me for these clearly staged photographs!”
“Ah,” the officer said. “And why would she do that?”
“To discredit me, of course. I know what they’re hiding there! Monsters, I tell you!”
The desk sergeant said, “I’m just stating the facts, ma’am. Now why don’t you go home, cool off, and have a nice long rest? You might even consider seeing a… doctor.”
“That was not me last night!” Mrs. Windor shrieked as she nervously backed out of the building.
The desk sergeant was no longer listening. Instead, he was watching to see if the door might be kind enough to hit Mrs. Windor in the rear end on her way out.
“Whaaaah!” she yelped.
He chuckled as it did.
T HE CHAOS CAUSED by Kara’s accidental window shattering blew over pretty fast. No one had been hurt, but a lot of students were badly shaken by the sudden “windstorm.”
The worst of it was that Kara knew she should feel terrible about what she had done—but she didn’t. She carefully tested her new vocal proficiency as she walked down the hallway. Humming a tune under her breath, she heard a familiar light musical ringing and felt a tingling throughout her body. After what happened outside, she couldn’t risk anything louder. She was dying to find out how long the effects would last. As soon as she could get free, she had to find a secluded area to do further tests. She just had to force herself to make it through the rest of the school day.
Finally, the three o’clock bell sounded and Kara rushed to her locker. All around her, kids were buzzing with excitement over the karaoke contest. Kara ignored them all, collecting her backpack and her books as fast as she could.
“Hey!”
She looked up to see Adriane standing there, glaring at her.
“Hey is for horses.”
“You haven't said one word to me or Emily today, and now you're rushing off again!” Adriane said angrily. The wolf stone on Adriane’s wrist suddenly pulsed with hot light as Kara lifted her backpack from her locker. Adriane quickly covered her wrist with the sleeve of her jacket.
She leaned in close and hissed, “Aren’t you even the least bit concerned about what happened to the animals last night?”
“No, should I be?”
“They think some kind of monster might have gotten through the dreamcatcher,” Adriane whispered, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.
“A monster can't get through. That's the whole point, duh!”
“We need to get a message to Zach,” Adriane insisted, referring to the human boy she had met on Aldenmor who’d been raised by mistwolves. “Maybe he found the Fairy Glen.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
“We can use the portal or the d-flies—”
“We can’t open the portal, and now you want a long-distance dragonfly call to Aldenmor? That’s the last thing I need right now!”
“And just where were you when that ‘windstorm’ hit?” Adriane asked suspiciously, rubbing her gemstone as if it irritated her.
“Uh… getting stuff done…” Kara held the backpack behind her, as far away from Adriane’s wrist as she could.
“What has gotten into you?” Adriane demanded.
“ Me? What about you, Miss I’m-So-Gonna-Sing-With-Johnny!”
“Yeah, okay, I got a little carried away. But I’m over that.”
“Oh, really!” Kara scoffed.
“Look, you have to get this concert back under control. Gran is getting really annoyed.”
“You were the one who put Johnny and his people at Ravenswood,” Kara pointed out. “Don’t come crying to me!”
“This is your show, superstar! You need to get over to Ravenswood right now and finalize a million details.”
“I can’t… I… I’m busy.”
Adriane’s eyebrow rose. “With what?”
“I’m going to…” Guilt flashed through her. There might be something dangerous at the preserve. The girls had no idea what was going on in Aldenmor. They needed to talk to Zach. And there were a million details to deal with before the
“Ah,” the officer said. “And why would she do that?”
“To discredit me, of course. I know what they’re hiding there! Monsters, I tell you!”
The desk sergeant said, “I’m just stating the facts, ma’am. Now why don’t you go home, cool off, and have a nice long rest? You might even consider seeing a… doctor.”
“That was not me last night!” Mrs. Windor shrieked as she nervously backed out of the building.
The desk sergeant was no longer listening. Instead, he was watching to see if the door might be kind enough to hit Mrs. Windor in the rear end on her way out.
“Whaaaah!” she yelped.
He chuckled as it did.
T HE CHAOS CAUSED by Kara’s accidental window shattering blew over pretty fast. No one had been hurt, but a lot of students were badly shaken by the sudden “windstorm.”
The worst of it was that Kara knew she should feel terrible about what she had done—but she didn’t. She carefully tested her new vocal proficiency as she walked down the hallway. Humming a tune under her breath, she heard a familiar light musical ringing and felt a tingling throughout her body. After what happened outside, she couldn’t risk anything louder. She was dying to find out how long the effects would last. As soon as she could get free, she had to find a secluded area to do further tests. She just had to force herself to make it through the rest of the school day.
Finally, the three o’clock bell sounded and Kara rushed to her locker. All around her, kids were buzzing with excitement over the karaoke contest. Kara ignored them all, collecting her backpack and her books as fast as she could.
“Hey!”
She looked up to see Adriane standing there, glaring at her.
“Hey is for horses.”
“You haven't said one word to me or Emily today, and now you're rushing off again!” Adriane said angrily. The wolf stone on Adriane’s wrist suddenly pulsed with hot light as Kara lifted her backpack from her locker. Adriane quickly covered her wrist with the sleeve of her jacket.
She leaned in close and hissed, “Aren’t you even the least bit concerned about what happened to the animals last night?”
“No, should I be?”
“They think some kind of monster might have gotten through the dreamcatcher,” Adriane whispered, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.
“A monster can't get through. That's the whole point, duh!”
“We need to get a message to Zach,” Adriane insisted, referring to the human boy she had met on Aldenmor who’d been raised by mistwolves. “Maybe he found the Fairy Glen.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
“We can use the portal or the d-flies—”
“We can’t open the portal, and now you want a long-distance dragonfly call to Aldenmor? That’s the last thing I need right now!”
“And just where were you when that ‘windstorm’ hit?” Adriane asked suspiciously, rubbing her gemstone as if it irritated her.
“Uh… getting stuff done…” Kara held the backpack behind her, as far away from Adriane’s wrist as she could.
“What has gotten into you?” Adriane demanded.
“ Me? What about you, Miss I’m-So-Gonna-Sing-With-Johnny!”
“Yeah, okay, I got a little carried away. But I’m over that.”
“Oh, really!” Kara scoffed.
“Look, you have to get this concert back under control. Gran is getting really annoyed.”
“You were the one who put Johnny and his people at Ravenswood,” Kara pointed out. “Don’t come crying to me!”
“This is your show, superstar! You need to get over to Ravenswood right now and finalize a million details.”
“I can’t… I… I’m busy.”
Adriane’s eyebrow rose. “With what?”
“I’m going to…” Guilt flashed through her. There might be something dangerous at the preserve. The girls had no idea what was going on in Aldenmor. They needed to talk to Zach. And there were a million details to deal with before the
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