face.”
“It’s too dark,” Nick says.
“Well, it’ll have to do until you get to a pharmacy, won’t it? Unless you have some makeup hiding in that leather jacket of yours, Mr. Colt,” she says.
“Whoa. Snappy,” Dev whispers.
Her big brown eyes peer into mine, gentle but obviously worried. “None have kissed you, right?”
“Pixies?” I whisper. The thought overwhelms me.
She nods.
“No>” I shake my head and look to Issie for confirmation. “None.”
But I was
unconscious for a bit in my car
....”I would notice if they did, right?”
“Most definitely. You’d be out of it for a good long while. If you even survived…”
Mrs. Nix’s voice trails off and the office is suddenly far too silent. She finally breaks it and says, “Well, that’s a relief.”
Issie spreads some more concealer over my chin. Her fingers move in quick, soft strokes.
“It’s looking better.”
“She looks orange,” Dev says, leaning in, taking another cookie, and peering closer.
“Devyn!” Issie glares at him.
“It’s better than blue,” he says.
“True,” Issie agrees. “Now she just looks like that picture of my mom from the eighties.
She would put on all this base and not rub it in. There’d be a big white line on her chin.”
We all exchange a look because Issie totally does that too.
Mrs. Nix leans back to inspect my face. She wipes her hands against each other. “Much better.”
I force myself to look at Nick. He nods. “Beautiful,” he whispers. He is such a liar.
Mrs. Nix turns to us, eyes flashing. “You want to be dismissed?” She doesn’t even wait for an answer, just writes us all notes and files them away quick as a flash. She meets my eyes when she’s done and says, “Do. Not. Worry.”
“But—”
“I mean it, Zara. Do. Not. Worry. I’m sure this is a random fluke and it does not mean what you think it means.”
I swallow hard and lean against the counter. “You don’t think I’m—”
She holds up her hand to stop my words. “No. I do not think you are turning into a pixie.”
“You swear?” Because I don’t think I could handle that. I wouldn’t be me. I’d be all evil and my teeth would look like shark’s teeth and what if I had those needs?”
Her hand goes up straight like she’s taking an oath. Nick’s hip brushes against mine. I lean into him. Her mouth forms the words. “I promise that you are a hundred percent human, Zara. I have no doubts.”
We all ride together in Issie’s car. Nick drives. His MINI is too small for all of us plus Devyn’s gear.
Is and I sit huddled in the back together, and Nick pops open the far end to shove Dev’s braces in. He slams behind the wheel, angry and distressed. “This is crazy, Zara. I feel like we’re missing pieces of the puzzle.”
“Tell him,” Issie mouths.
I don’t want to, but I do. “Um. Nick…”
He pulls the car out of the parking space. Issie squeezes my hand tighter.
“Nick?” I try again.
“You’re going to be okay, baby. I swear. We’re going to take you to Betty, figure this out.”
I swallow. “That’s not it.”
Dev turns around in his seat to stare at us. “What it is, then?”
“Um….”
“Zara?” Nick’s voice is almost a warning.
I scrunch down a little more in my seat. “The other day Issie and I….we, um….we, um…we kind of took my father out of the house—”
“We put him right back in, though,” Issie interrupts.
“Yeah. And we wrapped him up really well in this blanket we sewed iron inside,” I add.
Is interrupts again. “And the car. He hated the car because of the steel and iron in it.
Wait. Zara, you don’t have a headache or anything, do you?”
I manage to tear my glance away from the back of Nick’s head to look at Is. “No. Why?
Oh. Because I’m in the car and I’m blue, right?”
“Zara!” Nick’s voice is a roar. Dev grabs the steering wheel. He’s nervous like that.
“I’ve got it, Devyn.”
Nick yanks the car
“It’s too dark,” Nick says.
“Well, it’ll have to do until you get to a pharmacy, won’t it? Unless you have some makeup hiding in that leather jacket of yours, Mr. Colt,” she says.
“Whoa. Snappy,” Dev whispers.
Her big brown eyes peer into mine, gentle but obviously worried. “None have kissed you, right?”
“Pixies?” I whisper. The thought overwhelms me.
She nods.
“No>” I shake my head and look to Issie for confirmation. “None.”
But I was
unconscious for a bit in my car
....”I would notice if they did, right?”
“Most definitely. You’d be out of it for a good long while. If you even survived…”
Mrs. Nix’s voice trails off and the office is suddenly far too silent. She finally breaks it and says, “Well, that’s a relief.”
Issie spreads some more concealer over my chin. Her fingers move in quick, soft strokes.
“It’s looking better.”
“She looks orange,” Dev says, leaning in, taking another cookie, and peering closer.
“Devyn!” Issie glares at him.
“It’s better than blue,” he says.
“True,” Issie agrees. “Now she just looks like that picture of my mom from the eighties.
She would put on all this base and not rub it in. There’d be a big white line on her chin.”
We all exchange a look because Issie totally does that too.
Mrs. Nix leans back to inspect my face. She wipes her hands against each other. “Much better.”
I force myself to look at Nick. He nods. “Beautiful,” he whispers. He is such a liar.
Mrs. Nix turns to us, eyes flashing. “You want to be dismissed?” She doesn’t even wait for an answer, just writes us all notes and files them away quick as a flash. She meets my eyes when she’s done and says, “Do. Not. Worry.”
“But—”
“I mean it, Zara. Do. Not. Worry. I’m sure this is a random fluke and it does not mean what you think it means.”
I swallow hard and lean against the counter. “You don’t think I’m—”
She holds up her hand to stop my words. “No. I do not think you are turning into a pixie.”
“You swear?” Because I don’t think I could handle that. I wouldn’t be me. I’d be all evil and my teeth would look like shark’s teeth and what if I had those needs?”
Her hand goes up straight like she’s taking an oath. Nick’s hip brushes against mine. I lean into him. Her mouth forms the words. “I promise that you are a hundred percent human, Zara. I have no doubts.”
We all ride together in Issie’s car. Nick drives. His MINI is too small for all of us plus Devyn’s gear.
Is and I sit huddled in the back together, and Nick pops open the far end to shove Dev’s braces in. He slams behind the wheel, angry and distressed. “This is crazy, Zara. I feel like we’re missing pieces of the puzzle.”
“Tell him,” Issie mouths.
I don’t want to, but I do. “Um. Nick…”
He pulls the car out of the parking space. Issie squeezes my hand tighter.
“Nick?” I try again.
“You’re going to be okay, baby. I swear. We’re going to take you to Betty, figure this out.”
I swallow. “That’s not it.”
Dev turns around in his seat to stare at us. “What it is, then?”
“Um….”
“Zara?” Nick’s voice is almost a warning.
I scrunch down a little more in my seat. “The other day Issie and I….we, um….we, um…we kind of took my father out of the house—”
“We put him right back in, though,” Issie interrupts.
“Yeah. And we wrapped him up really well in this blanket we sewed iron inside,” I add.
Is interrupts again. “And the car. He hated the car because of the steel and iron in it.
Wait. Zara, you don’t have a headache or anything, do you?”
I manage to tear my glance away from the back of Nick’s head to look at Is. “No. Why?
Oh. Because I’m in the car and I’m blue, right?”
“Zara!” Nick’s voice is a roar. Dev grabs the steering wheel. He’s nervous like that.
“I’ve got it, Devyn.”
Nick yanks the car
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