Andres muttered under his breath. Then he hocked up a huge loogie and ptthht! A mouthful landed smack on Lacey’s head. It snaked down her forehead and oozed behind her glasses.
“Ew,” said Zinnia. “Lacey, that is super gross.”
Rune laughed.
Lacey screwed her mouth into an ugly shape and flung her hand in Andres’s direction. There was a spark, and Andres’s leash started to smolder. Tiny tongues of flame shot out. Nory screamed.
“Andres’s leash is on fire!” she cried. “You guys! Help!”
Andres yelled in fright. The flames reached higher.
Willa frowned and pressed her fingers to her temples. Nothing happened. “I don’t rain outdoors yet!” she wailed.
Sebastian stood helpless.
Marigold, too. “I’d shrink his leash,” she said, worrying her hands. “But what if that makes his clothes catch fire?”
The leash was burning away. Now only threads kept Andres from ballooning into space. The heat reached Nory’s hand, but she held tight.
“Help!” Andres cried. “If the leash breaks, I’ll keep going up forever!”
“I’ll get a Flyer from up in the yard,” Marigold said.
Sebastian grabbed her arm. “Won’t help. The only kids out here are fifth graders—”
“And they can only fly two feet up,” Marigold finished. “And the lunch ladies! They’re all Fuzzies!”
Nory’s breaths came fast. She shot Elliott a desperate look, because she knew what needed to be done, and so did he.
“You have to help,” she told him. “Come on. You can do it.”
He hesitated.
“You have to! Forget the stupid box of normal! Andres needs help!”
Elliott pressed his lips together. He flung his fingers out with intense determination.
The leash froze from top to bottom.
With a hiss, the fire was gone.
“Elliott!” Nory cried triumphantly. “Yes!”
Andres’s body sagged with relief.
“You’re okay. We’ll get you down,” Nory called. Hand over hand, she started pulling the frozen leash toward her.
“You saved him!” Marigold said to Elliott.
“I did!” Elliott said.
But he hadn’t.
With a terrifying sound, the frozen leash creaked. Splinters of ice rained down.
C-r-r-r-a-ck.
It snapped in two.
“Nooooooo!” Nory cried.
Andres went up, his arms and legs flailing.
Super fast.
Super high.
Lacey laughed.
Everyone else jabbered, throwing out panicked suggestions.
“Knock him down with pinecones!”
“Throw a net over him!”
“Get an advanced Flyer—quick!”
Sebastian sprinted back to the school to get a teacher, but Andres was already high above the treetops. By the time a Flyer arrived on the scene, Andres would be gone.
Nory dug her fingernails into her palms. Andres was going up and up and up. Before long, no one would be able to save him.
Unless …
Nory sucked in breath. First she imagined her box of normal. Next, she imagined the walls of the box exploding outward in all directions.
No more box.
No more normal.
Then she pictured a bird, big and fast and strong. She had never done bird—never, not ever—and so many things could go wrong. But she concentrated with all her might, imagining wings and talons and eyes with perfect vision.
“Nory! Yes!” Elliott said.
Bird-Nory looked down to see Elliott jumping and clapping.
“Go, Nory!” Marigold urged. “Hurry!”
Bird-Nory swooped through the sky. Maybe I should go build a nest.
No nest! Girl-Nory commanded. Andres. Only Andres.
Bird-Nory spotted him, a lumpish thing in a stripy shirt, flying into the sky without any feathers.
Nah, thought Bird-Nory, swerving away. I’d rather search for worms.
He doesn’t have feathers, but he’s still your friend, Girl-Nory told her bird self, and Bird-Nory heard and listened.
Bird-Nory flew to the lumpish thing. She looked him straight in the eye.
Wow, he was huge.
She must be small.
Bird-Nory craned her neck to catch a glimpse of herself. Oh, drat, Girl-Nory thought. A bluebird? Seriously?
She had to grow, that was all there was to it.
Grow! Girl-Nory told herself. Go on, now! GROW!
She quivered.
She strained.
Nothing. She was still a tiny bluebird, with big Andres floating higher and higher beside her.
But why wouldn’t she grow? Was Nory’s stupid wonky magic so wonky that she couldn’t even wonk it when she wanted to?
Ms. Starr’s words came into Nory’s head: We should nurture what’s inside us.
Well, there was a lot of different magic inside Nory. That was for sure. When she drew her box of normal, it was teeny-tiny compared to the part of herself she had to leave out. And in the part of her she had to leave out, there was definitely magic that could make her grow. She knew it because of the skunkephant.
I’m nurturing you, inner skunkephant! she thought. She nurtured it as hard as she could. Come on already!
No luck.
In her mind, she heard Ms. Starr’s voice again.
UDM isn’t about controlling your feelings, it’s about understanding them.
Okay, she’d try that. What was she feeling?
Worry, for Andres. Disgust, at Lacey.
Annoyance at Elliott for trying to be friends with Lacey. Sympathy with him, for wanting friends.
Hope that she and Pepper could one day be friends.
Anger at Father. Frustration with Dalia and Hawthorn. Missing them, too.
Pride at doing a good bluebird, but fear of what people might say if she turned her bluebird into something else.
Those were her feelings. The feelings of Nory Boxwood Horace, right then, as she fluttered in front of Andres in the sky.
And that did it. Nory grew—and grew and grew and grew. She was Enormous-Bluebird-Nory.
“Aaaaaaah!” Andres screamed. He kicked, trying to get away.
Enormous-Bluebird-Nory changed again. Her bird-face shifted. She recognized the stretchiness of her skin and the flutter of her eyelashes. Now she had her girl face. Whoa.
Nory had never heard of a Fluxer who could do part animal and part human.
“Andres, it’s me, Nory,” said Enormous-Bluebird-Nory-with-Nory’s-Actual-Face.
Andres’s eyes bugged.
“It is. Really. I’m going to save you now, okay?”
Enormous-Bluebird-Nory-with-Nory’s-Actual-Face grabbed hold of Andres with her claw feet. He was heavy, and the pull of his upside-down magic was strong, but she flapped her powerful wings and delivered him safely to the ground.
Everyone from UDM cheered.
Nory, relieved and exhausted, turned back into herself.
And Andres, no longer in the clutches of a giant bird, started floating back up again.
No!
Nory grabbed his ankle.
But the more anxious Andres was, the stronger his magic became.
He kept going up.
Elliott grabbed Nory’s leg, and that helped. But Andres’s floating magic was strong, and soon Elliott was lifted off the ground as well.
Willa grabbed Elliott. “We need a rope! Somebody find a rope!”
Zinnia and Rune took off toward the school, but before they were halfway there, Marigold gasped and pointed.
“There!” she said.
It was Bax.
He was a rope.
Marigold passed Rope-Bax to Elliott, who passed him to Nory, who tied him to Andres’s belt. She gave a yank to make sure the knot would hold.
Rope-Bax held on to Andres.
Nory gave Rope-Bax to Willa, who wrapped the
loose end around her wrist for added security.
Clumsily, everyone (except for Andres) climbed down to the ground.
They were safe. Andres was safe.
It took a minute for it to sink in.
“Thanks, Bax,” Andres said to the rope.
Rope-Bax didn’t answer.
“Who’s Sebastian talking to?” Elliott wondered.
They turned to look. Sebastian was running over, speaking to the air.
“Sebastian!” yelled Nory. “Who are you talking to?”
Something next to Sebastian shimmered.
A shoe appeared, then a jacket. Then the rest of Principal Gonzalez’s body appeared, with his mustache coming in last. With a wiggle of his lips, as if to make sure every hair was in place, he said, “He was talking to me.”
Principal Gonzalez pulled a blue leather leash from his pocket. He walked over and fastened it onto Andres’s belt and unlooped Rope-Bax. He handed the leash to Nory and Rope-Bax back to Willa.
“Take Bax to Nurse Riley. He’ll know what to do.” The principal paused. “I wouldn’t watch, though, if I were you.”
Willa hurried off. Lacey, eyes on the ground, crept behind her like a crab hoping not to be noticed.
“Chhht,” Principal Gonzalez said, holding up one finger. “Not so fast, Lacey Clench.”
Lacey slumped. Then she turned around. She pasted on a smile and said, “I’m so glad Andres is safe. I mean, Elliott? The way he iced that leash and broke it? Upside-Down Magic is really dangerous.” She blinked innocently. “Not to be mean. I’m just saying.”
The principal frowned. “Let’s talk about you, Lacey. Do you think it was clever to set fire to someone’s leash?”
“No, sir. I know it was unsupervised flaring, but it was an accident. My control isn’t good at all. You can ask my teacher. We used the fire extinguishers four times because of me, just last week.”
Gonzalez raised his eyebrows.
“It was a mistake, I swear,” continued Lacey. “I didn’t Flare his leash on purpose.”
“Hmm,” Principal Gonzalez said. “You are lucky that the UDM class acted so quickly, and so creatively.” He regarded her. “Otherwise he might have died. Do you understand?”
Lacey’s face drained of color. “Yes, sir.”
“All right. Now let’s talk about your manners. Would you like being mocked for your glasses, or for anything else that separates you from others?”
Lacey swallowed and shook her head.
“I did not think so.”
“I have to wear them,” Lacey said. “They’re prescription.”
“I will not tolerate bigotry,” said Principal Gonzalez. “I will not tolerate unkindness about race, gender, orientation, family background, religion, weight, magical abilities, favorite candy, or anything else that distinguishes one person from another. Not here at Dunwiddle Magic School.”
“It was an accident,” whispered Lacey.
“Possibly what you did was an accident. But what you said to Elliott and his UDM classmates was most certainly a choice. We can discuss it more in my office. Zinnia and Rune are there now. Please go and join them.”
When Lacey was gone, Principal Gonzalez sent the UDM class back to Ms. Starr’s room.
Everyone except Nory and Elliott.
* * *
“You can guess what I’ve got to say, can’t you?” Principal Gonzalez said to Nory and Elliott once the others were gone.
Shame clogged Nory’s throat.
Then pride swelled her up.
Then shame.
Then pride.
Her different magic had been on display for everyone to see. A giant Nory-faced bluebird? She would never live it down.
But she had saved Andres!
It was horrible.
It was great!
“I think you’re going to say that we did a very good thing today,” Elliott said. “And that you’re glad because we saved Andres. But we’ll have to work extra hard not to let our wonky magic take over again.”
Principal Gonzalez tilted his head. “Is that truly your prediction?”
“If we study the Box of Normal book, we’ll get better,” Elliott said doggedly. “Especially, you know, since we’ll be in the normal classes. Nothing like this will happen again, Mr. Gonzalez, I promise.”
The principal’s eyes were very dark and very kind. “Nory, Elliott—you belong in Ms. Starr’s class.”
“What?” Elliott said. “B-both of us?” His breath hitched. “It was just one small bit of ice, to save Andres!”
“Magic like yours needs the right kind of training,” Gonzalez said. “What happened with Andres has helped me realize what I probably knew all along.” He pursed his lips. “You won’t get proper training in a regular Flare class, Elliott. And you won’t get it in a Fluxer class, either, Nory. I don’t know how you did what you did, but I am quite sure that Ms. Starr’s teaching played a role. Do you agree?”
Nory nodded. Ms. Starr’s teaching had definitely played a role.
Principal Gonzalez escorted them across the lawn. “That’s my verdict, then. The Upside-Down Magic class is where you belong.”
Elliott looked stricken. “But—”
“My decision is final,” Principal Gonzalez said.
He disappeared. All at once, with a slight popping sound.
* * *
Nory and Elliott sat together on the lawn. Elliott was sulking. Nory was thinking.
She wouldn’t be moving to the regular Fluxer class.
That meant she would never test again for Sage Academy. And that meant she wouldn’t be going home.
Disappointment washed over her.
Could she find a bright side? She decided to compliment Elliott. At least she could help him feel better about himself.
“What you did was really important magic,” she said. “Turning the leash to ice. Who else but you could have done that?”
He snorted. “No one but Elliott the Upside-Down Flare.”
Nory bit her lower lip. “I have a small secret to tell you. Being an enormous bird-girl was actually kind of amazing.”
“Really?”
“Really. It was. It felt powerful.”
For a moment, Elliott showed no reaction. Then he smiled and said, “The ice magic felt pretty good, too.” He plucked a piece of grass. “But the Sparkies are never going to talk to me again.”
Nory made a face. “And that’s a problem because … ?”
Elliott squinted at her. Then he laughed. The big, snorty laugh that had first made Nory like him. “I guess it’s not a problem, huh?”
“They’re the problem,” Nory said.
“You’re right. I should freeze their pillows.”
“Or their underwear.”
They laughed together.
A flash of movement caught Nory’s eye. It was Marigold, running across the field. She stopped in front of them and rested her hands on her legs, breathing hard. She grinned. “Ms. Starr said to get to class, please. She got ice cream cups from the cafeteria and she’s not going to make us do geography today. And Bax is back in human shape.”
Elliott stood. He pulled Nory up, too. “Come on,” he said.
“Are you sure?” she asked him.
Elliott nodded. “I’m sure. If there’s ice cream, I’m in.”
A week later, Elliott, Marigold, Willa, Bax, Nory, and Sebastian had a picnic in Aunt Margo’s backyard. Andres floated above them, his leash tied to a table.
It was one of the last warm days of the year. They could smell the change of leaves in the air.
Figs showed off his Saint Bernard and played Frisbee with Bax.
Bax said he always wanted a dog.
Margo brought out lemonade. “Elliott, you want to give it a try like we talked about?”
“Yeah, Elliott,” said Nory. “Do it!”
Elliott flicked his finger at the lemonade, icing it over. “Slushies for everyone!” he proclaimed.
The
re was a cheer.
A small, slight girl appeared from within the house.
“Pepper!” Nory cried. “You made it.”
“Figs, turn back now,” Margo commanded.
He immediately took her advice. Back in his human form, he cleared his throat and adjusted his shirt. If Pepper had scared him, even for half a second, he wasn’t about to show it.
Pepper stood shyly at the edge of the yard. Nory dashed over, took her by the forearm, and dragged her toward the others. “Lemon slushies by Elliott,” she said as she handed Pepper one.
Pepper smiled. “Yum.”
Margo’s cell phone buzzed. She frowned and fished it out of her pocket. “Hello?” She listened for a moment, and her eyes flew to Nory. “Actually, now isn’t a good … well, all right …” She sighed and held the phone out to Nory. “It’s for you.”
Nory didn’t understand. Her friends were right here, every last one of them. Who could be calling?
She stepped away from the group and raised the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
It was Dalia and Hawthorn, together.
“How did the test go?” Dalia asked.
“Did you pass?” Hawthorn asked.
“Are you done being upside-down?”
“Can you come home?”
Nory leaned against a tree. So much had happened that she didn’t know where to begin. Also, her feelings were hurt. The test had been last week, and they were just calling her now.
“I failed,” she said. “I have to stay in UDM.”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry,” Dalia exclaimed. “Maybe you can try again?”
“You have to,” Hawthorn said. His tone reminded Nory of how bossy he could be. “You’ll have to practice harder, that’s all. Harder and longer and better.”
“I do?”
“You’re not going to give up, are you? Don’t you want to come home?”
Nory wound a strand of her big hair around her finger. Of course she wanted to go home. She missed Hawthorn and Dalia and Father. She missed her room, her big house, and the pretty green lawns of her old hometown. She missed all sorts of things.
But here she had Aunt Margo, who liked her just the way she was. Aunt Margo got her library books, took her flying sometimes, and let her eat lunches of starch, grease, and sugar.
She had Figs, who did an awesome Saint Bernard, and Ms. Starr, who was never afraid to look silly and who believed in talking about feelings.
Upside-Down Magic Page 9