by Aimee Carter
At last Jam said in a meek voice, “Yes, sir. I won’t do it again, sir. May I—” He swallowed hard and glanced at Simon. “May I make a request, sir? May I bring friends home to celebrate the holidays with us, sir?”
A moment passed, and Jam pressed his lips together, inhaling slowly. “Simon Thorn, sir. The Alpha’s nephew. And Ariana Webster, sir, the Black Widow Queen’s daughter. And Winter Rivera, the—” He winced and pulled the phone away from his ear again. “Yes, sir. The Bird Lord’s adopted—yes, sir. But—but she doesn’t have any contact with him anymore, and—”
Another beat, and Simon inched closer to the opening of the booth, knowing better than to hope, but he wasn’t willing to give up yet. The General had to say yes. If he didn’t …
“I thought it would be a good idea, sir. Future leaders of the five kingdoms, sir. The more time we spend together—”
Jam’s expression fell, and another long silence passed. “Yes, sir. I understand, sir. No foreigners inside the city, sir. I apologize for asking you to break protocol, sir.”
Simon’s heart plummeted. The answer was no. He tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible, not wanting Jam to feel bad when Simon was the one who’d pushed him into this, but it didn’t matter. Jam refused to look at him.
“Yes, sir. I won’t be late, sir. Eighteen hundred hours, sir.” With that, Jam slowly hung up the phone, gaze still focused on his shoes. “I’m sorry, Simon.”
“It’s all right,” he said, even though it wasn’t. Jam had done his best, and he couldn’t be mad at him for that. “We’ll find another way. Maybe I can hitch a ride in your suitcase. Or maybe—”
“You don’t understand. Security is too heavy, and the General has entire armies at his command, including at least seven different battalions of sharks. You’ll never sneak in, Simon. It’s impossible. Believe me, I’ve spent my whole life trying to sneak out. It just won’t work.”
Jam sounded so utterly defeated that Simon stopped himself before he blurted out something painfully optimistic. Jam knew Avalon better than any of them. If he said there was no way, then there was no way.
While he did his best to cheer Jam up, Simon spent the rest of the day in a fog. He had to do something to stop Orion from getting the underwater piece. Even if it was dangerous, even if Jam thought it was impossible, he still had to try. Sometime in the middle of Tracking and Survival, he found himself deeply upset at the universe for ever putting him in this position. He didn’t usually complain, not really, but it was all becoming too much. How was he supposed to keep these secrets, save the world, and do his homework on time?
After his final class of the day ended, Simon trudged toward the Alpha’s section, but before he could reach it, a breathless boy named Tomas ran up to him. “The Alpha wants to see you right away,” he panted, readjusting the black armband that had slipped down to his elbow. On it was the silhouette of a grizzly bear.
“He does?” said Simon, panic edging toward him. “Is everything okay?”
Tomas nodded. “He’s in the pit.”
Simon all but ran down the hallways, his mind whirling with possibilities. Had the General called and told him what Jam had suggested? Had something happened to Nolan or his mother?
By the time he reached the sandy pit, he was so tense that his muscles ached from the strain, and he burst in on two dozen students from the mammal kingdom as they took turns throwing each other. They all turned to stare at him, and Simon’s face grew hot.
“Pay attention!” called Vanessa, who must have been overseeing the training. Most of the students returned to their drills, and Simon spotted Malcolm at the top of the spiral staircase that led to the upper floor. His uncle leaned against the railing, watching them with a strange look on his face. But he didn’t look frightened or upset, the way Simon would have expected if it were anything bad. The fist around his stomach loosened its grip as he began to climb up the bleachers.
“Hey, birdbrain!” called Garrett, who was a year older than Simon and much, much bigger. While he was one of Nolan’s best friends, he’d never forgiven Simon for humiliating him multiple times, and he always had an insult to throw. “Spying on us before the tournament? You know that’s illegal, right?”
“I’m not spying,” called Simon half heartedly. “I already know what you can do, and it’s not exactly something to brag about.”
The other students laughed, but Simon didn’t dare turn around to see the hateful look that was inevitably on Garrett’s face. With immense reluctance, Simon trudged up the steps, ignoring the jeers from the students below.
“I don’t really have to fight, do I?” he said miserably. “They’ll eat me alive.”
“You have to learn how to survive a fight with the other kingdoms, Simon,” said his uncle without so much as glancing at him.
“I already know how,” he said. “Fly away.”
Malcolm chuckled, even though Simon hadn’t meant to be funny. “Your mother would be proud to see you in the pit. She was an excellent fighter.”
“Is,” corrected Simon. “She is an excellent fighter.”
His uncle’s smile fell. “I meant that she was an excellent fighter when we all attended the L.A.I.R. But yes, you’re right. No doubt she’s only gotten better since then.”
An uncomfortable silence settled between them. While Simon loved his uncle, they didn’t know each other very well, and the subject of his mother was a touchy one. “Tomas said you needed to see me,” he said cautiously. His uncle finally looked at him and frowned.
“I received an interesting call this afternoon.”
“Oh?” he said, his voice breaking. Self-conscious, he cleared his throat. “I bet you get a lot of interesting calls.”
“Not as interesting as this one,” he said. “General Fluke informed me that his son apparently wanted to bring you and your friends home with him for the holidays.”
His mind raced. “Yeah. Jam’s really worried about going home after the whole Arizona trip, and—and we thought it’d be good for us to go with him. Moral support and all.”
“Mm. I see. Moral support.” Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with Orion being spotted nearby, would it?”
Simon exhaled sharply. “He was? How close is he? Is he still there?” The moment he spoke, he regretted it, but he couldn’t take it back. Instead he watched his uncle, not bothering to disguise his hope. Every day he worried Orion might have found the piece and moved on, but if the General himself said he was still there …
His uncle slouched. “I know you want to find your mother, Simon. I want to find her, too. But running across the country on a wild-goose chase isn’t going to help bring her home.”
“It might,” said Simon. “It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?” But even as he said it, the words felt sticky in his mouth. Sending the packs after Orion meant sending his uncle after Orion, too, and Simon had promised himself he would never put another member of his family in danger again. Besides, his mother didn’t actually want to be rescued. When he had tried in Arizona, she had gone back to the Bird Lord, insisting she was better off leading him away from the real pieces. That had hurt more than Simon wanted to admit, and part of him still ached at the memory of her flying away from him to return to Orion. But as much as he hated it, she was right. Her misdirection was the only thing that would likely buy Simon the time he needed to find all five pieces.
Malcolm let out a low growl. “You know it’s too dangerous—”
“I know,” he mumbled. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I just—I want to see her, that’s all. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“It isn’t safe for you to go anywhere without me,” said Malcolm. “You and Nolan learned that the hard way this morning. He won’t be flying again any time soon. At least not using his wings.” He grimaced, the lines in his face deepening for a moment. “The General has called an emergency summit with the leaders of the remaining kingdoms to discuss the situ
ation with Orion. Apparently something your friend said to him struck a chord.”
A tiny ember of hope sparked inside Simon, and he looked up at his uncle, hardly daring to believe it. “An emergency summit? You mean—”
“You, me, and Nolan will be spending our Christmas in the generous hospitality of the Fluke family.”
Malcolm’s expression soured, but it took everything Simon had not to whoop with excitement. It had worked. They were really going to Avalon.
Except—
Simon’s enthusiasm faded. “Nolan’s coming, too?” he said.
“Of course. We’re not leaving him behind.”
That would be a problem, though Simon wasn’t entirely sure how much of one yet. Maybe Nolan would be miserable about spending Christmas in California and sulk the whole time. Or maybe he would insist on following Simon everywhere. Hard to say.
“Your friends have been invited, too,” added his uncle. “The General wants Jam present for the summit, and the Black Widow Queen has apparently requested the same of Ariana.”
“What about Winter?” said Simon. “She doesn’t have anywhere to go for the holidays.”
“I know. I explained the situation to General Fluke, and while he’s … reluctant, he did agree to let her come along.” He straightened to his full height. “The General wants to meet as soon as possible, so we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. That meant they would miss the tournament. “Good,” said Simon with a touch too much ferocity. Malcolm chuckled and started down the spiral staircase.
“I’m postponing finals until January. Sorry, Simon,” he added. “One way or the other, you’re going to have to fight.”
As Simon watched his uncle join the mammal students, a heavy weight settled over him. Malcolm had no idea how true that was, but Simon was the one who was clueless about what Avalon and the underwater kingdom would bring—or where in the vast Pacific Ocean the General might have hidden his piece.
4
MOUSETRAP
“What do you mean, I’m not coming?” squeaked Felix after dinner that evening. The little brown mouse perched on the edge of the bed while Simon threw some clothes into a suitcase he’d borrowed from Nolan.
“It’s too dangerous,” said Simon. “Jam said if you get caught—”
“I don’t care. I want to come with you.”
“Why?” said Simon. “You hated flying the last time, remember? I had to clean up mouse vomit from my socks. So why do you want to take two flights this time?”
“Because—” Felix sniffed, and he pulled indignantly on his tail. “You’re going to LA. Do you have any idea how many television shows they film out there?”
Simon sighed. Though Felix was a normal mouse—if not a little smarter and sassier than Simon would have preferred sometimes—he had a penchant for watching television, a luxury he couldn’t indulge in while at the L.A.I.R. Simon didn’t know what he did all day to amuse himself while Simon was in training and his classes, but he did know that almost every evening, Felix made sure Simon knew exactly how bored he was. And how many episodes of his favorite series he had missed.
“We’re going to Avalon, not LA,” said Simon. “It’s not the same place.”
“Close enough.” Felix sat back on his haunches. “Like it or not, I’m coming with you. Now, what’s the plan?”
There was no use arguing with him when he got like this. The last time Simon had refused to let him come, he’d sneaked into his backpack, and Simon still shuddered every time he thought about how easy it would have been to accidentally crush him without ever knowing he was there. At least this way, Simon would have time to come up with an excuse if the underwater kingdom caught him. “I’m going to look for their piece while everyone else is busy with the summit. Malcolm will expect me to try to find Orion, not go underwater. If he asks, I’ll tell him I wanted to go swimming.”
“What if that’s what Orion’s waiting for?” said Felix. “You to show up and lead him right to the piece?”
Simon hesitated. He hadn’t thought of that. “Orion doesn’t know I can shift into anything I want. He’ll be looking for a golden eagle, not a shark.”
“Unless he figures out that you are the shark. Then your secret’s out, and everything gets a million times worse than it already is.”
Felix was right, as much as Simon hated to admit it. He frowned. “Maybe he’ll think I’m Nolan.”
“Not when any idiot can tell the difference between you two,” said Felix. “You have a perfectly good identical twin, yet you insist on keeping your hair longer than his. How is anyone supposed to mistake you for each other if you look different?”
Simon touched the ends of his shaggy hair. “You think I should let Malcolm cut my hair?”
“I think if you’re banking on anyone mistaking you for Nolan, you’re gonna have to.” Felix stood on his hind legs, nose sniffing the air. “I smell food. You’re holding out on me.”
Simon pulled a napkin from his pocket and opened it, producing a few crumbling crackers. “If you keep eating like this, you’re never going to find out how your shows end.”
Felix shrugged, his mouth already too full to reply. Simon pulled open his sock drawer and, after emptying his socks onto his bed and shoving several pairs into his suitcase, he gingerly undid a nearly invisible latch and lifted the false bottom. Hidden beneath the wooden panel was a notebook full of his mother’s scribbles on the Beast King, research she and his father had done together, as far as Simon could tell. He had also tucked away the pocket watch she had given him the night she had been kidnapped, which boasted the Beast King’s crest. Simon wasn’t sure why she’d insisted on him having it, but it had been his father’s, and he had discovered a strange thing in Arizona: it grew warm whenever it was around a piece of the Predator.
As a result, Simon had wrapped the reptiles’ piece in an old sock on the opposite side of the drawer, though that foot or so didn’t seem to make much difference. Both were hot to the touch. Reluctantly, though Simon slipped his father’s pocket watch into his jeans, he left the piece where it was. It wasn’t the most ingenious hiding spot ever, but he couldn’t risk taking it to Avalon with him, either. The fake bottom in the drawer would have to do.
As soon as Simon finished packing, he went to find Malcolm. Despite the evening hour, he was in his office on the upper level of the school, and he waved Simon inside while he completed a phone call, a deep line furrowed between his brows.
“… not even a teenager. How—” He paused and glanced at Simon. “We’ll speak when I arrive. But this discussion isn’t over. It would be a burden for anyone, let alone—” He stopped again and sighed. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Colonel. Give the General my regards.”
As soon as he hung up, Simon said, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” said Malcolm, even though he looked worried enough for the both of them. “What can I do for you, kid?”
Simon hesitated. Now that he was here, he was reluctant to go through with it, but he knew it was necessary, especially now that Nolan was tagging along with him. “I was wondering …” Simon paused and touched the ends of his hair. The last person who had given him a haircut was Darryl. This felt wrong, but logically he knew his hair had nothing to do with remembering his uncle. He could let it grow out as much as he wanted, but Darryl would still be dead. “Do you have time to cut my hair before we leave?”
Malcolm’s expression softened. “Sure,” he said, pushing his chair back. “Just let me get a pair of scissors.”
Simon nodded and sat still, trying not to let guilt eat away at him. It was just a haircut. And if it meant that Orion wouldn’t be able to tell which twin he was, then it would be worth it.
The next morning, Simon tucked Felix into a box in the corner of his borrowed luggage, making sure the mouse had plenty of food for the trip and that clothes weren’t covering the air holes before he zipped up the bag. With his suitcase in one hand and
his backpack slung over the opposite shoulder, he headed down the spiral staircase and into the atrium of the Alpha section, which was carpeted with real grass and full of trees that reached toward the high ceiling. It was originally supposed to be the bird kingdom’s section, but after Orion had attacked and nearly destroyed the original location of the L.A.I.R., the Academy had not only moved to their backup school beneath Central Park, affectionately called the Den by staff and students, but the mammal kingdom had taken charge and banned all birds from attending. Simon was the lone exception, and even then, he wasn’t really a member of the bird kingdom. He, like Nolan, was a member of every kingdom and no kingdom at the same time.
The door to the rest of the school opened, and Winter walked inside, pulling a fancy roller suitcase behind her. The wheels got stuck in the grass, and she huffed, leaving it where it was. “Is Simon down yet?” she said curtly, looking him straight in the eye.
“What?” said Simon, confused. “I’m right here.”
She did a double take. “Oh. Oh. You finally got your hair cut.” Leaning toward him, she squinted. “The resemblance is uncanny.”
“We are identical,” he said. “Where are Jam and Ariana?”
“Jam said he had to do extra drills before we left, since we’re missing some school, and Ariana’s probably hanging from a rafter somewhere listening to a conversation she isn’t supposed to hear. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. You know this is a terrible idea, right?”
“What’s a terrible idea?” said Simon, running his hand through his shortened hair. The back of his neck was cold, and his ears felt strangely exposed.
“Going to Avalon. I know why you want to,” she added quickly as Simon opened his mouth to object. “But this is way more dangerous than infiltrating the reptile council. The underwater kingdom is a military society, and they take punishment for breaking their laws very, very seriously. They don’t care if you’re an adult or not. If you’re old enough to shift, then you’re old enough to be held accountable for your actions. And considering how many laws they have, I assume we’ll be breaking at least a dozen before this is over.”
