hauled Keelie back behind the
jewelry booth and shook her shoulder. "You've caused
enough trouble, girl. You mud people need to stay in your
own area. If I see you here again, I'll call security."
"I didn't do anything," Keelie said, breaking free of the
woman's claws. She glared at the jeweler, who looked back
at her angrily and made another grab at her.
"Go. Get away from my shop," Tania hissed. She turned
to look at Elia, still sobbing on the path. The woman spat
on the ground and rubbed the spit into the dirt with the
tip of her shoe. She muttered something under her breath.
Over the woman's shoulder, Keelie watched Elia turn
slowly, as if smelling something in the air. She thought the
girl was looking for her, but she locked eyes with the jeweler.
Tania gasped.
Elia took one step toward her. "Do you think your
puny curses can harm me?"
The woman stepped back, pale. She really looked
afraid. Keelie was disgusted. This must have been a show
for the mundanes. She wished she'd been let in on it. That
was the lesson to remember. Everything here was fake.
Sean appeared on foot, followed by some of the knights
she'd seen earlier. Elia ran to Sean, harp strings fluttering
behind her damaged instrument. He put his arms around
her, but his eyes were on Keelie. Elia pointed toward
Keelie, then started to cry again.
Keelie backed away. Elia lifted her face from Sean's
shoulder and smiled wickedly at Keelie. As she suspected,
the tears were fake.
She was confused. Was anything real here? She quietly
wove her way through the growing throng of people and
once clear of the crowd, started to run, not caring where
she went. At this rate she'd make the long-distance track
team back home.
When her side began to ache, she stopped. She had to
gulp in several deep breaths to calm herself. She was by the
entrance towers. A family paid their admission and passed through the gates. The dad walked with two little boys
and behind them the mom pushed a little girl in a stroller.
They looked so normal.
Keelie wanted to yell, "Turn around, don't enter. This
place isn't for normal people. "
She watched as the two little boys, dressed in raincoats
and carrying wooden swords, shouted "Huzzah." Wind
whipped their hair back, and they yelled into it. Their father turned back to hurry them along.
"Rain's coming, boys. Let's get out of the mud." Above
them the sky had darkened again, and the wind brought
the smell of ozone. "Weirdest summer ever, right, guys?"
Keelie turned away from their protests that mud was
fun. It hurt to watch the happy family. Had she been like
the little toddler in the stroller? Were Mom and Zeke ever
happy together? Her dad who couldn't live away from the
woods? Dad. He wasn't a dad to her. He was her father in
name only, and he was fifteen years too late to be "Dad."
She gazed at the entrance and froze. Keelie couldn't believe what she saw. Could it be? It couldn't be. It was. An
anachronistic gadget in this feudal festival-a pay phone,
hanging on a wooden fence between the exit and the restrooms.
She reached into her pocket and found the change the
lady from the tea shop had given her. She pulled it out: a
nickel, two quarters, four pennies, and six one-dollar bills.
Hadn't she seen the toll-free collect-call commercials
on television? She'd call Elizabeth. She would make immediate arrangements for Keelie to come home once she told
her of the horrible conditions that she had to endure here.
Two men dressed in leather vests, white muslin shirts,
and cloth breeches scurried past her and out the exit.
"If she flies past the grounds, we'll never be able to
catch her," said one man. "She'll die out there."
"Aye, we'll need to alert the management. I've never
known a bird more tenacious than that one," said the other
man.
She wondered what that was about, but it didn't concern her. She was on her way home. Keelie lifted the
phone from the cradle. She stopped as she
jewelry booth and shook her shoulder. "You've caused
enough trouble, girl. You mud people need to stay in your
own area. If I see you here again, I'll call security."
"I didn't do anything," Keelie said, breaking free of the
woman's claws. She glared at the jeweler, who looked back
at her angrily and made another grab at her.
"Go. Get away from my shop," Tania hissed. She turned
to look at Elia, still sobbing on the path. The woman spat
on the ground and rubbed the spit into the dirt with the
tip of her shoe. She muttered something under her breath.
Over the woman's shoulder, Keelie watched Elia turn
slowly, as if smelling something in the air. She thought the
girl was looking for her, but she locked eyes with the jeweler.
Tania gasped.
Elia took one step toward her. "Do you think your
puny curses can harm me?"
The woman stepped back, pale. She really looked
afraid. Keelie was disgusted. This must have been a show
for the mundanes. She wished she'd been let in on it. That
was the lesson to remember. Everything here was fake.
Sean appeared on foot, followed by some of the knights
she'd seen earlier. Elia ran to Sean, harp strings fluttering
behind her damaged instrument. He put his arms around
her, but his eyes were on Keelie. Elia pointed toward
Keelie, then started to cry again.
Keelie backed away. Elia lifted her face from Sean's
shoulder and smiled wickedly at Keelie. As she suspected,
the tears were fake.
She was confused. Was anything real here? She quietly
wove her way through the growing throng of people and
once clear of the crowd, started to run, not caring where
she went. At this rate she'd make the long-distance track
team back home.
When her side began to ache, she stopped. She had to
gulp in several deep breaths to calm herself. She was by the
entrance towers. A family paid their admission and passed through the gates. The dad walked with two little boys
and behind them the mom pushed a little girl in a stroller.
They looked so normal.
Keelie wanted to yell, "Turn around, don't enter. This
place isn't for normal people. "
She watched as the two little boys, dressed in raincoats
and carrying wooden swords, shouted "Huzzah." Wind
whipped their hair back, and they yelled into it. Their father turned back to hurry them along.
"Rain's coming, boys. Let's get out of the mud." Above
them the sky had darkened again, and the wind brought
the smell of ozone. "Weirdest summer ever, right, guys?"
Keelie turned away from their protests that mud was
fun. It hurt to watch the happy family. Had she been like
the little toddler in the stroller? Were Mom and Zeke ever
happy together? Her dad who couldn't live away from the
woods? Dad. He wasn't a dad to her. He was her father in
name only, and he was fifteen years too late to be "Dad."
She gazed at the entrance and froze. Keelie couldn't believe what she saw. Could it be? It couldn't be. It was. An
anachronistic gadget in this feudal festival-a pay phone,
hanging on a wooden fence between the exit and the restrooms.
She reached into her pocket and found the change the
lady from the tea shop had given her. She pulled it out: a
nickel, two quarters, four pennies, and six one-dollar bills.
Hadn't she seen the toll-free collect-call commercials
on television? She'd call Elizabeth. She would make immediate arrangements for Keelie to come home once she told
her of the horrible conditions that she had to endure here.
Two men dressed in leather vests, white muslin shirts,
and cloth breeches scurried past her and out the exit.
"If she flies past the grounds, we'll never be able to
catch her," said one man. "She'll die out there."
"Aye, we'll need to alert the management. I've never
known a bird more tenacious than that one," said the other
man.
She wondered what that was about, but it didn't concern her. She was on her way home. Keelie lifted the
phone from the cradle. She stopped as she
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