by L. C. Miller
When they got to the camp, Abby didn’t have time to see if Jerrity was awake. Mia immediately put them into groups to begin practicing. “Jeremy! I told you no chewing gum while practicing. Now look what’ve you done! Take Emilie to Miss Jacob. She’ll know how to get the gum out.” There were a few giggles as Jeremy escorted Emilie out of the tent.
When practice was over, Mia took Abby home. An unhappy Rainy walked with them. “Marcella said no I take it?” Mia asked Rainy as they walked through the trees.
“Yeah, she said I was better off not conversing with any more of their kind and that I had too many chores to attend to.” She looked crestfallen.
Abby knew how much Rainy wanted to come to the school dances. Rainy stomped her foot, the little gold bells on her ankle bracelet ringing. “It’s just not fair. Why do I need her opinion? She’s not even my real mother!”
Mia sighed heavily. “I know she isn’t, but she is your stepmother, and you should at least try to respect her wishes. Don’t give me that look, young lady. Perhaps if you try being nicer to her, she may not be so negative to you.”
Groaning, Rainy said, “She was born with negativity. I seriously don’t think she knows how to be anything else.”
Smiling, Mia nodded. “You know she wasn’t always so rude. She used to be nice.”
Rainy vehemently shook her head, as did Abby. “I don’t believe it.”
“No way!” said Abby.
Chapter Forty
They were crossing the Herrins’ yard when Abby remembered Jerrity. “How is Jerrity doing? I heard he woke up last week.”
“He has, but his memory is hazy still. He should be fine in a couple of days.” Mia prevented Abby from asking anything else. “What time will you be coming by tomorrow?”
Distracted, Abby said, “Oh, um, in the evening if that’s okay. My wing is racing tomorrow.”
Mia seemed confused.
“Earth Dragons is the name of the wing I’m in at school. There are five total—Stone Leprechauns, Firebirds, Earth Dragons, Sea Serpents, and Sky Griffons. We’re racing the Stone Leprechauns tomorrow. The first four to the finish line win points for their wing.”
Mia nodded. “Well, good luck then.” Rainy gave Abby a hug before they left. Abby watched them fade into the darkness before turning to go inside.
~*~
Abby didn’t feel like facing Brock after the huge loss they suffered at Sunday’s game. Not one of the Earth Dragons made it through to the end of the race. Sitting in class, she did her best to ignore him and the other grays as they came strutting into class.
“Hello, losers,” greeted Brock as he took his seat in front of Abby. “Did you enjoy the game?” he snickered.
“Congratulations, Brock, on a job well done. You’ve beaten one out of four houses. You should be quite proud.” Carly smiled sweetly at Brock.
In response, Brock made himself sit higher to make sure Abby couldn’t see around him. At least the Earth Dragons had won an emerald, worth only fifty-four points.
“Here are your papers back. After you’ve read over them, we will discuss any problems any of you had.” Mrs. Queenly passed their papers around, and Abby was pleased to have gotten double A’s.
“Above average. Should’ve known you would have gotten that. I got a B.A.,” grumbled Ethan.
Carly giggled. “Barely acceptable? You see, that’s what happens when you don’t study. What did you get, Aaron?”
He showed them his Hardly Worth Grading grade and shrugged. Abby was surprised. “An HWG?” she said.
“Fintz ate that part of my book.”
Abby glanced up to see Mrs. Queenly give Aaron a stern look. “Then might I suggest you get a new one, as part of this is on my final exam.”
When the bell rang, Abby followed them down the hall. “Hey, Abby, look!” Ethan pointed at a bubble floating down the hallway.
“Oh man,” groaned Abby. “It’s right next to Wonks.”
Fortunately, Wonks was too busy to notice the bubble as she gave detention to some older students in green. Abby slowly made her way over to Wonks.
“I will see you both on Saturday.”
The students had identical expressions of outrage. “Saturday? But we race again on Saturday!”
“Would you like to make it the next two Saturdays?” Wonks smiled sweetly at them. Abby had just popped the bubble and grabbed the note when Wonks turned around.
“Ah, perhaps Abby could replace one of you. Her skill on a broomstick couldn’t make your game any worse than last Sunday’s game.” A few students passing snickered. The two students in green merely stomped off muttering to themselves.
Blushing crimson, Abby said nothing as she went back to join her friends. “I’ve never seen your hair that shade of red before,” remarked Ethan as they started walking again.
“I really hope she falls off her books today,” Abby grumbled.
“What’s the note say?” asked Carly.
Unfolding the note, Abby read aloud, “Jerrity is still very groggy and hardly moving around. Not sure if he’s said anything to anyone, but the Madam has been in and out quite a bit. Whatever has moved into the woods, no one is talking about it. I heard Marcella saying that the Madam refused help from the lady at school to try to figure out what it is, which sounds about right to me. Oh, and Mia requests that you come to the camp early tonight. Like, right after school. See you soon, Rainy.”
Abby grimaced. “I don’t see why I need to be there so early.”
Brewery didn’t help improve Abby’s mood as they walked out of class with a list of added things to study.
“Want to go in the woods tonight?” Ethan asked as they made their way to lunch.
“It’s probably not a good idea. You remember how Orn was the other day. Plus, in between studying and practicing, what free time do I have?”
Sitting across from Carly, Abby reached for a can of Pringles. Martin soon joined them. “Oh, is that the pickle-and-olive flavor?” Martin asked Abby, reaching for the can.
“Something sure smells rotten,” Prissy commented as she and her fellow grays walked by.
It was then Abby noticed the rotten sweet smell. Martin looked down sheepishly. “That’s probably me. Brock got to me in the hallway earlier. Sorry. I thought I got all of them,” he said, reaching into the hood of his robe and pulling out a rotten orange. He tossed it on the trash tray as it whizzed past.
“Hey, Abby, can you change your hair color to anything?” asked Viviane as she came up to sit next to Carly.
Abby quickly turned back around and nodded, changing her hair to a bright turquoise color. “Sure can.” Carly started laughing when Abby changed her hair again to eye-popping pink. “Why do you ask?” Abby inquired as the bells started ringing, signaling it was time to go to class. Rising, Abby changed her hair again to curly and purple.
“I was hoping that when you go to Wonks’s class you could change it to lime green,” explained Viviane. “She absolutely hates that color.”
When classes were over for the day, Abby jumped on her Glider and rose into the air. She rode part of the way with Ethan, Aaron, and Carly before veering off to the giant oak tree.
Landing near the base, she touched the tree’s trunk and watched the camp come to life.
Rainy was waiting near the tree. “Getting excited yet?”
Abby looked confused. “About what?”
Laughing, Rainy answered, “About the dance, silly. It’s only a few weeks away.” They walked together to Mia’s orange tent.
“You walking back with me?” asked Abby.
“Of course I am, but come look for me in the gardens, because Marcella has some chores for me.”
Abby was shocked. “And you’re actually doing them?”
Grinning, Rainy shook her head. “Of course not. I’ll be hiding out in the gardens.”
Abby giggled and entered the tent.
~*~
The following few weeks left Abby too busy to ask about Jer
rity. Not even his sister and fellow dancer, Teresa, seemed to know exactly what happened to him. Back-to-back exams had not only Abby worrying but many other students as well.
Abby felt happy about her tests for morphing, brewing, and greenery. Prophecy, DETs, and drifting exams had her second-guessing herself on every answer.
Figg was the only one who told the students their grades before class ended. Considering it consisted of the reports they had written, Abby thought it was fairly easier than she expected. Most of her questions consisted of tree elves, and Traba was there, sitting on Figg’s shoulder.
Soon she only had one exam left, stargazing. Ethan told her not to worry about that one because he had already taken it and said it was very easy. “If you’re stuck on a question, just circle C, straight down the middle.”
As soon as exams were over for the day, Abby arrived at the camp. Rollen and Arika ushered her into the tent to practice.
A grueling two hours later Abby came out, breathing hard. “Want to know the best thing about a dance performance?” Natt asked as he stopped beside Abby.
“No, what?”
Micah answered as he came outside, “When it’s over.”
Laughing, Abby started to cough. “Abby?” Mia stepped through the tent and looked at Abby, Natt, and Micah suspiciously. “The Madam and Cruger—” An angry cat’s howl interrupted her. Glancing down, Abby saw the solid gray cat openly glaring at Mia. Sighing, Mia said, “I’m sorry … The Madam and Ruger will be accompanying you home. She said to meet her at her home when you’re ready.” Waving, Abby headed toward the Madam’s tent.
She stopped when she heard whispering. “—not been seen for many days, not since Jerrity finally woke up. No one has seen Milo. Tell me you haven’t heard the whispers in the woods!” A rustling sound had Abby stepping back as the tent flap flew open and the Madam stepped out.
“Ah, Abby, nice to see you again. You remember Estella?”
Nodding, Abby greeted the woman. “How’s Ryder doing?” Abby asked of the woman’s six-year-old son.
Looking on the verge of tears, Estella gave a small smile. “He’s fine. The nightmares of spiders eating him have stopped plaguing him, and he sleeps better.”
“That’s good then. I told him once that he should try dreaming of puppies instead.”
The Madam smiled. “Why puppies?”
Abby grinned. “Have you ever seen a puppy not eat everything in sight?”
Estella chuckled as the Madam smiled again. “I trust you did well on your exams,” said the Madam.
Abby smiled and nodded. “It’s a little strange to take them in a room full of students instead of one-on-one, but I think I did pretty well. I have stargazing tonight.”
“Well, let’s get you home so you can study. I believe Rainy is waiting for you in the gardens. You better go get her so she doesn’t think you left her.”
Abby left the tent and headed to the gardens. Passing Teresa’s tent, she saw they had pinned the white flower outside. Its petals were sagging, and Abby, looking around to make sure no one was watching, touched the petals.
“Thank you,” it whispered, brightening up.
“What did you just do?” Abby turned quickly around and saw Julie standing behind her.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“No, you did something.”
Chapter Forty-One
Abby shook her head. “No, I didn’t, but you may want to tell Teresa the flower needs some water.” She walked off quickly, carful to not look over her shoulder to see if Julie was still standing there.
She found Rainy in the gardens, hiding behind the tall stalks of corn. They made their way back to the Madam’s tent, but Abby made them take a detour around Teresa’s. “Ready to go?” asked the Madam as she stood next to the tree. Abby and Rainy followed the Madam and Ruger, the large gray cat, down the trail.
Ethan and Aaron were waiting for her when she got back home. “Ready for the stargazing exam?” asked Aaron, grinning.
Abby, nodded and went upstairs to change clothes for the third time that day.
When they arrived at the tower, several students were sitting outside flipping through their books one more time. “We have a few minutes, if you want to look anything up,” Aaron said. Grateful, Abby began to leaf through her book. A loud screech had all of them jumping. Abby tried to look through the trees, but Elrane came and ushered them inside.
After the exam was over, neither Abby nor Aaron were surprised to see teachers in the air, escorting students home. “So, how do you think you did?” asked Aaron. He kept his broom beside her. Ms. Freeberly was not far behind them.
“I think I did okay. I didn’t really understand the three uses of the Milky Way.”
Aaron grinned. “Yeah, me neither. Think you passed?”
She nodded. “When do final grades come out?”
“Not for a while. Are you done with dancing after you perform, or is there stuff you do during the summer?”
Abby shook her head. “There is always dancing. It’s never really done unless, of course, you quit it or leave. Not many people have, but there have been people who gave it up.”
“What would make them give it up?” asked Aaron.
“I don’t know. There was one story where someone quit because they dishonored their family or something. Oh, and one of the Four Who Changed Things was said to have disappeared after an argument with her sisters.”
“An argument? That seems like a crappy way to end things,” Aaron remarked.
Agreeing, Abby glanced back to see Mr. Frump now behind them. She started giggling then and grabbed Aaron’s arm, getting his attention.
“Looks like he still hasn’t gotten it!” They looked back to see Ms. Freeberly trying to keep Mr. Frump on his broom. He kept wobbling back and forth on it, his broomstick slowly floating toward the ground.
Aaron followed Abby to her house, as he was staying over with Ethan. “Try not to burn anything down,” Mrs. Herrin suggested after asking how the exams went.
Abby hung out with Aaron and Ethan for a bit before going to her room. Once inside, she checked on her flowers in the closet. “I think the lamp is working,” she told Bombers as she watered them. “I see buds already. I can’t wait to see what they are. They must be pretty special flowers since it’s taken so long to bloom. These over here look yellowish-gold.” She pointed to five small pots where little buds were beginning to form from the dirt. She talked to them a bit more before she went to bed.
~*~
The night of the ceremony came around quickly, and Abby was getting dressed when someone knocked on her door. “Come in,” she called, slipping on her light gold shoes.
“Hey, Abby, you about ready?” asked Carly. Throwing her robe over her dress, Abby nodded. “Still can’t tell us anything, can you?” Carly joined her, and they went downstairs.
“Do you like flowers?” asked Abby. When Carly nodded, Abby grinned. “Good!”
Ethan, Aaron, and Brannon glanced up when they reached the bottom. “Ready for detention?” Brannon joked as Abby grabbed her bag.
Once outside, Abby put Bombers down and opened her Glider. It didn’t take them long to reach the school, and Abby saw Martin standing outside.
“Hey, Martin, how’s it going?” she asked him as she rolled her Glider back in its case. He seemed a bit nervous.
“It’s going pretty good. Want to sit with me during the ceremony?” he asked, as they all walked back inside.
Abby nodded. “Sure. So, what does this ceremony do exactly?”
“It’s the Deciding Ceremony. Remember when you had to stand in one of those huge circles?”
Abby nodded. “Yeah, I remember that. Is that what’s going on? Why do they do it at the end of the year?” They took their seats at the end of the table.
“So everyone can get their robes in time. It used to be at the beginning of the year, but the robe shops all complained about the back orders and how long things took. Do you he
ar bells?”
Abby had been tapping her foot. Slightly embarrassed, she stopped. “That’s me. I have them on my ankle bracelet.” Martin nodded as Viviane and Paul took seats next to Abby.
“Ready for the dance afterward?” asked Paul excitedly.
Viviane rolled her eyes. “He’s looking forward to that more than anything. He’s hoping she will be there.”
Paul glared at his sister.
“Who?” asked Abby, interested.
“Teresa,” Paul sighed.
Abby grinned and then tried to appear forlorn. “I won’t be going to the dance.”
Martin looked surprised. “Detention again?”
Paul and Viviane seemed surprised, too. Abby answered, “Yeah, Wonks gave me detention again. This time for earning a higher grade than Brock on some assignment.”
Viviane appeared angry. “Someone really needs to pull that bee out of her—” Paul elbowed her to stop the rant. Wonks passed them to take her seat at the teachers’ table.
Abby turned to Martin. “Are you going to the dance?”
He looked slightly nauseous. “I’m thinking of going back to the house room. I really hate dancing. I’m no good at it.”
“Really?” asked Abby. “You danced just fine at the last one.”
Martin glanced up at her. “How would you know? Didn’t you have detention then?”
Abby swallowed, concentrating very hard on the table. “Oh, yeah, I did. Carly told me.”
Martin seemed confused. “I don’t remember dancing with her.”
Principal Bauble tapped on a wooden podium, silencing the hall. “Bring in the fresh meat,” she called, causing many students to laugh. The huge double doors opened and many scared-looking children came inside.
“Geez, they’re short,” Paul whispered as the students started to walk by. Snickers from the Stones caused Abby to look over and see Brock talking to the passing students. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but heard something that sounded like “snakes.”
“Sounds like he is tormenting the new students already,” said Martin, pushing his glasses up on his nose. Abby watched as the new students lined up in rows of five.