Fairy Bad Day (9 page)

“There is a reason that we follow rules and regulations, and believe it or not, it has nothing to do with trying to ruin your life,” he continued, as if warming to his task. “For example, yesterday we had a code-blue situation—something that I expect all the Academy students to treat seriously. Instead, what do I get? Someone who first insists that she’s seen a dragon flying over campus, which I am compelled to take seriously, only to waste valuable time doing an EMR scan and double-checking all the wards. And then, she calls me
again
to say that the dragon wasn’t a dragon after all but an invisible fairy called a darkhel.
Can you see what I’m getting at here?
”

Emma nodded as she tightened her grip on the arms of her chair, still refusing to look up in case she accidentally caught sight of just how annoyed Kessler really was. Besides, when he said it like that, it really did sound crazy. Ridiculous. Especially since, judging by his tone, he’d been doing some fruitless research on darkhels as well.

“Even worse, then I get a visit from another one of my students to confirm that what you had told me was true.”

What?
Emma’s eyes widened. “Curtis came to see you?”

Kessler gave a sharp nod to let her know he hadn’t appreciated the visit, and suddenly Emma felt a stab of guilt that Curtis had put himself in the line of fire on her behalf. She really had misjudged him.

“So if you were me, what would you suggest I do with you?” Kessler finally spoke in a subarctic voice.

Realize that I wasn’t meant to be a fairy slayer and give me dragons instead?
Emma longed to say in a hopeful voice, though she wisely realized that it probably wouldn’t go over that well right about now.

“Well?” he prompted, but before she was forced to answer (what was clearly the trick question to end all trick questions), Barney poked her head around the door and gave a polite cough and then pushed her bright green glasses up onto her head, in what was obviously some sort of code. Principal Kessler got to his feet and made his way over to her.

“Excuse me for a moment, Emma.”

“Of course,” she said as he and Barney had a fast and furious conversation. She leaned forward to try to listen, but unfortunately they excelled at talking at subhuman levels.

“Right,” he said as Barney left, and he walked back to his desk and picked up his phone. “Something’s come up, so we’re going to have to cut this short. But Emma, you’re on detention for the next two weeks, and the only time you will be permitted to leave the grounds is when you’re doing your assignment. And if I’m not fully satisfied with your behavior, I will have no choice but to expel you from Burtonwood Academy. Are we clear?”

Emma felt her throat tighten and her mouth go dry as she realized that Kessler had threatened her with the one thing worse than being a fairy slayer. Being a civilian who had to go and live at home. Surrounded by people who seemed to have forgotten that her mom had ever existed. Suddenly she felt sick as it sank in that this invisible fairy could’ve cost her everything that she held dear. What had she done?

CHAPTER TEN

T
wenty minutes later Emma finished changing into her navy sweats and paused outside the simulation labs to press a hand to her burning cheeks. She’d known Kessler would be mad, but she had no idea he would be
that
mad. She couldn’t even think of anyone who had ever been expelled from Burtonwood. Sight-gifted people were too few and far between to be treated like that. And yet he had said it. If she didn’t get her act together, he would expel her.

It was unthinkable.

Unbearable.

And so not going to happen.

From now on she was going to do everything by the book. Not that there was a book for being a fairy slayer, but that was beside the point. She wasn’t going to be expelled. Then she took a deep breath and pushed open the lab door.

The room itself looked more like a large warehouse than a classroom, with a giant projection screen at one end and a bank of computers at the other so that the teachers could control the virtual fights that students were put through to help train their mental and physical reactions. There were also a variety of fake elemental carcasses, tree stumps, and a clutter of other props that were sometimes used to help create the different battle environments.

However, today the students weren’t going into a fully simulated combat, just a simple, virtual hand-to-hand battle. They would see their virtual opponent through their goggles, and during the fight, their endurance, agility, and stamina could be monitored by the specially designed equipment that they would be wearing. Personally, Emma would rather be fighting real elementals in real conditions, but at least it was better than doing math.

She scanned the room until she finally caught sight of Loni and Tyler over on a low bench against the wall. They both already had their gear on and were gesturing for Emma to join them. She hurried over.

“So?” Loni instantly demanded as she tossed Emma a large equipment bag. “Tell me everything now because I can’t stand the suspense. Especially since your star sign said that today wasn’t a good day for conflict.”

“Well, I guess it was lucky that I didn’t talk back to Kessler when he gave me a two-week detention,” Emma said as she quickly slipped a vest over her head. Loni immediately leaned over and made sure that the wireless connection was switched on so that everything from Emma’s heartbeat to her cholesterol level would be relayed back to the central computer. Once she was satisfied it was working properly, she handed Emma her goggles.

“Two weeks? That means you’ll miss the induction party on Sunday afternoon.” Tyler pushed his own goggles high onto his wild red hair so that it poked out in all directions. The induction party wasn’t part of the official Burtonwood annual schedule, but for most students it was considered one of the highlights. It was the last chance to really let their hair down before the next stage of their training began.
It was also the least of her worries right now.

“He also said that unless he was happy with my progress he would expel me,” Emma said in what she hoped was an even voice. “There probably would’ve been more, but Barney came in and they had some top-secret talk and the next thing I knew Kessler put the whole I’m-disappointed speech on hold and couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”

“What?” Loni yelped. “I can’t believe he threatened to expel you.”

“Only if he’s not happy with my progress in the next two weeks.
Which he will be.
”

“What else did he say?” Tyler leaned forward. “With particular reference to this invisible fairy of yours.”

Sorry,
Loni mouthed to her, and Emma guessed that Tyler had used what Loni liked to call his Leo persistence (and what Tyler called his Leo charm) to find out what had happened yesterday. Emma sighed.

“He hadn’t heard of it, which I’m pretty sure is what led him to decide to give me a detention in the first place.”

“So we still don’t know anything about this darkhel thing?” Tyler looked surprised, but Emma merely shook her head.

“Nope, and I don’t care. From now on my mission is to prove to Kessler that I’m a normal, sane Burtonwood student and not some nutcase who manages to get caught in exploding food courts and sees invisible fairies. I doubt it will be enough to get him to change his mind about Induction, but maybe by the time I graduate he might start to trust me again.”

“It won’t take that long,” Loni assured her. “And besides, as soon as someone accidentally stabs themselves with their sword, sets their tutor on fire, or worse, everyone will forget all about you. Especially now that you’re not wearing your eye patch.”

Before Emma could comment, Professor Meyers stood up from the computer monitors at the back and clapped her hands. “Okay, class, sorry about the delay, but everything’s ready to go. Now remember, I’m going to be focusing on your endurance, agility, and stamina.”

Everyone spread out across the floor so that they were each standing in one of the specially marked circles that would help record all their vital statistics as the simulation fight took place. Emma pushed her goggles back over her nose and checked that her gloves were properly strapped just as a red light flashed in front of her eyes to let her know her test was about to start. Then she lifted her hands in a defense stance as a virtual cassock dragon made the first move. It was a predictable one, and Emma nimbly danced out of its way before sending in an uppercut. The fight was under way.

Twenty minutes later the red light blinked in her goggles to let her know it was over. She pushed them back on top of her head just as the bell rang.

“Okay, no class tomorrow,” Professor Meyers announced, “but on Friday, as part of the Alternative Slaying Practices assignment Principal Kessler has given you, you’re going to have a simulation battle with your assignment partners, and we’re going to concentrate on strength and speed.” Most of the class made a groaning noise as they put away their equipment and headed for the change rooms, where they had a quick shower.

“So you and Curtis will have to do a simulation battle on Friday.” Loni raised an eyebrow as she rubbed her short spiked hair dry with a towel. “Interesting.”

“Not as interesting as the fact that you’ll have to fight Brenda.” Emma grinned back at her friend as she stepped into her slightly crumpled skirt and pulled on her white shirt.

“Don’t remind me.” Loni made a groaning noise as they finished getting changed. Emma was just attempting to do something constructive with her hair when Loni asked, “Since we’ve got a free period, do you want to go to the library or study hall?”

“Library,” Emma immediately said as she thought of all the course work she had been ignoring lately. If she wanted to show Kessler a new and improved her, she would really need to get it all done.

As they continued down the hall, she caught sight of Curtis leaning against a wall, his crutches propped up next to him, his dark eyes serious and brooding. The instant he saw her, he straightened his spine in a way that let her know he had been waiting for her. Suddenly Emma felt guilty for snubbing him in the cafeteria earlier. She probably owed him an apology.

“Actually, Lon, do you mind if I talk to Curtis first?”

“Oh, interesting.” Loni widened her eyes. “Is this part of the whole I-don’t-have-a-crush-on-him thing?” she wanted to know.

“Actually, it’s part of the whole he-went-to-see-Kessler-to-try-and-convince-him-that-I-was-telling-the-truth thing,” Emma confessed.

“He tried to save your butt? I think I might love him myself.” Loni let out a dreamy sigh before she caught sight of Brenda emerging from the locker room. “So, er, while you go and talk to him, I’ll just wait for you around the corner. Possibly behind a very large book so Brenda doesn’t corner me and make me do extra work.”

“Nice disguise,” Emma retorted as Loni scuttled away. She ran a hand through her long smooth hair, which was pulled back into a plain ponytail. Then she walked over to where Curtis was waiting for her.

“Hey, Jones. Hope you don’t think I’m stalking you or anything. I was just worried about your meeting with Kessler.” Curtis blew a stray curl off his brow, his face full of concern. “So how did it go?”

“Don’t worry, I’m still here, so if you were hoping to get a new assignment partner, I’m sorry to disappoint,” she said as she caught sight of the hand he had burned yesterday when he’d tried to zap the fairies with his laser. It had a fresh dressing on it, and for an idle moment she wondered who had changed it for him.

“It’s okay.” Curtis gave a mild shrug of his shoulders as he started to fiddle with the handle of his crutches before he finally looked up. “I’m sort of getting used to my current one. Even if she is a little prickly.”

“Only a little prickly?” Emma double-checked and noticed a surprised smile hovering around Curtis’s mouth as he lifted an eyebrow.

“Did you just make a joke?”

“Definitely not,” she assured him. “And sorry I couldn’t wait for you at the cafeteria. I, er, didn’t want to be late for Kessler.”

“Wise move,” he agreed, dropping his head slightly. “So what happened? What did he say?”

“You know, just the usual.” She gave a cavalier shrug, but as Curtis’s dark eyes drilled into hers, she somehow found herself telling him the truth. “Okay, so it wasn’t quite the usual. He hit me with a two-week detention and the promise of expulsion if I didn’t get my act together. So, I can safely say that I won’t be trying to get him to change his mind about your designation.”

“That’s harsh.” Curtis let out a long whistle and then reached out and gently touched her hand. “I’m sorry.”

“You and me both,” Emma replied in a faltering voice, again thrown by his unexpected response, not to mention the unexpected sensation the brief touch of his fingers on her skin was causing her. She pulled her hand away and awkwardly coughed. “And by the way, Kessler told me that you went to see him.”

“Yeah, about that.” Curtis let out a frustrated sigh. “I hope I didn’t make things worse.”

“I think I managed that all on my own,” she confessed as she tentatively peered up at him. “So why did you do it? I mean, I’ve been awful to you for the last six weeks. Why would you put yourself on the line like that?”

“Remember yesterday when you saw the darkhel and you wanted to go and look for it?” Curtis explained in an earnest voice. “Well, you asked me what kind of slayer I was. I guess I’d like to think I’m the kind who is there for his friends.”

“We’re friends?” The words were out of her mouth before she knew it, and Emma groaned at herself in annoyance. She had so not intended to say that.

“I, well... I’d like us to be.” Curtis looked at her, his dark eyes piercing into hers in a way that caused an unfamiliar sensation to go racing through her body. She felt her pulse quicken and suddenly realized that she wasn’t remotely in control of this situation. She coughed to cover her confusion and decided that a change of subject was required. Immediately.

“S-so, anyway, was there something you wanted to talk to me about before?” she stammered.

“Huh?” He blinked as if he were suffering from shortterm memory loss.

“Before. At the cafeteria,” she prompted him. “You were waving at me like you wanted to say something.”

“Oh, right.” He paused for a moment as if trying to understand what she was saying and then he suddenly shifted awkwardly on his broken leg, a guilty expression hovering around his mouth. “Well, this probably isn’t the best timing, but after I went to see Kessler about you, Barney gave me our pass-outs for the next part of our assignment. Since we did fairies yesterday, tomorrow we’re getting to look at some troubadour dragons. Two of them, to be exact. There’s been a pair down by the lake for the last two weeks. But you know, I can just tell Barney that tomorrow isn’t good.”

She cut him off. “It’s fine, Curtis. I’m up for it. Tomorrow night. Troubadour dragons. Should be fun,” she added in what she hoped was a bright voice to match her new and improved attitude.

He looked more than a little confused. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? I mean, I just told you that I was going to show you how to slay a dragon and you didn’t—”

“Bite your head off and read you the riot act?” Emma let out a rueful sigh. “Trust me, I’m riot-acting you on the inside. But the thing is that from now I have to do everything by the book, which means fully cooperating with you on this assignment. In fact, I’m going to put it into my cell phone right now so that I don’t forget,” she said as she made an exaggerated effort to punch the details into the calendar on her cell phone. “There, it’s all done.”

“Yup, there’s definitely something wrong with you,” Curtis said in a serious voice as he leaned forward, his face taking on the exact same expression that Nurse Reynes used when she did an examination. “I mean, I can see your lips moving but the words aren’t making any sense.
Do everything by the book? Full cooperation?
Are you sure you haven’t been bodysnatched?”

Emma rolled her eyes while trying not to notice how long his sooty lashes were or how they framed his chocolate eyes so perfectly.
Or that he had been concerned enough about her to feel bad about the assignment.
“I’m serious. My future’s on the line here. I’m trying to do the right thing.”