by L. C. Miller
“That’s good, isn’t it?” asked Abby as she stretched her legs out on the floor.
“I guess,” he replied. He uncovered his egg. “Does it look like its changing color?”
“He looks whiter now,” said Carly.
“Oh, here you go. I put a few in there I found outside.” Abby handed him a jar with grasshoppers in it.
“Thanks,” said Aaron, taking the jar. He covered the egg and asked, “What are you going to try for, Carly?”
“I was thinking maybe being one of the guards. I think I would be good at that.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Ethan said. “Do you know any of the defense moves?” He started to show her some he saw used last year when she shook her head.
“Are you going to come to tryouts?” Aaron asked Abby.
“Yeah, I will. I think it’ll be fun.” Abby smiled.
“Aw, man!” said Ethan suddenly. Showing off one of his moves, he accidentally knocked his bottle of ink onto his partially written report.
In the rush to clean up the ink, the egg was knocked out of its cocoon and rolled across the floor. Aaron jumped to grab it. “It’s okay!” he said, running his hands on it. “No cracks or anything.” He breathed a sigh of relief. They all froze as they heard a loud CRACK, followed by a squeal. A large chunk of the egg flew in the air as a long tail whipped out. “He’s hatching!’ Aaron said excitedly.
He quickly ran to his bed and laid the egg down. Another piece of the egg was pushed, and a few seconds later a scaly head appeared. “It is a wind serpent!” Carly said.
Aaron gently pulled apart some of the shell. The serpent gazed up at Aaron, bright green eyes shining. Now that it was fully out, they could see it was white with yellow socks and tail. One ear was also yellow.
The serpent croaked at Aaron right before biting his finger. “Ow!” cried Aaron, trying to pull his finger back.
“It likes you,” said Ethan, laughing.
Abby grabbed a jar of grasshoppers. “It’s hungry,” she said, giving the jar to Aaron. “Here!”
Aaron quickly opened the jar and dumped its contents next to the snapping serpent. The serpent stretched its wings as it pounced on the grasshoppers.
“How can you tell if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Didn’t you say that females are more vicious?” Ethan asked Abby as the creature attacked a grasshopper trying to get away.
She nodded. “They generally are. Very protective, too.” Once it was done eating, the creature lifted his head up. It squeaked at Aaron before sniffing his sheets for more grasshoppers.
“He must still be hungry.” Aaron picked up the empty jar. “Hey, no!” Aaron exclaimed as the serpent jumped on his pillow and took a bite. It looked up at Aaron, down feathers sticking out of its mouth.
“I think it is safe to assume it’s a girl,” claimed Ethan.
Aaron picked it up. “Let’s go outside.” The tiny creature barely fit in both his hands as he cradled it.
Bombers waited outside as they came out the door. Aaron laid the baby down next to the snake. “Think they’ll get along?” asked Ethan as they watched the serpent sniff the snake.
Bombers uncurled his two-foot length and looked back at the creature. “I like Fintz. She looks like a Fintz,” said Aaron as he watched her.
Fintz lunged off the porch step, trying to catch a fly. Missing it, she toppled down the steps. “Aw!” said Abby as Aaron jumped down to pick up the serpent. The creature gazed up at Aaron as he cradled her.
“What do you think? Do you like the name Fintz?” She looked up at him and rubbed her head on him. “I take that as a yes!” said Aaron. His excitement soon waned as Fintz sneezed into his palm.
Later that evening, Abby stood by the door and waited for Mr. and Mrs. Herrin. She was happy to know she wouldn’t be going to the camp alone. Ethan and Brannon waited with her. “Good luck!” they called out as she left.
“Nervous?” Mrs. Herrin asked.
“Only slightly more than a lot,” Abby replied, rubbing cold fingers together.
Mrs. Herrin put her arm through hers. “You’ll be fine. I just know it.” Abby led them through the trees to a big open clearing.
“Where is it again?” asked Mr. Herrin, looking around, his wand tip giving off light. Abby went to the middle of the clearing and touched the tree. They watched as the woods came alive. “I don’t think I can get used to that,” said Mr. Herrin in awe.
“You weren’t supposed to bring guests,” snapped Marcella as soon as she saw them.
“As her family, where she goes, we go,” replied Mrs. Herrin before Abby could say anything. Abby did her best to not look at anyone as she led the way to the Madam’s tent.
“Come in,” called the Madam before Marcella could let their presence be known. “Everything went quiet so quickly, I figured you were here,” the Madam said when they entered.
“Must more Wielders be here?” Marcella demanded in a quiet voice.
The Madam merely looked at Marcella. “They are the same Wielders as before.”
“We only came to make sure Abby’s welfare is taken care of. After all, she is still a child and living under our roof, which makes her ours,” explained Mr. Herrin.
“We’ve taken care of her in the past,” the Madam said.
“Being sent to live with strangers is not what I would call ‘taken care of’,” said Mrs. Herrin.
Abby looked stunned at the adults.
Esther and Paul came hustling into the room. “Hello, everyone, nice to see you again,” said Esther, shaking hands with Mr. and Mrs. Herrin. “Now, let’s get this thing started … Oh, Paul, for heaven’s sake!”
Paul was giggling at Abby and let out a hoot when she changed her hair color to neon green and curly.
“Well, let’s go,” said the Madam as she led them out of her tent.
“Where are we going?” asked Mr. Herrin as he peered around at all the brightly colored tents.
“To Mistress Mia’s tent,” Rainy answered as she came forward. “Sorry about not meeting you,” Rainy whispered as they walked. “Marcella wouldn’t let me.”
Abby was surprised when they rounded a corner and saw all the dancers. “Oh, and by the way, the majority of the dancers are sided with you. They agree your dancing should prove to them you are, indeed, an unofficial Mystic. It’s more the elderly and a few parents in the tribe who have voiced concern. Marcella, of course, is leading them on, too. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, though. But in case you need cheering up, Arika punched Rollen in the face. He has a purplish black eye,” Rainy whispered as they walked.
Arika and Samoan came up to them. “You really can change your hair on your own,” said Arika, staring at Abby’s green hair. Abby quickly changed it back to the brown.
A few people gasped, but Abby noticed that neither Arika nor Samoan stepped away from her. Samoan smiled. “Cool.” Natt came to stand beside Abby when they entered the suddenly larger tent.
Abby got her second shock when she noticed all the adult dancers were behind Mia, who was seated at a table. Alongside them were several members of the tribe. It was then Abby noticed that one of the adult dancers wore a black and yellow shirt and skirt.
“Hello, Abby,” Camilla said when she noticed Abby looking at her. “You and I will be dancing soon.” Mia motioned for Abby and the Herrins to sit.
“A few of the tribe members have issues regarding your use of a wand and your ability to change you appearance without the use of potions, spells, and charms. They are uncertain if you should remain a true unofficial Mystic.”
“Which she’s proven time and again. Not only is she an excellent dancer, but she’s warned us when she thought we were in danger. And she’s helped out a heck of a lot of people here, in case you’ve forgotten the flood from a few years ago,” Rollen stated from behind Abby. Abby had forgotten about the rainstorm that took out most of their garden. Abby helped restore it and healed some of the plants and grew more of
the lost vegetables.
“This is true. However, people are upset they weren’t told about you, Abby,” said the Madam.
“Whose fault is that?” demanded Mrs. Herrin.
“That blame lies with me,” said Esther. A few of the tribe members turned to her, and she met their gaze when she continued. “Her mother was Esmeralda Firen and her father a Wielder. For that reason, I forbade Madam Winters from informing anyone of Abby’s abilities. I was trying to stop this very thing from happening. Yes, she has the ability to use a wand, but has anyone here ever seen her with it?” None of the Mystics said anything.
One of the tribal members spoke up. “It’s not being questioned who her parents were. It’s a question of whether she should remain an unofficial Mystic because she’s only half Mystic.” Abby looked down at the ground while the person spoke and tried not to cry. Not being able to dance anymore with them was a fate she couldn’t imagine.
“That is why we came up with this plan. Abby is to prove through her dancing whether we should vote to make her remain unofficial or cast her out,” Esther explained.
“You speak like she’s a disease and not a human,” said Rainy, also standing behind Abby.
Mr. and Mrs. Herrin didn’t seem thrilled at how they spoke either. “Exactly how is she supposed to prove herself?” demanded Mrs. Herrin, glaring at Esther.
“Did you bring the list I asked you to?” Mia asked Abby. She nodded and handed Mia a rolled-up piece of paper. “Is this all the dances your mother taught you?” she asked. Abby nodded again.
“You know all of these?” asked Camilla, sounding surprised as she read over Mia’s shoulder.
“She taught me how to dance on my fourth birthday. We danced all the time.”
Mia pointed to one of them. “I think we should use this one. We won’t have to do but one symbol then.”
“The rain one?” asked Camilla, reading the name. The two women glanced at Abby. “You’ve done this one before?”
Abby nodded. “Yes, I have. I still know how to do it.”
Marcella harrumphed loudly.
“Rain it is,” said Mia. “Let me see your hand.” Abby lifted her right hand and let her draw four small wavy lines on the back of it. The dark blue paint glistened in the candlelight. She drew the same symbol on Camilla’s hand. “All right,” Mia said, standing up. “Let’s go outside.”
The entire tribe gathered outside so they could see. One woman holding her baby smiled at Abby as she passed to stand next to the Herrins.
“This is too much for any child,” muttered Mr. Herrin.
Mia stopped next to him. “I’m not sure Abby was ever allowed to be a child.” She motioned for Abby to come to her. “Do you have your emblem?”
Abby nodded and pulled the gold emblem from around her neck. “Good. Now one more thing. When you dance, Abby, remember to hold nothing back this time.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Camilla stood in the middle of the tribe. She gazed up at the clear night sky and smiled. Holding her own emblem in her hand, she waited for Abby to join her.
Nervous, Abby walked over. Mr. and Mrs. Herrin smiled encouragingly, and Rainy gave her a thumbs up as she latched on to Rollen’s arm. He smiled, too. Abby noticed his black eye. Grinning, he shrugged at her and jerked his head at Arika, who had her fingers crossed.
“Go, Abby!” Natt yelled over the silent crowd. Abby gave a small, nervous laugh as a few of her dance group echoed the sentiment. Feeling more confident, Abby held out her emblem.
“Ready?” asked Camilla, holding hers out as well. Abby closed her eyes and nodded. Music soon filled the air as they both rubbed their emblems. Tall, dark shadows appeared next to them.
Abby opened her eyes and began to dance. The fast beat had her quickly forgetting her audience. Placing her hand in the shadows, Abby spun out, keeping step to step and toe to toe with Camilla.
Completely ignoring the crowd around them, Abby pretended she was alone, practicing in the woods for her tree friends Orn, Piney, and Barky.
She was so far into the song that she didn’t feel the raindrops as they landed. The cheers were the first thing she heard when she stopped.
When the song ended and she stood next to Camilla in the exact same position as they had started, she realized what Mia meant. Abby had not kept her hair from changing. It was now a dark blue color. Loud thunder had her looking up as the sky opened to a downpour. Rainy ran up and hugged her.
“After that performance, there is no way they can say you aren’t a Mystic,” she whispered in Abby’s ear. The Madam quickly ushered them back into Mia’s tent.
“From the sound of that rain, I would say you definitely proved yourself,” said Mia, smiling at her. Abby looked at the rest of the soaked tribe members. Slowly, one at a time, they nodded their heads and left the tent.
“Congratulations, Abby, you just convinced the entire tribe that you are an unofficial Mystic through and through,” Esther said, trying to wring water from her hair. Paul whistled as the dance group clapped.
Mr. and Mrs. Herrin stepped forward and hugged her. “That was beautiful. You were beautiful,” Mrs. Herrin exclaimed as she hugged Abby tightly.
Mia handed Abby back her list. And a towel. “When you have some time, I would like to go over a few of these with you.”
Abby nodded, wrapping the towel around her.
“Ready to go home and warm up?” asked Mr. Herrin.
“Ah, here you go,” said Paul, producing a red necklace for each of them. “These will keep you warm until you can get into some dry clothing.” He cackled at Abby when she changed her hair to purple. Putting the necklaces over their heads, they left the tent.
By the time they made it to the tree, Abby had been greeted by everyone in her dance group—the cat trainer, Maude; the woman with the baby, Elena; Camilla; Rainy; Rollen; and surprisingly, Julie.
“I sort of figured you’d side with your mom,” Abby said after Julie congratulated her. “I always thought you hated me.”
“I don’t have to agree with someone to know when they’re being treated unfairly,” Julie remarked before walking away to her tent.
Rainy stood waiting by the tree to tell her good-bye. “See you soon!” she promised.
“Looks like things are back to normal now,” said Mr. Herrin, putting his arm around his wife. Abby practically skipped on the way home.
“What’s that around your necks?” asked Brannon, who was sitting on the bottom steps waiting on them.
“Red stones,” replied Mr. Herrin, taking it off. He tossed it to Brannon and Mrs. Herrin gave hers to Ethan as they entered the house. “The man named Paul gave them to us. Said it would keep us warm on our way home, and I admit he was right.”
Ethan looked at the stone closely. “Should have taken an umbrella,” said Brannon as he put the stone on the table.
“I think I’ll let Abby explain the rain. I’m hungry,” said a yawning Mr. Herrin as he headed down the hall.
“Everything went good then?” asked Ethan, sitting down.
Abby smiled at him. “It went great!”
She told Aaron and Carly all about the test and the dance during breakfast the following morning at school. Homework picked up right where it left off, and Abby couldn’t have been happier with the daily routine. She still practiced in the evenings with her shadow for Orn, Piney, and Barky. She was able to find a potion to help Orn with his winter cold. He often told her stories of the past, though he usually repeated the same ones over and over.
“Watch out!” Aaron yelled one evening, but it was too late. Abby skidded into the row of broomsticks as they arrived for their stargazing class. Several students laughed at her as she tried to stand up, only to trip again over the cascading broomsticks. A boy in yellow robes helped her to her feet as Aaron touched down carefully beside her.
“Thanks,” Abby started, but stopped at the boy’s expression.
He was staring intently at Aaron’s backpack. “
Um, dude?” Aaron unzipped his bag and pulled out Fintz. She quickly spit out part of his stargazing book and climbed up his arm.
“What is that?” the boy asked.
“Walt, this is Fintz, a wind serpent. Fintz, this is Walt.” A crowd quickly surrounded Aaron. Everyone asked where he got it, what it could do, and how much it cost. Fintz seemed to take offense at being called an “it” and bit another student’s finger.
“I’m sorry,” Aaron kept saying as blood trickled from Walt’s finger.
Walt laughed it off. “It’s cool,” he said, rubbing his bleeding digit on his robe. The twins arrived shortly after. It wasn’t much longer when Elrane stepped outside. He seemed surprised to see Fintz, who was now sitting on Aaron’s shoulder.
Aaron immediately launched into the explanation of why he brought her to class. “She hates being left alone, and she already ate two pillows, a rug, a couple of T-shirts, and—”
Elrane held up a finger to silence him. “I wondered what kept my students from class,” and then he swept back into his classroom, students filing in after him. Abby shrugged at Aaron and they followed him inside.
“Feel like flying?” asked Aaron once the class ended.
Abby grimaced. “I’m still feeling the collision with the broomsticks. Do you mind if we walk?” Aaron grinned and nodded, swinging his bag over his shoulder, being careful not to knock off the dozing Fintz. Climbing on the boats, they started back to shore.
“I don’t see how you can ride a flying carpet with such ease, but you can’t stay on a broom to save your life.”
Abby laughed. “The way I look at, my feet are on something solid. I know the carpet won’t let me fall off, but a broom doesn’t have controls like that.”
“I guess I can understand that, but nothing beats flying through the air on a broom.” Aaron sighed.
“Unless you’re on a magic carpet you can stand on.” Abby smiled at him. “Are you glad you brought her to class tonight?” she asked, watching Fintz look around.
“Yeah. I remembered how Elrane was when you brought Bombers with you. I thought I would be in trouble.”