Up in the Air

by Ann Marie Meyers

  “Bummer,” Jackson says.

  “Yeah.” If I’d listened to Mom—that flying was all in my head—I would never have come to Chimeroan. “I’ll always believe no matter how old I am. Besides, I’ll have my wings.”

  “Only if you solve all three clues to the treasure hunt,” Sara says.

  My stomach does that funny swirly thing again. I’d forgotten that tiny detail. And then I realize Sara is finally answering my questions without trying to hide anything. I like it.

  “Why do we have to solve clues to a treasure hunt?” Jackson asks.

  “To make sure you are ready for the responsibility of caring for your wings,” Kevin says.

  A shudder goes through me. Mom doesn’t think I’m responsible. She complains that my room is a war zone and that I don’t take care of my toys. She says I’m careless because I fall and bump into things all the time.

  “How will solving clues prove anything?” My voice comes out way too loud.

  “You’ll have to trust yourself,” Sara says.

  “Trust?” Is she kidding me?

  “Don’t look so scared,” Sara says. “I’m your guide. I’ll help you.”

  “Like you did—” I slap my hand over my mouth. Like she did when my wings were hurling me through the air? But I don’t dare say those words. I chose my wings; that’s why they lost control.

  “So, Kevin, man, do most people keep their wings when they return home?” Jackson asks.

  “Yes, Jackson, man, most fliers do.” Kevin says. He and Jackson burst out laughing.

  Did I hear right? “So, how come there are no fliers on Earth?”

  “Actually, there are quite a few,” Sara says. “You just don’t notice them.”

  That’s ridiculous. “Of course, I’d notice people with wings.”

  “I’m with Melody on this,” Jackson says. “If people were flying on Earth, everyone would know. I mean, look at how many satellites there are.”

  Sara glances at Kevin, who gives a quick headshake. Great. Now they’re going all secretive again.

  “I know you want me to answer your questions,” Sara says. “But you’ll have to wait. You’ll understand once you return home with your wings.”

  “You mean if we solve the clues and find the treasure,” Jackson says.

  “Right,” Sara says.

  The feathers on my wings rustle. “And if we don’t, what will happen to our wings?”

  “The circle will be complete,” Kevin says.

  “What does that mean?” Rose smells surround me and I squash the urge to tell Sara how awful I am with clues.

  “The circle of life,” Sara says. “Everything that lives eventually dies.”

  I clutch the tips of my wings. Quickly, before a picture of the accident forms, I conjure up the black hole in my mind and it slurps up the shadowy wisps of memory. I won’t allow my wings to die. I’d trade places with them any day.

  “What happens to wings if a wearer, um, changes her mind and goes home?” I ask.

  “The same thing,” Sara says.

  Kevin nods. “Without their wearer, the wings are incomplete. They die.”

  I fling that image straight at the black hole, too.

  “Here we are,” Sara says.

  The rest of the group is gathered in the middle of the corridor. Claudine’s guide, the one with the magenta eagle wings, opens a door to the left.

  “We thought you girls wouldn’t like being alone on your first night in a strange place,” she says, then points to the door directly opposite. “The bathroom is over there so you don’t have far to go.”

  “Goodnight, Melody,” Sara says. “Goodnight, everyone.”

  “Goodnight,” we all mumble.

  The younger girls enter the room next to ours, and the boys continue down the corridor with their guides.

  Our room is warm and cozy, with stone walls like those in the outer chamber, except these don’t glitter. Against the walls are four twin beds, two on either side. A black leather knapsack, pajamas, towel, some underwear, and a cloth bag with toiletries are in a neat pile at the bottom of each bed.

  “Home for the night.” Liz flings herself face down on a bed. Her wings, green with red polka dots, settle over her.

  “I guess one size fits all,” Fiona says, checking her pajamas. “Anyway, I need a shower.” She grabs her things and steps out of the room.

  “Me, too.” Claudine follows her.

  I put the plastic bag Sara gave me on the bed nearest to me. Liz is snoring by the time I leave the room. She fell asleep without washing her face or brushing her teeth. Gross.

  I cross the corridor and am about to open the bathroom door when I hear a muffled “Shhhhhhh, a Guided might hear.” I freeze. That’s Sara. I speed down the corridor and turn the corner just as a door closes. This is crazy. I should go back right now.

  Heart pounding, I tiptoe forward. Off to break another rule. Just great. I recognize Kevin’s deep voice as soon as I put my ear to the door.

  “So, what’s so urgent?” he asks. “Is everything all right?”

  “I—well.” Sara clears her throat. “Vivian wished me luck in serpent land. She said that if Melody is terrified of snakes, there’s a strong chance she’ll run into some.”

  I squeeze my hands into tight fists then sigh as my wings wrap around me.

  Kevin laughs. “Snakes aren’t so bad. I had a Guided once with a vampire phobia. You can imagine the first couple of days we had. It turned out he and his older brother hid in a cave filled with bats. One flew straight at him. Ever since then, he imagined vampires were out to get him.”

  “That’s a stretch,” Sara says.

  “It was real for him. He almost didn’t solve the second clue. We got captured by some really bad pirates, and—”

  “Pirates have nothing to do with vampires,” Sara says.

  Exactly, I want to shout.

  “That’s the point; it doesn’t matter. You should know that, Sara. Until my Guided was able to face his fears, we kept running into all kinds of adventures. Some involved residents. They weren’t too happy.”

  The only thing I’m afraid of is snakes, and there’s no way I’m going through an Exit Point to the Snake Dream. I’m here to fly. That’s all. I unclench my fists and rub my clammy hands against my tights.

  “Kevin,” Sara says, “there’s something else I need to tell you, but I’m not sure if I should. It’s about Melody.”

  Oh, no. What’s she going to say about me now?

  “It’s okay,” Kevin says. “You can trust me, you know that.”

  Sara lets out a huge sigh. “Melody has bruises all over her body. There’s an enormous one on her stomach. I think it’s self-inflicted.”

  “What!” I slap both hands over my mouth.

  “Did you hear that?” Kevin asks.

  In a flash, I dash down the corridor.

  “Who’s there?” Kevin shouts.

  My wings spread out and speed me along. I take the corner way too fast and almost crash into the wall. Where’s the bathroom? I grab doorknob after doorknob. None open. Help! Footsteps echo behind me. Kevin and Sara will catch up to me soon. They’ll be mad.

  And then, when I’m sure all is lost, one of the doorknobs turns. I push it open and dash inside the room.

  9

  The Bathroom

  “Melody, what took you so long?”

  That’s Claudine. I made it to the bathroom.

  I take a deep breath to calm myself. And another. Mom is right. You can’t trust anyone. Sara had no right to say such an awful thing when she knows I’m accident prone.

  “Melody, are you all right?” Fiona asks.

  “Of course.” I turn to face her.

  And scream at the sight of dragonheads jutting out of the wall, eyes all fiery red. Then, I notice they’re made of metal and aren’t real dragons. Fiona, Claudine and the three younger girls, wrapped in fluffy white towels, are standing beneath them. Water drips from their wings
, which droop like the fur on a drenched cat.

  Fiona points to a sign above the dragonhead and grins. “Wing dryers.”

  I stare at the words printed in big gold letters and laugh to cover up how foolish I feel.

  “The bathroom is so bi-big.” Hopefully, no one will notice how breathless I am.

  Huge shower stalls are to my right. A row of toilets stand at the back. Other than that, it’s a wide open space. Ten people can fly about in here and there’d still be plenty of room.

  “What took you so long?” Claudine asks again.

  Fiona presses the chin of a dragonhead dryer and air blasts out. The girls squeal as their wings fan out and I heave a sigh of relief. With all the noise, I don’t need to answer Claudine.

  I head for the shower that’s farthest away from them. And fall on the floor with a thunk.

  “Careful you don’t slip on the puddles,” Claudine shouts.

  She’s just like my guide, giving advice after the fact.

  I rub my sore butt and hang my towel and pajamas on the door hook before entering the shower. It’s even bigger on the inside. Everything on Chimeroan seems to be larger than life. I undress, glad of the privacy so the girls won’t notice my bruises and ask questions.

  Good thing I eavesdropped. Now that I found out what Sara thinks of me, I’m prepared. Plus, I know I have to avoid the snake dream no matter what. If I see the Exit Point again, I’ll go the other way.

  Water gushes from the showerhead and my wings sweep back in utter joy. That’s what it feels like anyway. The feathers move constantly, emitting a soft noise. What starts as a low droning sound gets louder and louder: duummmm duuuummm daaaaaa deeeeee duuuummmm.

  I laugh out loud, I can’t help it. My wings smell like flowers and they hum. How cool is that?

  I wait until the girls leave then step out of the shower.

  “Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes!” That’s all I have time to say before my wings lift me into the air. I circle the massive bathroom almost against my will, dripping water all over the place. Now I know why there are so many puddles. I have no idea how I’ll take a shower at home.

  When I land, I wrap myself in my towel then punch the dragonhead chin. Warm air flows through my wing feathers and I squeal with laughter. If only I weren’t so ticklish. But my wings love it. They preen and hum as I hop from one foot to the other trying not to giggle.

  Once I’m dry, I put on my pajama shirt. The back is low like my leotard so my wings hang freely. They hum all the way to the bedroom, and snuggle against me after I slip into bed and curl up on my side. I sigh in contentment. It’s like being covered by the softest, warmest, cuddliest down blanket in the world.

  But my contentment doesn’t last long. I keep remembering Sara and Kevin’s conversation. How dare Sara think such awful things about me? What do pirates have to do with vampires? I hate snakes. My mouth stretches into a yawn. Why didn’t Sara believe I was accident prone? Trust is for the birds. Birds are trusting. Pirates want to be vampires. Bats have wings. Like me. And Sara . . . and . . . and . . .

  I’m in a wheelchair, careening down the sidewalk. “Daddy!” I scream. “Help me.”

  Daddy flies toward me with beautiful blue wings and I lift up my arms for him to save me. But instead he glares at me. “This is all your fault.”

  “No, it’s yours. You didn’t get me my Dora stickers.”

  Daddy’s face gets dark and grey. He leans backward.

  I scream . . . because he has no legs.

  10

  Clue No. 1

  The next morning, we find a note on our door telling us to dress in our leotards and tights. It also says to pack our pajamas, toiletries, and the rest of our flying paraphernalia in the black knapsacks, and to leave our torn clothes on the beds.

  Fiona, Claudine, and I go to breakfast while Liz stays behind to take an overdue shower. When we reach the large chamber, I run into the last person I want to see.

  “Good morning, Melody.”

  “Morning, Sara.” I want to zombie her so badly.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Fine.”

  “Can we talk?”

  Why does she want to talk? Does she know it was me who eavesdropped last night? “Sure.” I have to agree or she’ll put two and two together and get a big, fat four. Fiona and Claudine continue on, leaving me with my guide, the traitor.

  “You don’t look fine,” Sara says.

  You wouldn’t be either if someone stabbed you in the back! I want to scream at her. “I’m tired, that’s all. And nervous about the treasure hunt.” I can’t help but notice her ears are actually quite large. And they stick out a lot.

  “Oh.” Sara smiles. “That’s normal. You’ll do well, and I’m here to help. Remember that.”

  Yeah, right. Is that all she wanted? To tell me she’s here for me? Can I go now?

  “Hi, girl!”

  It’s Jackson with Kevin. I’m saved.

  “Hi, boy.” I don’t believe I said that.

  Jackson’s laughter fills the huge chamber. “Race you,” he says.

  Our wings unfurl and we speed toward the dining room. Jackson wins. Before going inside, I take a peek at Sara and Kevin, who are in deep conversation. I just know Sara suspects I eavesdropped last night.

  As soon as I see the toast, muffins, and juice, my stomach gets queasy. What if I can’t figure out my clue? I settle for toast and orange juice, and force myself to stay calm.

  After breakfast, Vivian stands. She’s holding several pieces of paper.

  “The purpose of the treasure hunt is to develop your intuition and teach you to trust in yourself and in your wings,” she says. “Share your clue with no one, or you will be disqualified. Most importantly, you must find this first treasure today, before sunset. After that, it will no longer be there.”

  I open the piece of paper she gives me.

  Many think we’re horses with horns.

  Find us.

  That’s easy. Unicorns.

  Bingo. I solved the clue. Hold on. Where am I supposed to find them?

  “I’m in the dark on this one,” Liz says. “Hey, I made a joke about the dark.”

  Sean sneers. “Ha, ha.”

  Fiona runs a hand through her crew cut hair. “It makes absolutely no sense,” she says in her whiny voice.

  The guides look amused, except Sara, who glances at me way too much.

  “One more thing,” Vivian says. “Leave the cliff top only when you know where to go and not a second before, or you’ll end up going the wrong way and you’ll never solve the clue. Good luck. Oh, and don’t forget to pack your lunch.” She points to a table stacked with sandwiches and drinks.

  We wait for the younger kids to get their food, then grab ours. No one talks as we make our way to the cliff top. I wonder if they’re thinking the same as me: what now? As soon as we get outside and put on the rest of our flying paraphernalia, Jackson gives me a thumbs-up and soars with Kevin off the cliff.

  “I know what to do,” Claudine squeals. “Thank you, Princess.” Grinning, she grabs hold of her guide’s hand and they leave together, heading in the same direction as Jackson.

  I frown. Why did Claudine thank her wings?

  Drraaa. Drraaa. Drraaa.

  What’s that sound?

  Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaaaa.

  Oh, my gosh! My wings are humming again. I guess they’re happy they’ll be in the air soon; if I can figure out where to go.

  Gradually, the cliff empties and I panic. What if I can’t solve the rest of the clue? Soon, only four Guided are left: Sean, myself, and two of the younger ones.

  What kind of clue tells you to find unicorns and not give any idea how? Which direction should I take?

  Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaaaa.

  How am I to know where to go? How did the others figure it out?

  Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaarrraaaa. Drrrrraaarrraaaaa.

  I glance at Sara, but she’s in deep conversation w
ith one of the guides.

  The two younger Guided take off next. That leaves me and Sean. Then his face lights up.

  “See ya, Melody. Try not to get banged up any more, okay?” Sean leaps off the cliff top, and his guide follows.

  “Don’t bite anything too hard or you’ll break your teeth,” I yell after him.

  “Just ignore him,” Sara says.

  “I didn’t ask your opinion, did I?” Oh, no. I yelled at Sara. Luckily, she doesn’t seem offended.

  “Relax and you’ll figure it out.” she says.

  “I’m trying,” I shout. Darn. I did it again. “I’m trying,” I whisper.

  I’m glad Sara doesn’t ask more questions, but soon I can’t take it anymore. Even though I’m angry at her, she’s my guide and I need help. I glare at her through my goggles. “I have no idea which way to go.”

  “Relax. You’ll figure it out.”

  I don’t believe it. She said the same unhelpful thing twice. “But you’re my guide. Aren’t you supposed to well . . . guide me and tell me what to do?” I’m yelling again, but this time I don’t care.

  “I am guiding you, Melody,” Sara says.

  She sounds hurt, and I feel bad, but still, Sara should at least give me some suggestions. I can’t believe everyone is gone but me. It’s because this is Sara’s first time as a guide. I ignore the little voice that says she doesn’t know what the clue is.

  “Look around, Melody.”

  That’s what I’ve been doing. I clench my fists.

  The sky is clear except for a single cloud. To my right, where Fiona and some of the younger Guided went, is what appears to be a desert. I break out in a sweat thinking of all that sand. Straight ahead is another mountain. That’s the direction Claudine, Liz, and Jackson went, but the mountain looks taller than the one we’re on. I don’t have any desire to fly so high up.

  Sean and three from the younger group flew left with their guides. I study the dark, blurry horizon.

  Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaaaa. Drrrrraaarrraaaa. Drrrrraaarrraaaaa.

  There go my wings again. “What’s in that direction?”

  “The forest of the elves,” Sara says.