Paranormal After Dark

by Rebecca Hamilton

  "Too risky," Nesohc said, raising his cup of cherry juice in a saluting gesture.

  "You followed her," Dekram challenged.

  Layol put her cell away and watched Dekram through hooded eyes.

  "No, I had an invite and you've seen where that got me." Nesohc finished off his drink.

  Layol hissed through her teeth. "No one can stop us from going to the buzz parties." She tightened her jaw, glanced at Dekram, and then continued. "And everyone takes pictures there. We'd just be acting like the rest of the party bugs, dancing and doing our own thing, pretending we're trying to fit in."

  "Oh, like that isn't the stupidest idea I've ever heard, you ding-bat." Dekram glared at Layol. Nothing like a little snark to underplay the video thing. "Tell me that's not your 'slammin' idea'?"

  Layol opened her mouth.

  "Not so stupid if we watch each other's backs," Nesohc interrupted, pushing his tray away. "Like Layol said, we just act like we're joining them and keep our distance from Soahc—not so far we can't keep our camera lenses on her.

  "Jiminy Cricket's blunder! I'm not lying to my father again. He said we warn the kids, not party down with them. He'll tie my wings for a month." Dekram covered her eyes, wings beating the back of her chair. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!

  "You gonna tell him?" Layol wanted to know. "Didn't think so. Don't sweat it—I got your back—just give a little whistle."

  "Did you even watch Pinocchio?" Dekram asked, peeking through her fingers.

  "I don't do Disney. Too wicked scary," Layol joked.

  "Then it's settled," Nesohc said. "And there's a buzz tomorrow night at the Black Shamrock."

  "And that's not my slammin' idea." Layol stuck her tongue out at Dekram then leaned in. "I've done a bit of research on the Net," she softly conspired. "Seems there's a way to put an announcement on Fun Mail through the buzz account. They have a place for feedback, too."

  Nesohc moved closer.

  Dekram stopped mid-bite.

  Layol continued. "I initially thought we could send a school-wide text, but everyone would know who sent it, 'cause I can't figure out how to send a text anonymously from my cell. Computer? It'd take a real geek-freak to trace us if we make up a fake user name. Aaand…we can put in as,"—she did the two-finger quote thing with both hands—"'a Human Services announcement'—get this—from one of the library computers." She grinned at Dekram. "That's my slammin' idea."

  "O'Puck'sblessings, yes!" Nesohc chortled, and then grinned at Dekram. "And since Layol doesn't do the library thing and you're always working off deficiency marks there, no one would notice you doing some,"—now he was making those stupid finger quotes—"'homework' when you finish shelving books." He turned a cheeky tattooed smile on Layol, and mouthed Brilliant.

  "Pandora's wretched box!" Dekram snapped a whisper. "Fatal attraction, drugs, espionage, and illegal activity on a computer at the Academy—feels like A Series of Unfortunate Events waiting to happen."

  "Can I get everyone's attention?" Soahc's voice echoed around the lunchroom, a syrupy grin on her face. The room hushed and she waved an envelope at everyone. "Most of you know Bacs is in the hospital. I'm going to visit him tonight, and I'm circulating a get well card for all of you to sign." She handed the card and a pen to Etah, who flew over to the nearest table. "Say something sweet. We want him to feel missed, right?"

  Layol sounded like rumbling thunder gearing up to shake a lightning strike loose when the room erupted with positive support. Three teachers back-winging by the register at the end of the lunch line exchanged comments with a couple of Earth fairy servers; all had smiles on their faces.

  "Cry me a cesspool!" Nesohc hissed through straight white teeth.

  "No shit!" Layol eagerly snapped.

  "Oooo, you so didn't just use a cuss word!" Dekram trilled, and grabbed Layol by the wing and jerked her butt back into her chair. "What are you thinking?"

  "It seemed appropriate," Layol whined.

  "O'mifairygodmother," Dekram squeaked. "You're blushing. First time... Ever!"

  Chapter 5

  THE NEXT MORNING Dekram and Layol flew up the oak tree toward an entrance that opened into the halls just outside of homeroom. A shrill whistle from below stopped them halfway. When they looked down, Nesohc waved them over.

  Dekram shot a worried glance at the entrance above and noticed Detaf watching. He checked his watch as the last few students flew by him. For the love of Disney, why is he always watching me? It's freaky! Before she could comment, Layol snagged her arm and dragged her down to where Nesohc was waiting.

  Layol put her hands on her hips and glared at Nesohc. "Talk fast. We're going to be late for class and so are you."

  Nesohc dismissed her with a wave. "The first bell hasn't even rung yet. Did you write out our first announcement for the Fun Mail text?"

  "Nah, Dek and me'll just wing it." Layol adjusted a strap tucked around her left shoulder, and her backpack slid into a better resting place between her wings.

  "Hansel and Gretel's unfortunate surprise!" Dekram's wings dusted the branch below with yellow sparkles. "You know I suck at sneaking around making up crap, and I hate the Internet!" Her eyes darted to the portal above. Thank Zeus! No Detaf, she thought, wings accelerating.

  Layol pushed her upper lip with her lower one and shook her head to animate a sigh. "Tell you what. I'll go to the library after last period and set up the fake ID and password on one of the computers. When you get there, ignore me and start shelving books. After I get it all set up, I'll call you over with a question about our mock mission. We can pretend we're working on it while I show you how to sign on and type in the first announcement. Okay?"

  Dekram flung her hand in the air. "Why can't you just do all the stupid posts?"

  "Because I've been in the academy library—what—five times in two years? Mrs. Laretil makes my wings curl. She smells like witch-hazel blooms, snoops around, asks too many questions, and come on, if I start hanging 'round? You know if it comes out that someone was using the academy computers to make these posts, I'd be the first one Mrs. Laretil thinks of—you'd be the last. Work with me here! You and me hanging at the library once, maybe twice, no problem, 'cause we're working on the same mission project. But gal-pal, that'd even be a stretch. And with all the marks you always have to work off, you practically live there."

  Dekram puffed a snort. "I'm not good at pretending! I'm going to screw up and… Oh, Gabriel forsake me, I don't want to get good at lying!"

  Nesohc wrapped an arm around her back, gave her shoulder a squeeze, snuggled close, and then winked. "You'll do fine. Just think about HS sticking your butt in a psychological decompression facility with Soahc as a roommate. Heck, you could wake up best fairy friends forever. Does that do it for ya?"

  Dekram's chin hung three fairy inches her chest; Nesohc close enough to kiss. "I really want to smack that grin off your face." The first bell rang and she shot three human feet up in the air.

  Layol let out a shrill giggle, snatched a black boot with both hands and tugged Dekram back down.

  As he flew off, Nesohc laughed a shout over his shoulder, "Oh, and hey! Wear something sexy to the Black Shamrock tonight!"

  Dekram folded arms over perky round breasts and shouted after him. "Yeah, hold your breath for that one. Like, it's so not going to happen! My mother'll lock me in a bee hive."

  Layol backslapped Dekram's arm. "Go ahead! Just hammer those glass slippers into little bitty shards."

  "Huh?" Dekram wrinkled her forehead.

  "You know he's crushing on you, right? 'Cause as sure as Tink has wings, he wasn't askin' me to wear something sexy. Stop with the drooling and giggle once in a while when he's around. Bat your lashes. Put on peach-flavored lip gloss. Guys need bigger tells than drool."

  Dekram tilted her head down, hid hot cheeks behind long bangs. "Espionage is an appalling idea. Lies, buzzes, sexy clothes—sheesh—I don't wanna be like Soahc."

  Layol shook her head and mumbled somet
hing about divine intervention, dragged Dekram in the direction of homeroom, and jerked to a stop in front of the door. "You're not Soahc, and your dad told us to warn the kids—not like we thought this all up ourselves. He planted the seed. We're just watering it."

  "Yeah. Right. And fertilizing it with Ferdinand's excrement," Dekram said.

  Layol chortled. "I loved that bull. Didn't you?"

  "Yes," Dekram raised a brow, "because Ferdinand preferred smelling flowers to fighting."

  They flew through the door and darted for their seats as the second bell rang.

  Wearing a big smile, Mrs. Evol walked up and down the aisles picking up each homework assignment. "Alright class, because spontaneity is important in the field, I will call one team from the group that went out into the human world yesterday and two teams who did not. After the two teams have reported how they would have handled the mission while in the field, the team that actually went out can share their experiences. We will repeat the process three times, followed by open discussions."

  Dekram gave Layol a set of big eyes. "She took the elfin' reports! We haven't gone over ours together." Crap, this drama is sucking up my values like a dry sponge.

  Layol grinned. "Don't sweat it. We'll just wing it."

  And any dummy knows you can't totally wring out a sponge. I will never be the same. "I don't wing anything," Dekram growled, scattering notes around her desk. "I prefer to plan my—"

  "Dekram and Layol, front and center, please," Mrs. Evol said with an active voice. "And Dab and Esrow, will you join us?"

  "Oh, goodie, we're in the first group." Layol's wings flickered purple—no dust. She buzzed toward the front of the room.

  "Great." Dekram slapped her backpack on top of the mess on her desk before darting after her friend.

  The four fairies hovered by the teacher's desk. "Um, Mrs. Evol?" Dekram squeaked. "We get to read from our reports, right?"

  "Why of course, Dekram. I assume you will read from your report in the field while giving Layol step-by-step directions as she executes them?"

  The class broke out in giggles.

  "Um, well, no…"

  "All right then, how about we pretend you're in the field, just as they were yesterday, and when it's your turn you can tell the class what you would do to resolve the situation in front of you."

  "Um, okay…but—"

  "No sweat, Dek. I got it. Who's up first?" Layol said, wings beating excitement.

  Mrs. Evol grinned at Layol. "Because of your enthusiasm, your team can go first. However, given your eagerness, Dekram will be the spokesperson, but you may confer with her, just as you would in the field." Mrs. Evol turned a warm smile in Dekram's direction. "Don't be nervous, dear, I know you'll do fine."

  Dekram's wings trembled with a quick intake of breath. A nervous peek at the floor and she relaxed just a smidgen—no colored sparkles.

  "How about you girls try the Devil's Trumpet dilemma that Hcti and—"

  "Oh, this ought-a-be good." Hcti tittered, wings lively as he hovered over his desk and scratched his armpit. "Ain't anything like you think it is when you get out there." He nudged his partner. "Right, Sweet Lips?"

  Sweet Lips turned bright red, and it clashed with her magenta lips. Her wings drooped.

  Mrs. Evol cleared her throat, shot him a disciplinary look, and turned an encouraging one in Dekram's direction.

  Dekram's nostrils flared—Layol whispered in her friend's ear—and she turned to Mrs. Evol and let out a big breath. "Um, we were thinking we'd use glamour and shift our shapes. I'd turn into a small dead animal, maybe a squirrel, lying by the playpen, Devil's Trumpet hanging off my maw. When the mother brings the child out and sees me—"

  "She'd flush your carcass down the toilet, after she placed the kid in the playpen." Hcti burst out laughing. He leaned left, shoved his right hand down the back of his pants, elbow bouncing.

  Giggles, like wind chimes, tinkling in a soft breeze; Layol whipped about like a hummingbird with attitude. "You didn't let her finish. I'd enhance the image with a sprinkle of warning dust and a whispered message."

  Hcti rolled his lower lip, raised his brows, tipped his head from side to side, and elbowed his partner again. "Wish you'd thought of that, S.L." The frail-looking fairy glared back.

  Mrs. Evol nodded to the second team.

  Dab stepped forward, wearing a pair of faded black jeans, tennis shoes with toes peeking through holes and a soiled t-shirt. "We decided to float the kid one of the flowers when we heard the sirens. See my partner would have already alerted 911. And remember, the first thing a toddler does is shove anything it picks up into its mouth."

  While Hcti giggled sarcastically, scratched the inside of his right thigh, left foot bouncing on the floor, Esrow stepped forward, eyes hooded. Tongue covering her upper teeth, she bobbed her head; spiky brown, red-tipped hair flapped at her temples. She pulled a cell phone out of ragged jeans and waved it at the class. Dekram thought Esrow's black, baggy, wrinkled shirt and matching jeans worked with her partner's attire to solidify their grunge facade.

  "Like my partner said, our lesson would've been a hard one, but not forgotten quickly. We did do some research and as long as the EMTs got there within five minutes, the kid probably would've been fine."

  "Right?" Hcti burbled giggles while scratching a raw spot on his arm. "Key word, probably."

  After the teacher pushed Dab and Esrow to the side of the room and leaned over them with a stiff smile and a few words, she turned back to the class and motioned Hcti and his unwilling partner center stage.

  Layol draped an arm over Dekram's shoulder and giggled. "What an idiot idea. I think we're winning this round."

  Dekram reached up and grasped Layol's fingers. By the time Hcti and his partner began, Dekram was back in her chair, happy that her portion of today's presentation was finished.

  Layol chuckled. "Here comes idiot number two."

  Dekram shushed her as Hcti started speaking.

  "Well, we got there, see—by the way, the terrain is the same on their side of the portal as it is on ours. Things are a heck of a lot bigger, though. A cat is as big as a house, the kid was the size of Town hall, but it's still so damn cool." Hcti, chest puffed with pride, paused and scanned the room as the class shared whispered excitement.

  When Mrs. Evol loudly cleared her throat and her brows reached for each other, Hcti stopped looking proud and hurriedly continued. "Anyway, the lady was sunbathing by the playpen; kid inside on his little tippy-toes, reaching for a lethal flower—the parental ding-bat dozed behind her sunglasses. Man, I freaked, mission homework forgotten, all our hard work down the drain." He paused with a quick glance at Mrs. Evol. "And I almost charmed myself into a Doberman to do a snatch and drag."

  Hcti tossed a thumb at his partner. "But nooo, before I could turn all Doberman and make a superlative rescue, Sweet Lips started spreading fairy dust all over the yard which totally pixed-out the woman's cat, and scared the hell out of the tyke. The kid started screaming bloody murder."

  Hcti shot a brief scowl at his partner who sounded like a tea kettle beginning to boil. "Anyhoo, while I was fighting the cat off, Sweet Lips got right up in the lady's face—'course she couldn't see my dumb partner, just kept brushing her face like she was trying to remove cobwebs. Then Sweet Lips started chanting—getting all shadowy like—imbuing song all over the place. Anyway, I finally caught the cat, by myself and, well, a little scuffle ensued." Hcti glared at his partner. "All in all, I think Mom digested the message. I probably saved the kid's life."

  His partner's jaw tightened. "Actually, Mrs. Evol, I sang the mother into believing, and I had to sprinkle the child to calm him after Hcti instigated the cat, which I also had to—"

  "Nuff said," Hcti gave his partner a slap on the back and sent her tumbling three circles in the air, legs spread, and arms flailing. "We did good." When SL came to a halt, her sweet lips formed what looked like a gnat's butt crack and she snorted angry air through her nose two
times.

  Mrs. Evol's cheeks puffed. "All right, well I'm sure the class is eager to see how the clean-up crew handles the repercussions. We'll be hearing from them tomorrow."

  "Whaddaya mean repercussions?" Hcti wanted to know.

  Mrs. Evol looked weary as she answered Hcti. "Why don't we wait until tomorrow and see if there are any?" She picked up another report off her desk and called four more students' names.

  "I'm so looking forward to tomorrow." Layol giggled.

  Dekram hooded her eyes. "Uh-huh. Let's hope we make it to tomorrow."

  * * *

  IN THE LIBRARY, the last bell blared from the overhead speaker, signaling the school-millipedes would be departing shortly. Dekram flitted around a book cart, a fine mist of sweat beading on her upper lip as she shelved books. Layol sat at one of the computers in the back of the room about twenty feet away, typing. Every few minutes she'd glance over at Dekram, smile, and continue on with an air of confidence.

  The librarian, Mrs. Laretil, was midway between them, talking to Mrs. Evol at the return desk, and just the thought of what Layol was up to made Dekram quiver with fear.

  She watched the librarian lean over the desk, and heard her whisper, "You did not pair her with Detaf nor did you send her out with the first group." The older fairy's eyes moved quickly from Layol to Dekram and back to the teacher. "The council members are not going to be pleased. Timing is crucial. She's developing a relationship with that boy who will never do."

  Mrs. Evol turned in Dekram's direction and Dekram quickly averted her gaze. But she heard Mrs. Evol answer. "Speaking of this now is extremely inappropriate."

  The librarian angrily whispered, "What if she goes off and gets herself mated to that boy? You know how important she is to our survival."

  "The council cannot change fate, Mrs. Laretil. Nor should they try."