ears. "What was that?"
"I said it was..." She cut out again.
Fred teasingly raised his voice and cupped a hand to his ear. "You'll have to speak up!"
She glared and leaned into his ear. "I said I was thinking about you!"
Fred flinched back and his ears rang with her voice. His mind rang with her words. "Me?" he squeaked out.
Pat rolled her eyes. "Yes, you. You're the complete opposite of Percy. Rude, unrefined, illiterate, idiotic-"
He held up a hand. "I get it, I get it." She shut her mouth and sullenly looked away. "So why were you thinking about me?"
"I-I'm just worried about you, that's all. After this whole birthday party is over I don't know what you're going to do with yourself, and that thought scares me. With you bored some innocent people could get hurt," she replied.
Fred's face drooped. "Hey, I try not to hurt anyone else, they just jump out in front of me, like that chicken vendor and-" Fred froze and Pat whipped her face back to him.
"Chicken vendor?" she repeated.
He nervously laughed and inched away from her. She crawled after him. "Did I say that?"
Her voice was low and growling. "What did you do to a poor chicken vendor?"
Fred vehemently shook his head. "It's not what I did, it's what Fluffy did!"
One of her eyes twitched. Fred moved back and felt his fingers slip off the edge of the roof. He had no more room to run, and she slowly kept coming. She set her hands down on either side of his legs. "You let that cantankus of yours torture a chicken vendor today, didn't you?"
"Um, maybe?" he squeaked out.
She glared at him. Their faces almost touched. That's when they heard screams, and something whizzed a few inches over their heads. They yelped and ducked in time to avoid a collision with another errant firework, and Pat shot a glare over to the square. "What are those idiots down there doing?" she exclaimed.
"Monster! Monster!" came a voice from the crowd. The shouts were followed by more screams and a stampede out of the square.
"Monster?" Pat repeated. Her eyes widened the same time Fred's did, and she turned to him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked him.
He winced. "That maybe we should get out of here?" he guessed.
Pat rolled her eyes and grabbed his sleeve. She yanked him down the roof and onto the ground. "No, that one of the gargoyles followed us out and is scaring everyone. If the others are found there's no telling what the king will do." She sprinted down the street toward the square.
"I've got a pretty good idea..." Fred mumbled as he followed her.
CHAPTER 7
The pair hurried to the square and found themselves on the upstream in a downstream of panicked people. Fred couldn't keep up with Pat as she wound her way through the crowds, and they became separated. He was pushed into a nearby alley and leaned against a wall to catch his breath. It wasn't easy pushing against a living wave of fear. He stood with his back turned to the alley and watched the wave thin until a group of palace guards waded through the citizens. They pushed and shoved with the best of them, and he was disgusted with the way they pushed aside young and old alike.
"What rude humans," a voice behind him spoke up.
"You're telling me," he agreed.
"Indeed, I am telling you," the voice, a girl, replied. Fred frowned. That voice sounded very familiar. He slowly turned around and his face paled when he found himself nose-to-nose with Sampson's daughter. She grinned and rubbed his nose with hers. "Hello there," she greeted.
Fred yelped and jumped back into a pair of strong arms. He was relieved until he glanced up and saw Hawkins' tense face staring at the gargoyle girl. "What are you doing here, demon?" Hawkins harshly questioned her.
She flinched at his tone and shuffled back. "I-I wanted to see the fireworks," she replied.
Hawkins scowled and opened his mouth to call his men. Fred jumped up and slapped his hand over the man's mouth. The boy couldn't tell who was more surprised, him or
"I said it was..." She cut out again.
Fred teasingly raised his voice and cupped a hand to his ear. "You'll have to speak up!"
She glared and leaned into his ear. "I said I was thinking about you!"
Fred flinched back and his ears rang with her voice. His mind rang with her words. "Me?" he squeaked out.
Pat rolled her eyes. "Yes, you. You're the complete opposite of Percy. Rude, unrefined, illiterate, idiotic-"
He held up a hand. "I get it, I get it." She shut her mouth and sullenly looked away. "So why were you thinking about me?"
"I-I'm just worried about you, that's all. After this whole birthday party is over I don't know what you're going to do with yourself, and that thought scares me. With you bored some innocent people could get hurt," she replied.
Fred's face drooped. "Hey, I try not to hurt anyone else, they just jump out in front of me, like that chicken vendor and-" Fred froze and Pat whipped her face back to him.
"Chicken vendor?" she repeated.
He nervously laughed and inched away from her. She crawled after him. "Did I say that?"
Her voice was low and growling. "What did you do to a poor chicken vendor?"
Fred vehemently shook his head. "It's not what I did, it's what Fluffy did!"
One of her eyes twitched. Fred moved back and felt his fingers slip off the edge of the roof. He had no more room to run, and she slowly kept coming. She set her hands down on either side of his legs. "You let that cantankus of yours torture a chicken vendor today, didn't you?"
"Um, maybe?" he squeaked out.
She glared at him. Their faces almost touched. That's when they heard screams, and something whizzed a few inches over their heads. They yelped and ducked in time to avoid a collision with another errant firework, and Pat shot a glare over to the square. "What are those idiots down there doing?" she exclaimed.
"Monster! Monster!" came a voice from the crowd. The shouts were followed by more screams and a stampede out of the square.
"Monster?" Pat repeated. Her eyes widened the same time Fred's did, and she turned to him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked him.
He winced. "That maybe we should get out of here?" he guessed.
Pat rolled her eyes and grabbed his sleeve. She yanked him down the roof and onto the ground. "No, that one of the gargoyles followed us out and is scaring everyone. If the others are found there's no telling what the king will do." She sprinted down the street toward the square.
"I've got a pretty good idea..." Fred mumbled as he followed her.
CHAPTER 7
The pair hurried to the square and found themselves on the upstream in a downstream of panicked people. Fred couldn't keep up with Pat as she wound her way through the crowds, and they became separated. He was pushed into a nearby alley and leaned against a wall to catch his breath. It wasn't easy pushing against a living wave of fear. He stood with his back turned to the alley and watched the wave thin until a group of palace guards waded through the citizens. They pushed and shoved with the best of them, and he was disgusted with the way they pushed aside young and old alike.
"What rude humans," a voice behind him spoke up.
"You're telling me," he agreed.
"Indeed, I am telling you," the voice, a girl, replied. Fred frowned. That voice sounded very familiar. He slowly turned around and his face paled when he found himself nose-to-nose with Sampson's daughter. She grinned and rubbed his nose with hers. "Hello there," she greeted.
Fred yelped and jumped back into a pair of strong arms. He was relieved until he glanced up and saw Hawkins' tense face staring at the gargoyle girl. "What are you doing here, demon?" Hawkins harshly questioned her.
She flinched at his tone and shuffled back. "I-I wanted to see the fireworks," she replied.
Hawkins scowled and opened his mouth to call his men. Fred jumped up and slapped his hand over the man's mouth. The boy couldn't tell who was more surprised, him or
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