Tiger Streak's Tale

by Jennifer Castle

  “I was aiming to make a net that I wouldn’t mind being caught in!” exclaimed Shimmer Leaf proudly. “And I do think I succeeded!”

  Clara grabbed the net and waved it around. “Perfect!” she laughed.

  “Look!” shouted Sky Dance, who had flown to peek around the corner of the house. “They’re on the move!”

  They all followed Sky Dance. Addie saw Tiger Streak and the bee flying away from the tree. Sky Dance started chasing, and Shimmer Leaf followed close behind. Clara and Addie ran as fast as they could.

  There was no time to get turned into a butterfly. But maybe, thought Addie, I can tap into that butterfly spirit. She let the memory of soaring through the air fill her head, and it felt like that memory was also powering her legs and arms and feet. Addie ran faster.

  Up ahead, Addie could see Tiger Streak and the bee zigzagging toward their driveway.

  They knew they were being chased now. No question about that.

  The pair flew a wide loop around Mom’s car, then down the driveway and around the mailbox. Clara caught up to Sky Dance and Shimmer Leaf, but still wasn’t close enough to use the net.

  Back up the driveway, across the front lawn, and boom boom boom up the stairs to the front porch they all went. Tiger Streak flew in tiny loops, clearly terrified.

  For a moment, the bee was close enough to catch.

  SWISH!

  Clara reached for it with the net, but missed.

  Now Tiger Streak and the bee dashed across the porch, then around the side of the house toward the backyard again.

  When they rounded the corner of the house to the backyard, Addie realized she’d left the door open. She watched with horror as the bee led Tiger Streak right into the house!

  Clara, Addie, and both Wishing Wings followed.

  Pepper ran into the kitchen. He barked, saw all the flying things, and started chasing, too.

  Great, thought Addie. Here comes Mom any second now.

  But she heard loud music coming from upstairs. Mom was unpacking again, listening to the radio.

  They all thundered through the kitchen, around the brand-new dining room table, and into the living room. When the bee led the chase toward the hallway, Addie thought, Not upstairs! Please not upstairs!

  She let out a sigh of relief when the bee zipped right past the stairway and into the family room. Tiger Streak bzzzed up and down, back and forth.

  “Tiger Streak, don’t be frightened!” shouted Sky Dance. “It’s not you we’re trying to catch! It’s the bee!”

  “We’re trying to help you!” added Shimmer Leaf.

  At that, the bee slowed down. It seemed surprised.

  Clara was right underneath it. Addie saw her reach up and steady the net.

  Clara brought it down to the floor quickly, shouting, “I got it! I got it!”

  Addie rushed to see. There was something frantically jumping around inside the net, for sure.

  She felt a whoosh by her ear.

  Addie looked up just in time to glimpse Tiger Streak flitting past her, into the kitchen and out through the open door.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Addie glanced down at the very unhappy bee in the net and felt herself go into panic mode. The bee was buzzing so loudly that she was sure it was making the walls vibrate.

  Pepper ran circles around the net, barking, but Clara shooed him away.

  “Addie, do something!” she called. “Put the dog somewhere!”

  Addie snapped herself out of it. She was happy to do anything that meant getting away from the bee. She scooped up Pepper and locked him in the downstairs bathroom. He’ll be mad, thought Addie, but I’d rather deal with an angry Pepper than an angry bee.

  When she came back, Clara was kneeling on the floor, her face close to the bee in the net. Sky Dance and Shimmer Leaf sat on each of Clara’s shoulders.

  “Did you just say something?” Clara asked the bee.

  Addie moved closer, but not too close.

  “Yes!” said the bee, sounding frantic and frightened. Addie could tell from his voice that he was a boy. “I said, please let me go! I’m trying to help Tiger Streak too!”

  Clara glanced up at Addie, then at the two butterflies. Each butterfly shook her wings in a kind of shrug. Clara narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to the bee. “What exactly do you mean?”

  The bee landed and let out one long, frustrated bzzz. Then he took a deep breath and spoke again, this time more slowly.

  “When you told Tiger Streak you have to keep her safe from the bees—you were right about that. There’s a whole swarm of them coming to take her to our hive!”

  “Isn’t that what you were doing?” asked Sky Dance.

  “No!” cried the bee, and he threw himself against the net again.

  “I don’t believe him!” said Shimmer Leaf. “I bet he’s trying to trick us!”

  “Wait, Shimmer,” said Sky Dance, dipping her antennae toward the bee. “I think we should give him a chance to explain.”

  The bee sighed. “Thank you!”

  “What’s your name?” asked Clara.

  “I’m Kirby.”

  “Kirby,” continued Clara, “why were you with Tiger Streak in Wishing Wing Grove?”

  Kirby took another deep breath. Addie drew two steps closer, to make sure she could hear what he was saying. She could see his fuzzy face and black-and-yellow-striped body. Now that he was calm, he didn’t seem so scary anymore. He was actually rather . . . cute.

  “This morning,” Kirby began, “our queen called a hive meeting and told us that the Wishing Wings are our enemies. She didn’t tell us why! She just said we were supposed to hate them from now on. So all the bees in our colony started saying bad stuff about the butterflies, and how they never liked them anyway.”

  “That’s awful!” exclaimed Clara.

  “They can’t really help it,” said Kirby sadly. “It’s their job to just do, and think, whatever the queen tells them.”

  “Do you think that, too?” asked Shimmer Leaf.

  Kirby puffed out his little striped chest and shook his head. “No, I don’t. I’ve always been kind of . . . well, they call me weird. Because I tend to think for myself. It’s a bad habit.”

  “That’s a good habit!” said Clara.

  “Not for a bee,” muttered Kirby. “I get teased all the time. But still, I couldn’t help it. When the queen announced that the butterflies hated us and we should hate them back, I wanted some proof. I flew to Wishing Wing Grove, and that’s where I found Tiger Streak acting like a bee. I could tell there was something terribly wrong. I know a dark enchantment when I see one. I tried to explain to her that she’s a butterfly, but she wouldn’t listen. I kept trying, though. I kept following her.”

  Addie thought back to everything she’d seen in the grove. It did seem like Kirby was flying behind Tiger Streak. Maybe he was telling the truth.

  “So you weren’t leading her to a hive?” Addie asked. She took one step closer, then stopped.

  Kirby’s huge, round black eyes looked Addie up and down. “No! I was trying to bring her to your queen and king.”

  Addie took a step back, and Kirby tilted his head at her.

  “You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?” he asked, sounding hurt. “I can see it on your face.”

  “Don’t mind her,” said Clara. “She’s afraid of anything with a stinger.”

  “You got hurt once,” said Kirby to Addie. His voice was gentle and understanding.

  “I stepped on a wasp,” she replied.

  Kirby nodded. “You hurt it first. By accident, of course. But that’s why it hurt you back. It was afraid. We don’t sting without a reason. We’re not meanies like that.”

  “We need the bees,” added Sky Dance. “They spread pollen between plants and flowers. Without them, many things wouldn’t grow!”

  “Don’t be frightened of us,” said Kirby. “The other bees think it’s funny when humans are scared, but I hate being misunderstood that way.�
��

  Addie thought about that. Since yesterday, she had overcome her fear of the woods, faced down gigantic wasps, and even tried to meet a new friend. Maybe it was time to tackle this fear, too. She took one, two, then three steps, and now her feet were right at the net. She knelt down to get a good look at Kirby. Up close, he really was adorable.

  “What do you think, Addie?” asked Sky Dance, who had landed on Addie’s arm. “If he’s telling the truth, he could lead us to Tiger Streak.”

  Addie considered that, then motioned for Clara and the butterflies to follow her into the living room. This way, they could talk in private.

  “I believe him,” said Clara.

  Sky Dance nodded. “Mama always says, assume that someone’s heart is good.”

  Addie turned to Shimmer Leaf. “That’s two votes. What about you?”

  Shimmer Leaf thought for a few moments, then finally nodded. “I vote yes.”

  “Me too,” said Addie. She led them back into the kitchen, then bent down close to Kirby.

  “We’re going to let you go,” she told him.

  “Good choice!” Kirby exclaimed. “Because I just saw the swarm outside! The queen told them to bring Tiger Streak back to our hive, but I know how to throw them off her trail.”

  Addie grabbed the handle of the net, took a deep breath, and lifted it up. She crossed her fingers that she wasn’t going to regret this.

  Kirby zoomed into the air, landed for a second on Addie’s nose, and gave her what felt like a bee hug.

  “Thanks!” he cried.

  Addie let out a laugh. Bee hugs tickle! Then Kirby darted out the door to the deck. Addie closed the door, and they all hid behind it.

  “There’s the swarm!” said Clara, peeking through the window of the door.

  Addie saw what appeared to be a thick, dark, moving cloud in their backyard. The cloud was made of flying bees! Her first thought was ewwww, but as she watched the bees fly so close, mirroring one another’s movements, she had to admit it was also pretty cool.

  Kirby raced toward the swarm and landed on the deck railing.

  “Have you seen the New Bloom?” asked the swarm in unison. Their voices together sounded like a creepy chorus.

  “Yes!” shouted Kirby. “She was captured by a human girl with red hair and taken inside a house!” He was doing a good job of pretending to be upset. “We can’t get to her anymore!” he continued. “I’m so mad!”

  “Captured?” echoed the swarm. “By a human? We have strict orders not to let that happen! ‘Find the New Bloom, bring her here. Don’t let any humans catch her.’ That’s what the queen said.”

  “I know, I was there,” said Kirby, rolling his shiny black eyes. “I tried to stop her, but the human had a net.”

  The swarm hummed for a few moments, as if it were thinking. “We must find the girl with red hair!” it announced.

  “You do that,” said Kirby. “I’ll stay here in case she comes back!”

  The swarm changed from a round shape to a long, airplane-like shape, then flew away. When the bees were safely out of sight, Addie, Clara, and the butterflies stepped out onto the deck.

  Kirby was laughing. “Ha! Did you see that! They just believed whatever I told them!”

  “Why did you tell them Tiger Streak was captured by a girl with red hair?” asked Clara.

  “I wanted to keep them away from you two. You have dark honey hair,” he said, pointing an antenna at Clara. “You have light honey hair,” he continued, pointing the other antenna at Addie. “The swarm will leave you alone. They’ll fly around the neighborhood and find no human girl. They’ll go back to the hive and report their failure to the queen. They give up easily. It’s really embarrassing.”

  “Nice trick!” said Sky Dance.

  “Then we’ll be free to search for Tiger Streak without them bothering us,” Kirby added.

  Addie smiled. Kirby was tricky, but in a good way. She thought of the swarm buzzing around the neighborhood, looking in vain for a girl with red hair.

  A girl with red hair . . .

  An image of Morgan popped into Addie’s head.

  Morgan . . . and her red hair!

  “Oh my gosh!” shouted Addie. “We’ve got to go!”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Addie rushed toward Morgan’s yard. Yikes, she thought. This friendship is REALLY getting off on the wrong foot.

  “Addie!” shouted Clara, running up beside her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Morgan has red hair,” replied Addie. “If the swarm finds her, they’ll think she’s the one who caught Tiger Streak!”

  Clara stopped dead. “Oh. Oops.”

  “I’m such a dummy!” cried Kirby, who was whizzing by over their heads.

  “It’s okay,” said Addie. “We have to find her anyway. She needs a wish. She’s the one who can catch Tiger Streak and break her enchantment!”

  They stepped through the bushes, and Addie scanned Morgan’s yard. The swing set was empty. In the far corner of the yard, there was a garden bordered on two sides by a stone wall. The garden had definitely seen better days. A few limp flowers struggled to stand up straight, and everything else was brown and shriveled. A small wooden playhouse sat next to the garden, looking forgotten and unused.

  Sky Dance and Shimmer Leaf flew into the playhouse, then reappeared.

  “Nothing in there except a lot of cobwebs,” said Shimmer Leaf.

  “We should see if she’s in the house,” said Clara.

  Sky Dance, Shimmer Leaf, and Kirby hid themselves behind the garden wall. Addie took a deep breath, stepped up to a bright red door at the back of the house, and knocked.

  After a few moments, Mrs. Werner answered.

  “Oh, hi!” she said, with a friendly smile. “Addie, right?”

  “Yes. This is my sister, Clara.”

  Clara waved. Mrs. Werner waved back.

  “Is, um, Morgan home?” asked Addie.

  “She was,” said Mrs. Werner. “For about two minutes, when she finally came inside and apologized to her brother about his ball.” She sighed. “Then she grabbed her scooter and said she was going for a ride around the neighborhood.”

  Addie pictured Morgan riding her scooter alone, right into the path of the bee swarm. She felt herself go back into panic mode.

  “Okay, thanks!” she called to Mrs. Werner. “Got to go!” She grabbed Clara and they started running away.

  Great, thought Addie. Now I’ve been rude to Morgan AND her mom.

  Clara and Addie ran down Morgan’s driveway and stopped at the street. They waited for Sky Dance, Shimmer Leaf, and Kirby to catch up to them.

  “We heard,” said Sky Dance as she landed on Morgan’s mailbox. It was painted with a big yellow sun, and Addie knew instantly it was Morgan’s artwork. “Let’s find her.”

  “I guess it’s our turn to get a tour of Brook Forest,” added Shimmer Leaf as she and Kirby came to rest on the mailbox as well.

  “That might be a problem,” said Addie. “We don’t know our way around.”

  “We’ve only been to the end of our driveway,” admitted Clara.

  Sky Dance folded up her wings and gave Addie a look of disbelief. “You mean you haven’t explored your neighborhood at all?” she asked.

  “We just moved here!” said Addie.

  “Mom kept wanting us to go for a walk, but Addie was too nervous about all the nature,” said Clara. “And I was still too sad.”

  Sky Dance shook her head, but she was smiling. “Well, I guess now’s the time.”

  “I’ll go find Tiger Streak,” said Kirby. “She trusts me. I’ll meet you back at Morgan’s house.”

  After Kirby flew off, Addie, Clara, and the butterflies set off quickly down the street. So far, Addie had only seen her new road from the car. Now that she was walking, she noticed things she hadn’t before. The way the trees arched their branches over the road like a canopy. The pretty sky-blue color of the house next to Morgan’s. When they reached the house after th
at, Addie could hear laughter and the sounds of splashing. A swimming pool!

  After a few minutes, the street dead-ended onto another. Should they go right or left?

  “I wish we had a map,” said Addie. “It would be great to get a bird’s-eye view of this place.”

  Sky Dance laughed. “You don’t need a bird’s-eye view, silly. You have a butterfly’s eye view!”

  “Oh,” said Addie, laughing too. “Duh.”

  “Come on, Shimmer,” shouted Sky Dance as the Wishing Wings soared into the air. As they went higher, they appeared smaller. From this distance, Addie couldn’t even see their colors. They looked like ordinary butterflies.

  Addie and Clara waited anxiously. After a minute, the butterflies fluttered back toward them.

  “The street goes in a big circle!” reported Shimmer Leaf.

  “We saw Morgan! She went that way!” added Sky Dance, pointing a wing to the right. “We saw the swarm, too. They went to the left. In a minute or two, they’ll run smack-dab into each other.”

  “Come on,” said Clara, turning right. Addie and the butterflies followed.

  As the road started to curve, Addie could see Morgan up ahead, the bright colors of her bike helmet bobbing along.

  “Morgan!” shouted Addie.

  But they were too far away, and Morgan couldn’t hear them.

  “We won’t catch up to her. She’s on a scooter!”

  “I have an idea,” said Clara, tapping her finger on her chin. “You said the street goes in a big circle?”

  “Yes,” said Sky Dance.

  Clara pointed at a green house on their left. “If we cut through that yard and the one behind it, we’ll reach the other side of the circle more quickly. We can find Morgan before the swarm does.”

  “Good thinking!” whooped Shimmer Leaf.

  But the thought of this made Addie cringe. “Clara, no,” she said. “We’re supposed to be meeting new neighbors, not barging through their property!”

  “This is kind of an emergency! Besides, we’ll go fast. Maybe they won’t even notice.”

  “It’s now or never,” said Sky Dance.