Harley Merlin 19: Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere

by Bella Forrest

  Why are you staring like that? I didn’t want to draw Nathan’s attention to it. Had he been less invested in pixie lore, he’d have noticed on his own. The creatures had gone very still, but their eyes spoke volumes, like a thousand cries calling to me in a language I didn’t understand. Oddly, I felt entirely at home among these beings, as though I were somehow attached to each and every one, yet there was this huge divide between us. A fear, a me-vs-them kind of feeling. Plus, on a more literal level, I stood on the outside of the glass and they were trapped behind it. And that wrenched at my gut. I sensed the thrum of their energy resonating inside my chest, and the sadness swelled like a balloon, making my breath hitch.

  “Persie?” Nathan cut through my strange reverie. “Are you ready to look deeper into these pixies, so I can help you?”

  “No.” The refusal blurted out of my mouth as though someone else had said it. “I caused this; I’ll fix it. I caught one, I can catch the rest. You’ve given me enough to go on.” I bolted away from him, driven by an uncontrollable sense of urgency that spiked in every vein. I owed it to these creatures to be the one to gather them up. Maybe that didn’t make sense, and this wasn’t the time to be a maverick, but my mind was made up.

  Nathan ran after me, cutting me off before I crossed the Repository threshold. “Persie, hold on a second. I’ll let you do this, as I can see what it means to you, but I can only give you a brief window before I have to say something.”

  “Just… give me until tomorrow.” My eyes widened, imploring him. He was right—it did mean a lot to me, because if I didn’t at least attempt it solo, then I wasn’t sure I deserved my place here. Otherwise, everyone would always be on their guard, rolling their eyes, wondering when my next screw-up would happen.

  “On one condition. You come back with every pixie you manage to capture, so I can safely deposit them in the orbs. You’ll quickly run out of space if you don’t,” he said firmly. “And then, come tomorrow; if it hasn’t worked, we’ll discuss our next course of action.”

  It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I would need somewhere to put the pixies, given that I only had a few of the pre-hexed Mason jars. With a subtle nod, I agreed. “That’s fair.”

  “And come back here if you decide you want further help. I’ll stay in my study all night so you can easily find me.” He offered a reassuring smile, and he didn’t chase me this time as I took off out the door.

  I didn’t want to depend on the Institute’s aid, but there was one person I could call without feeling like I’d handed off my responsibility. Taking out my phone as I ran, I dialed Genie, only to get her voicemail. I remembered the movie, and realized she’d probably turned it off. Still, I’d keep trying while I went after these annoying pixies.

  I’ve got a good feeling about you, Nathan O’Hara. You’re one of the nice ones, I can tell. I smiled as I slowed my pace. Genie might not have thought much of him, but I knew she’d feel the same as I did once she got to know him better. And I guessed we’d be seeing a lot more of him now that he’d seen what my Purge ability could do.

  Settling into a brisk walk, I roamed the hallways, watching every corner and crevice for the slightest sign of a pixie. I kept my ears peeled, too, if that was a thing, listening for the sound of their fast-fluttering wings. Even if it took all night, I would find those mischievous critters.

  An hour later, after circling back to the main common areas empty-handed, I froze at the sight of a figure storming toward me. It was Charlotte, her face like thunder, striding along and taking out her foul mood on the floor. Her hazel eyes narrowed as she saw me, her footsteps quickening.

  “What is it with the two of you?” she barked. I wouldn’t get a trophy for guessing who the other half of that duo was.

  But I didn’t have to pretend innocence. “Is something wrong?”

  “Like she hasn’t already told you.” Charlotte folded her arms across her chest. “I just spent the last two hours mopping up the banquet hall. It wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my evening.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know anything about it. I haven’t seen Genie since dinner.”

  Charlotte eyed me, clearly debating whether or not to believe me. “You shouldn’t be out at this hour.”

  “It’s not even ten yet,” I replied, keeping my calm. “I didn’t realize we had early curfews here.”

  Her small frown told me I’d called her bluff.

  “I was trying to be nice,” she said, though her expression remained indecipherable. “Hosseini goes hard on his students, and you’ll be a wreck tomorrow if you don’t get a decent night’s sleep. When you do badly in a class, it reflects badly on the whole Institute. So, like I said, best not to be out at this hour.”

  “No problem. I just wanted to make a snack first, but I guess I can go without.” I smiled sweetly, though I had no intention of following her orders. She might have been a big shot in this Institute, and I respected the work she did and the success she’d achieved, but nothing was going to keep me from catching those pixies. Her warning just meant I’d have to be particularly vigilant to avoid another unwanted run-in tonight.

  As Charlotte walked away, I hurried toward the dorms, wondering what had happened between Charlotte and Genie. I remembered what Charlotte had said to me at the orientation tour: I don’t like cleaning up messes. The irony was... entertaining, to say the least. Still, I wondered what lurked beneath her cold exterior.

  I turned down my corridor, still hunter-less, when a light caught my attention. Not the glint of pixie scales or the flutter of wings, but a fuzzy glow that I knew all too well: the orbs from earlier.

  You don’t look like decorations to me. I squinted at the lights as they danced along the wall ahead, tempting me to follow their pastel trails. Figuring I was headed in that direction anyway, I set off after the glowing orbs.

  They bobbed and floated through the air, seemingly pausing at every corner so I wouldn’t lose them. A shiver of unease bristled in my chest, but I didn’t know if it stemmed from the missing pixies, the reappearance of the orbs, or the residual fatigue of my Purge. It was probably a mix of all three.

  Where are we going, huh? I took a left when the orb went left, and almost cried out. A pixie darted up ahead, transfixed by the fiery purple center of the glowing Pied Piper. It was the first one I’d seen since leaving the Repository, and just when my hopes had begun to wane. With renewed determination, I raced down the hallway toward the pixie, ready to leap onto the pest if I had to. Veering down the right-hand corridor at the end of the hallway and sprinting full-on, I could almost feel the pixie in my grasp. Then something, or someone, crashed into my chest, and I sailed backward, the air rushing out of my lungs as I slammed into the ground.

  No, no, no, no, no! Wheezing slightly, I struggled to my feet as quickly as I could, but it was no good. The glowing lights and the pixie had gone. Dusting off the back of my pants, I sought out the culprit.

  It was Genie, who, like me, had been knocked down by our collision.

  “Genie! Chaos, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even see you.” I hurried to help her up.

  “Yeah, I figured that after I went flying.” She offered a crooked smile and rubbed her chest. “But I think I’ll live. Just a few cracked ribs, a deflated lung, and a severely wounded ego. How about you? You okay?”

  I took a deep breath. “Not exactly.” Talking a mile a minute, I explained everything that had happened since we’d parted ways at dinner. She listened intently, her eyes widening with every twist and turn of the tale. “So, as you can probably tell, I’ve got to catch the suckers before they wreck anyone else’s rooms… or worse. I’ve done it once, I can do it again, but I could use an extra set of eyes and ears.”

  Genie gave a low whistle. “And I thought I had a bad evening.”

  “I just saw Charlotte,” I said leadingly. I knew that Genie, not unlike the pixies, only attacked if provoked. And I had to wonder what Charlotte had done to piss off my friend. The pixies could wait
a few more minutes—Genie was always there for me, and I wanted to repay the favor.

  She chuckled grimly. “You heard about it, then?”

  “Only that Charlotte got punished. What happened?”

  “She wasn’t exactly punished. She actually stuck up for me. A little.” Her eyes glinted with pain as she began the rest of the story. Genie was tough, and there weren’t many things that could make her hurt like that. “It was a bunch of bigots and assholes,” she continued, “and their archaic beliefs about Atlanteans. Which my dad warned me about, and which ended with me dousing everyone in water… and a bit of hot chocolate. Anyway, it’s over now, and Hosseini sent everyone away to ‘think about what they did,’ so things should be quiet for a while. Anyway, he asked Charlotte to mop up, and I helped. I think she thought it was unfair because she was the only one who stuck up for me.” She gave a tired shrug, but I sensed she was holding something back from me. But she was weary, and I decided to let her evade. “It’s nowhere near as exciting as your evening. A horde of pixies… I don’t know whether to applaud you or grab a butterfly net.”

  I smiled. “That wouldn’t be a bad idea, actually.”

  “Well, we can work out a proper plan of action tomorrow.” She gave a pointed yawn. “We’ve both had a tough night, and you’ve had a doozy of a Purge, so you need to sleep before you keel over. No offense, but you look shattered. And if you want to catch these things, you need to have your mind clear and not all loopy from exhaustion.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t risk the pixies doing something terrible while I’m asleep. Everyone will know it was me, and… I don’t want to be the liability they already think I am.”

  Genie took my hand. “I know your dream has you freaked, and it’s totally understandable, but the Institute won’t do that to you. If you’d Purged an army of freaking Godzillas, maybe they’d think about it, but even then, they wouldn’t just march you off to a glass box and throw away the key.” She led me gently back down the corridor, toward our rooms. “If the pixies are evading you and haven’t wreaked havoc anywhere else, chances are they’re trying to hide. If this place seems huge to us, then it probably feels cosmically massive to them. Besides, they’re not going anywhere—the Institute is warded against escaping monsters. They’ll still be here in the morning, awaiting your expert capturing techniques. I told you I liked the tweed, didn’t I?”

  I sighed reluctantly. “And I guess they’ll sound the alarm if something does happen.”

  “Exactly!” She flashed me a tired grin. “But I have a feeling they’ll keep a low profile. Harsh as it sounds, even the pixies must have a sense by now of what happens to monsters in a place like this. Plus, if things do take a nosedive, we can go to Victoria or you can go back to Nathan to get help.”

  “He’d be our best bet.” My cheeks warmed up a smidge. “About that… There was one part I left out. I chased that other pixie into his room—I didn’t know it was his room, just so you know—and she may or may not have gone into his bedroom and rummaged around in his underwear drawer. And I may or may not have had to wrap the damn thing up in a pair of bright orange, Hawaiian-print boxers.”

  Genie grabbed me. “Hawaiian print?!”

  “Believe it or not.” I nodded, giggling with humiliation.

  “Well, well, well, the fashion disaster reveals new and horrifying layers.” She grinned. “I’ll be sure to mention them the next time we see him.”

  I grabbed her arm. “No! You can’t! I swore I wouldn’t say anything!”

  “Then I’ll just have to picture them.” She cackled, and my spirits lifted.

  After walking back the way I’d come, she dropped me at my door. I resisted opening it, so she wouldn’t have to see the decimation inside. The thing was, I had no intention of going in there and catching some zzzs, but I needed her to believe it. Not in order to lie, but because she looked absolutely exhausted. She’d taken such good care of me during my banshee recovery, and I wanted to return the favor, even if it meant carrying on this pixie-catching fiasco on my own. I’d seen one, and that had to be a good sign. They couldn’t hide from me forever, and if I left it until tomorrow, there would be no telling what they might do in the daylight. It would certainly be harder to cover up their existence from Victoria and the rest of the Institute if they decided to go on a chaotic rampage during waking hours.

  Genie eyed me. “You’re going to go to sleep, right?”

  “It’ll take a while with so much going on, but I should eventually drop off.” I could rest once I had the pixies captured. If I managed it in the next few hours, I might actually get some sleep before morning came around.

  “Okay.” Genie stretched out her arms. “Well, I’m pooped. Try not to think about it too much, and we can keep looking between classes.”

  I nodded slowly. “Sleep well, Genie.”

  “And you.” Yawning loudly, she sauntered back down the hall to her bedroom and disappeared inside. I waited a few minutes, to make sure she didn’t come back out, before backtracking to where we’d collided. The orbs and the pixie had gone, but I knew they had to be around here somewhere.

  If I’m not resting tonight, pixies, then neither are you. The search had well and truly resumed. I just had to hope I had no more run-ins with anyone before dawn rose, unless those run-ins happened to be with my pesky Purges.

  Nine

  Persie

  I awoke with a jolt, to find foggy, gray-tinged sunlight trying to sneak through the gap in the curtains. My bedroom still smelled like the aftermath of a bonfire, but most of the smoke had escaped before I’d returned from last night’s adventures. Well, it was more like last night and this morning’s adventures. I hadn’t made it back to my room until after five, when the sun had started to come up over the horizon and the cleaning staff had thwarted my continued search attempt.

  Today is going to hurt. I’d be working on three hours of sleep, and the idea of getting stuck in training knocked me sick. I’d probably need to duct tape my eyes open by lunchtime. Lucky for me, I had the adrenaline of pure panic pulsing through my veins. I’d scoured as much of the Institute as possible since leaving Genie, and though I’d seen traces of pixies in knocked-over plant pots, smudges on the walls, and a few glimpses of wings, they’d managed to stay one step ahead of me. I’d even outright spotted a few after leaving out some milk and slices of apple I’d found in one of the kitchenettes, but they’d puffed into black mist before I could get my hands on them. A reminder that something peculiar had definitely happened with that first pixie, to stop it from disappearing when I had it in my grasp. Still, the Institute’s defenses wouldn’t let them out of the building, even in mist form.

  Now, however, there was a greater chance of their discovery. The sun had come up, and people would be going about their daily lives again.

  As for the bombsite formerly known as my bedroom, I’d done my best to clear things up before hitting the hay. The rug had gone in the trash, and I’d probably be billed for it after I graduated… Oh, and for the lamps, the light fixture, and the crack in the bathroom mirror where a wedge of soap had been launched like a missile by a pixie.

  Coffee. Must have coffee. With my hair transformed into a bird’s nest, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and took a moment to properly wake up. Even with so little sleep, I’d slipped into the nightmare again. Same room, same crowd, same glass box, same claustrophobic terror, same screwed-up pep talk from my friendly neighborhood Leviathan. But the fear hadn’t followed me into the real world the way it had yesterday. My chest had a slight vise-like clench, but I wasn’t gasping and spluttering.

  I don’t paint dreams or nightmares; I paint my own reality. I’d always loved Frida Kahlo’s artwork, but her words were just as remarkable. And I had the opportunity to paint my reality instead of letting my glass box nightmare dictate my days. At the moment, I felt… buoyed up, on a fresh swell of determination. I could view the glass box as an omen or a cautionary tale, and I chose the latt
er. I wouldn’t be ending up in one, thank you very much.

  “Play nice, pixies.” I lumbered out of bed and padded to my messy vanity. My brush had tangles of mossy pixie hair in it, which I quickly plucked out, and the mirror was covered in smudged lipstick scrawls. I could deal with that later. I had a bigger mess to wipe clean, and today would be the day I proved myself a capable hunter. Last night had only been a warm-up. And Nathan had promised me he’d give me until today, but we hadn’t set an exact time. So, it wasn’t game over just yet.

  I’m coming for you all. Hide if you like, I’ll still find you. I smiled at my reflection. Sure, I still looked like I hadn’t slept in a month, but I had a glitter of vitality in my eyes that came from deep within. I needed all the vigor I could muster—I had a naughty gang of pixies to wrangle.

  A knock at the door disturbed my inner monologue. “It’s open!” The pixies had broken the lock when they’d escaped last night, so that would probably get added to my ever-growing repair bill.

  Genie appeared, wielding a brown paper bag and two expertly balanced coffees. “Delivery for the Queen of the Pixies.” She flashed a grin. “I got you a plain bagel with cream cheese. Figured I’d go easy on your stomach after your Purge.” Her nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air. “Oof, I bet that smokey smell clings to this room until you graduate.”

  “Thank you!” I reached for the bag, but she swiped it back. “I opened a window, but I think I might need to get some air freshener or something, to take the edge off.”

  “We can get you all the smoke cover-up you need later. No time to laze around, my friend. We’ve got half an hour before training with Hosseini kicks off, and we need every spare second to find your wily offspring.” She nodded to my fluffy PJs. “Get into your training gear, and you can wolf this down on the way.”

  I grimaced. “Don’t call them my offspring.”