“But it doesn’t make sense!” Abigail protested. “Searching the janitor’s broom closet isn’t normal!”
“I’m a potato brain,” Felix said with a shrug, “nothing about me is normal.”
“You’re a what?” Abigail asked, unable to suppress a smile.
Felix looked me in the eye and grinned. “I’d better go talk to Selene.” As he walked past me, he leaned down to my ear and whispered, “Code Baked Potato, Miss Magenta.”
I whipped around and punched him in the arm. He yelped.
“Seriously?” He cradled his arm—the one with the sling. Why was it always that one? “What is it with you and punching people?”
“Val!” Abigail exclaimed. “That was uncalled—wait, you’ve punched him before?”
“Long story,” I said. I turned to Felix. “Okay, Potato Brain, I think it’s time for some answers. Real answers. No more secrecy.”
“Okay,” he said. He grabbed my arm with his good one and pulled me through the cafeteria, leaving Abigail behind, until we reached the table where William Johnson and Selene sat, brainstorming ideas for the school play.
William had blond hair and had been a geek for as long as I can remember. In second grade, he discovered comic books. In fifth grade, he would chatter on about them to anybody who would listen. Last year, in eighth grade, he stopped talking about how cool it would be to be a superhero. He still talked about his comic books with his friends in class, but his main topic under the umbrella of comic books—his desire to be in one—was no longer brought up. I had never found out why, but I had found it both noticeable and weird.
Selene saw us and groaned. She facepalmed. “You messed up, didn’t you?”
“Not exactly,” Felix answered. “Let’s just say that it’s time to move on to Plan C.”
William sighed. “Felix, we don’t have a Plan C.”
“What happened to Plan A and Plan B?” I asked, even though I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.
“Felix happened,” William answered. “What did you do this time, spudhead?”
Still confused, I asked, “What does talking to William and Selene have to do with getting answers?”
“Answers?” Selene looked at Felix for an explanation.
“We need to go back,” Felix said, still holding onto my arm firmly. “Now.”
“Go back where?” I asked, more confused than ever. “Why are you three acting so weird? What is going on?”
Selene glared at Felix. “You idiot! You just blew our cover!”
“Do you want the Magenta on our side or not?” he retorted. “We can’t hide the truth from her anymore!”
The other students were staring at us. The janitor, who often monitored the cafeteria, blew his whistle and started yelling at us.
“GO BACK TO YOUR SEATS!” he yelled.
“MAYBE IN A MINUTE!” Felix yelled back. “WE’RE KINDA BUSY RIGHT NOW!”
The janitor wasn’t pleased with that response. “GET BACK TO YOUR SEATS RIGHT NOW OR I’M CALLING THE PRINCIPAL!”
“ACTUALLY,” Felix responded. “YOU GUYS NEED A NEW PRINCIPAL. PRINCIPAL TAVELLO QUIT!”
At that, the cafeteria erupted into a mix of outraged and excited screaming. A few of the kids got in a big group hug and jumped up and down, cheering. The noise level in the room went from a three to a six on a scale from one to five.
“EVERYBODY SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!” the janitor yelled. He blew his whistle a couple of times and everyone calmed down. Well, they calmed down as much as high school students could in such an exciting situation.
He made his way across the cafeteria until he was right next to us. “What do you mean, Principal Tavello quit?” he questioned. “I saw him this morning!”
“It means he teleported out of here after a fight in math class,” William responded.
William grunted as Selene elbowed him in the gut. Hard. “Zip it, Johnson,” she instructed.
“Thanks a lot, Selene,” William wheezed sarcastically. “That was just what I needed.”
Selene shot him a glare. “Just open the portal.”
“Would you care to explain what is going on here?” the janitor asked, crossing his arms.
“Opatay clekavra Destiny Forest!” William chanted.
Next to me, a glowing, swirly blue circle appeared.
“Nope!” Felix responded with a grin. “That is on a need-to-know basis, and you definitely don’t need to know.”
The janitor just stared at the glowing circle hovering about six inches off the ground. William jumped into it, vanishing into its glowing blue depths. Selene followed him, despite the terrified facial expressions of the other students in the cafeteria. Opal had gone pale in the face. Mary’s jaw dropped with her sandwich.
Felix started to pull me toward the circle, but I pulled back. “What is that thing?” I demanded. “Where did it take Selene and William?”
“To a land of magic,” he answered, his blue eyes dancing with mischief.
“Stop kidding around!” I exclaimed, exasperated.
Felix grinned. “I wasn’t kidding.”
With that, he yanked me through the glowing circle.
Chapter 7
The second my feet touched solid ground, I whipped around and slapped Felix across the face with all my might. His jaw fell open, and he released my arm, eyes watering.
“I knew you were trying to kidnap me!”
He rubbed his cheek. “First of all, ouch. Girl, you seriously need to take a chill pill. Second, I didn’t kid—”
“Well, what would you call it, Potato Brain?” I was shouting now. “A date?”
William and Selene erupted into laughter. “Potato Brain?” Selene asked, her eyes watering and face turning red as she laughed. “How did that happen?”
Felix sighed. “It’s a long story. Now are we going to devise a plan or not?”
“The other Legendary Keepers are at the market in Saviena right now,” William informed him. “Gabrielle said that’s where they would be from morning to about dinnertime. They should be back by then.”
“Hold your horses!” I ordered. “‘Legendary Keepers’? ‘Portal’? ‘Land of magic’? Explanation! Now!”
“Oh yeah,” Felix said. “Valida still needs to interview us.”
“I don’t even know you people!” I ranted, ignoring Felix. Then, I noticed the raised eyebrows from all three of them. “Okay,” I relented. I pointed at Selene. “I know you from Algebra 1.” I pointed to William. “I know you from English.” I pointed to Felix. “And I know you from the Darkness.” I crossed my arms. “So I do know you all, but not well! Now all of the sudden, I find out I’m the Magenta—whatever that is—and you three bring me to wherever this is! Oh yeah, and my parents were kidnapped while I was at school yesterday, and I don’t know if they’re okay! My life is a mess!”
“Whoa, back up,” Felix said. “Your parents were kidnapped?”
“Yeah; it was all over the news,” I confirmed.
All three exchanged looks with each other, all worried.
“This is bad,” William stated.
“Thank you, Sir Obvious,” Selene commented sarcastically.
While William and Selene went back and forth for a minute or so, I took a good look at my surroundings. I was in a cave of some sort. The walls were rough and rocky. There were candles everywhere, giving the cave a spooky feel. Furniture, most of it either rocky or wooden, furnished the small room I was in. It looked like a living room.
“Where am I?” I asked, interrupting William and Selene’s conversation.
“That’s easy,” Felix answered. “You’re in a rock. A dusty, old, hollowed-out rock. It’s a lovely rock, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a rock nonetheless.”
William rolled his eyes. “Welcome to L.K. headquarters. It happens to be in a cave, but it’s still headquarters. And before you ask,” he said, seeing me draw breath for another question, “you aren’t on Earth anymore. You’re in D
estiny Forest, one of the other Dimensions. Dimensions are—” He paused, looking at Selene. “Selene, how would you explain what a Dimension is?”
“It’s basically a different world,” she responded. “They aren’t parallel worlds, like you might see in movies. No doppelgangers, unless you know and use the spell for that. They’re like different planets, but you can’t reach them by rocket.”
Finally, some answers! “What was that blue glowing circle you pulled me through?”
“A portal,” Selene responded. “Portals are the only sure way of transport between Dimensions.”
Right at that moment, a portal opened up. Two girls emerged from it.
The first girl was about half a head shorter than Felix and was holding a basket of food. She had long hair that was a brilliant, bright red—the kind of bright, primary red you get when you dye your hair the reddest it can be. She was slender, but fit, and her skin tone was light, as if she didn’t leave the cave much.
The second girl was tall, at least half a head taller than Felix. She had a light tan and medium length black hair. Among its strands to the left was a single, thin streak of red. Her brown eyes were piercing and guarded.
“Greetings, Gabrielle,” Selene greeted the first girl, giving her a hug. “Hi, Regina,” she greeted the other, giving her a hug as well.
The second girl, Regina, was stiff as a board and didn’t return the hug. On the other hand, the first girl, Gabrielle, smiled and returned the hug with enthusiasm. Her eyes, which were a vibrant, shining green, widened when she saw me. “Oh! I didn’t realize you would bring Valida here so soon!” she exclaimed in her silvery voice.
“You, um...you know who I am?” I stuttered, feeling like an idiot.
“Of course!” She set her basket down and enveloped me in a hug, then proceeded to do the same to Felix (avoiding his injured arm, of course) and William. She walked back over to me, grabbed my shoulders and looked me over, muttering inaudibly under her breath. When she let me go, she said, “The others wanted to stay at the market for a while, but I wanted to get a head start on dinner. My cousin, Regina, decided to come with me. Oh, and Steven had some personal matters he wanted to take care of. He’ll return tomorrow morning.” She turned to the others. “Valida doesn’t remember a thing about the Dimensions, so we need someone to teach her the basics.”
Felix grinned. “Leave that to me.”
“How could you have known that?” I asked.
“I have a gift or two,” she responded with a small smile. She elaborated no further and turned to Selene and William. “You two and Regina can make sure dinner tastes good.”
“Dibs on tasting dessert!” Selene declared.
“Not if I get there first!” William challenged.
They raced into a different room, separated from the living room by a cloth. I assumed that was the kitchen.
Regina rolled her eyes. “They’ll never grow up.” She gave Felix a stern look. “Don’t do anything stupid,” she told him, a statement followed by a look that clearly told him that he’d better comply or die. She went into the kitchen in a much calmer manner than Selene and William had.
Gabrielle sighed. “Well, I’d better get started on dinner. Head outside with Felix for training. I’ll ring the dinner bell when food is done.”
“Sounds good!” Felix said. Once Gabrielle was in the kitchen, he told me, “I’m going to grab something. I’ll meet you outside. If you head through the trees straight ahead and follow the path for a few minutes, you’ll come across a clearing. Meet me there, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
I walked outside, went down the path to the clearing, and waited. He didn’t take long, despite his arm injury and the weight of his newly acquired object.
“Hey, Potato Brain.” I nodded to the sack of potatoes he was carrying. “Why the potatoes?”
“The question you should be asking,” he informed me as he set his burden on the grassy ground, “is why not more potatoes? The answer to that, by the way, is that this is our last sack.”
I laughed. “And why would I ask that in the first place?”
He shrugged. “You can never have enough potatoes.”
“So, what are we going to do with all of these?” I inquired.
He gave me a scheming smile. “You’ll see.”
“Felix,” Gabrielle scolded as she came into the clearing, “why is our last sack of potatoes outside? I can’t make mashed potatoes without the potatoes!”
“Good point.” Felix returned the potatoes. “For our lesson, I suppose we can use some apples instead—”
“Not if you want pie, you won’t,” Gabrielle interrupted, a sly smile on her face.
“Okay,” Felix yielded, “no agility lesson today. But I’m taking you up on the pie!”
“Okay,” Gabrielle agreed. “Just do a more low-key lesson for Valida’s first. We don’t want her to break a limb because of some fruit.”
“Or some starch,” Felix added. “I suppose I’m teaching the campfire lesson, then?”
Gabrielle nodded. “Just don’t burn Destiny Forest to the ground.”
Felix grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Uh huh,” Gabrielle said skeptically. “Well, if we end up in mortal danger, I'll be in the kitchen.”
Felix helped me gather dry kindling and showed me how to start a campfire. It took me a few tries, but in the end, I had my own miniature campfire. It was small enough to have been made by a doll and burned out quickly, but I did it.
“Bravo, Miss Magenta!” Felix praised. “That was a beautiful fire!”
A strong gust of wind came from out of nowhere and blew sparks from Felix’s normal-sized campfire away from the clearing and onto a tall tree. The tree promptly caught fire, and the surrounding trees with it.
“Hey, Potato Brain,” I said, motioning toward the tree. “Do you think this counts as being in mortal danger?”
Felix nodded. “Absolutely. Also, Gabrielle is going to kill me.”
“No,” I corrected, remembering the deadly look Regina had given him earlier, “Regina is going to kill you.”
We ran back to headquarters and sprinted into the kitchen. Gabrielle was at a wood burning stove, boiling water. She wore a stained apron. Regina, William, and Selene were nowhere in sight, but I could hear Selene laughing in the living room.
“Hey, Gabrielle,” Felix began nervously. “We, uh, sorta set Destiny Forest on fire.”
Gabrielle sighed and took off her apron, then hung it up on a nail in the wall. “Only you, Felix. Only you.”
“Hey!” he protested. “It’s not my fault!”
Gabrielle raised an eyebrow, but said, “Okay, Felix. Whatever you say.”
She followed us back to the fire, which was now eating all the trees in sight and spreading fast. She muttered something under her breath and waved her hand. Bit by bit, during the next few minutes, the fire died, leaving charred trees where it had been. With another wave and another muttered phrase, the trees were restored to their former state.
Felix’s jaw dropped. “You can heal trees?”
Gabrielle shrugged. “I’m a healer, Felix. I don’t just heal people. In fact, trees are easier than people.”
“You can heal people?” he asked, awed.
“Not all injuries, but yes.” Gabrielle raised an eyebrow. “How did you not know that? I’ve healed you, like, five times.”
“Yeah, Potato Brain,” I joked. “Pay attention.”
Felix held out his injured arm. “Can you heal this?”
Gabrielle nodded. “It would take a few minutes and some of my concoctions, but yes.”
“Cool,” he remarked. Gabrielle smiled.
Regina joined us in the clearing. “So, Felix,” she started, crossing her arms, “how in Siakra did you manage to accidentally set Destiny Forest on fire?”
“You’re dead, Potato Brain,” I said with a grin.
He shrugged. “I’m surprised I’ve survived this lo
ng.”
“Well,” Gabrielle said as she left the clearing, “dinner and pie will be done in a few minutes. Don’t kill each other before that.”
“Yeah,” Felix told Regina. “Don’t kill me before pie.”
“Fine,” Regina said. “But after pie, I’m going to destroy you in a training match.”
“Oh, it’s on,” Felix responded.
Chapter 8
Training with Felix had been canceled for the rest of the day, due to the forest fire incident earlier. After Felix had gotten his arm healed, I joined him, William, Selene, and Regina in the living room. We all took a seat on cushioned chairs. Each had a foundation of either rock or wood.
“So why were you brought here so soon?” Regina asked me. “You weren’t supposed to get here until summer.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Ask Potato Brain.”
“Felix messed up and told her too much,” Selene answered for him.
“Hey!” Felix protested. “That wasn’t entirely my fault!”
I vouched for him. “He didn’t reveal too much. Quite the opposite actually. He wasn’t a very helpful resource. He kept whatever secrets you’re hiding.”
Felix gave me a grateful look. I gave him a smile. Selene gave me the look that I decided to dub “The Eyebrows”—a facial expression in which the eyebrows shoot up and down rapidly a couple times—and mouthed, I ship it. I shot her a glare. What was with my peers and matchmaking these days?
Regina cleared her throat. “Anyway...what happened?”
I told her all that had happened the past few days, letting Felix fill in some of the details I missed. She listened through the entire story, nodding occasionally to let me know that she was still listening.
Once I was done, she said, “This changes everything. Tom is going to be furious.”
Felix blanched. “I hope he won’t be as furious as last time.”
For a second, barely long enough to notice it, a look of sympathy crossed Regina’s face. As quickly as it had come, it was gone, replaced with her usual guarded expression. “If anything,” she stated, “he’ll be more furious.”
“Well, this is gonna be fun,” Felix muttered sarcastically.
The Magenta (The Legendary Keepers Book 1) Page 3
