P.C. Cast - Mysteria Nights

Summer chose to ignore Jenny’s comment about control and said, “I’m really a vegetarian. I don’t eat anything that had a face. Makes me want to throw up a little in the back of my throat even to think about it. So get my half with cheese and veggies.”

“Cheese and veggies on your half it is.” She motioned for one of the fairies to come take their order and then frowned when the pink-haired, scantily clad waitress ignored her and instead giggled musically at something a werewolf at the bar had said. Jenny lifted one perfectly manicured finger and started swirling it around in the air. “Looks like girlfriend over there needs a little discipline lesson. She needs to learn it’s best not to ignore me when I—”

Summer grabbed Jenny’s finger. “Do. Not. Use. Magic!”

Jenny yelped in surprise and put her finger away. “What gives?”

“Did Candy never mention what kind of, ur, magic I have?”

Jenny’s frown deepened. “Well, no. Candy didn’t have any magic, or at least she didn’t until she hooked up with that handsome werewolf of hers. I think she felt kinda weird that everyone else had some sort of magic, so she didn’t talk much about it. Plus, you know school’s supposed to be a Magic Free Zone. There was no need to go into it much. Why? What’s your magic?”

“Opposite.”

“Huh?”

Summer sighed. “My magic is opposite magic. Any spell worked around me instantly turns opposite, or at the very least becomes totally messed-up and twisted around. That’s another reason I decided to teach.”

“To really fuck with the teenage mind by screwing up all the furtive little magics they attempt at school?”

“No, though that does sound like it might be a fun by-product. The truth is that I wanted to get a job back home in Mysteria. I really like it here. While I was in college, I missed . . .” She hesitated, trying to decide how much to say. “Ur, I uh, missed the people who live here,” she finally decided on. And it was true. She had missed the people—some of them more than others. Actually, one of them more than others. “Anyway, I wanted to live in Mysteria, but I didn’t want to constantly be messing up people’s magic.”

Jenny’s expression said she knew there was more to the “Ur, I uh, missed the people who live here” nonsense, but the only comment she made was, “Oh, I get it. So working in the high school, a Magic Free Zone, sounded perfect.”

“In theory,” Summer said, mournfully sipping her martini.

“Hey, cheer up. It could be worse.”

“How?”

“You could be teaching at the grade school. At that age they touch you and pee in their pants.” Jenny shuddered. “Yeesh!”

Summer sighed. “This might fall under Emergency Procedures and require one more drink.”

“Of course it does, and of course you do. I’ll get it and order our pizza.” Jenny slid her lithe body from their booth. “I’ll go to the counter and order it. Although I do wonder what would happen if my kick-the-flirting-waitress-fairy-in-her-lazy-ass spell went opposite.”

“You don’t want to know. It’s always a true mess and—”

A gale of giggles and the door opening caused Summer to lose her train of thought and glance over her shoulder at the entrance to the bar. Then she sucked air. Her face blanched white and then flushed a bright, painful pink.

“Oh, Goddess!” Summer whispered. “It’s Kenneth.”

“Yeah, it’s Kenny the Fairy. So? What’s the big deal?” Jenny was saying when the gaze of the tall, blond, male fairy in the middle of the new group of laughing girl fairies lighted on Summer and, smiling, he hurried over to their table.

“Hey, Summer! You’re back!”

“Hi, Ken,” Summer said, managing to stiffly return his hug. “Yeah. That’s me. Back. For a week.” And she blushed an even hotter shade of pink.

“Come on Kenny-benny! You promised to buy us mushroom pizza and those fizzy blue hypnotic drinks,” pouted a pair of identical twin silver-haired, gold-winged fairies.

Kenny gave Summer an apologetic smile. “Sorry, gotta go. I’ll call you later, okay? Is your number still the same?”

“Yeah. The same. Still.” Summer tried to smile, but her face ended up looking more like an enthusiastic grimace.

“Oh, no no no. This is so damn sad. You have a crush on Fairy Kenny,” Jenny said when they were alone again.

“Shhh!” Summer hushed her. “He might hear you.”

“Oh, please. He’s too busy with the slut sisters and their trampy friends. Hang on.” Jenny turned, faced the counter, and nailed the giggling pink waitress with her stern gaze. Her voice carried easily across the bar, slicing through the chattering fairies like a saber through a butterfly-infested flower garden. “Esmeralda, we need another round of martinis and a veggie pizza. Now. And do not make me repeat myself.” The waitress gulped, nodded, and scampered off to place their order. Jenny briskly brushed her hands against one another, as if pleased at a job well done, then she sat back in the booth, turning her full attention on Summer. “Okay, give. Why did you turn into the Incredible Cardboard Woman the instant Kenny-benny spoke to you?”

“I like him,” Summer whispered, upending her martini and patting on the stem as she tried to coax the last of the liquid from the glass.

“Yeah, so? That doesn’t explain the stiffness.”

Summer sighed. “He and I grew up together. We were best friends, or at least we were until we hit puberty and I realized how gorgeous and perfect he is. Since then things have been kinda awkward between us.”

“Kenny’s been through puberty? Who knew?”

“Stop it! He’s cute beyond belief. Don’t you think he looks just like Legolas?” she said, shooting furtive glances at Ken.

“I guess so, only gayer. If that’s possible.” Jenny shrugged. “But whatever floats your boat.”

“He definitely floats my boat,” Summer said.

“Does he know that?”

“Huh?”

“You said you guys grew up together, and then things changed when you started crushing on him. Maybe you should let him know why things changed.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m not very good at—”

“Here are your drinks, ladies. Your pizza should be right out,” gushed the waitress as she sloshed their new martinis down on the table in front of them.

“Thank you, Esmeralda. How kind of you to finally show us special attention.”

“I—I just didn’t realize it was you, Jenny,” the fairy said. “Discipline Nymphs always get special attention at Knight Caps.”

“As well they should,” Jenny said smoothly, bowing her head in gracious acknowledgment of the fairy’s apology.

The waitress hurried away, and Jenny turned her gaze back to Summer. “So, you need to let Kenny know you have the hots for him.”

“Ack!” Summer sputtered, mid–martini sip. She swallowed, coughed, and said, “Jenny, like I was saying, I’m not good at, well, the guy-girl thing. It’s just so—I don’t know—unpredictable.”

“Oh, please. Kenny-benny isn’t a guy. He’s a fairy. And they’re really predictable. They frolic—they flirt—they scamper.”

“I happen to think there’s more to Kenny than that, but as I said, I’m not good at the social interaction thing.”

“You have issues with guys.”

“No, just with guys I like.”

“Okay, fine. Just with guys you like. What are you going to do about it?”

“Huh?”

Jenny snorted. “Darling, you’re definitely old enough to take the bull by the horns. Figuratively and literally.”

Summer took another drink of her martini. “You’re right. I know you’re right. But knowing and doing are two different things.”