by F. T. Lukens
“No way! I’m not leaving you!”
Pavel scowled, but didn’t argue. Grabbing Summer by the elbow, Pavel pushed Bridger hard, and he stumbled through the inky swirl of magic. Squeezed on all sides, warmth rushing over him, Bridger went from the middle of a cornfield in Wexford to the familiar surroundings of Pavel’s attic. Popping out of the closet, Bridger fell into Astrid’s arms. Dragging Summer, Pavel appeared right behind him. The closet door slammed shut.
Astrid stared. “Uh? What?”
“Don’t ask,” Bridger slurred, using Astrid as a crutch. He fingered the wound in his side and raised his hand. His fingertips were stained with blood. “Oh,” he said, his side burning. His head swam as adrenaline left him in a rush. He took a small step, then promptly passed out.
Chapter 15
Bridger woke to shouting. A cacophony of voices, all clamoring over each other, each trying to be louder than the next, assaulted his slowly burgeoning consciousness. It wasn’t the greatest way to wake up, but considering he’d taken damage from sharp claws and a free-wheeling tumble, shouting was better than, say, a really sore body.
But yeah, there was that too. Oh fuck. There really was that. Everything hurt in a way that Bridger hadn’t hurt before. His side throbbed. His joints ached. His muscles burned.
He twitched, then groaned, because—holy hell. No. Don’t move. Do not pass Go. Do not collect the more than two hundred dollars Pavel owed him for this. Because this had crisis pay written all over it. Wait. No. Do collect the money. He needed it for school. And maybe he should sit in jail for three turns to rest while everyone else took their chances on the board. He hoped Summer landed on Boardwalk with three hotels. It would serve her right. Pressure on his chest quieted his thoughts.
“Don’t even think of moving,” Leo said. “Not until Nia and Bran say you can.”
Bridger opened his eyes to slits and stared at the concerned face of his boyfriend and the black puff of fur that was his magical cat, both of which hovered over him. Tail curled around her paws, large ears pricked forward, Marv sat on his chest. Leo smiled softly, but he looked like hell, uncharacteristically disheveled. His hand splayed across Bridger’s collarbone.
“Leo?”
“Yeah.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Watching over my boyfriend while the pixies work their magical healing and everyone else fights it out in the study.”
Bridger lifted his head. He was stretched out on Pavel’s couch, the one that smelled a little weird and had cushions that were divine. Literally. They’d been blessed by some minor deity whom Pavel knew well. Lying there was what sleeping on a cloud must feel like.
“What’s going on?”
Leo shrugged. “All I know is that you stumbled through the portal bleeding and covered in mud, then passed out. The pixies cleaned and bandaged your side, and I helped change you out of your wet clothes.”
Bridger peered down at his body. An old blanket was tucked around him, obscuring his wounds from view, but he didn’t need to see them to know they were there. The sharp and noticeable pain was enough evidence.
“What does the yelling sound like?”
“Intense. And I’m glad I’m not involved. Astrid and Elena are a scary team.”
Bridger winced at the picture in his head and pitied Summer for a hot second before remembering her taking video on her cell while they were running for their lives.
“I told you to call me when he woke up!” Bran’s blue, tiny body shot into Bridger’s line of sight; sparkles trailed after him.
“He only woke up a few seconds ago. Don’t worry. I was going to tell you.”
“He needs to drink Grandma Alice’s fortifying tea. And he needs more salve.” Bran flew close to Bridger’s nose, and Bridger’s eyes crossed.
“What’s going on in there?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Bran darted around, picking up another blanket and unfolding it across Bridger’s legs. “Are you warm enough?”
“Yeah.”
Bran gave a sharp nod. “Good. I don’t want our human to get too cold.” He fussed with Bridger’s pillow, then sped off in a shower of blue. His tinny voice echoed after him. “He’s awake! Now, stop fighting before you upset him!”
“Is Bran a pixie or a mother hen?” Leo asked.
“Both. Pretty sure they’re not mutually exclusive.” Bridger squirmed. “Can you help me up?” Leo looked doubtful, but Bridger gave him his best pleading look. “Please?”
“Fine. But when Bran comes back, tell him it was your idea. I don’t want to be yelled at.”
Gritting his teeth, Bridger struggled into a sitting position with Leo’s assistance. Marv meowed, then jumped onto the back of the couch, curling around Bridger’s neck. He would’ve petted her but didn’t think he could lift his arm. Leo piled pillows at his back and draped another blanket over his shoulders, tucking it around Bridger with sharp jabs. Marv’s tail curled around Bridger’s ear; her face pushed into his cheek.
“Better?”
No. His head swam. His body was one huge bruise. But Bridger wasn’t going to admit to it. “Yeah.”
Leo smoothed the corner of the blanket. “So are you going to tell me what led to a panicked phone call from Astrid? Or do I have to guess?”
Bridger groaned again; his head thumped onto the back of the couch.
“Are you in pain?” Features drawn in concern, Pavel appeared in the doorway. He entered the room, followed by Elena, Astrid, and Summer.
Bridger shrank back into the cushions, feeling small and vulnerable, and not all that happy to see anyone. He clutched the blanket, grateful someone had found him a T-shirt and pajama bottoms, not grateful that they obviously came from Pavel’s wardrobe.
“Yeah, I’m in pain. I was mauled by a very large Dogman.”
“You weren’t mauled.” Summer crossed her arms. She was still caked in mud, and her hair had come loose from the ponytail and was falling, sodden, in her face.
Elena growled at her, eyes flashing. “You don’t talk to him.”
“Yeah,” Astrid echoed, eyes narrowed. “Pipe down, Reporter Barbie.”
Pavel pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is what I was trying to get across to you, Miss Lore. Magic is troublesome. Myths are dangerous. You can’t tromp over centuries of work and research and not expect to experience consequences. This time the consequences were a scary evening and a banged-up assistant, but next time, it could be much worse.”
“Hey!” Bridger sat up straighter, then winced. “This is worse enough, thank you.”
Summer frowned. “If you’d been truthful with me from the beginning, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Maybe,” Pavel admitted. “Or something worse would have. We can’t guess at alternate realities. I can only do my job. And it’s my job to protect cryptids and myths and magic-folk, and I take it very seriously. Exposing them to the world would only end in chaos and in their destruction. I won’t allow it.”
“I think what Pavel is trying to say,” Leo said, hand clasped with Bridger’s, “is that you may be strong enough to know and accept the truth, Miss Lore, but there are others who aren’t. Others who would react in ways we can’t predict. We’d be risking lives if the information we know became public.” Bridger squeezed Leo’s hand. “Maybe in the future the world will be ready, but it isn’t now, and, really, that’s not Pavel’s call to make. In the end, it would be a choice of the individuals themselves, and, if or when that happens, you’ll be one of the people to call.”
Bridger couldn’t have been prouder of Leo. His heart swelled, and if he could’ve bent at the waist without ripping bandages, he would’ve kissed him. As it was, he clutched Leo’s hand to his chest and smiled widely.
“Also consider that, if the myth world is exposed, Pavel loses everything.” Elena gestured to the
house around her. “His job. His family. His life. From one bitch to another, you surely can’t be that cruel.”
The stubborn clench of Summer’s jaw softened. “I didn’t see it that way. Tonight has been eye-opening in more ways than one. Reporters are taught to uncover the truth no matter the cost. I haven’t much thought of how it would affect others.” She swiped at a streak of mud on her overalls.
“You should continue to do that when it comes to politics,” Astrid said. “Seriously. But on this, maybe a half-truth would work best?”
“I think we can work something out,” Summer said. “I have plenty of footage and interviews. We can develop a few half-truths that will be fair to everyone.” She rested her hand on Pavel’s arm. “Thank you for saving me tonight.”
Pavel gulped. “You’re welcome.”
Clearing his throat loudly, Bridger pointed to himself. “Excuse me? What about me? I literally pushed you out of the way and then dragged your ungrateful ass through a cornfield.”
“Thank you too, Bridger. And I apologize for making the last few weeks of your life hell.”
“Apology in consideration.” Leo pinched him. “Fine! Apology accepted. Kind of. I’m tired. And I’m injured. And I have school tomorrow, and my folklore paper is due.”
Pavel’s frown returned, chasing away the nervous smile he’d worn when Summer touched his arm. “Nia is brewing tea, and, after you drink it, you should sleep.”
“I’ll proofread your paper,” Astrid said. “And I’ll cover with your mom.”
“Let’s leave the teens to their romcom,” Elena said. “The three of us will convene in the study.” Despite her words, Elena trailed her fingertips over Bridger’s shoulders before she sashayed out of the room. Summer followed, leaving a trail of drying mud, and casting a glance over her shoulder.
“Bridger?” Pavel asked, fingers knotted. “How are you feeling? Do you need anything else? Another blanket? Snacks? Pizza with pineapple?”
“I’m fine, Pavel. Really. I’m sore and tired, but I know how the pixie salve works, and if you give me another blanket I’m going to drown in fabric.”
“All right, then. I, I’m proud of how you handled yourself tonight.”
Bridger blushed. “It was nothing.”
“No, it was everything. You listened when you should have and you kept your wits about you and you saved Summer and yourself. You did everything correctly. And I’m proud to have you as my assistant.” Marv squeaked. “I’m proud of you too, Marv. You performed your duty admirably.”
Bridger rubbed his cheek on Marv’s fur. “Pavel, if I could stand, I’d hug you.”
“No,” Pavel said, raising his hands. “Stay where you are. We’ll hug later. Maybe.”
Bridger laughed, then wished he hadn’t when his whole body twitched in pain. “Okay. Later.”
“Oh, if you want to contact your mother, you’ll need to step outside.” He looked at the ceiling. “The house is blocking signals right now. I felt it was a needed precaution.”
“The house can do that?”
Pavel nodded. “The house has a few magical settings that can render technology useless.”
“Huh. That’s clever.” If Summer wanted to upload her shaky camera footage to the Internet, the house wasn’t going to let her.
Pavel winked then left.
A second later, Nia flew in, a cup of tea balanced on her head. She shoved it in Bridger’s face. “Drink.”
He did. And seconds later, his eyelids began to droop, and his entire body relaxed into the couch. Leo lowered him to the pillow. Nia shooed both Leo and Astrid to the door, though Bridger held Leo’s hand until the last minute.
He had school tomorrow. He had graduation bearing down on him. He still hadn’t figured out his dad dilemma. But at least, the myth world was safe.
* * *
“Rise and shine,” Pavel called as he flung open the musty curtains. Sunlight poured into the small room with the couch, and Bridger grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it over his head. Marv let out a loud meow when she was dislodged from her place in the crook of Bridger’s arm. “Astrid will be here in thirty minutes to take you to school. You need to eat breakfast and to freshen up before then.”
“Go away,” Bridger said through the fabric. “I’m injured.”
“Yes. You are, but you also have a paper to turn in, one that you need to graduate, if I remember correctly, so up and at them.”
“Why are you so cheery? Don’t you sleep until noon most days?”
“My sleeping habits are not your concern.”
“That’s a yes if I ever heard one.” Pavel tugged the blanket from Bridger’s grasp, and Bridger squinted against the sun. “Seriously? Just let me skip today. I can afford an absence.”
“No. The last days of your high school career are important, and you shouldn’t miss them.” Pavel tossed a towel at Bridger’s head. “Astrid is bringing clothes. Let the pixies attend you, then hop in the shower while I make breakfast.”
“Ugh.” Bridger sat up and immediately slumped forward. “What happened? Did you and Summer…” He made a face. “Never mind. I don’t want to know what happened between you and her.”
Pavel rolled his eyes. “Nothing, for your information. Other than that she agreed to leave town. Elena erased the footage from Summer’s phone, then crushed it. I had to give her money for a replacement, but, otherwise, I count the night a success.”
Bridger frowned and gestured toward his side. “Claws.”
“Well, yes, other than that.” Pavel put his hands on his hips. “Anything else you need before I send in Nia and Bran?”
Bridger scrubbed a hand through his hair, then over his face, knuckling the sleep from his eyes. He envied Marv, who had found a patch of sunlight, curled into a fluffy ball, and was purring herself back to sleep. “Yeah. Just one. Can you come to my graduation next weekend?”
Pavel stopped short. “You want me to attend your graduation?”
“Yeah. This is me. Inviting you. And Elena. And Mindy if she wants. She probably doesn’t want. But you. Definitely. Like, it’d be awesome. And it’s not just my graduation, but Astrid’s and Leo’s too. It’d be great. You could be like the weird uncle that shows up that everyone calls uncle but may or may not be actually related.” Bridger snapped his mouth shut and grimaced at the ramble, but Pavel didn’t appear to mind. In fact, he beamed.
For someone who rarely emoted happiness beyond small smirks, he looked a little creepy with his face stretched into a huge smile, but Bridger went with it.
“I’d be honored, Bridger. I’ll bring Elena.”
“Awesome. I think I have an invitation in my bag with all the information. Which is in here somewhere.”
“I think it’s in the kitchen. I’ll bring it to you.” Pavel turned to leave but stuttered to a stop. “Should I bring a gift?”
“No, no. You have already given me a magic cat and a paycheck. That’s plenty.”
He nodded. “All right, then. I’m sending in the pixies. Be ready.”
Bridger was never ready for the pixies. Nia and Bran were too unpredictable and too swift for Bridger to calculate their moves. He endured their poking and prodding and another round of salve after he emerged from the shower.
That’s how Astrid found him, towel tucked around his waist, standing in a bathroom clouded with steam while two flittering magical creatures wrapped bandages around his torso.
“I can’t even,” she said, hand over her mouth. “I’d take a picture but, even then, no one would believe me.”
“Hey, it’s happening to me, and I hardly believe it.”
“Ingrate,” Nia muttered, tying off a bandage with more force than necessary.
Bridger winced. “Hey. Careful. I’m damaged goods.”
Bran flew in Bridger’s face. “Yes, we know. An
d if you think Larry is going to get his customary solstice gift this year, then you are very wrong.”
“No gift,” Nia agreed.
Bridger grunted as he slipped on the shirt Astrid handed him. “Is that what you two do with all that cosmetic money?”
Nia narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you worry about that. Now shoo. Go to school.”
Bran dropped a jar of the salve into Bridger’s bag, then zipped it up. “There. For when you’re at home. Take care of yourself and mirror us if you’re still sore in two days.”
“Great. Thanks. Now, can everyone leave while I put on my pants?”
* * *
Bridger made it through his last day of high school. Technically, it wasn’t the last day, but due to a combination of A’s and B’s and good attendance and being a senior, Bridger didn’t have to take any of his final exams, which meant he was officially done.
He didn’t all-out weep when he walked out of the front doors of Midden High the way a few of the seniors did, but he did tear up. And he did take the obligatory selfies with Astrid and Leo and then with Zeke and Luke in front of the school. His phone loaded with pictures, and his backpack empty save for the compact mirror, a jar of pixie medicine, and the myth field book, Bridger regarded the high school with a mixture of fondness, gratitude, and relief.
He’d made it out alive and mostly intact, which is really all he ever wanted to begin with. The best friend and the boyfriend were bonuses.
Leo draped his arm around Bridger’s shoulders. “You okay?”
“Yeah. It’s just weird,” Bridger said for lack of a better term. He shrugged. “Like it’s over.”
“Nah,” Leo said, giving Bridger a squeeze. “It’s just beginning.”
“Did you read that on a Hallmark card?”
“My abuela maybe said it over the phone to me last night. By the way, she’s flying in from Puerto Rico on Thursday and is super-excited to meet you.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Wow. That’s different.”
“She is fiercely open-minded. It’s my meemaw on the other side who, well, she’s not coming so you don’t have to worry about her.”