Paranormal After Dark

by Rebecca Hamilton

  Dekram thought, I'm almost positive Mirg and Bacs have Fire fairy in their lineage—probably all Soahc's friends have some demon blood running through their veins. Her wings vibrated and red sprinkles dusted the floor in front of the secretary's desk.

  Mrs. Edia, a middle-aged Earth fairy with curly black hair and overly large wings, walked up and stared at the red fairy dust on the floor. She huffed her way into the chair behind her desk and then glared at Dekram. "Four marks this month, young lady." She scribbled on a piece of paper. "Three more and you spend mission's week at home. Go on in. They're waiting for you." She waved her off and then motioned an office monitor over. "Can you please get the broom and clean this mess up, Dren?"

  Dren pushed horn-rimmed glasses up his nose, grabbed the broom and jumped right to it. His friend, Keeg, flew behind him with a dustpan.

  Mirg shot Bacs a set of grim eyes. "You know, back in human history, they'd impale those of lower stature for insubordination." She tsked at Dekram. "They would shove a long stake-"

  Over a background of keyboards clicking, file cabinet drawers sliding, phones ringing, and papers shuffling, Mrs. Edia cleared her throat loud enough to get Mirg's attention.

  Mirg took in a long dramatic breath. "But Dekram'll probably just get another deficiency mark." She glared at the secretary. "Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice," Mirg mumbled, and then paused to smile at the clerk before mouthing, "Beetlejuice."

  Bacs covered his face with the papers in his hand and snickered. "Yep, another one down, two more to go."

  Dekram's wings flickered angry-red as she buzzed toward Principal Nrets' cubicle, knowing everyone in the office would hear the conversation that was about to take place.

  Her mother, Diuqil, stood by the principal's desk. She wore a drab twig outfit over a slug-skinned algae and tan colored body. Her dreadlocked, brown and moss green hair wiggled around a circular face as though it had a life of its own. So not appealing, Dekram thought.

  The minute her mother saw her, brows met over angry, apple-green eyes. "I knew when I saw the empty shopping bag and price tags in your bedroom trash container, you'd worn that blouse! It's very inappropriate, especially for school. We talked about this, young lady—you were supposed to return it today. If your father…"

  Dekram landed on a yellow and white mushroom in the far corner of the office and shot Nrets a look of embarrassment. "All the kids dress-"

  "I don't care what all the other kids wear," Diuqil snapped, arms slinging algae on the floor. "You will not dress like a, a-"

  With a sharp phlegmy cough, and wings mottling shades of fall color, Principal Nrets nipped a possible uncomplimentary adjective. He pushed a hemp rug in Diuqil's direction. "You're dripping." Like most of the staff at the school, Nrets was an Earth fairy and although they tend to be more nurturing, Nrets was a stern nurturer.

  Water sprites were not known for their housekeeping skills. Diuqil stepped on the rug and shook. "Sorry, just left the pond, been harvesting mosquito eggs all morning."

  Dekram heard snickers in the outer office and knew this conversation would be all over the school before lunch. "Do we have to discuss this now? Can't we wait until I get home?" she asked, wishing her mother would just leave, and trying to cover more of her stomach with her splayed fingers.

  "No-we-can-not! I will not have you blatantly disobeying me." She reached into a burlap bag hanging on her arm, adjusted a jar half-filled with water and floating foam, pulled out a soiled purple t-shirt, and tossed it at Dekram. "Put this on and give me that blouse."

  Dekram's wings fluttered in a cloud of pink sprinkles. She gripped the shirt. "Could you have picked a more clashing color?" She asked, and immediately regretted it. Water Sprites are colorblind. Dekram gritted her teeth, knowing she probably shouldn't have drawn attention to that, but when she got flustered, words just popped out of her mouth before her brain caught up.

  Diuqil stomped a barefoot on the hemp rug, sending slimy water droplets into the air, then whipped a finger at the office bathroom. "For the love of larvae, move it. I need to get back to the swamp before the dragonflies start another feeding frenzy."

  More snickers erupted on the other side of the wall. Dekram's arms turned bright red and color moved quickly over her shoulders and neck then puddled on her face in ugly patches.

  Mr. Nrets pushed his horned-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his hawk-like nose as he toe-cleaned some moist slimy spots on the floor. "I strongly suggest that you do what your mother says without further conflict. Your next class begins in fifteen minutes. Mrs. Evol will be handing out mock mission assignments. You wouldn't want to miss yours, would you?"

  The principal's eyes wandered to the pink fairy dust settling around the base of the yellow and white mushroom. "Today's visit has already won you another deficiency mark. Control is very important if you wish to be accepted in the Human Services Department. Unlike here, the department has a no tolerance level."

  Dekram stared at the dust, thinking, Nope, I probably won two marks, counting the mess in the outer office. She batted her long black lashes and sighed. "Yes, Sir." Without another comment, she flew through a tiny hole in the wall to change.

  Laying a palm on the center of her chest, eyes closed, she worked the gift of glamour that all fairies were born with. The blouse melted from her body and reformed in her hand. She grabbed the t-shirt. I won't be doing some menial job, like gathering stupid herbs and flowers with Earth fairies, or skimming mosquito larvae like my mother for the rest of my life. I will be an HS field agent! Laying the t-shirt on her chest, Dekram felt the garment mold over her body, and softly tugged her wings until the shirt melted under and around them.

  The first bell rang, and as Dekram turned to leave through the shimmering ring that lead into the hall, she heard the principal softly say, "Diuqil, we all have concerns, and being her…mother, I assume you feel more responsible. However, overreacting to small situations such as this could jeopardize everything."

  Dekram's mother said, "But her lack of a relationship with Detaf and the evident relationship simmering with the-"

  Detaf??? What the heck? The way Detaf had just stood up for her in class rushed her memory, but Mr. Nrets' words pulled her back into the conversation.

  "...I assure you this is an area we are watching very closely," the principal said. "Everyone is pushing the experiment toward a climax."

  Experiment? Dekram bolted for the exit, heart sinking. Is that what I am—the half-breed experiment? Are they wondering if I will have both my parent's powers? And what's with Detaf?

  As she darted toward class feeling weighted by the conversation, Dekram thought, What if I can't even go through the impin' portal? "Well, I sure hope my mother's inability to stay on the right side of the tracks didn't rob me of that, too!"

  A few minutes later, Dekram flew into class and headed directly to her seat in the back of the room as the last bell rang. Layol was already sitting at the desk beside hers. At least Layol doesn't think I'm an anomaly.

  Her friend was beautiful, with pastel-colored wings and the delicate sky-blue body typical of Air fairies. She had almond-shaped navy-blue eyes, lavender brows, corn powder hair, full deep purple lips, and a pale blue tongue with a gold stud through the tip. Layol's favorite color was pink; today she wore an asymmetrical, gauzy, pale pink dress and deep fuchsia hip boots.

  "Heard you sprinkled old lady Edia's desk and got ya another deficiency mark," Layol said.

  "Two," Dekram dropped her head, "and it was the floor in front of her desk."

  "Swell. One more, gal-pal, and you're yesterday's fairytale."

  "I know," Dekram said, "and, this time, I blew it. Not my moth-"

  "Yep, I heard that too," Layol said, staring pointedly at Dekram's purple shirt. "Soahc and her caustic bunch were exchanging text messages from Bacs and Mirg and being very verbal about it in the hall before class."

  "Oh, Peter's woody!" Dekram sighed as she tried to twist her t-shirt into a knot to hide most of the m
uck her mother had gotten all over the front.

  Layol grinned. "Don't go gettin' all lewd-Disney on me." She laughed, shook her head and said, "Oh yeah, that looks sooo much better," pointing at the wad of material settled in the center of Dekram's chest. "How about this?" Layol pulled a light blue, loosely knit shawl out of her backpack and handed it to Dekram.

  "Sh-yeah-right, like the color of my pants isn't already screaming at my shirt. I put that on and there's gonna be a riot."

  "What got ya the second mark?" Layol stuffed the shawl back in her backpack.

  "I sprinkled in Nrets' cubical."

  "Pixie-girl, you've got some control issues," Layol said, and when the teacher clapped her hands and called the class to order, she whispered, "Well, at least homeroom is a no Soahc zone. No wasp brigade, either."

  "Yeah, one hour out of my day," Dekram whispered back, "right before lunch where they all gather and rapid fire the insults."

  "All right, class." Mrs. Evol said, getting everyone's attention. "I've paired you off and assigned a different mock mission to each pair. The academy will be sending out three groups over the next couple of weeks. When each pair from our classroom returns, we will discuss their missions before moving on to the next group."

  Mrs. Evol folded her slender fingers together on top of her desk and the lacy Victorian collar of her crisp white blouse cupped her neck like Prairie Larkspur petals. "Does anyone have any questions before I begin handing them out?"

  Not even a fluttering wing disturbed the edgy anticipation.

  "All right then," Mrs. Evol said, crossing her legs under a black silk skirt. "As I call your name, come forward and pick up your folders."

  Dekram grabbed Layol's hand and an electric crackle of hopeful understanding passed between them.

  By the time the teacher was halfway through the third group, Dekram's wings hummed with excitement.

  "You're cutting off the circulation in my fingers," Layol giggled.

  "I can't help it!"

  "I know! We're gonna be on-"

  "Dekram and Layol."

  Both fairies bolted into the air, slapped hands, let out shrill giggles, and whipped over classmate's heads toward the teacher's desk.

  Detaf threw down his pencil and the teacher quickly challenged his outburst with a furrowed brow and then addressed Dekram and Layol with encouragement. "Let's hope your enthusiasm carries you through your mission."

  "Pan's pledge!" Layol said, grabbing her folder.

  Dekram slid her own folder under her arm and gave Mrs. Evol a quick hug.

  With their heads together in a mess of mingling hair and quivering wings, the girls did a chaotic hummingbird dance all the way back to their desks.

  Chapter 2

  DEKRAM STOPPED IN front of the restroom door and handed off her books to Layol. "I'll be right out," she said.

  "Meet me at the lockers. I gotta grab something," her friend shouted over her shoulder as she detoured away from the lunchroom and down the hall.

  A few minutes later, as Dekram exited a bathroom stall, a swarm of fairies flew through the entrance and gathered by the far wall.

  Standing in front of a long mirror opposite the stalls, Dekram tried not to stare at the group's reflection. While she undid the knot on her t-shirt, she caught short glimpses of the snarky looks they kept tossing her way, and averted her gaze. She yanked a handful of dried sawgrass from a dispenser, passed it under a trickle of water over the sink and rubbed at the biggest stain on the front of her t-shirt.

  A squee of delight made her eyes jump to the mirror in time to see a Fire fairy hug a cell phone to her chest. Heads joined, hushed words blended unintelligible whispers, and wings buzzed excited anticipation as the Fire fairy's fingers moved swiftly over the phone's keypad.

  What's Fire doing here? They're not allowed in the school. Dekram wet the sawgrass again and attacked the stain more aggressively.

  An Earth fairy darted and squealed as Soahc and Etah blew into the bathroom, and all conversation ceased.

  "Can you believe this?" touted the Fire fairy, wings enthusiastically invisible and her hand waving attention to Dekram at the sink.

  Soahc gifted Fire with a brief smile, flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and glared at Dekram. "Doing laundry in a public sink is disgusting, half-breed. Doesn't Mommy do it for you? Or is she too busy with her pond scum duties?"

  Crap, Fire called her and told her I was here, and the rest of the fairies allowed it. Dekram lifted her eyes to the mirror, hand frozen, still gripping damp sawgrass.

  "Yeah, now the sink'll need disinfectin'—true dat. You know I'm not usin' it," the Fire Fairy ballyhooed while passing the cell phone to a Water Fairy with moss-green skin. "Ain't nobody using it after that video goes viral in about…oh," she nodded her head at the moss-green fairy, "two seconds—hear me?" The Water Fairy nodded, thumb on the send button.

  "Since pond-scummy-mummy clearly hasn't educated you in the proper personal hygiene etiquette of a half-breed," Soahc said, "back away from the sink. Go find a stagnant pond, or I'll stuff you and your frog-turd encrusted clothing into the toilet and flush a few times."

  Etah blew a laugh dripping with attitude.

  Fairy wings rattled like tree tops in a breeze.

  Dekram pushed the saw-grass into a trashcan and edged toward the exit.

  Etah stomped a side step with clunky brown boots and blocked Dekram's exit. Her jet-black hair had streaks of vivid colors that sent a harsh rainbow cascading across her face and down between two half-exposed breasts. She tossed the rainbow over her shoulder and grinned.

  As Dekram tried to side step her boot, Etah swung her leg, knocked Dekram down, leapt on top of her and pinned her to the floor. "Grab her feet and hands!" she shouted at the group clustered by the stalls.

  Fairies tightened their circle, anxious wings clashing. The Fire fairy elbowed her way out of the circle, nose in the air. "I'll hold her."

  "I'll keep watch," said an Earth fairy, and bolted to the restroom door.

  Soahc's lips parted in a garish grin. "Looky there, Earth's got potential. Who would've thought, right?" She looked around the room with big eyes. "But gosh, I sure don't see any other wannabes." She hooded her eyes and growled. "And I damn sure better not hear anyone talking about Fire in the restroom. Get it?" The swarm of fairies clung to each other, heads nodded affirmation.

  Dekram kicked, and tried to scream under Etah's hand clamped over her mouth.

  "Move it!" Soahc snapped her fingers and three fairies—two Water, one Earth—broke from the clump and jumped to help.

  Etah straddled Dekram's stomach. "Keep her quiet!"

  Wide-eyed, tears rolled down Dekram's temples.

  The Fire fairy nodded and pinned Dekram's arms with her knees.

  With one hand, Etah wrestled a pair of gym shorts out of her backpack and Dekram opened her mouth to scream. Etah muffled it with the shorts.

  "Now that's teamwork." Soahc laughed and turned to the guard at the door. "How we doing?"

  The Earth fairy peeked through a small window in the door. "Still good."

  Etah pushed the shorts deeper into Dekram's mouth, jumped up, swung her leg back and kicked her hip. When Etah raised the clunky boot higher, all the fairies, except Fire, scattered and flew out of the bathroom. Etah laughed and followed through with another kick to the same hip.

  Fire let go. Dekram moaned and rolled into a fetal position, eyes squeezed shut, nose catching a puddle of tears.

  "Her friend is flying down the hall with a ton of books and a look of frustration," said the fairy at the door.

  "Say anything to anyone, half-breed, and maybe we do your gal-pal next—even harder," Soahc snarled, and then fluttered toward the exit, arm-in-arm with the Fire fairy. "Put your glamour on," Soahc said to Fire, "and fade into middle-class, girl... and behave." They both laughed.

  Etah toed Dekram's head back, spit on her face then curled her lips back. She yanked the gym shorts out of Dekram's mouth,
tossed them in the trash container, and followed the others out of the restroom.

  Wiping tears and spit off her cheeks, Dekram got to her knees. She was checking her hip when Layol catapulted into the restroom. "What are Soahc an'er decomposing spawn laughing at?" She sucked in a breath. "What'd they do to you?"

  "I...they...nothing! I slipped on the wet floor," Dekram blurted. "My hip hurts…and …and they laughed at me, Lay."

  "The witch has gone too far," Layol spat, helping Dekram to her feet. "I am so going to-"

  "-do nothing!" Dekram finished the sentence. "Let's not make this worse than it is. Got it?" Please, please, let me pretend this was no big deal. She swallowed a sob.

  "Oh, I got it all right." Layol brushed dirt off her friend's back and butt. "Soahc's gonna get hers someday, hopefully when I'm around."

  * * *

  THE LUNCHROOM WAS buzzing with chatter and bustling with activity when Dekram and Layol flew in. They paused, searching the crowd. "You okay?" Layol asked.

  Dekram's eyes jumped from table to table of fairies shooting glances in their direction, cells in hand. "Fine, and please don't say anything to Nes." Stay calm. All of them cannot be looking at the stupid video of me scrubbing my shirt in the bathroom.

  Layol tossed her hand in the air. "There he is," she said, pointing. "He's snagged the table in the back corner, behind the fern, again."

  Dekram took in a long breath, made an attempt to smile and act normal as they flitted toward Nesohc. "You gotta love that fairy."

  "Not me, gal-pal," Layol said. "You know he has a crush-"

  "Don't even go there." Dekram shivered with uncontrollable excitement at the thought, but it was mixed with fear and shame. They are not pointing at me—just door watching. And I seriously doubt everyone knows I got my butt kicked in the bathroom. She palmed her hip and winced as they bolted for the table.

  Dekram dropped her books on the table across from Nesohc. He dragged his fingers around the collar of his baggy t-shirt and scrunched up his face with a lopsided grin. "So, two more marks?"