something else too, something more, something different. My legs wobble.
“I feel—I feel—ah—”I can’t get the words out.
Someone grabs me by the waist and pulls me back into a sitting position. Big hands.
Steady hands. Nick hands. “Zara? What? What is it baby?”
“Some….uh…..some….thing…..,” I manage. “Spidery. I have a spidery feeling.”
I lift my head up, stare out the big window that shows a field, the edge of forest. It’s the same window through which I once say my pixie father stand and point at me, back before I knew he was my father. The world sways. There’s nothing there now.
“I’m sitting sideways on the chair and Nick’s squatting on the floor in front of me. His hands are on my knees and he looks into my eyes. It’s his worried face, soft and caring.
Then he shifts into commander mode. “Devyn,” he barks. “You smell anything?”
“Devyn breathes in deeply. “No. There’s too many smells in here. I can’t isolate them.”
A low growl comes out of Nick’s throat. “Me either.”
He stands up and surveys the cafeteria. His body shudders. His hand catches mine. “I don’t see him.”
“Nick?”
His body shudders again. People are noticing, staring.
“Oh crap,” Devyn says, totally out of character. “He’s turning.”
I stand up, haul Nick toward the bathroom, fast-walking through the cafeteria. “Do. Not.
Turn,” I insist. “You cannot turn here. Nobody is in danger. Do. Not. Turn.”
Issie flies out of her chair and Devyn starts after us but I’m so fast he can’t keep up. Once we get out of the cafeteria Nick stops, leans against the wall, and shudders. His voice is a plea that matches his eyes. “Zara…..”
I put my hands on either side of his face. “You aren’t going to turn. It’s okay. Everyone is safe. No pixies. Look at me. Nod, sweetie. Listen: I. Am. Safe.”
Issie and Devyn catch up to us. Nick is still shuddering like he’s freezing cold, trying to control himself. I keep my hands on his face and say, “I think he’s got it under control.”
Some freshman carrying a huge pink Lillian Vernon shoulder bag walks by and stares.
“Ho okay? You want me to get the nurse?”
Issie reassures the sweet freshman that all is okay and sort of steers her away while Devyn and I try to get Nick calm.
“That just doesn’t happen,” Devyn says. “There’s got to be a reason.”
“He changes when people are in danger,” I state the obvious. “Someone was in danger.
That’s the reason.”
“Right, but what’s the danger?” Devyn asks.
Nick swallows hard and moves his lips. It looks like he’s dying of thirst, but he says,
“That blond pixie. He was here. He was in the cafeteria. I know it.”
“But you didn’t see him,” Issie insists.
Nick’s hands reach up to touch mine. He looks at me, not Issie, and says, “I don’t have to see him. I just know.”
10
Pixie Tip
Pixies are like cats. They are not named Muffin or Mr. Cocoa Puffs, but they like to scare their prey before they kill. They think it’s fun.
We decide that we need to leave school and regroup, plan what to do next. Things aren’t right. We know that. There haven’t been any new pixies scouting out the area after a steady stream for weeks. Plus, if the blond pixie was in the cafeteria, that’s upped the stakes a bit.
I stare at the inside of my locker for a second and announce, “Patrolling isn’t good enough anymore. We’ve got to figure out what’s going on with the Valkyrie thing, and maybe hunt down the pixie king before he hunts us down.”
“None of it makes sense.” Devyn pulls out his coat from his locker.
“Hey. Where you guys going?” Cassidy asks. She appears out of thin air, I swear.
Cassidy half smiles and then she eyes me. Her pupils get a little bigger. Her skirt hem touches my jeans because she’s so close. “Zara? Are you okay?”
I nod vigorously, the way I always do when I lie. “Yeah. Why?”
My fingers
“I feel—I feel—ah—”I can’t get the words out.
Someone grabs me by the waist and pulls me back into a sitting position. Big hands.
Steady hands. Nick hands. “Zara? What? What is it baby?”
“Some….uh…..some….thing…..,” I manage. “Spidery. I have a spidery feeling.”
I lift my head up, stare out the big window that shows a field, the edge of forest. It’s the same window through which I once say my pixie father stand and point at me, back before I knew he was my father. The world sways. There’s nothing there now.
“I’m sitting sideways on the chair and Nick’s squatting on the floor in front of me. His hands are on my knees and he looks into my eyes. It’s his worried face, soft and caring.
Then he shifts into commander mode. “Devyn,” he barks. “You smell anything?”
“Devyn breathes in deeply. “No. There’s too many smells in here. I can’t isolate them.”
A low growl comes out of Nick’s throat. “Me either.”
He stands up and surveys the cafeteria. His body shudders. His hand catches mine. “I don’t see him.”
“Nick?”
His body shudders again. People are noticing, staring.
“Oh crap,” Devyn says, totally out of character. “He’s turning.”
I stand up, haul Nick toward the bathroom, fast-walking through the cafeteria. “Do. Not.
Turn,” I insist. “You cannot turn here. Nobody is in danger. Do. Not. Turn.”
Issie flies out of her chair and Devyn starts after us but I’m so fast he can’t keep up. Once we get out of the cafeteria Nick stops, leans against the wall, and shudders. His voice is a plea that matches his eyes. “Zara…..”
I put my hands on either side of his face. “You aren’t going to turn. It’s okay. Everyone is safe. No pixies. Look at me. Nod, sweetie. Listen: I. Am. Safe.”
Issie and Devyn catch up to us. Nick is still shuddering like he’s freezing cold, trying to control himself. I keep my hands on his face and say, “I think he’s got it under control.”
Some freshman carrying a huge pink Lillian Vernon shoulder bag walks by and stares.
“Ho okay? You want me to get the nurse?”
Issie reassures the sweet freshman that all is okay and sort of steers her away while Devyn and I try to get Nick calm.
“That just doesn’t happen,” Devyn says. “There’s got to be a reason.”
“He changes when people are in danger,” I state the obvious. “Someone was in danger.
That’s the reason.”
“Right, but what’s the danger?” Devyn asks.
Nick swallows hard and moves his lips. It looks like he’s dying of thirst, but he says,
“That blond pixie. He was here. He was in the cafeteria. I know it.”
“But you didn’t see him,” Issie insists.
Nick’s hands reach up to touch mine. He looks at me, not Issie, and says, “I don’t have to see him. I just know.”
10
Pixie Tip
Pixies are like cats. They are not named Muffin or Mr. Cocoa Puffs, but they like to scare their prey before they kill. They think it’s fun.
We decide that we need to leave school and regroup, plan what to do next. Things aren’t right. We know that. There haven’t been any new pixies scouting out the area after a steady stream for weeks. Plus, if the blond pixie was in the cafeteria, that’s upped the stakes a bit.
I stare at the inside of my locker for a second and announce, “Patrolling isn’t good enough anymore. We’ve got to figure out what’s going on with the Valkyrie thing, and maybe hunt down the pixie king before he hunts us down.”
“None of it makes sense.” Devyn pulls out his coat from his locker.
“Hey. Where you guys going?” Cassidy asks. She appears out of thin air, I swear.
Cassidy half smiles and then she eyes me. Her pupils get a little bigger. Her skirt hem touches my jeans because she’s so close. “Zara? Are you okay?”
I nod vigorously, the way I always do when I lie. “Yeah. Why?”
My fingers
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