In the Game

by Kiki Thorpe

  “Not really,” said Vidia. Now that she knew Kate wouldn’t race her, she was growing bored with their conversation.

  Just as she was about to start away, Kate’s friends Mia, Lainey, and Gabby came running down toward the stream. They seemed surprised to see Kate talking to Vidia. “What’s going on?” Mia asked.

  “Nothing,” Kate said quickly.

  “Kate, we’ve been looking for you,” Gabby said. “Fawn said the new ducklings are about to hatch. Are you coming to see them?”

  “You bet. Bye, Vidia.” Kate turned to leave with her friends.

  “So long,” Vidia said with a shrug, and flew on to Havendish Stream.

  Saturday morning, Kate sat at the kitchen table, pushing her breakfast around on her plate.

  “Eat up, Kate,” her dad said. “You’ll need energy for your game today.”

  Just looking at her eggs and toast made Kate’s throat close up. “I guess I’m not very hungry,” she said, setting down her fork.

  “Nervous about the game?” her mom asked.

  “Mm-hmm.” Kate’s stomach was tied in knots. She’d never felt so nervous about a game before. She took a tiny sip of orange juice, then pushed back her chair and stood up from the table. “Can I go over to Mia’s?”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” her mom asked. “Your game is at eleven. You don’t want to be late.”

  Kate glanced at the clock. It was quarter to nine. That left over two hours—more than enough time to see her friends. Kate thought she’d go crazy waiting around at home.

  “I won’t be late. Mia’s house is close to the park. I’ll bring my cleats and I can go straight from there to the game,” she said.

  “All right,” her mom agreed. “But don’t lose track of the time.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Kate ran to her room to change into her soccer uniform. She put on her jersey and her shin guards. She tied the laces of her cleats together so she could carry them with her.

  In the drawer of her desk, Kate found the fairy dust that Terence had given her. Maybe it’s no good anymore, she thought. Maybe fairy dust loses its magic after a few days.

  Kate unsealed the leaf and peeked inside. When it caught the light, the fairy dust glittered. It looked as magical as ever.

  Kate thought about putting the fairy dust back—just closing the drawer and walking away. Instead, she slipped it into her pocket. She slung her cleats over her shoulder and hurried out of the house, calling, “Bye, Mom and Dad!”

  When she got to Mia’s, Kate heard her friends’ voices coming from the backyard. As she let herself in through the side gate, a brown-and-white dog came bounding over. It jumped up on her legs.

  “Whoa!” Kate cried. “Down, boy!”

  “Sorry!” Lainey hurried forward to grab the dog’s leash. “This is Rascal. I’m dog-sitting.”

  Kate raised her eyebrows. “Dog-sitting?”

  “You know, like babysitting,” Lainey explained. “My neighbors are out of town and they needed someone to watch him.”

  Kate knelt down to scratch the dog’s floppy ears. “What’s wrong with his voice?” she asked. The dog’s mouth was opening and closing, but no sound came out.

  “I put him in the laundry room last night when we went to bed. He barked all night,” Lainey said. “I think he barked himself hoarse.”

  “Poor guy,” Kate said, giving his head an extra scratch. “Can’t talk, huh?”

  “That’s not even the worst of it,” Lainey went on. “When I finally let him out so we could get some sleep, he chewed up three pairs of shoes!”

  “I believe it,” Kate said. Rascal had grabbed the edge of her shorts with his teeth and was playing tug-of-war.

  “Cut it out, Rascal,” Lainey said, giving his leash a gentle tug. “I can’t leave him alone for even a minute. It’s a good thing his family is coming home today. My mom won’t let him back in the house.”

  Rascal gave a sudden lunge, jerking the leash out of Lainey’s hands. Mia’s cat, Bingo, had come creeping around the side of the house. But when he saw Rascal, he turned and ran. Rascal tore after him.

  “Rascal! No!” Lainey cried.

  In a flash, Bingo was up and over the fence. Rascal threw himself against the slats. His jaw worked furiously, but no sound came out.

  “It’s like watching TV with the sound turned off,” Mia said.

  Lainey sighed. “I just have to keep him out of trouble for a little while longer. We thought we’d all take Rascal to the park and watch your soccer game.”

  “You’re coming to my game?” Kate asked sharply.

  “Don’t you want us to?” Mia asked.

  Kate didn’t answer. If Mia, Lainey, and Gabby came to her soccer game, they would know about the fairy dust. Not everyone watching would be able to tell she was flying, of course. It wouldn’t even occur to most people. But her friends would know for sure.

  Kate and her friends had never said they wouldn’t fly outside of Never Land. They’d never even talked about it. But she had a feeling they wouldn’t like it.

  “Hey,” Lainey said suddenly, looking around. “Where did Rascal go?”

  The yard was empty. “He was just here a second ago,” Mia said. “Did you leave the gate open, Kate?”

  “No, I’m sure I closed it.” Kate ran to check. “See? It’s latched.”

  “Well, then where is he?” Lainey asked.

  The girls stared at one another. “You don’t think he went to Never Land? Like Bingo?” Gabby whispered. Once, Mia’s cat had slipped through the hole in the fence and terrorized the fairies. Just remembering it made Kate shudder.

  “But we were standing right here,” Mia said. “He probably just wiggled under the fence when we weren’t looking. Let’s check the front yard.”

  Outside Mia’s house they looked up and down the street. Rascal was nowhere in sight. “I’m the worst dog-sitter ever,” Lainey said. “What am I going to tell my neighbors?”

  “Don’t worry,” Kate said. “He can’t have gone very far.”

  “Let’s split up to look for him,” Mia suggested. “Gabby and I will go up Spruce Street. Lainey, you look on Second Street. Kate, you check the alley. Let’s meet back here in a bit.”

  Kate made her way to the alley behind Mia’s house. As she walked along, whistling for the missing dog, Kate’s mind went back to her game. She didn’t know what to do. If she didn’t use the fairy dust, she might be letting her team down. But if she did, she might be letting her friends down. Kate couldn’t decide which was worse.

  The faint jingle of dog tags interrupted her thoughts.

  “Rascal?” Kate scanned the alley but she didn’t see him. Was he behind a trash can? “Here, doggy!”

  She heard scrabbling overhead and looked up. Rascal was standing on the roof of a nearby garage.

  “How did you get up there?” Kate asked in surprise.

  Rascal wagged his tail. He looked pleased with himself.

  “And how am I going to get you down?” Kate added. She didn’t see any easy way onto the roof.

  Before she could do anything, Rascal began his silent barking again. He was staring at something in a nearby tree.

  “What are you looking at, silly pup?” Kate peered into the branches and saw a squirrel clinging motionless to the trunk.

  Rascal began to run toward it, his claws slipping and scratching on the roof’s steep shingles. He was headed right for the edge!

  “Stop!” Kate screamed as Rascal plunged into the air.

  But he didn’t fall. He floated! Paws madly paddling the air, he sailed over Kate’s head and into the tree.

  For a second, Kate couldn’t grasp what had happened. Her first thought was oddly calm. I wonder if Lainey knows Rascal can fly.

  Then, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle snapping into place, it all became clear. “Oh no,” Kate whispered. “No, no, no, no.”

  With a sinking heart, she reached into her pocket. The fairy dust was gone, as she knew it w
ould be. She realized it must have fallen on Rascal when he was tugging at her shorts.

  Kate clutched her head. Why had she put the fairy dust in her pocket? She didn’t even want to use it!

  There was a noise above her and the frightened squirrel suddenly shot from the tree. It leaped onto the roof of the garage. Rascal came right behind. His paws scuttled the air as if he was swimming.

  “Rascal!” Kate hissed. “Get down here!”

  The dog gave no sign of hearing her. He landed with a thump and tore after the squirrel, his tongue flapping out joyfully.

  The terrified squirrel skittered left and right, and Rascal scrambled after it. Together they were making quite a racket.

  Kate looked around nervously. Her friends might be here any moment. She didn’t want to have to explain how Rascal had ended up in the air.

  In desperation, she put her fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill, sharp whistle. That got his attention. Rascal stopped and turned. The squirrel took the chance to escape. He darted over the crest of the roof and out of sight.

  “Good dog,” Kate said. “Good dog.” A stick was lying on the ground nearby. Kate picked it up and waved it. “Here, boy! Come get the stick!”

  Rascal’s ears pricked up. He came a few steps closer. When he reached the edge of the roof, Kate threw the stick, crying, “Go on! Fetch!”

  Rascal leaped after it and caught it in midair. As he sailed over her, Kate grabbed the end of the leash that was dangling from his collar. The dog floated above her like a balloon on a string.

  “Good boy, Rascal. Now, bring the stick to me,” Kate coaxed.

  But Rascal didn’t seem to know what to do next. He stared down at her with the stick firmly clenched in his teeth.

  “Good boy. Bring me the stick,” Kate repeated. She gave his leash a gentle tug. Rascal tugged back. He thought it was a game!

  Kate suddenly heard the sound of an engine. A car was turning into the alley.

  “Rascal! Bring me the stinkin’ stick!” she begged.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw a flash of brown fur. Bingo had leaped onto the top of Mia’s fence, on the other side of the alley. He crouched there, watching them with a smug expression, as if the whole scene amused him.

  When Rascal saw Bingo, he lurched so fast Kate was nearly yanked off her feet. The cat yowled with surprise and leaped back down into Mia’s yard. Rascal followed, pulling Kate along with them. She skidded across the alley and slammed into a bunch of garbage cans. The leash slipped from her grasp.

  As Kate was picking herself up, the car rolled to a stop beside her. A woman leaned out the window, peering at Kate through her big sunglasses. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “Yes. I was just…uh, looking for something,” Kate said.

  The woman studied Kate, frowning. “You don’t live on this block.”

  “No. I’m visiting a friend.” Kate pointed to Mia’s house.

  “Well, you shouldn’t play back here,” the woman said.

  “Okay. Sorry.” Kate glanced nervously at the sky. She hoped Rascal didn’t pick this moment to come flying back.

  To her relief, the woman rolled up her window and drove on. As soon as the car turned into a garage, Kate ran over to the Vasquezes’ fence.

  Bingo was gone. And so was Rascal.

  How was she going to find him now? Maybe she could lure Rascal back with dog treats. But where was she going to get those? Or she could catch him with some kind of net! But what net would be big enough?

  The more Kate thought about it, the more she realized there was only one way to catch a flying dog. She was going to need more fairy dust.

  The way to Never Land lay behind a loose board halfway down the fence in Mia’s backyard. Kate hurried there now, hoping her friends hadn’t returned yet. She didn’t want to have to explain to them why she’d brought fairy dust home in the first place.

  She was in luck. The backyard was empty. Kate found the loose board and pushed it aside.

  A familiar warm, sweet-smelling breeze blew against her face. Never Land was there, waiting. She knew she could squeeze through the hole, get more fairy dust from Terence, and be back before anyone knew she was gone.

  But Kate hesitated. If she went to Never Land now, without her friends, she’d be breaking their promise to always go together.

  Kate stood with her hand pressed against the board, her heart pounding. What should she do?

  Vidia was bored. She had already circled Pixie Hollow six times, chased an eagle, and blown all the petals off a blossoming cherry tree. And it wasn’t even noon.

  She flew around again, looking for something to do. Drowsy bumblebees buzzed in the lavender. Plump caterpillars inched through the grass, herded by yawning fairies. A mouse cart trundled along a path, carrying a heavy load of ripe strawberries. Everything in Pixie Hollow seemed sleepy and slow. It was enough to drive a fast flier crazy!

  As Vidia flew past the Home Tree, she saw laundry-talent fairies hanging their wash out to dry. The sight of the sagging, wet linens was too much for Vidia. She started toward them, picking up speed as she flew.

  Faster. Faster. Faster.

  Vidia zoomed past the laundry, blowing it right off the line. For an instant, sheets and flower-petal dresses swirled through the air.

  A second later, they had all landed in the dirt.

  “Vidia!” the laundry fairies shrieked.

  “What?” Vidia said with a knowing smile. “I was only doing my best to dry them. Just lending a helping wing, loves. It’s not my fault if you didn’t pin them tightly.”

  But the laundry fairies weren’t fooled. “A helping wing?” one of them scoffed. “You’re just trying to stir up trouble. I swear, you’re the most useless fairy that ever was!”

  Useless! Vidia felt as if she’d been slapped. How dare she! She was the fastest fairy in Pixie Hollow!

  Well! Vidia didn’t need to hang around listening to insults. Let them get back to their silly washing, she thought. With a toss of her hair, she flew away.

  But with each beat of her wings, the word seemed to echo in her ears. Useless. Useless.

  Of course, she knew the laundry fairy was wrong. Fast fliers were among the most important fairies in Pixie Hollow. They stirred the breezes that spread pollen from flower to flower and tree to tree. True, Vidia rarely bothered with pollen herself. But that was only because she was too busy training and racing, always pushing herself to be faster. Wasn’t being the best enough in itself?

  As she passed the fairy dust mill, Vidia thought suddenly of Kate. For the first time, she wondered why Kate had needed the fairy dust. It’s for something important. That was what the girl had said.

  “A race. That must be it,” Vidia mused. To her, it was the only reason to need extra fairy dust.

  Vidia looked across Havendish Stream to the tree that held the portal. The Clumsy world was usually of little interest to her. She had passed the portal a dozen times that day without a thought. But now she paused to consider. If she wanted to be the fastest flier ever, why shouldn’t she go? There would be more things to race—and to beat, Vidia thought. Why was she wasting her time in boring old Pixie Hollow, when there was a new world to conquer?

  Vidia reached the portal in seconds. The tree hollow was barely big enough for the girls to fit through, but to a fairy it was as big as a cave. For a few seconds, Vidia flew blindly through darkness. She came out blinking in the sudden light, and nearly ran headlong into Kate.

  “Vidia!” Kate exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just paying a friendly visit,” Vidia said. “Did you win your race?”

  Kate looked confused. “What race?”

  Vidia sighed. Really, Clumsies were so slow! “Your race, dear child. The one you needed fairy dust for.”

  “It wasn’t…I mean, I didn’t…well, I lost it.”

  “The race?” Vidia asked.

  “The fairy dust!” Kate cried. “And now I have a big, big pro
blem, and I need more fairy dust to fix it.”

  Vidia didn’t care about Clumsy problems. “Then why don’t you scurry off to Terence and ask for some? He seems happy to give you whatever you like,” she said sourly.

  “But then I’d be breaking a promise to…Oh, never mind. I don’t expect you to understand. I don’t suppose you’d give me any of your fairy dust?” Kate added, without much hope. “I wouldn’t ask, but it’s an emergency.”

  “You want my dust?” Vidia almost laughed. The idea of sharing her dust with anyone was absurd.

  But as she thought about it, Vidia realized it was her chance to get exactly what she wanted—and prove the laundry fairy wrong. “I’ll help you…,” she told Kate.

  Kate’s whole face lit up. “Oh, thank you—”

  “On one condition,” Vidia added.

  “I should’ve guessed,” Kate said with a sigh.

  “I think you’ll enjoy it. You’re such a talented flier,” Vidia said. “I want a race.”

  Kate blinked. “Why do you want to race me?”

  “For fun, dear child.”

  “But we both know you’ll win,” Kate said. “What’s the fun in that?”

  That was exactly why it was fun, but Vidia didn’t say so. She wanted Kate to think she stood a chance—races were better that way. “Oh, I’m not so sure,” she lied.

  “Fine. I’ll race you as soon as we get back to Pixie Hollow.”

  “No,” said Vidia. “Now.”

  “But I can’t right now!” Kate said.

  Vidia shrugged. “No race, no dust, darling. What will it be?”

  Vidia could practically see the wheels turning in Kate’s mind. “All right,” Kate agreed finally. “One race. But I’ll still need some fairy dust to fly. Otherwise, it won’t be fair. Right?”

  “Of course.” Vidia fluttered over to Kate. When she was above the girl’s head, she buzzed her wings, like a hummingbird—once, twice. A small cloud of fairy dust drifted down onto Kate. Vidia was careful to give her only a little. She kept most of it for herself.