pulled some more, terrified she would rip off her own skin or do something similarly awful.
She whimpered out loud. Monique gave her a disgusted look from across the room.
â You try growing feathers and then peeling them off,â Ava grumbled. Monique rolled her eyes and slinked away.
There was a sound from outside. Quickly, Ava grabbed her hoodie and slipped it on. Feathers fell to the floor.
Had someone seen?
She shuffled to the sliding door and then peeked through,pressing her face against the glass.
It took her a minute to focus past her own reflection, through the glass and to the yard outside.
There, right in the middle of the grass, was a bright white swan. Ava blinked. She must be dreaming, she thought. This was all so weird . When did swans start hanging out in the backyard? She could swear the swan was watching her, too.
Ava took a deep breath, yanked the door open, and stepped outside.
The swan didnât move.
It just stood there . . . staring at her.
It was really beautiful, glittering and shimmering in the moonlight. Ava thought about other swans sheâd seen, randomly in her life, like when she and her dad visited her uncle in this city in Florida that had a big lake filled with swans as well as swan sculptures scattered all through town. Her favorite had been a huge bejeweled one painted pink and purple.
But those swans had been sort of . . . ungainly. Strutting around and honking and stretching their long beaks around and burying them in their own feathers.
This one wasnât ungainly at all. It stood there quietly, soft, like a cat.
âHello?â Ava whispered.
Beyond the swan and the grass the trees rose up and the woods began. A faint breeze passed over the yard and in thedistance, the leaves rattled.
Ava stepped forward.
âAre you watching me?â
She almost expected the swan to answer, and was a little surprised when it just stood there, unmoving, staring at her. A second later, in a swift movement that scared her, made her gasp, it lifted its wings and swooped into the air, disappearing into the woods.
Ava sighed. Not even swans wanted to be hanging out with her now!
And then it hit her.
Of course.
It seemed crazy that it hadnât occurred to her before.
She was growing feathers, there were all these swans popping up everywhere, with their shimmering, glittering feathers, just like her own . . .
Was she turning into a swan ? Her mind raced. Had she been bitten by a swan . . . in her sleep or something?
Like . . . SPIDER MAN?
Hadnât he been bitten by a RADIOACTIVE SPIDER or something?
The world seemed to spin around her.
Had she been bitten by a radioactive swan???? What did a radioactive swan look like? Did they glitter? Did regular swans who werenât radioactive glitter in moonlight?
She entered the house in a daze and flopped down ontothe couch, her mind swirling.
She tried to think of when she might have been bitten by a radioactive swan. She must have been sleeping. Wouldnât she remember something like that? But then she imagined herself saving kittens trapped in trees with her incredible swan powers. Stopping crimes and arresting bad guys. Sheâd probably have to move someplace where there were bad guys. Her dad would have to let her if she was a superhero, right? She wondered if Jeff Jackson would be impressed when he found out, or if it would be too intimidating for him. Maybe he had a secret superhero identity as well? If not, perhaps she could find a radioactive swan to bite him, too.
Then she bolted up in horror.
What if he wanted to be bitten by a radioactive beetle?
Ava tried to calmed herself. The feathers were obviously making her crazy. Totally, one thousand percent looneytunes.
She stood up and took a deep breath, then went to her bedroom and turned on the light. Superheroes were nice and all, but she wanted to be normal. Just a normal girl.
She could save kittens as a normal girl, too. Maybe she would ask her
She whimpered out loud. Monique gave her a disgusted look from across the room.
â You try growing feathers and then peeling them off,â Ava grumbled. Monique rolled her eyes and slinked away.
There was a sound from outside. Quickly, Ava grabbed her hoodie and slipped it on. Feathers fell to the floor.
Had someone seen?
She shuffled to the sliding door and then peeked through,pressing her face against the glass.
It took her a minute to focus past her own reflection, through the glass and to the yard outside.
There, right in the middle of the grass, was a bright white swan. Ava blinked. She must be dreaming, she thought. This was all so weird . When did swans start hanging out in the backyard? She could swear the swan was watching her, too.
Ava took a deep breath, yanked the door open, and stepped outside.
The swan didnât move.
It just stood there . . . staring at her.
It was really beautiful, glittering and shimmering in the moonlight. Ava thought about other swans sheâd seen, randomly in her life, like when she and her dad visited her uncle in this city in Florida that had a big lake filled with swans as well as swan sculptures scattered all through town. Her favorite had been a huge bejeweled one painted pink and purple.
But those swans had been sort of . . . ungainly. Strutting around and honking and stretching their long beaks around and burying them in their own feathers.
This one wasnât ungainly at all. It stood there quietly, soft, like a cat.
âHello?â Ava whispered.
Beyond the swan and the grass the trees rose up and the woods began. A faint breeze passed over the yard and in thedistance, the leaves rattled.
Ava stepped forward.
âAre you watching me?â
She almost expected the swan to answer, and was a little surprised when it just stood there, unmoving, staring at her. A second later, in a swift movement that scared her, made her gasp, it lifted its wings and swooped into the air, disappearing into the woods.
Ava sighed. Not even swans wanted to be hanging out with her now!
And then it hit her.
Of course.
It seemed crazy that it hadnât occurred to her before.
She was growing feathers, there were all these swans popping up everywhere, with their shimmering, glittering feathers, just like her own . . .
Was she turning into a swan ? Her mind raced. Had she been bitten by a swan . . . in her sleep or something?
Like . . . SPIDER MAN?
Hadnât he been bitten by a RADIOACTIVE SPIDER or something?
The world seemed to spin around her.
Had she been bitten by a radioactive swan???? What did a radioactive swan look like? Did they glitter? Did regular swans who werenât radioactive glitter in moonlight?
She entered the house in a daze and flopped down ontothe couch, her mind swirling.
She tried to think of when she might have been bitten by a radioactive swan. She must have been sleeping. Wouldnât she remember something like that? But then she imagined herself saving kittens trapped in trees with her incredible swan powers. Stopping crimes and arresting bad guys. Sheâd probably have to move someplace where there were bad guys. Her dad would have to let her if she was a superhero, right? She wondered if Jeff Jackson would be impressed when he found out, or if it would be too intimidating for him. Maybe he had a secret superhero identity as well? If not, perhaps she could find a radioactive swan to bite him, too.
Then she bolted up in horror.
What if he wanted to be bitten by a radioactive beetle?
Ava tried to calmed herself. The feathers were obviously making her crazy. Totally, one thousand percent looneytunes.
She stood up and took a deep breath, then went to her bedroom and turned on the light. Superheroes were nice and all, but she wanted to be normal. Just a normal girl.
She could save kittens as a normal girl, too. Maybe she would ask her
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