Once upon a time I'd had a mother who loved magic. She'd snuggled under the covers with me, told me all sorts of fantastic tales, and taught me to believe in the impossible. I'd lost a lot growing up and I'd stopped believing in happily-ever-after.

But my mother had stopped believing in me.

***

Pulling down my visor mirror, I carefully finger-combed my hair and reapplied my lipstick, determined to look my best for my next stop.

"Failure is not an option," ...