her chest?
She glares at me. “Look, you can't just waltz in and expect to start going to school.”
Before I open my mouth to retort, she launches into a lecture. “You need all sorts of legal documents – like transcripts from your other schools and immunization records. Do Aos Si even get shots? Probably not if you don’t get sick. Do they go to school? And you need a mailing address in this town. You can't tell them to send paper airplanes to Neverland.”
“I don't live in Neverland,” I interrupt. “I live beyond the sidhe , in Otherworld.”
“What's a shee?”
“A sidhe is a hill. I am one of the Aos Si , a Hill Dweller. Fear-sidhe are males and bean-sidhe are females.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Hill Dweller? Is that some sort of tribe?”
“No, that’s what Aos Si means. It's a species – the one that rules Otherworld. Remember? We've gone over this already.”
“Riiiiggghhht.” The sarcasm exuding from her could be spread thickly over toast. “Yeah, still not sold on the whole faerie thing. You show me magic and then I’ll believe in faeries. Besides, Otherworld? Is that even in the United States?”
I humor her sarcasm. “I think it’s technically another dimension.”
“Oh right, a parallel universe. Oops, guess someone left the Subtle Knife lying around again.” Jeanette rolls her eyes. “Either way, Will Parry, you definitely don't belong anywhere in this school district.”
Ignoring half of what she said (because I’m certain she’s trying to goad me by calling me the wrong name – yet again), I say, “I was under the impression that yours was a private school. There are private schools for all sorts of strange things in the books you read.”
Her throat catches in a silent hiccup. Hah, I knew it was a good idea to look at those books. She bites her lip and I see her mind working to find some other way to prove that I can't go to school with her. She already has. I hadn't known I needed to provide documentation. I thought it would be enough to look like I belonged there.
“Well,” she begins, “can you afford to go to a private school? It does cost a lot of money to go to Mary Magda. Did you know that?” Her voice is coated in all sorts of honey, like she knows it would be impossible to ask Roxel for human currency. I could ask Leah, but it would cost me more than double the worth of the human money.
I don't answer. Part of me wants to smack the smug look off her face and another part of me is swelling with an odd sort of pride in her. I almost want to... kiss her . Kiss her? This prude, annoying human? What a crazy idea. Why would I want to do that? Because you can’t stop staring at her. Because she’s Lovely.
“I'll take that as a no. I’m taking a shower.” Jeanette turns and then thinks better of it. “And don’t get any ideas about showing up in the bathroom again, okay? You’ll be in so much trouble if I see you.” She leaves and I don’t dare follow her.
I'm already in trouble. Doesn't she understand? If I can't replace that rose before Roxel notices it's gone, then I'm a very dead Summer knight.
I take a long breath and let it out slowly. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It's time to cash in a few favors and make some long avoided sidhe- calls. I examine the clock on Jeanette’s bedside table. Six-thirty human time. Jeanette will be away for about eight hours. That gives me a few days on Otherworld time. I'll have to work fast.
Grabbing the remaining pancakes off the plate, I head toward the window. As I jump for the closest limb on the sycamore, Jeanette's disgust with me weasels into my chest. She won't like you any more for doing this. You know that,
She glares at me. “Look, you can't just waltz in and expect to start going to school.”
Before I open my mouth to retort, she launches into a lecture. “You need all sorts of legal documents – like transcripts from your other schools and immunization records. Do Aos Si even get shots? Probably not if you don’t get sick. Do they go to school? And you need a mailing address in this town. You can't tell them to send paper airplanes to Neverland.”
“I don't live in Neverland,” I interrupt. “I live beyond the sidhe , in Otherworld.”
“What's a shee?”
“A sidhe is a hill. I am one of the Aos Si , a Hill Dweller. Fear-sidhe are males and bean-sidhe are females.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Hill Dweller? Is that some sort of tribe?”
“No, that’s what Aos Si means. It's a species – the one that rules Otherworld. Remember? We've gone over this already.”
“Riiiiggghhht.” The sarcasm exuding from her could be spread thickly over toast. “Yeah, still not sold on the whole faerie thing. You show me magic and then I’ll believe in faeries. Besides, Otherworld? Is that even in the United States?”
I humor her sarcasm. “I think it’s technically another dimension.”
“Oh right, a parallel universe. Oops, guess someone left the Subtle Knife lying around again.” Jeanette rolls her eyes. “Either way, Will Parry, you definitely don't belong anywhere in this school district.”
Ignoring half of what she said (because I’m certain she’s trying to goad me by calling me the wrong name – yet again), I say, “I was under the impression that yours was a private school. There are private schools for all sorts of strange things in the books you read.”
Her throat catches in a silent hiccup. Hah, I knew it was a good idea to look at those books. She bites her lip and I see her mind working to find some other way to prove that I can't go to school with her. She already has. I hadn't known I needed to provide documentation. I thought it would be enough to look like I belonged there.
“Well,” she begins, “can you afford to go to a private school? It does cost a lot of money to go to Mary Magda. Did you know that?” Her voice is coated in all sorts of honey, like she knows it would be impossible to ask Roxel for human currency. I could ask Leah, but it would cost me more than double the worth of the human money.
I don't answer. Part of me wants to smack the smug look off her face and another part of me is swelling with an odd sort of pride in her. I almost want to... kiss her . Kiss her? This prude, annoying human? What a crazy idea. Why would I want to do that? Because you can’t stop staring at her. Because she’s Lovely.
“I'll take that as a no. I’m taking a shower.” Jeanette turns and then thinks better of it. “And don’t get any ideas about showing up in the bathroom again, okay? You’ll be in so much trouble if I see you.” She leaves and I don’t dare follow her.
I'm already in trouble. Doesn't she understand? If I can't replace that rose before Roxel notices it's gone, then I'm a very dead Summer knight.
I take a long breath and let it out slowly. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It's time to cash in a few favors and make some long avoided sidhe- calls. I examine the clock on Jeanette’s bedside table. Six-thirty human time. Jeanette will be away for about eight hours. That gives me a few days on Otherworld time. I'll have to work fast.
Grabbing the remaining pancakes off the plate, I head toward the window. As I jump for the closest limb on the sycamore, Jeanette's disgust with me weasels into my chest. She won't like you any more for doing this. You know that,
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