The Wrong Side of Magic by Janette Rallison

thought you said that was dangerous?”
    â€œThis isn’t a calculater,” she said. “See, it’s orange. It’s just a compactulator. It shrinks belongings, so they’re easier to carry.” She pushed a button, and his sleeping bag and pillow shrank to the point where they looked like doll accessories.
    â€œCool.” Hudson picked up the sleeping bag. It was lighter than he’d expected. The compactulator must change the weight, too.
    Charlotte shrank her pile of stuff, then went back to the shelves to rummage for more things. While Hudson packed up her backpack, she opened a jewelry box full of silver four-leaf-clover necklaces. She slipped one around her neck and gave him another. “These are for warding off wizards’ spells.”
    He put in on, tucking it into his shirt.
    Charlotte took a small metal bar from a shelf and handed it to him. “Iron to give us extra strength.”
    He slid that into her backpack, as well.
    She grabbed a plastic bag from the floor that he’d missed. “And some hair bands,” she said, handing him those, too.
    â€œWhat are these for?” he asked.
    She lifted one eyebrow like it was a stupid question. “For putting up my hair.”
    â€œRight,” he said. “I knew that.”
    Finally, when they’d packed up everything, Charlotte wrote her father a note telling him where they’d gone. She placed it on one of the branches of the tree and gave the room a last look. “I’m ready. Wait until we’re both touching the compass, then pull the knob.”
    Hudson took the compass from his pocket and held it out to Charlotte. As soon as she touched it, he flicked the knob upward. The living room vanished, replaced by a panorama of multicolored trees.
    The earthy scent of plants swirled around them, and the strange pianolike call of the birds chirped overhead. A dirt path at their feet wound haphazardly through the forest like an indecisive river.
    How far away were they from the troll village? “Does the compass always take you to the same place?” Hudson asked, looking around.
    â€œNo, we could be anywhere in the Forest of Possibilities. And it’s a bigger place than most people realize.”
    They both checked the compass face. It read FOREST OF POSSIBILITIES, GRAMMARIA, MERMAID LAKE, GIGANTICA. The needle rested against FOREST OF POSSIBILITIES .
    â€œWhy did the Sea of Life turn into Mermaid Lake?” he asked.
    â€œIt didn’t. The compass shows you which lands are closest. We landed in a spot that was nearer to the Mermaid Lake than to the Sea of Life.”
    â€œIt’s not showing the warnings,” Hudson said. “Does that mean there’s nothing dangerous around?”
    â€œNo, it just means there’s no trolls, giants, tyrants, or drowning hazards around. The compass only warns you about the most troublesome thing in each land.”
    Charlotte took the compass from Hudson, tilting it to better see the face. “Show us the way to Princess Nomira.”
    Hudson watched the compass. Nothing happened. The needle didn’t budge.
    â€œIs it supposed to answer back?” Hudson asked.
    Charlotte let out a snort of laughter. “Of course not. Compasses don’t talk. The needle isn’t moving because it doesn’t know the answer.” As though to prove her point, she asked, “Which way is Grammaria?”
    The needle swung to point at the pathway in front of them.
    Hudson felt a flush of heat creep into his cheeks. “Well, how am I supposed to know how the compass works? Everything is so weird here.”
    This made Charlotte snort again. “It’s your world that’s a weird shadow of mine.”
    â€œA shadow?” Hudson repeated, vaguely affronted.
    Charlotte set off down the pathway toward Grammaria, and Hudson kept pace beside her.
    â€œOur worlds have lots of similarities,” she said. “But my world came