“Ohhh,” Andres said. “It was you! The whelp—Roarie. You took the whelp!”
“Yes!” Nory’s smile brightened her whole face. “But more about that later. Are you okay? We saw you floating up and I came as fast as I could, but then you went into a cloud!”
“I was trying to fly solo,” Andres confessed. “I thought the canopy of trees would protect me from going too high. I guess I was showing off. I hate having everyone watching out for me all the time. Like I’m a dumb baby.”
“You risked your life,” said Nory.
“I know.”
“Please don’t do that, Andres,” she said. Her smile was gone. “Please.”
“I’m sorry. It was a bad idea to fly solo, but when I was floating up, I figured out something! It has to do with air currents, I think. I was able to catch hold of a downdraft because the storm was coming.”
Nory drew her eyebrows together.
“I’m really sorry.” He fidgeted. “Go on and yell at me or whatever. I shouldn’t have put you in the position of having to rescue me.”
Nory stared at him. Then she grabbed her hair at the roots and shouted, “Andres, did you just say you caught an air current?”
Andres nodded.
“And you rode the current back down to the tree line?”
Andres nodded again.
A grin stretched back across her face. “Andres! You understand your power now! You can ride air currents to take you down when you’re floating up! That means you can do a million more things than you could do two days ago!”
“Yeah.”
“I am so HAPPY!”
“Really?”
“This is such good news,” said Nory. “You rescued yourself.”
Andres took a huge breath, wondering at it all. “You’re right. I rescued myself.”
It was fully and truly dark now. The group walked in silence back to the main area of the camp. Andres wore his brickpack, and used his flashlight to illuminate the path. Nory stayed next to him, and the little pink dragon stayed next to Nory. The rain came down harder, and they all got pretty wet.
As they neared the Great Hall, Andres reached out and grabbed Nory’s arm. “Hold up,” he said.
Nory looked at him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t sit with you guys in the cafeteria,” he said.
“You didn’t come to the Hatchery, either,” Nory answered.
“Yeah, I know,” said Andres. “And I skipped out on ghost stories. I think Elliott was bummed.”
Nory shrugged. “It’s okay to make new friends. I made a new friend, too.”
“Yeah, but I kind of forgot the old ones.”
“You did,” Nory said. She studied him, then gestured to indicate the space between them. “But look.”
“What?” he said.
She smiled. “You’re here with one now.”
The rain’s not going to stop, is it?” Mitali asked with a groan. “I wanted to see the dragonettes again.”
It was what all the campers were thinking. They were supposed to go outside for the campfire and the return of the Luminous Dragonettes, but the rain had become heavy. Stormy, even. Everyone was damp and cold from the walk over, and now they were clustered in the Great Hall. Nory kept Roarie warm in her hoodie pocket. She’d considered hiding Roarie in the cabin, but she couldn’t make herself do it. What if Roarie got lonely? Or lost? The hoodie was safest. Nory would be extra sneaky around grown-ups. That was all.
Nearby, Mitali directed her heating magic at the area where she, Nory, Willa, Anemone, and Marigold were sitting. Nory could actually feel her hair drying from Mitali’s glow. Roarie even fell asleep.
Tip, Andres, and Sebastian were playing cards—and Sebastian wasn’t wearing his head cone, even though the hall was noisy. Instead, he wore dark aviator goggles with blinders!
He looked proud and self-conscious, both. He also looked … well … not like a boy wearing a dog cone around his head.
“Blade let me have me a pair,” Nory heard Sebastian explain. “He says the dragonologists wear them for flying at top speed. He said I could keep them.”
“They’re mad cool,” Tip said.
Sebastian pushed the goggles higher on his nose with his forefinger. He swallowed and said, “The cone irritated the back of my neck. I appreciate your goggle suggestion. So, you know, thanks.”
Nory spotted Elliott sitting with Fred. They were debating whether or not the Tangerines would like honeydew melon.
“It’s green,” Elliott argued. “I think they like orange things.”
“It’s still a melon,” Fred countered. “I think they like melons.”
“I wonder if they’d like orange cheese?” wondered Elliott. “Or orange sherbet?”
Nory glowed. Sure, everyone was disappointed about the rain, but it was cozy in the Great Hall. Dunwiddle kids were hanging out with Sage kids. The cafeteria staff had supplied after-dinner snacks. Carrot sticks, raisins, and spicy cheese zingers. Also Dragon Ball Soda, Plumberry and Cherry Bubblegum.
Nory heard Father’s name mentioned, and her ears pricked up. She looked around, but she didn’t spot him. He’d been here a couple of minutes ago, sitting on a bench over to one side, but now he was nowhere to be seen.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t in the room, of course. Father went invisible a lot.
“… such a mcfoozle,” Fuschia said, talking to a group of Sage kids.
Tip puffed out his chest, pulled his mouth into a sour-lemon frown, walked over to Fuschia, and said in his best headmaster voice, “Now, Tipperton McPipperton! You are here to learn about dragons, not to engage in idle chitchat. If you work hard and do as you’re told—”
Fuscia laughed, and so did Fred and Anemone, walking over to the group. It made Nory suspect that her father had actually said those exact words in front of everybody.
“Indeed!” said Fuchsia, jumping into the game. She took on a headmaster voice, too. “Work hard and do as you’re told, and you can accomplish anything, young man. But take a minute to make friends, spend one minute having fun, and you’re sure to be a TOTAL FAILURE. If you want to succeed, you must listen to … to …”
“The dreadfully boring words that spill so freely from my mcfoozly mouth!” Fred filled in.
Nory’s stomach hurt. She wasn’t sure what mcfoozly meant exactly, but she suspected it wasn’t a compliment.
“He’s so serious all the time,” Anemone moaned. “Once, when I failed a math test, I got sent to his office. He lectured me about how I should appreciate the ‘most noble of disciplines’! As if my knowing geometry honestly mattered to him. He did this thing with his mouth like a toad.”
Laughter rippled around the group of kids, louder and louder. Nory’s pulse pounded in her brain. The Sage students flung insults at her father with abandon, giddy and rambunctious.
“A toad!”
“A bore.”
“Such a mcfoozle!”
Nory bolted up, slamming her palms on the table. “Stop it! Just stop it!”
Everyone did.
Everyone stared at her, eyes and eyes and eyes.
“Dr. Horace is Nory’s dad,” Mitali said, so everyone could hear. She shot Nory an anxious, apologetic look.
“Oh, no,” Tip said, cradling his head in his hands.
“He’s still a mcfoozle,” Fuchsia muttered.
“He is not,” Nory cried, glaring at Fuchsia. “He’s very smart. He’s a powerful Flicker. And he works super, super hard.” She swept her gaze around the room to include all the Sage students. “He cares about knowledge. He cares about Sage Academy. He cares about you.” She pinned her stare on Anemone and said, “It really does matter to him that you know geometry.”
Anemone blushed.
Nory knew how hard her father worked. She had seen him planning the curriculum at the desk in his home office, back when Nory still lived with him in Nutmeg. She knew he stayed up late having phone meetings. He worked on schedules and improvements for the sc
hool. She thought of the pictures she’d seen of Father with Mother, taken back before Mother had died. He had smiled big smiles, once upon a time.
When she spoke, her voice was thick. “He loves his job because his job is all he’s got. His wife—my mom—she died. Now he’s a single dad. He cleans and cooks and makes sure his kids do their homework. He goes to every event at the school. He meets with parents on weekends if they want to. He goes to sports competitions and magic exhibitions at Sage. So maybe there’s not much time left for fun and games and silliness. And I know he’s not always that nice, but he’s doing the best he can, okay? You’re lucky to have someone running your school who cares about education. Lots of kids don’t have that. So quit being so mean.”
Her muscles trembled. She spun on her heel and rushed away from the table. She needed a moment to herself.
She stepped into an empty alcove lined with books. There, she closed her eyes and pressed her fisted hands against them.
She felt a change in the air pressure.
“Nory,” her father said. He made himself visible and put his hand on her shoulder. “Will you look at me? Please?”
Slowly, Nory dropped her hands from her eyes. She turned around but kept her gaze on the floor. “Did you hear what I said to those kids just now?” she asked.
Father took Nory’s chin and tilted her face upward. “I did. That was good of you.”
“Thanks.”
“My job is not all I’ve got since your mother died,” he said gruffly. “I have my kids. They mean a lot to me. That includes you.”
Nory felt shaky all over. “You hardly ever talk to me,” she said. “I know I embarrass you.”
“You didn’t embarrass me just now, even though you did say I wasn’t very nice. I was proud to hear you stand up for your family.”
“I do stand up for you. I mean, I did and I will,” said Nory. “But, Father, you don’t stand up for me!”
“Nonsense,” he said, sounding defensive. “I hope you know I pay for your after-school kittenball. I send Aunt Margo money every month. I sent her extra this month for a new winter jacket and some other warm gear. You know that, correct? And it’s all because I want you to have an education that fits your upside-down magic.”
“That’s not the problem,” said Nory. “The problem is, you don’t call or text. You’ve only visited once and I could tell you were embarrassed at my concert because you didn’t even come out for ice cream afterward. You sent me one present that Dalia actually picked out, and since we’ve been at Dragon Haven, you haven’t come to tuck me in once, or meet my friends, or see my cabin!”
“Nory,” Father said sternly. “I am working. Mr. Puthoor is here, and several other important members of our faculty. We are endeavoring to instill the values of Sage Academy in our new fifth graders. Any chaos or upside-down mayhem will disrupt my authority. Especially with Puthoor. He’s not easy to work with.”
“Father!”
“What?”
There was so much Nory might have said just then. She could have told him that no matter how busy he was, he could spare ten minutes out of his day to spend time with his kid. She could have told him that there might be opportunities for Sage students to learn from a little chaos and upside-down mayhem. She could have told him he shouldn’t care what Mr. Puthoor thought, and that the students would respect him more if he showed himself to be a headmaster who was also a dad. She could have said, and maybe she should have said, “You should let everyone know that you don’t love your stupid school more than you love me!”
She stopped herself before saying any of it. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “I get it,” she told him. “Work is important to you.”
She didn’t really get it. But she realized she might never get Father. And he might never get her.
He had his priorities wrong. He got embarrassed easily. He didn’t like to mix work life and home life. He didn’t like talking about feelings or difficult topics. He wasn’t affectionate. Even though he was smart and hardworking, he was only a middling-good dad. Maybe he was even a lame dad.
Yeah, Nory would like Father to be fun. And generous. She wished he’d be nice to Ms. Starr, and that he wanted to meet her friends. She wished he could see there were advantages to upside-down magic, as well as difficulties—but he wasn’t going to be that person. Maybe ever. Tiny changes and being nice to each other were probably all the two of them were going to manage.
“All right, then,” said Father. “Thanks for understanding about my job. I gather you’d like me to call you now and then, to see how you’re doing?”
“Yes,” said Nory, feeling this was a big step for him. “I think you should call me once a week on Saturday morning.” She knew he liked schedules.
Father took out his phone. He programmed it in. “Phone call with Nory.” He smiled wryly. “I suspect those kids are a little bit right. Maybe sometimes I am a mc—” He broke off, unable to say such a silly word. He rubbed his hand across his hair. “Do I care what my students think of me? Yes. A little. But a headmaster’s job is not a popularity contest. And I am who I am.”
Nory nodded. That was definitely true.
Then she had a brilliant idea. “You are who you are. Do you realize what that means?”
Father regarded her skeptically.
She plunged on. “Father! You’re a really strong Flicker!”
“I am,” he acknowledged.
“Which means you can save the night! Everyone’s bummed about not seeing the Luminous Dragonettes again because of the rain.”
“It is unfortunate,” he said. “They’re a natural wonder.”
“But, Father, you could make the walls of the Great Hall invisible!” Nory said. “I doubt there’s another Flicker here who’s powerful enough. Would you? Please?”
“The students could observe the Luminous Dragonettes after all,” Father said, understanding. “Seeing them in the rain would reinforce what we read about dragonette behavior patterns in different weather patterns.”
“Sure. And they’re beautiful.”
“They are. They’re beautiful indeed.” He tapped his chin. “Hmm. Let me talk to Ms. Cho.”
He strode off, stepping easily back into the role of brisk, efficient headmaster.
Five minutes later, Mo called for everyone’s attention. When the room was silent, she said, “We have an unusual treat for you tonight.”
Excited murmurs rippled up and down.
“Thanks to Dr. Horace,” Mo continued, “we will be able to see the Luminous Dragonettes after all. They don’t mind the rain, and now we won’t mind it, either.” She turned to Nory’s father. “Are you ready?”
Nory’s father raised his hands, palms turned up. “Students, direct your attention to the walls, please.”
Puzzled, everyone did.
Father glanced at Mo, who turned off the lights.
The room went dark. Everyone gasped.
And then the room was filled with light. Not from inside the room, but from the world beyond the room. Nory’s father had made the entire structure of the Great Hall invisible, furniture included, and now hundreds of glowing dragonettes could be seen swooping and looping outside. Trails of orange, blue, purple, and green made intricate patterns in the night sky.
Everyone was awestruck. Nory could see it on each face she looked at. Spontaneously, the room burst into applause.
The Luminous Dragonettes shimmered and shone. Raindrops reflected their glowing, multicolored bodies.
Nory made her way to her father and stood beside him.
Father looked down at her and smiled. After a moment’s hesitation, he put his hand on her shoulder.
At bedtime, Nory snuck a still-sleeping Roarie into the cabin and under the covers. Exhausted from her first day on the planet, Roarie slept through the night quietly.
Nory did, too. In the morning of her last day at Dragon Haven, she tucked the baby dragon gently into her duffel bag while she got dresse
d and brushed her teeth, making sure Roarie stayed hidden from Ms. Starr. Then she pulled on her same dirty hoodie from yesterday and tucked Roarie back into the pocket.
The sky was clear and blue. The storm had washed everything clean. Dragon Haven was as beautiful as ever. Maybe more so.
I’ll miss my bunk bed, Nory thought as she ate her scrambled eggs.
I’ll miss this bacon, she thought as she ate her bacon. And the waffle bar.
I’ll miss sleeping to the sound of dragons howling.
I’ll miss brushing my teeth at a row of identical sinks.
I’ll miss the meadow and the kittenball green and the paths and the lake with its Bubble Dragons.
She dragged her duffel bag over to the bus. Nurse Riley was already busy loading the luggage compartment.
I’ll miss you, curb. I’ll miss you, picnic table.
Nory hadn’t seen Father yet this morning, but she spotted Mitali and called her over.
“It was so fun hanging out,” she told Mitali as they clasped hands. “Give me your email.”
Mitali did. “Maybe if you come home to visit, we can see each other? I live in the dorms when school is in session.”
“Absolutely,” Nory said. “I’ll miss you, Mitali.” They hugged good-bye.
Nory left the parking lot and walked a little way into the forest, away from the prying eyes of Ms. Starr and Nurse Riley. On the woodland path, she let Roarie out for a walk. Roarie stretched like a puppy and then flapped and blurped about quite happily.
I’ll miss you most of all, Roarie.
Tip appeared on the path from the boys’ cabins. He approached Nory with his shoulders hunched and his hands jammed into his pockets.
“Excuse me,” he said. “Can I talk to you?”
Nory bristled, but nodded.
“I’m sorry about last night,” explained Tip. “What I said about Dr. Horace. Your, um, dad.”
Nory waited, arms folded over her chest.
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