Tylwyth smiled at the scene. “Funny, I don’t remember Tenley ever having little accidents like that. I used to joke with her that she was born with bubble wrap around her. She just never seemed to get hurt.”
Pennie shuffled in her seat. “I remember.”
“You do?” Mrs. Tylwyth turned to her, frowning.
“I mean, yeah. Because Gerty told me that, too. She told me everything about you guys.”
Mrs. Tylwyth beamed. “Actually it doesn’t surprise me that Gerty told you all about Tenley. Those two were very close.”
“Gerty sure did love her.”
“Did she tell you about the time that Tenley nearly fell off her bike and broke her arm?”
“But she didn’t break her arm. Or fall off her bike,” Pennie remembered.
“It was close though,” Mrs. Tylwyth agreed. “To this day, we still don’t know how that bike managed to keep itself upright like that. It was like the wind caught her, which sounds crazy, I know.”
“Crazy,” Pennie mumbled.
“And then there was the time that a horse came this close to running her over.”
“Horse?”
“Let me think now, it was at some kind of event.”
“The pony rides!” Pennie said, immediately regretting it. Was Mrs. Tylwyth going to believe Gerty told her all of this?
Luckily, Mrs. Tylwyth appeared to be lost in her memories. “Pony rides, that’s right. One got loose and ran straight for her. She was only about four years old. It stopped a few inches in front of her and then just, zip , practically flew backwards. That was strange.”
“Yeah. Really strange.”
“There was the time in Super Toys, too. As soon as we got there, torrential rain came out of nowhere. It was like a mini hurricane right over the store. Later we learned it had only sprinkled everywhere else. Anyway, while we were waiting for the storm to pass I couldn’t find Tenley.The manager called the police and they finally found her tucked away behind a shelf of Barbies, taking every one out of their boxes. She had gone through almost all the boxes by the time we found her. Did Gerty tell you about that?”
Pennie nodded. A sticky feeling started in her stomach. How could she have let Tenley be so reckless with her element? Turning a slight rainfall into a hurricane over the store so she could play with all those Barbies. It seemed so innocent at the time.
“It’s as if Tenley has always had some sort of Fairy Godmother watching out for her.” Mrs. Tylwyth giggled. “Silly thought, I know.”
“Very silly,” Pennie said quietly. The Fairships were right. Tenley could have been discovered by Mother Nature dozens of times by now. Pennie had only ever wanted to see her client happy and using her element always managed to do that. Growing up without a father was hard; the least Pennie could do was let her have a bit of fun with her power. But she’d gone too far.
“Pennie, dear. Did you hear me?” Mrs. Tylwyth was staring at her. “I was saying that Gerty did a good job raising you.”
“Mom!” Tenley waved from a kiosk in the middle of the mall. Tranquility Stones for your Water Fixtures was on the sign. Shiny stones were piled up high.
“Coming!” Mrs. Tylwyth got to her feet. “Ready, Pennie dear?”
Pennie struggled to stand. When she got back to Fair City, she was going to have to start working out at the Asteroid gym.
“Mom, wouldn’t this look great in my nail tutorial?” Tenley held out a smooth oval rock with WISDOM etched into it. “I could hold my hand over it like this?” She petted the rock. “Or I could use this?” She picked up another rock. This one read, THINK.
“Think? ” Mrs. Tylwyth chuckled. “What’s tranquil about that?”
The brunette with the blond tips walked around from the neighboring kiosk. Her posse of girls appeared behind her with the same snarky grins on their faces. “Almost too good. Am I right? An ugly mom and a loser sister for the beauty queen wannabe.”
Tenley’s face drained. She turned to the girl, gripping
Pennie shuffled in her seat. “I remember.”
“You do?” Mrs. Tylwyth turned to her, frowning.
“I mean, yeah. Because Gerty told me that, too. She told me everything about you guys.”
Mrs. Tylwyth beamed. “Actually it doesn’t surprise me that Gerty told you all about Tenley. Those two were very close.”
“Gerty sure did love her.”
“Did she tell you about the time that Tenley nearly fell off her bike and broke her arm?”
“But she didn’t break her arm. Or fall off her bike,” Pennie remembered.
“It was close though,” Mrs. Tylwyth agreed. “To this day, we still don’t know how that bike managed to keep itself upright like that. It was like the wind caught her, which sounds crazy, I know.”
“Crazy,” Pennie mumbled.
“And then there was the time that a horse came this close to running her over.”
“Horse?”
“Let me think now, it was at some kind of event.”
“The pony rides!” Pennie said, immediately regretting it. Was Mrs. Tylwyth going to believe Gerty told her all of this?
Luckily, Mrs. Tylwyth appeared to be lost in her memories. “Pony rides, that’s right. One got loose and ran straight for her. She was only about four years old. It stopped a few inches in front of her and then just, zip , practically flew backwards. That was strange.”
“Yeah. Really strange.”
“There was the time in Super Toys, too. As soon as we got there, torrential rain came out of nowhere. It was like a mini hurricane right over the store. Later we learned it had only sprinkled everywhere else. Anyway, while we were waiting for the storm to pass I couldn’t find Tenley.The manager called the police and they finally found her tucked away behind a shelf of Barbies, taking every one out of their boxes. She had gone through almost all the boxes by the time we found her. Did Gerty tell you about that?”
Pennie nodded. A sticky feeling started in her stomach. How could she have let Tenley be so reckless with her element? Turning a slight rainfall into a hurricane over the store so she could play with all those Barbies. It seemed so innocent at the time.
“It’s as if Tenley has always had some sort of Fairy Godmother watching out for her.” Mrs. Tylwyth giggled. “Silly thought, I know.”
“Very silly,” Pennie said quietly. The Fairships were right. Tenley could have been discovered by Mother Nature dozens of times by now. Pennie had only ever wanted to see her client happy and using her element always managed to do that. Growing up without a father was hard; the least Pennie could do was let her have a bit of fun with her power. But she’d gone too far.
“Pennie, dear. Did you hear me?” Mrs. Tylwyth was staring at her. “I was saying that Gerty did a good job raising you.”
“Mom!” Tenley waved from a kiosk in the middle of the mall. Tranquility Stones for your Water Fixtures was on the sign. Shiny stones were piled up high.
“Coming!” Mrs. Tylwyth got to her feet. “Ready, Pennie dear?”
Pennie struggled to stand. When she got back to Fair City, she was going to have to start working out at the Asteroid gym.
“Mom, wouldn’t this look great in my nail tutorial?” Tenley held out a smooth oval rock with WISDOM etched into it. “I could hold my hand over it like this?” She petted the rock. “Or I could use this?” She picked up another rock. This one read, THINK.
“Think? ” Mrs. Tylwyth chuckled. “What’s tranquil about that?”
The brunette with the blond tips walked around from the neighboring kiosk. Her posse of girls appeared behind her with the same snarky grins on their faces. “Almost too good. Am I right? An ugly mom and a loser sister for the beauty queen wannabe.”
Tenley’s face drained. She turned to the girl, gripping
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