Winging It

by Deborah Cooke

  ‘Okay.’ I started to walk to class, remembering that Kohana had called himself that. The description certainly was consistent with his powers.

  Garrett continued, excitement in his voice. ‘But here’s the thing – in some Pacific Northwest tribes, Thunderbirds are believed to be shape shifters. They open their beaks and pull them back like a hood, then shed their feathers like a coat. They married humans ages ago, so there are families who pass this ability through the generations.’

  ‘Like us.’ I stopped in the hall, focused on Garrett’s voice.

  ‘Just like us.’ I could hear that Garrett had one more morsel to share. ‘In fact, the Sioux tell a story that the Thunderbirds fought and defeated a race of reptiles centuries ago. Guess what the reptiles were called?’

  ‘Unktehila.’

  ‘Bingo. We must have made a treaty based on territory – they said we were defeated because we retreated to our own turf.’

  ‘Europe,’ I said. ‘And we forgot the deal over time because so many of us were killed.’

  ‘And ultimately we came back to North America,’ Garrett concluded. ‘That’s Kohana’s beef with the Pyr.’

  ‘And why he calls us oathbreakers.’

  So, the Thunderbirds were allying with the Mages to enforce the terms of an old treaty, intending to drive us Pyr out of North America and off the map if necessary. And the Mages found that useful. I guessed that Kohana and other Thunderbirds had a trick up their sleeves for the Mages, and wondered what it was.

  Did Mages have a weakness?

  How could I persuade Kohana and the Thunderbirds to fight with us, instead of against us?

  ‘It says these families tend to live on the northern end of Vancouver Island,’ Garrett concluded. ‘That they stick to themselves and are very secretive.’

  ‘Sounds like the Covenant to me.’

  ‘Sure does. Maybe we have more in common than any of us realize.’

  That gave me an idea. ‘Can you have another look in your mom’s books?’

  ‘I think I’ve been through everything, Zoë …’ Garrett started to argue.

  ‘I need you to look for something different.’ I dropped my voice to a whisper. ‘Werewolves.’ If I was going to negotiate a treaty with Derek and his kind, more knowledge would be better.

  Garrett didn’t say anything for a minute. Then he spoke softly. ‘You found one.’

  ‘Right under my nose.’ The bell rang. ‘I’ve got to go.’

  ‘I’ll look,’ Garrett said.

  ‘Good. Thanks. Later.’ And I ran.

  Art class was a relief, although I wasn’t exactly as focused as usual. My still life in charcoal was less than my best effort and it showed. Mr Hughes wasn’t fooled. He didn’t say anything, but his lips tightened before he returned to his desk.

  He made a bunch of notes and I tried not to be so egotistical as to assume that they must be about me.

  I was thinking about everything BUT school, it seemed.

  Math class was next and right before lunch. I slid through the back door of the classroom and took my usual seat at the rear. I wished I could be invisible in this class, as I was falling behind on the work. I pulled out the homework that I hadn’t completed and hoped we wouldn’t have to turn it in. Meagan and Jessica were sitting together at the front, whispering. They never got in trouble for that – after all, they were the class stars.

  ‘Bitch,’ Suzanne said, dumping her books one desk over from me. She always sat beside Trish in math class. I tried to avoid attracting their attention, as a rule.

  ‘Bitch yourself,’ Trish said, making a joke, but Suzanne didn’t laugh.

  She threw herself into her chair instead. Her ponytail was less than perfect, a few loose tendrils hanging from one side, and her eyes were red. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at the front of the class.

  Trish looked around, then leaned closer to her sidekick. I didn’t even have to strain my hearing to eavesdrop. ‘Who?’ she whispered, just as Mrs Dawson strode into the room.

  ‘Jessica.’ Suzanne said her name in a low hiss of fury. ‘Didn’t you hear? Trevor just dumped me for that slut.’

  I was shocked. Suzanne and Trevor had been going out forever. More or less.

  This made no sense. What was really going on?

  ‘Get out,’ Trish said, outraged on Suzanne’s behalf.

  Suzanne grimaced. ‘That’s pretty much what he said.’ And she settled in to look daggers at Jessica.

  Was it love?

  Or did it have something to do with me? I had a bad feeling then, remembering Trevor’s threat. But if he thought that his dating Jessica would change my mind about attending his party, he had another think coming. They were welcome to each other.

  I recalled Derek’s comment about Jessica and wondered whether he knew anything else about her. Maybe he just didn’t like her either. I had to finish that drawing for him – it would give me the perfect reason to start a conversation with him.

  ‘Take out your homework assignment, please,’ Mrs Dawson said. ‘I’ll be marking them today instead of giving a pop quiz. Put your name on the top right corner to ensure that you get credit. Meagan, would you collect everyone’s homework, please?’

  It figured that it’d be collected on the one day I didn’t get it done. I winced and wished my luck would change.

  ‘You didn’t even finish your math homework last night, did you?’ Meagan asked when I got to my locker after science class. I knew she’d noticed. Big clue: my hand-in sheet was almost completely blank.

  Meagan was already packing books for her lunch break in the library. Looked like lunch was going to last through Friday.

  ‘No.’ It seemed best to stick with simple answers. After all, I couldn’t exactly tell her what had interfered with my concentration.

  ‘You’re going to need tutoring if you don’t watch out.’

  Being tutored by Meagan along with Trevor didn’t exactly sound like a dream come true to me.

  Did Meagan know about Jessica and Trevor already?

  Should I warn her, or let Jessica do her own dirty work?

  An evil part of me thought that this might be what ended Jessica and Meagan’s new friendship, given how much Meagan liked Trevor.

  I should have guessed I’d be totally wrong about that.

  Or at least anticipated that a math whiz like Jessica would have planned for every eventuality.

  ‘Are you ready, Meagan?’ Jessica asked. I fought to hide my dislike. Even the sound of her voice grated on me, although I didn’t know why.

  ‘Almost. I just need one more book.’ Meagan was rummaging in her locker.

  I glanced up, thinking I might try to make nice, but instead my mouth fell open in surprise. Trevor was with Jessica, his arm slung around her shoulders. She was smiling, as if she had a good joke to tell, holding one finger to her lips as she watched Meagan. This was not going to be a happy surprise. Trevor smiled, looking even more predatory than he had earlier.

  What was he up to?

  ‘Hi,’ I said, and dumped all my books in my locker. I needed to get away from school, even for just an hour. I grabbed Derek’s notebook and my fave pencil set, shoving them into my backpack.

  ‘Got your costume ready for Saturday?’ Trevor asked and Meagan hit her head on the metal shelf in her locker. She straightened up and pushed her glasses up her nose, blinking at him in astonishment.

  ‘You know Trevor, don’t you?’ Jessica said to Meagan. ‘He said you tutored him.’

  Meagan began to blush, red heat rising up her throat, and I felt bad for her. I knew that Jessica was living her fantasy. ‘Sure,’ she said, sounding squeaky. She looked at his arm and Jessica’s smile and swallowed. ‘I didn’t know you did.’

  ‘We met at the math lab, the one you missed.’ Jessica smiled and I wondered whether she knew she was twisting the knife in the wound. Meagan had missed that lab to go to the movie with Liam and me. Jessica smiled up at Trevor. ‘He couldn’t
figure out his homework and we just hit it off.’

  ‘Thank goodness for Jessica,’ Trevor said. ‘I aced my test this morning. First time ever.’

  They beamed at each other, the perfect smitten couple, and I ached for Meagan. I reached out to touch her shoulder, aware that Trevor was watching my gesture.

  His eyes shone in a way that gave me the creeps.

  ‘Oh, by the way, Meagan,’ Trevor said, smiling broadly. ‘Jessica wanted me to invite you to my Halloween party Saturday night. It’s late notice, but I hope you can come.’

  His gaze flicked to me, triumphant.

  Okay, so he had invited Meagan. I still didn’t see how this would compel me to attend. Our gazes locked for a second. Why did he think this would change my mind?

  Meagan meanwhile glanced up at the prospect, her expression ecstatic. ‘Thanks.’ She smiled and took a step away from me. ‘That would be fun. Thanks!’

  ‘I thought we could all study together at lunch today,’ Jessica said. She nudged Trevor. ‘He still needs help with math. Maybe between the two of us, we can whip his skills into shape for midterms.’

  ‘Okay. Sure. That sounds great.’ Meagan zipped up her backpack and almost tripped over her feet in her haste to follow them.

  The way Trevor smirked at me, glancing back over his shoulder, didn’t make me feel any better.

  I sensed someone else watching and glanced around. Derek was leaning in the far corner of the hallway, arms folded across his chest. Before I could say anything, he headed for the exit, slipped out the door, and was gone.

  ‘Want to grab a tofu burger?’ Liam asked in old-speak. I couldn’t see him but he must be in the vicinity. He’d been bragging in the summer about getting better with casting his old-speak over a larger area.

  I smiled and leaned my forehead against my locker in relief. Trust Liam to know that I needed a friend.

  And some fuel.

  That having lunch with a dragon shifter would be a return to routine said a great deal about my life.

  ‘Maybe being a wildcard makes you a magnet for shifters,’ Liam said, speaking around a mouthful of his second super burger special. ‘Isn’t that what Kohana called you last spring?’ I nodded. ‘Because if there are four kinds of shifters left, two have found you already. Maybe the third one isn’t far behind.’

  ‘Jaguars,’ I said. ‘The last kind was supposed to be jaguars, according to Kohana.’ I’d cut my tofu burger in half and still hadn’t finished the first half. I was too busy trying to find a solution to our problems to eat.

  ‘It might be true. Lions are big cats, and Adrian became a lion when he shifted on the lake. Maybe the Mages have been taking cat shifters out in smaller groups.’

  ‘Or maybe Kohana lied.’

  Liam was already checking out the second half of my burger. ‘These things aren’t very filling, are they? I could eat a dozen of them.’

  ‘What if some of the cat shifters have been eliminated, but not all?’ I suggested. ‘Lions but not jaguars?’

  Liam shrugged. ‘It could happen. Maybe there are other kinds left, too.’

  ‘Just not lions.’

  Liam grimaced. ‘Or maybe Kohana just lied. Maybe all the cat shifters are already gone and it’s just us and the wolves.’ He was watching that last half of my tofu burger as if it was the source of the universe’s secrets.

  ‘You want this?’

  ‘You’re not hungry?’

  I shook my head, then watched the rest of my lunch disappear. ‘How do we fight back against the Mages even if we do make an alliance?’

  ‘Maybe we could find another spellsinger,’ Liam suggested.

  ‘Yeah, but we could end up recruiting someone who would just betray us.’

  Liam dropped his gaze and ate, clearly not wanting to say anything about Jared.

  My messenger chimed and I tugged it out. ‘It’s Garrett,’ I said to Liam, then answered. I knew Liam would be able to hear Garrett even across the table, with his Pyr hearing.

  ‘I’ve found something weird,’ Garrett said. ‘This book just jumped off the shelves at the bookstore, like it was looking for me.’

  ‘Okay, that’s weird.’

  Liam rolled his eyes in agreement with that but otherwise kept eating.

  ‘No,’ Garrett insisted. ‘The weird thing is that it’s not in the inventory. My mom says she’s never seen it before, and she knows every book in the place.’

  The hair stood up on the back of my neck. With another used-bookstore owner, I’d have my doubts, but Sara was incredibly organized. I leaned over the table, making sure Liam didn’t miss a syllable. The restaurant was a bit busy. ‘Okay, I’ll bite. What is it?’

  ‘It’s in Latin. I had to use a translator utility to even figure out the title. It’s called The Treatise of the Shadowmakers. I think it’s a book of spells.’

  ‘What kind of spells?’ Liam asked.

  ‘Well, the last section of the book is called “Metamorphosis”.’

  Liam and I looked at each other. ‘It could be a Mage book,’ I suggested.

  Garrett sighed. ‘Is it really their book? Or was it planted, to trick us? Like a diversion. I’m skeptical, especially the way it turned up.’

  ‘We have to read it,’ I said.

  ‘First I have to scan the whole thing and run it through that Latin utility,’ Garrett said. ‘Then we have to figure out what it actually means. Even what I’ve looked at so far isn’t exactly crystal clear. You okay there for a couple of days? It’ll be easier for me to do the grunt work here.’

  ‘Liam’s here,’ I said.

  ‘Nick’s coming,’ Liam added.

  ‘And it seems that I have a wolf at my back.’

  ‘You never told me about that,’ Garrett said and I told him then.

  ‘Seems like too big of a coincidence for Derek to just happen to be at your school,’ Garrett said when I was done. Liam nodded agreement.

  ‘I know. I’m going to ask him. Crap!’ I remembered the drawing I needed to do and dug in my bag, hastily clearing the table. ‘He asked me to do a drawing for him. I figured I’d ask him some questions when I give it to him.’ I set to work as Liam claimed my messenger and gave Garrett the play-by-play.

  ‘Let’s ask Isabelle if she knows anything,’ Garrett suggested.

  I nodded. ‘We’ll wait for Nick.’ We could throw them together, force them to spend some time with each other. Then Nick would have to see the truth. It could be a subtle but effective strategy.

  ‘Sounds like a plan,’ Liam said.

  ‘I’d better get to it,’ Garrett said. ‘It’s a long book.’

  ‘Nice messenger,’ Liam said, teasing me when the call was over. ‘Sure you need it?’

  ‘Of course I do!’ He made me jump for it, laughing that he could so easily hold it out of my reach.

  When I’d snagged it again, Liam gathered up our trash and gave me a look. ‘Don’t you have class?’

  I did, and I was late. I grabbed my stuff and ran.

  * * *

  I slid into English class a good ten minutes late. My hopes of passing under the radar were completely trashed within seconds.

  Because I was handed a summons to the guidance counselor’s office and dismissed.

  Seemed I was ten minutes late for an appointment I hadn’t even known I had.

  I’ve never been much for guidance counselors. They mean well and all, but there’s not very much I can talk to them about. What are my life plans? Becoming the prophetess of the dragon shifters. How do I intend to earn a living? No worries – over centuries, any wage can add up, plus my dad is pretty good about sharing from his hoard. Do I want to have a family, and if so, do I intend to keep working? Well, yes, I’ll breed when I have a firestorm and continue to be a Wyvern on the side.

  It all sounds a bit delusional, doesn’t it? And I have no plans to be locked away forever because I believe myself to be a dragon shape shifter. No goals to be like Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cu
ckoo’s Nest, getting my brain zapped at regular intervals.

  Because the truth is that even though the Pyr have been revealed, and even though most humans are aware that there are dragon shape shifters in the world, no one imagines for one second that they know one or could meet one live.

  Except Meagan, and that’s new.

  And my own fault.

  So I mutter and murmur and the good people in the counselor’s office write concerned little notes to the effect that I am devoid of ambition. That couldn’t be further from the truth, but I have to let it go.

  My parents think it’s funny, which doesn’t exactly make the guidance counselor happy.

  On this particular day, I was less than thrilled with the meddling. I had things to do, and information to ferret out, and plans to make. How was I going to find Derek if I didn’t follow him out of English class?

  The prospect of another pointless hour spent with earnest, caring counselors was enough to make me want to let loose and incinerate the offices. Just for the sake of expediency. Then they’d have to believe me.

  Of course, some fool might shoot me in the heat of the moment (ha), so I thought it better to keep my cool (ha ha).

  My assigned counselor is Muriel O’Reilly. She’s way too young to have a name like Muriel, but there you go. She’s organized and her office is all soothing yellow and she smiles far too much.

  Muriel smiled when I knocked on her office door.

  ‘Hello, Ms O’Reilly. I got a slip to come down.’

  ‘Hello, Zoë. Please call me Muriel.’ Muriel always wants to be called Muriel. (If my name was Muriel, I’d want to be called Bob.)

  It is good, though, to have some constants in the world.

  She gestured to the hot seat in her office and got up to shut the door behind me. Okay, so this was serious business.

  I sat and waited for the bomb.

  She sat back down behind her desk, folded her hands together, and regarded me with solemn compassion. ‘So, what seems to be the problem, Zoë?’