The Fairy Swarm

by Suzanne Selfors

  “When you find a new home, will you call us? Or send a letter?” Ben asked.

  “Can we come and visit?” Pearl imagined a slumber party with sleeping bags for her, Ben, and the sasquatch. Metalmouth wouldn’t want to watch a scary movie, so she’d bring something funny, and lots of microwave popcorn.

  Dr. Woo didn’t answer. She looked out the window, a faraway expression settling in her eyes.

  “Perhaps you should take this time to say your good-byes,” she said, her voice hushed.

  Pearl cringed. It felt as if Metalmouth had pounced on her chest. She didn’t like good-byes. She didn’t want to say them. Her heart began to pound. Her palms got clammy. “Drat,” she muttered. And that was when thunder rumbled.

  “Portal arriving!” Violet announced. The switchboard lit up. Violet stuck her headset over her goat ears and pushed a few buttons. “The Portal pilot reports there are two passengers—one human, one fairy.”

  “It is time,” Mr. Tabby said.

  Everyone scurried to the edges of the room. The Portal’s arrival was a familiar sight to Pearl and Ben. The wind usually began as a wisp, then built into a tornado as the transportation device touched down. But this time was different. It was as if the Portal knew that one of its passengers was evil. Lightning bolts hit the roof, causing tiles to fall off. Thunder shook the building, toppling the switchboard itself. Violet shrieked, jumping out of the way. Pearl and Ben clung to each other as hurricane-force wind filled the room, roaring like a Nemean lion. Pearl held an arm over her face, protecting her eyes from the swirling glitter.

  “Everyone, get ready!” Dr. Woo hollered.

  Dr. Woo grabbed the fairy trap, ready to release the fairies. Ben crouched next to Metalmouth, in case he needed encouragement to fetch. Violet, Vinny, and Mr. Tabby stood together, the net in Vinny’s hands. Pearl didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t needed until the end of the four-pronged attack. Likewise, the sasquatch had nothing to do, so she grabbed its hand. It grunted at her. Glitter was stuck all over its fur, like an art project gone haywire.

  The instant the Portal touched down, Twanabeth flew out of the swirling wind and began squeaking frantically. Mr. Tabby pulled his creature calculator from his vest pocket.

  “Have fear, have fear, Maximus is here!” Twanabeth cried.

  Pearl didn’t want to have fear, but it hit her like a wave of cold water. Ben must have felt the same, because his lower jaw began to quiver. The anticipation was almost unbearable. Pearl was so glad her parents didn’t know she was about to be a part of a four-pronged attack. They’d probably get a wee bit upset.

  Maximus Steele emerged. The wind ceased, as did the thunder and lightning. The Portal vanished. For a moment, all was quiet on the tenth floor of Dr. Woo’s Worm Hospital. The only visible movement was fairy dust settling back onto the floor.

  He looked the same as when they’d last seen him in the griffin king’s den. Tall and muscular, with a chiseled jaw and short dark hair. He wore a pith helmet, a khaki shirt, cargo pants, and sturdy black boots. A rope and a knife hung from his belt. His eyes darted, taking in the situation.

  “Now!” Dr. Woo cried. She opened the fairy trap. The sugar fairies streamed out, a blur of beating wings and kicking legs.

  “Bite him, bite him, bite and fight him!” Twanabeth ordered. Leading the charge, she and her fairies flew at their target. To Pearl’s surprise, Maximus didn’t cover his face or duck out of the fairies’ path. Instead, he reached into the pockets of his cargo pants and tossed some items onto the floor. Jelly beans! The scent of kiwi filled the room. The swarm halted. Then, with squeals of delight, the fairies dove for the candies. Even Twanabeth couldn’t resist. Maximus reached into his pocket again and pulled out a chocolate bar, which he tossed into the mix. With a happy grunt, the sasquatch plopped itself amid the fairies and began eating its prize.

  Prong One: failure!

  Dr. Woo whipped around and pointed at her dragon. Metalmouth seemed to have forgotten his role, or else he was too scared to move.

  Ben gave him a shove. “Fetch!” Ben hollered. But just as that word shot out of Ben’s mouth, Maximus’s hand slipped under his shirt and reappeared with a yellow tennis ball, which he tossed to the opposite end of the room.

  The dragon’s tail thumped. “Oh goody! I’m gonna play fetch! I’m gonna play fetch!” The floorboards rattled as he bounded toward the ball. Maximus grabbed the rope that hung from his belt, expertly tied it into a lasso, aimed, and…

  Pearl gasped. It was like watching a train wreck and not being able to stop it.

  Thud!

  Metalmouth flipped onto his side, his front paws tied together. “Aw, gee whiz,” he complained.

  Prong Two: failure!

  Dr. Woo turned and pointed at Violet and Vinny. Clutching the net, they rushed forward, Mr. Tabby at their side. Like a quick-draw cowboy, Maximus reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handful of ivy vines. He threw the vines at the satyrs’ hooves. Distracted by their favorite treat, both Violet and Vinny stumbled, giving Maximus enough time to grab the net and toss it. He pulled the cord tight, capturing Violet, Vinny, and Mr. Tabby.

  Violet hit her brother in the shoulder. “This is all your faaaaault.”

  “My faaaaault?”

  Prong Three: failure!

  Pearl was impressed. Maximus had come prepared. He’d guessed Dr. Woo’s plan, and he’d outsmarted her. But what were they supposed to do now? The fairies and the sasquatch were eating. Metalmouth was incapacitated. Violet, Vinny, and Mr. Tabby were trapped. Ben’s mouth hung open in surprise. Even Dr. Woo looked shocked, her face suddenly as pale as the moon.

  Maximus smirked at Dr. Woo. “It appears you underestimated me.”

  19

  The tenth floor looked like a battlefield. Metalmouth lay on his side, groaning sadly. Violet, Vinny, and Mr. Tabby were wrapped so tightly in the net they couldn’t budge an inch. The sasquatch had fallen asleep in a sugar stupor, and the fairies were still eating, paying not a smidge of attention to anything that was happening around them.

  A mischievous twinkle danced in Maximus’s eyes as he stood, hands on hips, facing Dr. Woo, Pearl, and Ben. “It’s nice to see you again, Emerald. And your young apprentices.”

  Dr. Woo stepped protectively in front of Pearl and Ben.

  For what felt like an eternity, she and Maximus stood in silence, staring at each other. No one dared interrupt. Dr. Woo and Maximus had been apprentices together. They’d been friends. But now they were enemies with completely different goals—one to protect and heal, the other to hunt and steal.

  Maximus eyed the fairy trap. “Hand it over and we can be done with this charade,” he said, reaching out his hand.

  Dr. Woo wrapped her arms protectively around the trap. “I will never let you have the fairies. I will never let you return to the Imaginary World.”

  He laughed a deep belly laugh, as if that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “You won’t let me?” He laughed again. It was such an eerie sound that the back of Pearl’s neck got prickly. Then his expression went cold. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Get out of my hospital,” Dr. Woo said through clenched teeth.

  “Get out? But you so nicely invited me here.” He removed a photograph from his pocket. “This was your invitation, was it not? You sent this photo to remind me that I’d lost the Nemean lion. I hadn’t forgotten, Emerald. I don’t forget things like that.” He took a step forward. “I won’t lose again.”

  Ben jumped in front of Dr. Woo. “We called the police,” he lied. “They’ll be here any minute.”

  “Yeah,” Pearl said. “My aunt’s an officer, and she’s on the way!”

  Maximus froze. He raised an eyebrow. “Emerald would never get the police involved. She has too many secrets to protect.”

  “I have an entire world to protect,” Dr. Woo said.

  He folded his arms, and his tone suddenly grew friendly. “I have an idea. Why not join me? I cou
ld use a couple of apprentices. Think of what we could accomplish. Think of the wealth we could amass if we all worked together. What do you say, Emerald?”

  Pearl was a big fan of questions, but why would Maximus bother asking such a stupid one? Of course Dr. Woo wouldn’t help him. But just as Pearl thought this, Dr. Woo said a very surprising thing.

  “Wealth?” She pushed both of her apprentices away, as if they suddenly meant nothing to her. “You know, I am a bit tired of never getting paid for my work. What do you have in mind?”

  Pearl gasped. Was this really happening? Was Dr. Woo actually interested in working with Maximus Steele? No. Never. Not in a million years! She looked over at Mr. Tabby. His face peeked out from behind the netting. He didn’t seem alarmed. In fact, he winked at Pearl.

  Of course. This was a ruse. Dr. Woo was trying to buy time. But what could Pearl and Ben do with the extra time?

  As Maximus launched into a long explanation about how they could form a partnership, Ben tugged on Pearl’s sleeve. It was too risky to whisper or point, so he mouthed a word. She didn’t understand. What was he saying? He mouthed it again, and again.

  Vacuumator.

  Oh, that was unbelievably brilliant! Bug Guy had told them there was a nozzle big enough for burglars. Which meant it was big enough for poachers. But how could they get to the Vacuumator? It was outside.

  As if reading Pearl’s mind, Ben darted his gaze to her shoes.

  Right! She was the only one in the room wearing leprechaun shoes, which meant she was the only one who could walk silently across the floor.

  To give Pearl a chance to escape, Ben set about distracting Maximus. But instead of making up a story, he employed one of Pearl’s favorite tactics. “So, Mr. Steele, why do you want to make a lot of money? What are you going to do with it? Is there something you want to buy? Do you get your clothes from a special hunting catalog? Did you feel bad when you hurt the rain dragon? Did you like being an apprentice? Is there any advice you can give me so I can be a better apprentice? Do you…”

  Pearl slipped behind Metalmouth. Then she inched toward the door. Not a sound was made as she crept into the stairwell.

  Even if she’d owned a pair of fairy wings, she couldn’t have flown any faster down those stairs. Her feet barely touched the steps. Floor nine, floor five, floor two. She raced up the hallway, through the EMPLOYEES ONLY door, into the lobby, and onto the front stoop. How much time would pass before Maximus noticed that she was gone? Would he come after her?

  The truck was still parked next to the building. She climbed into the truck’s bed and searched through the nozzles. Hurry, hurry, hurry, she told herself. A small nozzle. A medium-sized nozzle. There it was, one big enough to fit over a person’s head. She grabbed the vacuum hose and unscrewed the killer bee nozzle. Then, her hands shaking, she attached the big one. Maximus wouldn’t hurt Dr. Woo, would he? They’d been friends. And he’d let Pearl and Ben bring Dr. Woo a griffin feather so she could be cured of Troll Tonsillitis. That meant he cared about her. But he wanted those fairies. Hurry, hurry, hurry.

  Just as Mr. Tabby had done, she inched the hose up the wall, aiming for the open window. Ben’s timing was perfect. He reached through the window and grabbed the hose, pulling it inside. Pearl dove at the machine and pressed the suction button.

  The engine hummed and sputtered. And sputtered again. Oh no! This wasn’t happening! Pearl kicked it. Her father sometimes kicked the washing machine when it acted up. More sputtering. “Start!” she screamed. As if the engine had heard her, it roared to life. The vacuum hose stiffened. Air began to swirl in the glass barrel. For a moment, Pearl wondered if it was big enough to hold Maximus. If not, would he get stuck in the tube?

  She was about to run back inside when a heart-stopping scream rang from the tenth floor. It was the sound of a creature caught in a trap—a creature who thought he’d never be captured. When Maximus Steele had stepped out of the Portal, he’d been prepared for many things. He’d known about the sasquatch and the fairies, so he’d brought sweets. He’d known about Metalmouth, so he’d brought a tennis ball. And he’d known about the satyr brother and sister, so he’d prepared for them as well. But what he could never have anticipated was a machine that sucked up vermin of all shapes and sizes.

  A giant lump appeared at the top of the hose. Then the lump slowly moved down the tube. It was like watching a boa constrictor swallowing a boulder. Inch by inch, foot by foot, it moved. The engine groaned and kicked into a higher gear. The lump had made it halfway down. Smoke began to rise from the machine as it overheated. Pearl feared the thing would explode. She backed away.

  Then, with a final surge, Maximus shot out of the hose and into the container. Like the fairies before him, he was a bit stunned at first. He rubbed his head. He blinked quickly. Stuck in a squatting position, he pressed his hands against the glass and glared at Pearl. He pounded his fists and hollered. Pearl didn’t need a creature calculator to translate. He was mad! The barrel rocked from side to side, but he couldn’t break free. The Vacuumator hose fell from the window and landed beside the truck.

  Ben popped his head out the window. “Pearl, hurry! We need your help.”

  Did she dare leave Maximus alone? The container seemed sturdy. He might end up with leg cramps, but he wouldn’t suffocate, thanks to the airholes. She glared at him and hollered, “Now you know how it feels to be trapped!”

  “Pearl!” Ben called again.

  “Pearl Petal!”

  This time it wasn’t Ben calling. It was Mrs. Mulberry. She was stomping up the hospital driveway, with Victoria at her heels. “What are you doing with that truck?”

  There was no time to waste. Pearl turned away, dashed back through the lobby, down the hallway, and to the staircase. She pumped her arms and legs. Her lungs began to burn as she gasped for air. It was way harder going up those nine flights. Just as she thought she might collapse, she burst onto the tenth floor.

  The Portal had already been summoned. It swirled in the center of the room. Ben was untying Metalmouth’s legs. Dr. Woo was untangling Violet, Vinny, and Mr. Tabby from the net.

  “Mulberrys!” Pearl announced, trying to catch her breath. “Mulberrys!”

  Mr. Tabby rose to his feet and smoothed his pants and vest. Violet tried to adjust her beehive hairdo, which had gone a bit lopsided. Vinny didn’t seem to care about his appearance. He tossed the net aside with an angry bleat.

  Pearl ran to the window. Mrs. Mulberry and Victoria were standing next to the truck, staring in confusion at the man in the container. “Hurry! Hurry! Before they let him out!”

  “Yes, we must hurry,” Dr. Woo said. She shook the sasquatch awake.

  They all worked together to get the boxes, crates, and suitcases into the Portal. Metalmouth carried the switchboard. The sasquatch pushed the carved desk. Everyone pushed the metal nest. Then Dr. Woo looked around. “It’s time,” she said. “It’s time to say good-bye.”

  20

  It was the saddest moment of Pearl’s life. Her heart felt as heavy as a stone. She choked back tears. Even Ben’s eyes got misty.

  Vinny didn’t bother saying anything. He just waved, then stepped into the Portal.

  Violet gave Pearl and Ben each a kiss on the cheek. Her little beard tickled. “Good-bye, little darlings,” she said with a sniff. She pulled a polka-dotted handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed her eyes. “Take care of your sweet seeeeelves.” Her dress billowed as she hurried through the wind.

  “Bye,” Pearl and Ben called.

  Twanabeth zipped around Pearl’s head. Pearl covered her earlobes, but the fairy flew to the tip of Pearl’s nose. Pearl cringed, expecting a painful bite, but her nose only tingled. And it felt warm, as if the sun were shining upon it. “Did she bite me?” Pearl asked.

  “On the contrary,” Dr. Woo explained. “That was a fairy kiss. They are very powerful.”

  Twanabeth kissed Ben’s nose. “Nice girl, nice boy, saved the fairies, shout for joy!”
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br />   The other fairies shouted, “Hurray!” Then Twanabeth whistled, and her swarm followed her into the Portal.

  It was the sasquatch’s turn. Over the last few weeks, Pearl had complained an awful lot about all their sasquatch-related chores. The flea bath had been the worst. But until this very moment, she hadn’t realized how attached to the big oaf she’d become.

  “I’m going to miss our yoga sessions,” she said, wrapping her arms around its waist. She got a bit of fur in her mouth, but she didn’t mind.

  Ben shook the sasquatch’s hand. “Bye,” he said. “It was really nice meeting you. Even though they have all those TV shows about you, I didn’t think you existed.” The sasquatch tousled Ben’s hair. Dr. Woo tossed a chocolate bar into the Portal, and the sasquatch lumbered after it.

  Which left Metalmouth.

  Pearl gulped. “Thanks for taking us for a ride,” she said. She tried to hug him, but it was next to impossible. He was way too big, and his scales were sharp and slippery. So she patted his front paw.

  “Aw, gee,” Metalmouth said, his ears flattening. “I don’t like saying good-bye.”

  “Me neither,” Ben said. Pearl stepped back to give Ben some room. She knew this would be especially difficult for him. “I’m gonna miss you,” he whispered in the dragon’s ear.

  “I’m gonna miss you, too.” A big, fat tear rolled down Metalmouth’s cheek. Then the dragon pulled a tennis ball out from under one of his scales and gave it to Ben.

  “Thanks,” Ben said. As Metalmouth turned away, Ben quickly wiped his eyes with his shirtsleeve. “I’ll never forget you!” Ben called as the dragon entered the swirling wind.

  “You better not,” Metalmouth called back, and as he did, a flame shot out. “Oops. Sorry about that!”

  During all the farewells, Mr. Tabby had been keeping watch at the window. “The Mulberry child has climbed into the truck and appears to be pressing buttons,” he reported. “Dr. Woo, you must go.”