Tiny Bites

by Stacy Claflin

  Jackson moved closer to Bruno. "Once we get there, she can tell you for herself. She's madly in love with my brother."

  "Yeah, and then you still know where she lives. I don't like this plan."

  "Look," said Christoph. "All we want is Ivy. If you're so worried about us, blindfold us on the way."

  Jackson shot him a dirty look. "I'm not being blindfolded. If you're so worried about, go to her and ask her if she knows us. She'll tell you."

  Freckles shook her head. "We can't do that."

  "And why not?" shouted Christoph. "If you low-lifes don't take me to my girlfriend right now, you'll have something to worry about."

  Bruno hit Christoph across the face, surprising him. Jackson threw Bruno to the ground and dirt flew everywhere.

  "Get off my brother!" Christoph pulled on Bruno, who barely budged. Someone else grabbed Christoph, taking him to the ground. He kicked and hit until he was able to reach a pressure point and then subdued the tall, muscular kid. He looked to see Jackson holding down Bruno as well.

  "Really, we don't want trouble," Jackson said. "We only want the girl, and we're not going anywhere until we get her."

  Bruno squirmed, unable to get away from Jackson. "Fine. Let me go."

  Jackson let go, and they got up. Christoph eyed the one he held. "Will you stop fighting me if I let go?"

  He nodded, his face showing that he was in pain.

  Christoph pushed him away and stood up, dusting himself off.

  Freckles eyed him. "Fighting doesn't prove you know the girl. Do you have proof?"

  "Do you still have the necklace?" Jackson asked.

  "The locket! How had I forgotten?" Christoph pulled out the necklace and opened the locket. Inside was a drawing of Ivy.

  Freckles and Bruno looked at it.

  "That's her," Freckles said. "Come with me."

  "They could have stolen that." Bruno glared at them. "They could be the ones who did that to her."

  Everything shrunk around Christoph. "Did what? What happened to Ivy?"

  "Look how worried he is," Freckles said. "He's not faking that. Come on. Maybe they can work some gypsy magic and help the girl."

  "What happened to her?" Christoph demanded.

  "Follow us," Freckles said. She turned and headed toward a group of tall buildings and turned again down a dirty alley.

  "How long has she been with you?" Jackson asked.

  "I found her late last night."

  "Did she say what happened?"

  "Are you deaf?" Bruno asked. "We told you you're going to have to see her for yourself."

  Jackson and Christoph exchanged an irritated look and followed Freckles and Bruno the rest of the way in silence.

  They went down a maze of alleys until they came to an apartment building even more rundown than the rest of the area. They went up a spiral staircase, making Christoph dizzy.

  Finally, they went down a hall and stopped in front of a door. Freckles opened it and led them to a couch in the middle of the room. Christoph held his breath. Someone was lying on it, and she had long blonde hair.

  He sprinted across the room.

  "Wait!" shouted Freckles.

  When he saw Ivy's face, he let out an involuntary yell. She woke, her beautiful blue eyes full of confusion. Her sun-kissed hair stuck to her face. Ivy didn't say anything—because her mouth was gone.

  Christoph turned around and stared at Freckles. "What in the name of the crown happened?"

  "As best we can tell, she went into the Fog."

  Christoph turned around and fell to his knees. He looked into Ivy's beautiful, sad eyes. "What happened to you?" he whispered.

  Ivy's eyebrows and blue eyes moved around as though she was trying to tell him.

  Christoph wrapped his arms around her, kissing her where her mouth should have been. "Will you come to my wagon, Ivy? We have so many potions, one of them might work. We've got to try anything."

  She nodded, sitting up.

  Freckles walked over, looking at Ivy. "You trust him?"

  Ivy nodded again, this time grabbing onto Christoph's hand, pulling him close to her.

  "Okay. As long as you know him." Freckles looked up at Christoph. "You better take good care of her."

  "The best. Can I give you a payment for taking care of her? I can't thank you enough."

  "She already gave me more ritterns than I ever thought I'd see in my lifetime. Somehow she didn't lose them when she was in the Fog. I wonder if they multiplied in there."

  Christoph nodded. That explained why Freckles was dressed better than her friends. He turned to Ivy. "Can you walk?"

  Ivy nodded, standing up from the couch.

  "Would you rather I carry you?"

  She shook her head.

  "I want to hear your voice! We'd better have something to fix this."

  "Do you remember how to get back to your wagon?" Freckles asked. "There are a lot of alleys between there and there."

  "I do," Jackson said. "Let's get Ivy over there. I know which potion to try first."

  Christoph raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

  They made their way through the maze of alleys. Christoph was surprised that Ivy could keep up with them given how tired she looked.

  When they got inside the wagon, Christoph sat Ivy down on a bench. She wrapped her arms around Christoph, squeezing tight. Her eyes seemed to be telling him a story. He held her close and kissed her forehead.

  A strange scent surrounded them and then Jackson walked over carrying a glass full of a bright green liquid.

  "How is she going to drink that?" Christoph demanded.

  Jackson's face fell. "That's right. She has no mouth. I didn't think of that." He turned to Ivy. "Do you have a way to eat or drink?"

  Ivy shook her head.

  "How have you survived?" Christoph asked.

  Ivy made motions with her hands. Her eyebrows came together, and then she folded her arms. Christoph thought she looked cute frustrated—even without a mouth—but didn't dare say so.

  "Why don't we try rubbing the potion where her mouth should be?"

  Jackson looked deep in thought. "It's worth a try, but I've never heard of it being used like that."

  "There's a first time for everything." Christoph snatched the glass from his brother and dipped his finger into the cool, tingly liquid. He turned to Ivy. "Are you ready?"

  She nodded, eyes wide.

  He was pretty sure she was telling him to hurry up. Christoph rounded his fingers and scooped out as much of it as he could. He rubbed it onto her skin and watched. Nothing happened, so he tried more.

  Again, nothing.

  Ivy's eyes begged him, tugging at his heart. "We'll figure something out. I promise." He had never seen anyone's mouth disappear before, so he didn't know for sure that they could find a cure. "But first, let's finish this. Maybe we just need to use all of it." He rubbed more on, not expecting it work.

  Tinging and clanging sounds bounced around behind Christoph. He turned around to see Jackson going through the family's medicine and potion chest.

  "Can you think of any combinations that might help us out?" Christoph asked.

  Jackson turned around, looking annoyed. "That's what I'm trying to do, Brother. We need Mother or Father. As much as we know, they know so much more than us."

  Jackson continued to go through the chest.

  "How much longer?" Christoph asked. "You've been going through that for a long time."

  "I can't just snap my fingers and make the right potion appear."

  "It feels like hours."

  "Hours?" snapped Jackson. "Stop exaggerating."

  "Look. It's getting dark." Christoph moved aside the curtain.

  Jackson scowled. "Look, I'm trying. Rub some more of that on her."

  "We should just get her back to Waldron's Gate. It's obvious we can't do this on our own." Christoph wiped the last of the liquid onto Ivy's face. There wasn't even the slightest change to her skin. "Ivy, we're going to take
you with us to find our parents. We're going to need their expertise."

  Nodding, tears fell from her eyes making Christoph himself want to cry. He set the glass down and pulled her close.

  "Our parents are the experts. Jackson and I only know the basics. It's going to take us years to reach their level of knowledge. If even they don't know what to do, they'll at least know who does."

  "We're going to need to drive back to the Festival," Jackson said. "It's getting dark, though. I think it's best if we stay here for the night."

  Christoph scowled. "We need to get Ivy back there so we can get her mouth back. Forget the dark."

  "How do you propose the horses see where we're going? The moon is covered by clouds. I can barely see any stars out there."

  "I need to see for myself." Christoph went outside of the wagon, and then returned. "It's dark, but we can't wait. Even if it takes longer to travel, we can't stop now."

  Jackson narrowed his eyes. "You want to put her life in danger?"

  "We need to get her to our parents so she can get her mouth back and eat. She can't go much longer without water."

  "You've got me there. I'll see what we can do, but I can't guarantee anything."

  "Thank you, Brother."

  Jackson mumbled something as he went outside.

  Christoph kissed Ivy's hair. "Let's have a seat in here while Jackson drives."

  They got comfortable on a bench seat while Jackson headed outside.

  Ivy leaned her head against Christoph's shoulder, her hair tickling his cheek. He ran his hands through her hair. He whispered promises that he hoped he would be able to fulfill. He couldn't stand to have her cry any more.

  Finally, the wagon stopped and Jackson came in. Early morning light shone through the door. "We're back at our camp. Let's get back to the festival and find our parents."

  Christoph stood and held his hand out to Ivy. She wouldn't take it.

  "What's wrong?"

  She pointed to where her mouth had been.

  "We're going to fix that."

  Ivy shook her head, raising her eyebrows. She pointed to it again.

  Christoph frowned. "I'm not sure what you're trying to tell me."

  She looked around and then made movements around her face with her hands.

  Jackson stepped closer to Ivy. "Do you want a covering for your face?"

  Ivy nodded, her eyes looking relieved.

  "Oh, that makes sense," Christoph said. "We wouldn't want anyone gawking or thinking that you're part of a show."

  Jackson dug through a wooden chest. "I think Mother has an old head covering in here." He dug around some more and then pulled out a dark brown covering and handed it to Christoph.

  He held it up and shook it out. "Will this be okay?"

  She nodded and then he slipped it over her head.

  "People don't usually wear those anymore," Jackson said. "I hope it doesn't draw any unnecessary attention."

  Christoph tugged at the covering. "It's better than her walking around without a mouth. That'll attract a lot more eyes."

  "True. Let's get going."

  They made their way back to the family tent at the festival. Their parents and some distant relatives were in there with some customers. Christoph waited until the others left and then explained the situation to his family.

  The look on his parents' faces told him that they didn't have the answer.

  His Uncle Willard stepped forward. "I've seen something like this before with someone else who survived the Fog. When I was a boy, my grandfather was able to fix it easily enough. I've got the ingredients necessary, if I remember correctly." He went into a chest and rifled around.

  Christoph removed the covering from Ivy while they waited for Willard. He pulled out several bottles and poured the contents of each into a glass. He held it up, looking proud. "It's ready."

  "How is she supposed to drink it?" Christoph asked in defeat, remembering Jackson's concoction.

  "She doesn't drink it." Uncle Willard stepped close to Ivy. "Christoph, boy, you need to move."

  Christoph stepped back and then Willard brought the glass to his face and blew into it. A cloud of green smoke flowed out, winding its way to Ivy. It snaked around her until she was hidden from sight.

  "What is that?" Christoph whispered.

  "Your only hope. Quiet."

  Christoph held his breath, waiting. What would happen when the smoke dissipated? Time seemed to stand still. How long was it going to take?

  Finally, at long last, the smoke cleared all at once. It took Christoph a moment to register the sight in front of him. Ivy's mouth had returned. She ran to him, tears streaming down her face. "It's back! I can talk again."

  "Someone get the girl some food!" Christoph's mom said. "She needs water too. She's going to disappear before our eyes if she doesn't."

  Christoph held her so tight that she squirmed to get away. "And I can do this again." He kissed her deeply and she returned the kiss, running her hands through his hair.

  Jackson cleared his throat.

  Christoph and Ivy parted, still looking at each other. She clung to him. "I've missed you so much. I didn't think I would ever see you again. I couldn't get back here—the only place you would know to look for me."

  "I would never give up on you. I would search every inch of Alterra if I had to. What happened to you?" Christoph asked. He ran his hand over her hair.

  Ivy's eyes filled with tears. "It was horrible. The Fog is even worse than people say."

  Christoph's aunt brought Ivy a plate of food and a large glass of water. "Fill your stomach first. Then you can tell us about it. It'll do you good to talk about it. Don't hold it in."

  "Thank you." Ivy drank the water without stopping until she was done. Then she ate the food on the plate in record time before leaning back, looking relieved.

  Christoph sat next to her, holding her close. "Do you want to talk about the Fog?"

  Ivy's lips trembled. "No, but I should."

  Jackson sat across from them. "How did you survive without food?"

  Ivy played with a nail. "When I went in looking for those kids, there were monsters all around. I was going to turn back, but then I heard kids crying in the distance. I ran from the creatures, following the sounds of the children. They were fast, but luckily there were a lot of place to hide." She bit her lip.

  "Go on," Christoph urged.

  She swallowed. "I found a broken branch that had a sharp end and tried to use it as a sword. I didn't do very well, but did manage to keep some of them away. When I finally got to the kids, there were some really tall men guarding the cages. They had tattoos and piercings everywhere. One dared me to open a lock. When I did, there was bright light and a loud noise—it shocked me, but with magic. I tried screaming, but my mouth was gone."

  Christoph held her tighter.

  "They all laughed at me. One said they were wizards of some kind. I was too upset about my mouth to pay attention. I wanted to save the kids, but I couldn't. I ran and didn't stop until I reached that district near the Convenience. That's where those kids found me. I fell asleep on her couch and woke up to your screams."

  "I'm sorry I startled you. It scared me to see your mouth missing."

  Ivy shrugged. "I need to get out of Waldron's Gate."

  "Why?" Christoph asked.

  "There's nothing here for me." Her lips curled downward. "You're the only one who came in search for me, and even now it's your family who's taking care of me. I hope you'll take me with your family to Yon."

  "I wouldn't have it any other way." He gave her another kiss.

  ***

  If you enjoyed this story, check out Beyond the Gate for more stories in the Engine World.

  Bonus Content

  Meet Macy Mercer

  1) What is the name of your character? Is she fictional or a historic person?

  Macy Mercer is a fictional teenager who has made the worst decision of her life.

  2) When and
where is the story set?

  It's set today in Washington state, although Macy moves around a bit and may travel out of the state. Neither she nor the reader is entirely sure.

  3) What should we know about Macy?

  In many ways, she's a typical teen. Her parents are strict, kids at school tease her, and she really wants a boyfriend.

  At school, she gained the nickname "Muffin-Top Macy" and decided to become vegan to resolve the problem. Her new lifestyle irritated her parents, and even after she lost her weight, the name stuck.

  Tired of watching her friends go out with boyfriends every weekend, she decided to find a boyfriend of her own online since no one at school would give her a chance.

  When she met Jared, she thought she had it made. His profile picture showed a fun and adorable athlete. He asked her tons of questions about her and actually cared about her.

  Finally, they set up a date. Macy kept it secret since her parents wouldn't allow her to date. She went to a secluded park one evening, excited and nervous.

  4) What is the main conflict? What messes up Macy's life?

  Jared, her online boyfriend, turns out to be a fake. Behind the stolen profile picture was Chester Woodran, and Macy finds herself locked in the back of a truck going who knows where.

  She later finds out that he lost his daughter—who looks exactly like Macy—and he is determined to turn her into his daughter.

  5) What is Macy's personal goal?

  She had been so eager to get away from home… now she wants nothing more than to get back there, even if she ends up grounded for life.

  Macy has to pretend to be someone else while at the same time holding onto her personal identity. If she loses herself and believes that she's actually Chester's daughter, she will never be able to escape and get back to her real family.

  6) What is the title of the novel, and where can find out more?

  It's called Gone, and you can learn more about it here.

  Excerpt from Gone

  Watching