird because he was a human being. He spotted them right away, and without ado, he picked each one up by an arm and asked them their names in a firm but soft voice. They looked at each other with an awkward expression.

I don't know you. Why should I talk to you? Agatha thought. Both of them sighed and then said the same thing Agatha was thinking. Source looked offended but understood.

"You two are very smart children. I already know both of your full names," Source said.

"What do you want?" Agatha asked with a sneer.

"I want to defeat Tailon," Source answered with the same tone of voice he had used earlier.

"Why is that?" José asked.

"He is one of the worst brothers in history, and he has access to every part of the castle," Source roared.

"Source, what if I get you to be my dad's right-hand man?" Agatha asked.

"All right, I shall agree," Source replied. Agatha picked up her phone and called her father.

"Where are you?" the king asked.

"I'm on my quest to find out the truth and to do what I think is right!" Agatha courageously replied.

"All right, but why did you call me?" the king asked.

"Well, I met Tailon's brother in the finstelberry fields, and I wanted to see if you would hire him as your right-hand man," Agatha said hopefully.

"Of course I would, my dear. I will do anything to keep you happy and safe."

After Agatha finished talking to her father, she turned to Source and said, "My dad said yes!"

"Thank you, Princess Agatha and Sir José," Source said.

Off he went toddling toward the castle. They bunked there that night. The next morning, José woke Agatha up and served her a delicious breakfast.

"Yes, eggs and sausage! I love it!" Agatha exclaimed.

After breakfast, they went to Sally Moo's and got delicious drinks. Agatha ordered her usual Mango Deluxe, and José surprised her by choosing the Kiwi Special.

"I thought you hated kiwi!" Agatha said.

"I do," José said mysteriously.

Afterward, José went to the saltwater stream to get water. "Why are you heading over there?" Agatha asked.

"Oh, I am?" José said. "Sorry!" They went off together in the direction of the stream. By that time, they hadn't even reached the river that was six miles from the stream. They chose to head closer to the river, so that when they slept and one of them might wake up thirsty and they could easily get water.

"So let's bunk here tonight," José suggested as they started to hear the rush of moving water.

"Okay!" Agatha said.

The next morning, they went to the stream again to wash up and brush their teeth. They chose to go hunting instead of having breakfast, although they had little experience with a bow and arrow.

Sometime later, Agatha groaned, "We haven't shot a single animal in hours!"

"It's only been five minutes!" José exclaimed.

"You're forgetting my point!" Agatha screamed.

"Hey, why are you yelling at me?" José asked.

"Oh, well, sorry about that. I'm just so hungry!" Agatha exclaimed.

"So am I, but I don't go around yelling at people," José replied.

After their little talk, they headed for the finstelberries.

"I wonder what will happen if I eat one of the bad finstelberries," Agatha said.

"I don't know, but I hope whatever it is doesn't happen to anyone in the kingdom. I mean, it would be terrible, especially if it happened to anyone in the royal family," José answered, looking at her suspiciously.

"Fine, I won't eat any finstelberries even though I'm very hungry—" She was interrupted by a loud rumbling.

"What was that?" José asked.

"I don't know, but it didn't sound like any rumbling in our stomachs!" Agatha replied with her high-pitched voice. This was the first time José had ever heard it. He thought it was the most surprising thing in the world. Agatha was a brave girl, but he realized that of course she would be scared on this quest—because he was scared too, and he was a guy.

"I think we should move on to the fields," José suggested.

"I agree!" Agatha said, again with her high-pitched voice.

A few hours later, they discovered a volcano guarded by a giant. They gradually walked toward the giant. When they were about five hundred yards away, the giant let out a roar.

"I am Parries, mixture of Hades and Poseidon, but I will not lead you Americans into the Greek world. I wasn't born immortal, but I was sent here by Zeus anyway," Parries told Agatha and José.

"Who's Hade, Po, and Zee?" Agatha asked.

"They are Olympians," Parries answered with a sigh. "Anyway, why are you here?" Parries asked in a roar.

"Hold on a second ... that means you're the Goddess Athena's cousin?" José asked.

"Yes, yes, and all that," Parries said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Why the long face, Parries?" Agatha asked.

"Well, everybody compares me to the stupid gods!" Parries answered.

"Anyway, can we camp at the base of the volcano?" José asked.

"Why should I let you? What will you do for me?" Parries asked.

"We'll take you along on our quest to defeat Crisis. Then the gods will know who they're dealing with," Agatha said.

"Okay, let's go inside," Parries said.

"What are we going inside of?" José asked.

"I think we're going inside the volcano," Agatha whispered as Parries reached up to get a key from the top of the volcano and stuck it into a hole in the ground.

As they stepped in, they were amazed at what they saw. The first room was filled with treasure and had a beautiful view of the lake behind the volcano. They headed for the next room; the first thing they saw in there was a giant bed. Parries stepped in and opened the closet. Inside were millions of beds. Parries chose two and put them into the room.

"I guess we're going to be sharing a bedroom," José said.

They stepped into the room, and there were two canopies, one blue, the other pink. Parries set a bed under each.

"This is the bedroom you two will share tonight," Parries declared.

Parries led them from the room and stepped into what looked like the world's most gigantic kitchen. "Who's hungry? What do you want to eat—hot dogs with real dogs or grilled squid sandwiches?" Parries asked.

"Can you get me a grilled cheese sandwich?" Agatha asked.

"May I get one too, please?" José asked. "Certainly, I will," Parries replied.

As they ate, José and Agatha kept on blabbering out questions. Parries answered them all, one by one. At nine o clock, they went to take showers. As always, ladies were first, so Agatha went first. After she came out, she went immediately to bed. She fell into a deep sleep and dreamt about defeating Crisis. Parries had made a spear and shield for Agatha and a sword and shield for José. He had a club the size of two football fields, but Crisis had something more modern—a shield that protected his whole camp. Agatha was awoken by an alarm clock. She looked at José. He was already dressed and reading a book.

"An alarm clock? Seriously!" Agatha said.

"I packed it just in case," José answered, his eyes still on his book.

"What are you reading anyway? Is that my book?!" Agatha said with an alarmed look.

"Yes. You see, I kind of dug in your duffel bag," José admitted.

"You dug in my duffel bag! Let's leave that for later. I'm going to take a shower," Agatha said. Parries suddenly entered the room.

"What's all the fuss?" he asked.

"Nothing," Agatha replied.

"We're leaving in an hour and a half," Parries said.

As Agatha was taking a shower, she remembered seeing a little girl on the side of the volcano. She wanted to ask Parries who she was and why she was there. She was awfully beautiful. When Agatha stepped out of the bathroom, she was dressed in a battle dress.

"What are you wearing?" José asked.

"Never mind what I'm wearing. I need to talk to Parries," Agatha said.

Agatha stepped into the kitchen and yelled for Parries. Parries looked down.

"Yes?" Parries replied.

"Do you know that beautiful, little girl that walks around the base of the volcano?" Agatha asked.

"That girl is Athena," Parries replied.

"What?" José blabbered as he stepped into the room.

"You two should know how gods can change shape, size, and age," Parries said.

"Well, I know that," Agatha and José said in unison.

"Can we go meet her?" José and Agatha asked.

"No, she isn't just any regular person," Parries replied.

"Why is she here then?" Agatha asked.

"I don't know why, so don't ask me!" Parries roared.

"Do you know anything about the path curve that's gone?" Agatha asked as if it were the most casual thing in the world to blurt out to a giant she recently met.

"Actually, yes, I do. It happens a lot when I get visions—you know, because I'm immortal and other things like that. Anyway, I think Crisis took the curve for his new invention, Camp-O-Shield; it is made to protect his whole camp," Parries answered as if he knew everything that went on in the other side of the field.

"That's exactly like in my dream!" Agatha exclaimed.

"Did you say something?" José asked.

"I said, just like in my dream about defeating Crisis and finding out what's going on between him and my dad, because it's impossible that he's my uncle!" Agatha blurted out.

"Well then, let's go," Parries said.

Meanwhile, José's lost brother, Hades, was with Crisis. "What did you do to my mother?" Hades asked at the top of his lungs.

"You mean your mother-in-law, Demeter," Crisis replied in a sly and smart-alecky voice.

"Yeah, what do you think? I really don't care about her. I'm just doing this for Persephone," Hades said.

"The feelings of inspiration and love ... are disgusting," Crisis replied.

"I have a grip on your robe, so tell me—or it's going to fall to the ground," Hades replied sharply.

"Okay, jeez! I'm using her as a worker for my invention, Camp-O-Shield," Crisis replied.

"Do you know who you're messing with?" Hades inquired.

"Of course! You are Hades, the great god ... oh, I get it—so I should let her go. Okay," Crisis said. "She's out in the garden waiting for you. Oh, and there's one more thing; Parries is leading my niece and her friend José Ricardo to attack me."

As Hades was walking out the door, he stopped. "Did you say José Ricardo?" he asked.

"Why, yes," Crisis replied with a devious smile.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Agatha's STOLEN CURVE by HENSLEY TRAN Copyright © 2013 by Hensley Tran. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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