enchanted in a book

I remember Magda well. Always smiling, full of life, and busy. She could do a hundred things at once. Almost every day after school, she ran to the drama club. She wanted to become a journalist. She claimed that the club activities improved her charisma (which she inevitably possessed) and that they would help her become a very persistent, meticulous, and courageous woman. Her idol was Monika Olejnik. She admired everything about her—from her dressing style to her interviewing skills. Magda always paid attention to her clothes. Not how much they cost or from which store they were from, but how they were chosen. Although she herself never spurned high-end items, Magda had great ambitions and great potential; she was the best student in her class and ranked third in the school rankings. Everyone thought Magda would become famous. Unfortunately, her dreams never came true. One day, Magda came to school very excited. A new girl had moved into her neighborhood. Her name was Karolina and she was 13, like us. It turned out that Magda and her new friend had a lot in common. They both loved Kelly Rowland, tennis, Polish, spending time online, and reading fantasy stories. Karolina was also supposed to join our class. No one was happy about this because Magda sat with a different person in every lesson. Why? Everyone wanted to sit with her, and she didn't want to hurt anyone. The whole class wanted to be Magda's friend. She was always prepared and willing to help. Everyone thought Magda would sit with Karolina. The bravest of the girls, Dagmara, decided to ask if our friend would sit with her new friend or, as before, with everyone in a different lesson. Magda said it was childish and that she didn't understand how she could "marshal" between desks like that, switching to a different person during each lesson: talking to Kaśka about a new store at the shopping center, to Maciek about a soccer match, and to Sonia about some celebrity's hair at the Golden Globes. Everyone was surprised by this sudden outburst, because she didn't say it—she shouted it. Dagmara immediately backed away from her. All the girls began to wonder about this colossal change in Magda. She never yelled at anyone; even if she was having a bad day, she didn't scream, in fact, she never raised her voice. We all agreed that this Karolina was a bad influence on our Magda. We decided to talk to the new girl. Karolina turned out to be very nice, inviting us over for long chats, etc. One thing puzzled me: how could she have settled in so quickly? After all, she supposedly came from the Terespol area. It's almost impossible for humans to do, unless they worked all day, all night, and all day today without any long breaks. So I decided to visit Karolina after school today. When I asked her if I could drop by after school, she was delighted. I asked if they were cleaning,I wondered if they were still arranging anything, but Karolina told me they'd already tidied and vacuumed. This intrigued me even more; fortunately, we were finishing up early today, so I didn't have much time to think. I arrived at Karolina's, and what did I find? A beautiful, huge living room, a bathroom like my bedroom, and Karolina's room like my two bathrooms and a kitchen. I only described these three rooms because they were the only ones I'd been shown. When I asked how they'd done it in this apartment (they lived in a building not much larger than mine), Karolina's mother said she had such a knack for organizing rooms that they made them seem larger than they actually were. I talked to Karolina for a long time, and it turned out that helpers had brought and arranged the furniture and appliances, and the installations were already installed. I didn't want to believe it, but I couldn't rationalize it. I returned home despondent, hoping to unravel Karolina and her secrets. I was certain she was hiding something. I wasn't wrong. The next day at school, Karolina told everyone except Magda that she had a new friend. As it turned out, it was me. I was terribly surprised, and of course, I demanded an explanation from "my new friend." When I told her this, Karolina burst into tears. She started complaining that she meant well, that Magda was awful, that when I came to her, she liked me and that I was so nice and friendly, etc. I felt incredibly sorry for her, and just as I was about to hug Karolina, Magda walked into the classroom. "My friend" looked at her and winked. I noticed this and pushed Karolina away in disgust. I was really starting to like her, and then suddenly this scene. I became incredibly angry at both of them. I told them they were vile cheaters, that they were scheming like some kind of mafia, etc. I had had enough of these two "friends of seven sorrows." Similar situations repeated themselves every two weeks or so. Of course, the friends were always using new tactics—how to trick another girl into falling for their cheap tricks. After a while, Magda met a boy from the same class, Darek. The two spent more and more time together, and Karolina was clearly jealous. I once overheard her telling a girl in Darek's class that she would win Magda back at any cost. The price was high indeed. One day, Magda came to school with her nose buried in an old, thick, worn-out book. As the "bookworm" walked past me, I quickly read the title engraved in gold letters on the cover: "Star Journey." Try as I might, I couldn't make out the author. When Magda had to put the book down to take off her jacket, I asked about the origins of "Star Journey." My friend replied, "Karolina lent it to me. This book was supposedly passed down in her family from generation to generation. I'm very proud to be able to read it."You should have seen Darek's face when I came to meet him with that volume! I was very curious about what this book contained and why it had so captivated my friend. Magda loved reading, but she never brought a book to school. She took selected books on trips, even one-day trips, yes, but never to school. I was very intrigued, but I was afraid to ask to see what was inside. The next day, Magda didn't come to school, and it stayed like that for the rest of the week. The teachers began to be seriously concerned about her. Magda never missed more than two days in a row. I won't lie, we were worried about her too. Well, it's true that she treated us so terribly, but she was our friend after all. Karolina was besieged by all of Magda's friends. However, she, as if nothing had happened, replied that she didn't know what was happening to her friend. However, after the parent-teacher meeting, everything became clear. Magda's parents came to the meeting and explained everything. It turned out, That Magda had disappeared, vanished into thin air, vanished. Her mother said her daughter had gone to her room after dinner to finish reading a book Karolinka had lent her, and when she tried to take her an apple, it was gone. I asked about the book, if it had been open to a certain chapter or something. The teacher told me that, yes, that chapter was called "The Journey Begins, Wandering Across Endless Starfields." The title was very shocking, and only after a while did I begin to connect the dots. Karolina had locked Magda in that book. The title clearly indicated this. "Wandering..." meant that Magda would stay there forever. A few weeks later, Karolina and her family moved out again. Now Karolina has her forever friend, enchanted in a book. But was it really worth it...?Karolinka had lent her an apple, and when she tried to take it to her, it was gone. I asked about the book, if perhaps it was open to a chapter or something. The teacher told me that yes, that chapter was called "The Journey Begins, Wandering Across the Endless Fields of Stars." The title was very shocking, and only after a while did I begin to connect the dots. Karolina had locked Magda in that book. The title clearly indicated this. "Wandering..." meant that Magda would stay there forever. A few weeks later, Karolina and her family moved out again. Now Karolina has her forever friend, enchanted in a book. But was it really worth it...?Karolinka had lent her an apple, and when she tried to take it to her, it was gone. I asked about the book, if perhaps it was open to a chapter or something. The teacher told me that yes, that chapter was called "The Journey Begins, Wandering Across the Endless Fields of Stars." The title was very shocking, and only after a while did I begin to connect the dots. Karolina had locked Magda in that book. The title clearly indicated this. "Wandering..." meant that Magda would stay there forever. A few weeks later, Karolina and her family moved out again. Now Karolina has her forever friend, enchanted in a book. But was it really worth it...?