Abby and the Mystic Dancers

by L. C. Miller

Once lunch was over, Abby walked back outside with Carly, Ethan, and Aaron. “See you guys later!” Ethan and Aaron waved as they took the boats to Greenery. The boat ride to Mythical Beast Lore didn’t take much time at all. Abby watched the rocky shoreline as they passed. Her icky yellow shirt had dried and was stiff. They got off the boats and started walking through the trees and into a clearing.

  Abby wasn’t sure what she expected for a teacher, already having a dwarf, but it was not what she saw. Standing in the middle of a clearing was a seven-foot-tall Minotaur. His coat—or fur—whatever it was, was a deep chestnut brown with dark yellow spots on it. He had long white horns curving around from the front of his head to the back and coming up to curve around his ears. His mouth was full of large white teeth. Carly had told her his name was Mr. Figg.

  “Good afternoon, class,” he said in a very heavy accent. “Today I will be teaching, and hopefully filling some of your heads a bit while you stand there and try to look interested.” As most of the students chuckled, he stopped in front of Abby.

  “You must have sat between the twins,” he surmised.

  “Oh, um … Yeah,” Abby said nervously as the students looked at her. With the flick of his wand, the yellow film dissolved and her shirt was as good as new.

  The class went silent when a small brown-skinned creature came out of the woods. They were stunned with awe at what they saw, and it seemed to make Mr. Figg laugh. “I’m guessing some of you know what this little guy is?”

  The creature streaked off fast toward Figg, chattering angrily. “I’m sorry. I mean young lady.” He bowed to the little creature and she seemed appeased.

  “It’s a wood elf,” said Carly. “They rarely come up to humans. Not many people even see them anymore.”

  “Right you are, Carly,” said Mr. Figg. The tiny being peered at Carly, nodding vigorously. She glanced back at Mr. Figg and started chatting. “Her name is Traba. Does anyone know what that name means?” asked Mr. Figg.

  “It means tree trunk, or a beam of wood. Most tree elves have a name native to their race,” explained Abby.

  “Good, good,” Mr. Figg replied, smiling at Abby.

  The class watched as the elf ran up to Abby, crawled up her legs, and perched itself on her shoulders. She chatted in Abby’s ear then jumped down and ran circles around Mr. Figg. Everyone looked at Abby for a second, then back at the creature still chatting away.

  “She likes to talk,” explained Mr. Figg as he brought the class’s attention back to him. Carly looked inquiringly at Abby. Embarrassed, she only shrugged. Mr. Figg assigned them a three-page report on wood elves and their importance to the indigenous trees for homework. As they gathered their books from the ground, Mr. Figg went over to Abby.

  “Might I have a word?” he asked. Before waiting for an answer, he walked away from the students to where the wood elf was waiting. Abby put down her books and went over to where the Minotaur and tree elf stood. “This little lady wanted me to tell you something. She said thank you for helping her cousin with his little problem.”

  “Stipes is your cousin?” asked Abby as she stared at the elf, now sitting on Mr. Figg’s shoulder. Traba nodded vigorously. “Oh, cool. Well … um, you’re welcome.”

  Mr. Figg looked at Abby for a second and then bid her farewell. He walked into the trees with the elf still chattering away in his ear.

  “What was that about?” Carly questioned when she came back for her books. She handed Abby’s bag to her as they left.

  “Nothing. I ran into one of her cousins in the woods at Ms. Rable’s house. She was thanking me for helping him.” Abby told her about finding a wood elf that had come into contact with termites.

  “Ready for Prophecy?” asked Carly. They waved to Aaron—who was pushing off on one of the boats headed toward the greenhouse—as they arrived on shore.

  “Yup, where is it?” Abby replied as Ethan caught up with them.

  Laughing, Ethan said, “We can show you. It’s not far from Drifting, in the Griffith wing.”

  “Why would they move Ms. Freeberly so close to Wonks’s classroom?” Carly asked. “They hate each other!”

  “Why do they hate each other?” Abby asked.

  It was Ethan who answered, “Ms. Freeberly doesn’t mind Wonks all that much. She doesn’t like her and all, but it’s Wonks who despises Ms. Freeberly and what she stands for. Wonks hates anything to do with fortune-telling. She doesn’t believe in it.”

  “I heard that a long time ago, they used to be really close friends, but no one knows what happened to cause such a rift between them. Not even Ms. Bauble knows for sure,” said Carly.

  “How do you know that?” Ethan questioned, turning to look at her.

  “I asked her a long time ago. Mrs. Freeberly sent me to get Ms. Bauble during class one day and Wonks saw me walking during lesson hour. She was trying to give me detention when Ms. Bauble found us. When Ms. Bauble walked me back to class, I asked her.”

  “You really think she would have told you about it?” Abby asked her.

  Shrugging, Carly replied, “Probably not, but I figured asking wouldn’t hurt.”

  They came to a stop at a bright red door. “Here it is, Abby,” said Ethan as they stopped. “We’ll come meet you after Drifting.”

  Abby stood in the doorway in awe. She had never seen so much color in one room. Whereas Wonks’s class was drab and gray, this one had every color that was ever made. The teacher’s desk was a bright turquoise. There were orange and pink candles glowing with bright blue flames. Each desk was a different color, and each held a small black candle and one large crystal.

  Students came through bright red doors, taking seats in the triangle-shaped room. It took Abby a second to realize they were staring at her. This is weird, Abby thought. She wasn’t used to standing out, and felt really out of place. She wondered, briefly, what they would do if she morphed into a mouse and scurried away.

  “Come sit over here.”

  “No, come over here.”

  People were vying for her to sit with them. Most were fellow greens. She noticed a few blues in the class as well. She chose to sit in the middle of the classroom, between two other students in green. “Hi, I’m Chris,” said the short, stout boy to her left. His long blond hair curled down to his chin.

  “I’m Rosie,” said the girl to her left. She had short red hair spiked all over her head.

  “Hi, my name’s—”

  “Oh, it’s Abby. We know,” interrupted Chris.

  “You’re popular,” broke in Rosie. “Everyone is already talkin’ about ya.”

  Before Abby could say anything else, a huge door at the center of the triangle opened. Abby watched as a tall, golden-skinned woman stepped through the frame. “Is everyone ready for class?” she asked in a heavy French accent. In Abby’s opinion, her teacher was every bit as eccentric as her classroom. And the exact opposite of Wonks. For one thing, she was smiling.

  “Today you will be learning about the crystal ball. It is important that you understand it in order for it to work for you. Now please pick up your crystals and pass them to your right.” Abby sat and listened as she spoke of how the crystal ball came into the art of fortune-telling. She’s pretty close, Abby thought. It’s close to what I learned about it in the Mystic world. She glanced over at Rosie after she was tapped on the shoulder. Rosie pointed to Chris, who was sound asleep.

  They watched as he fell out of his chair. After Chris sat up and straightened his chair, he apologized to the teacher as she stared at him. Abby and Rosie smothered their laughter when their teacher shot them a stern look. After class, Rosie asked, “Nice nap there, Chris?”

  He blushed as Abby laughed. “See you guys later,” Abby said to them as she met Ethan, Aaron, and Carly outside.

  When they made it to the courtyard, Brannon was nowhere to be seen. “You can ride double with me,” offered Carly. Abby got on the broom behind Carly and they shot off the ground.

  On the way back to the h
ouse, Abby looked at a graveyard they passed. “It’s called Five-Stone Cemetery,” Ethan explained, seeing what she was looking at.

  “That graveyard was in the paper a few years ago. Someone dug a grave and put a blank headstone in its place. The council wanted to dig it up, but Ms. Bauble talked them into leaving it alone. It’s kind of eerie. We should show it to you sometime,” Aaron told her when they stopped at his house.

  The rest of the week flew by for Abby. When Friday came around, Aaron offered to take her to their stargazing class. She rode double with him, and when they arrived at the tower, Abby was surprised at its size. They walked up the spiral staircase, with well over one hundred steps. When they walked into the room, Abby saw there were no walls or a ceiling.

  The entire room was open. Abby could hear the waves crash onto shore. Several telescopes lined the edge of the room. “Does anyone ever fall out?” Abby asked, peering over the edge.

  “Nope,” Aaron said, joining her. “Well, they say someone did a long time ago, but there’s a shield now. See …” He put his hands toward the edge. “No one can accidently fall out.”

  Abby mimicked him and felt an invisible wall. She pushed harder at it and it still didn’t budge. “That’s really cool.”

  He gestured toward two unused telescopes. “So, how do you like it here?”

  “It’s been great! Everyone’s been really nice … Well, some of them,” she laughed. Abby looked around as other students filed in.

  “What the …” Aaron muttered, staring at her bag. Abby had been absentmindedly rubbing Bombers’ head as he stuck it out of the bag.

  “He wanted to come,” she whispered as Aaron patted Bombers, too, laughing. A tall, blond male elf with piercing silvery blue eyes entered the room.

  He was dressed in silver robes and had his hair in a long braid. “This is Mr. Elrane, but he asks that everyone call him Elrane,” Aaron explained. “A lot of girls think he’s handsome.”

  She could tell Aaron didn’t see why. Abby chuckled. “He’s an elf, and their blood makes them appear flawless.”

  “Right you are, young lady. And might I suggest leaving your pet at home next time,” said Elrane as he stopped next to her.

  Abby stared down at her feet, embarrassed.

  Elrane partnered her with Aaron. They were grouped next to the set of twins, Paul and Viviane. Abby looked at her desk when she realized that again people were staring at her. Elrane made them open their books and learn how to use a telescope.

  Abby remembered the advice about staying awake in his class, and she helped Aaron stay awake as well. By the time class was out, only Abby, Aaron, and the twins remained awake. For homework, they only had to read half of chapter two about Venus, while those who had fallen asleep had to also write a four-page report on it. While they rode home, Aaron asked, “How did you like it?”

  “I like the subject, but for an elf he’s kind of boring,” she said honestly. She felt him laughing. Aaron dropped her off and waved good-bye, then took off for his own home.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next morning, her dance lesson was brutal. She was breathing heavily as she drank water. After the Madam had told her the other dancers would wear half masks when performing at the school’s Halloween dance, Abby understood why they had looked at her funny. She was relieved that when she showed up at her lesson that none of them had a problem with it. Well, most of them.

  “Ugh, come on, Natt. You’re doing it wrong!” Trina, one of the three leads, stomped her foot in agitation.

  Nattel, or Natt to his friends, rubbed his hands over his tan face. “That’s not when we do the spin. The spin comes after the double twist.” The two of them had been partners since Abby joined the group two years before. And they had argued every single day that she could remember.

  “No, it doesn’t, and I can’t see with this stupid mask on!” Trina jerked her black mask off her face and threw it on the ground. “I can’t remember the moves.”

  Sighing, Natt glared at her. “How does not being able to see affect your memory?” That started another round of bickering, and the two left the tent. Mistress Mia watched as they left, shaking her head.

  “You might not be around as much,” Rollen started, standing next to her, “but at least you know some things haven’t changed.” He grinned down at her. “And don’t worry about the masks. Most of us don’t care. Kinda adds to the mystery, don’t ya think?” He slipped his mask back on and gave her a slight bow before leaving the tent with his dance partner, the main lead, Arika.

  “Great work tonight, Abby,” Mistress Mia said when Abby started to leave. “Remember to keep practicing, and I will see you next week.”

  Abby found Bombers waiting for her outside the camp. Putting him around her shoulders, she walked back home.

  Later that afternoon, an idea came to Aaron. “We should go to the graveyard tonight,” he said suddenly.

  “That would be epic,” Ethan started. He turned to Abby. “We can show you the blank tombstone.”

  “I can go after dinner,” Carly said. “Dad won’t notice. He’s been distracted lately.”

  They agreed to meet at nine o’clock. After Carly left, Ethan and Aaron decided to go to Aaron’s house to get what they thought they would need for their nighttime excursion. Abby stayed at the house and had just passed Brannon’s bedroom when a loud crash came from the room. She paused and leaned against the door. She could hear him muttering to himself.

  It stopped when she knocked on the door. It was quiet, so she knocked again before opening the door a crack. She saw Brannon standing at his desk, wand in hand. “You all right?” she asked through the crack.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” was his unconvincing reply.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Sure, why not? I need a break anyways.”

  Abby opened the door wider and stepped inside. She could see his morphing book lying against the wall near the door. “Are you sure you’re all right? You’ve been awfully quiet this week.”

  “No, I’m not, and I’m sorry I left you stranded at school the other day.” He wasn’t looking at her, but at the floor.

  “It’s okay. What’s wrong? Maybe I can help?”

  He brought his head up and gave her a slight smile. “Thanks, but I doubt it. I was supposed to be able to transform into an animal of my choice by the time school startes, and I’m the only one in the class who can’t. Mrs. Queenly says I should think about changing my major if I can’t do it by Christmas break.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what animal do you want to change into?”

  “I was told the snake is the best for a Tracer, but I can’t seem to get the hang of it.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Maybe you should try something else. Not everyone is meant to be a snake.” Picking up his sixth-year morphing book she flipped through a list of animals.

  She stopped at the list of cats. “I think you should try the cat. Preferably this one,” she said, pointing to a picture of a black tabby with greenish-yellow eyes. “What’s the big deal about a snake? So what, they can slither into tight spaces. Cats are very agile and always land on their feet.”

  He glanced at the picture, then back at her.

  “Well,” Abby continued, “you’ve heard how the wand picks you. So does the animal. If it’s not the right one, it won’t work.”

  “I don’t know. I used to think about the cat, but the snake seemed so much cooler. I mean, look at Bombers. Not many people would mess with him.” Bombers nodded his head at Brannon as he stopped at Abby’s feet.

  “True, but how many people would mess with a big black tabby, or an orange cat, for that matter? There are more superstitious people in this world than you think. The Egyptians used to worship cats, you know, and they say ghosts fear them. They used to be their keepers. A lot of creatures fear them as well. They say they have some sort of protective defenses that make them tough to fight.”

  Brannon picked up the book
and started reading about the cat. He nodded, and after thanking her, went back to his desk, already lost in his book. Abby smiled and continued on to her room. She told Bombers all about her day while she practiced her wand twirls. She freaked him out when she made him float in the air a little above her pillow. Ethan came hurrying into her room before dinner and laid an overstuffed bag on her bed.

  “What is all that?” she asked as Bombers tried to open it. She picked him up, laid him on her shoulders, and opened the bag.

  “We put everything we could think of in it—snacks, black face paint, and some dark-colored jackets. Strictly speaking, we’re not supposed to be in the graveyard after dark. There is also a spell book in there on how to handle rowdy ghosts. They don’t like it when someone walks the cemetery at night, especially kids.”

  Shaking her head, Abby lifted the black face paint and Twinkies from the bag. “And have you thought about what to tell your mom and dad?”

  Ethan nodded excitedly. “Oh yeah, I’ve thought about that, too. See, we’re going to tell them that we’re going over to Paul and Viviane’s house. They live up the street.”

  Mrs. Herrin called them to dinner, and both kids quickly stuffed the things back into the bag.

  At dinner, Abby noticed that Brannon was still quiet, and when he caught her watching him, he gave her a small smile. Aaron and Carly came in as they finished. After Mrs. Herrin’s warning about only going to the twins’ house and then coming straight back home, they all left the kitchen. Abby claimed she had to run up to her room and grab a jacket, while the rest waited outside for her. Grabbing the bag on her bed, she tossed it out the window to Aaron and Ethan.

  They were quiet until they got far enough away from the house. Then Aaron and Ethan started playing jokes. It didn’t take Abby long to realize that what had been tickling her neck was a blade of grass Aaron had made float. She tried to retaliate by throwing the floating limbs jinx at him, but he ducked out of the way.

  This started a small war between the four of them—the girls against the boys. Abby lucked out and finally disarmed Aaron, but then Ethan got her with a tickling charm. His attention to Abby let Carly sneak up on him and disarm him, winning the game. “And they say women are the lesser sex,” she laughed.