Faire Exchange: Chapter 17
Faire Exchange: Chapter 17
Halley is suddenly in demand.
Another short one (only three pages in my manuscript), so this one’s free. Thank you for reading!
Table of Contents
Introduction (free)
Chapter 13: Nadia puts her foot in her mouth… or does she? (paid)
Chapter 15: Zoe gets a new do. (free!)
Chapter 16: Jeremy would like to go back to normal. (paid)
Paul didn't have to tell on her. Halley sat at her desk, waiting for him to show up so she could give him a piece of her mind. He could have just admitted he did it and let it go at that. But no, he had to go and get his dad to call Halley's dad to give him the scoop, how one of his classmates and a cool girl from fifth grade got him to pull that prank on his sister.
But he did, and now Halley was grounded. Thanks to him, Halley couldn't go to the aquarium this weekend like Daddy promised. She couldn't watch Netflix on his phone when she was done with her homework. She couldn't have ice cream for dessert tonight no matter how good she was. All because of Paul.
Worst yet, thanks to Paul, Daddy had told her she couldn't play with Lady Rina anymore!
Last night, after he got that call, Daddy sat Halley down at the kitchen table, and explained that he didn't like Halley causing trouble, especially if it was because of an older kid's influence. Especially if it involved the supernatural.
"Look," Daddy had said, "it's one thing if it's just harmless fun, but Rina does not sound harmless. You stay away from her, end of story."
But if Daddy met her, he'd understand. Lady Rina was a duchess. She was important in her world! Oh, if only Lady Rina could take Halley to Faerie with her.
The moment Paul walked through the door, Halley got up and stamped her feet across the room. "You!"
"Um… hi, Halley."
"You told on me," Halley said.
"I had to! I didn't want to lie to my mom and dad, Halley."
"Didn't want to—? Don't you wanna play with Lady Rina again? Don't you wanna see what other magic she can do?"
Paul sank back and let his head hang down. "I don't think I do, Halley. What Rina did was mean, and… well, she might not be a very good person."
"Not a good…?"
"And you… well… You're not really like you anymore."
Halley felt a fire rise up in her throat. "You think so, huh?" She bent toward him with her fists on her hips. "Well, just wait until I tell Lady Rina what you said."
Paul shuddered back.
Someone coughed from above.
Halley looked up along with Paul. Mr. Kent looked down at them with warm, but stern eyes. "Halley, Paul, is there a problem here?"
Halley spread her fingers. "No, Mr. Kent. Paul and I were just talking."
Paul stayed quiet. He avoided looking directly at her.
"All right then. Go and take your seats. The bell's about to ring."
"Yes, Mr. Kent," Halley and Paul said in unison.
Halley dropped down to her seat like a lead weight. Paul had no right to talk to her that way, or about Lady Rina. All they did was cut his stupid sister's ponytail off…
Halley brushed her fingers through the hair at the back of her head and felt a chill replace the fire in her throat. The last few days had felt like a dream, a great fairy tale where she got to be one of the heroes. But what if Paul was right? What if Daddy was right? Was Lady Rina doing the sorts of things heroes did?
There was a tap on her shoulder. Jamaica Bowers was leaning over the back of her desk and whispering, "Hey, can you introduce me to the elf girl?"
"Yeah, me too." This time it was Terry Broils, who always got straight A's and stickers on his homework. "She sounds awesome."
To Halley's right was her friend Nelia. "Me too! Me too! I have to meet her. If she likes you, she must be cool."
Well, Halley didn't feel like much of a hero, but if all these kids, especially Nelia, thought she was onto something, maybe she was. "Okay," Halley said. "At recess. I'll introduce you at recess."
Daddy didn't have to know.
The bell rang, the whispering quieted down, and Mr. Kent started roll call.
Paul could go jump in a lake for all she cared.