had told them before I arrived. I tried to pay attention, but I couldn’t stop staring at the tall, skinny pines and the yellowish hills with hidden pockets of melting snow.
“Travel in squadrons of no less than seven,” Lena said, huffing a little as Chase started up a ridge. We passed a sign that said OLD FAITHFUL —15 MI . Ever After School really went all out with this role-playing deal. “If we see any signs of the beast, we’re supposed to send up a flare and wait for one of the high school squadrons to reach us.”
One of the triplets pointed over the ridge. “There’s one.”
“Where? Is Hansel with them?” Lena rushed up to look.
When I saw the drop, bile rose to my throat. I stumbled back behind the others, hoping that no one could tell that I’d broken out in a cold sweat. Heights aren’t my favorite thing in the world.
After a few steadying breaths, I made myself peer over the ridge with everyone else.
A hundred feet below us, a herd of buffalo grazed on a plain of short yellow grass, steam billowing around them. Smaller figures—the teenage squadron—passed just beyond them. One of them playfully swung a long, pointy thing that looked suspiciously like a sword. “What’s that he’s carrying?” I asked.
“One of these.” Chase lifted a short silver sword. It had a blue-colored jewel on the hilt and his name etched on the blade.
The triplets looked impressed—and kind of jealous.
That was about the time I started to feel like I was dreaming.
“Oh,” I said. A bald eagle soared in and landed directly opposite us in the top branches of a pine tree.
“You weren’t supposed to bring that!” Lena cried.
Chase shrugged. His grin took up half his face, and he had a dimple in his right cheek.
Mom always said to be careful of someone with dimples. They usually know how cute they are, and they’re used to getting away with stuff. Of course, my dad had a dimple too, on his chin, and since the divorce, she’d been a little biased.
“Need to be able to defend any damsels-in-distress.” Chase looked over at Adelaide and me.
Adelaide smiled in a syrupy way, and I liked her even less.
Lena eyed Chase’s sword like it was going to come to life and bite somebody. “The Director said that we aren’t supposed to attack it ourselves. She said if we—”
“Shut it already.” Chase slid his sword back in its sheath. “We were all there. We know what she said.”
Lena looked hurt. If we were going to be friends, I couldn’t let anyone talk to her like that.
So, even though I was kind of tired of hearing about it too, and even though I felt the blush creeping up again, I said, “Well, I missed it. And I think it’s important to know what’s going on.”
Chase only rolled his eyes and started over the next ridge, but Lena smiled gratefully. “Signs of the beast include fire, fewmets, scales—”
The tallest triplet pointed up ahead. “Does smoke count as a sign?”
A dark gray cloud rose in a plume to our right, and everyone perked up.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Lena stopped walking. “Quick—who has a flare?”
Chase shook his head and hurried toward the smoke. “The Director also said there have been a bunch of fires already. You don’t want to send up a false alarm, do you?”
Lena was obviously torn, but she kept quiet as we approached the smoldering tree—a smaller pine, charred gray. A little orange flame danced on one of the bottom branches, the only part still burning.
Chase blew it out.
“Well done,” said one triplet.
His brother examined the golden embers glowing through the trunk. “That fixed it.”
“Hey. Only we can prevent forest fires,” Chase said, and they all cracked up. Even Lena smiled tremulously.
I stared at the smoking tree. If this wasn’t a dream, and if Ever After School was setting fire to trees, then they took the role-play game really seriously. I could get in a lot of trouble. If the wrong people found out
“Travel in squadrons of no less than seven,” Lena said, huffing a little as Chase started up a ridge. We passed a sign that said OLD FAITHFUL —15 MI . Ever After School really went all out with this role-playing deal. “If we see any signs of the beast, we’re supposed to send up a flare and wait for one of the high school squadrons to reach us.”
One of the triplets pointed over the ridge. “There’s one.”
“Where? Is Hansel with them?” Lena rushed up to look.
When I saw the drop, bile rose to my throat. I stumbled back behind the others, hoping that no one could tell that I’d broken out in a cold sweat. Heights aren’t my favorite thing in the world.
After a few steadying breaths, I made myself peer over the ridge with everyone else.
A hundred feet below us, a herd of buffalo grazed on a plain of short yellow grass, steam billowing around them. Smaller figures—the teenage squadron—passed just beyond them. One of them playfully swung a long, pointy thing that looked suspiciously like a sword. “What’s that he’s carrying?” I asked.
“One of these.” Chase lifted a short silver sword. It had a blue-colored jewel on the hilt and his name etched on the blade.
The triplets looked impressed—and kind of jealous.
That was about the time I started to feel like I was dreaming.
“Oh,” I said. A bald eagle soared in and landed directly opposite us in the top branches of a pine tree.
“You weren’t supposed to bring that!” Lena cried.
Chase shrugged. His grin took up half his face, and he had a dimple in his right cheek.
Mom always said to be careful of someone with dimples. They usually know how cute they are, and they’re used to getting away with stuff. Of course, my dad had a dimple too, on his chin, and since the divorce, she’d been a little biased.
“Need to be able to defend any damsels-in-distress.” Chase looked over at Adelaide and me.
Adelaide smiled in a syrupy way, and I liked her even less.
Lena eyed Chase’s sword like it was going to come to life and bite somebody. “The Director said that we aren’t supposed to attack it ourselves. She said if we—”
“Shut it already.” Chase slid his sword back in its sheath. “We were all there. We know what she said.”
Lena looked hurt. If we were going to be friends, I couldn’t let anyone talk to her like that.
So, even though I was kind of tired of hearing about it too, and even though I felt the blush creeping up again, I said, “Well, I missed it. And I think it’s important to know what’s going on.”
Chase only rolled his eyes and started over the next ridge, but Lena smiled gratefully. “Signs of the beast include fire, fewmets, scales—”
The tallest triplet pointed up ahead. “Does smoke count as a sign?”
A dark gray cloud rose in a plume to our right, and everyone perked up.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Lena stopped walking. “Quick—who has a flare?”
Chase shook his head and hurried toward the smoke. “The Director also said there have been a bunch of fires already. You don’t want to send up a false alarm, do you?”
Lena was obviously torn, but she kept quiet as we approached the smoldering tree—a smaller pine, charred gray. A little orange flame danced on one of the bottom branches, the only part still burning.
Chase blew it out.
“Well done,” said one triplet.
His brother examined the golden embers glowing through the trunk. “That fixed it.”
“Hey. Only we can prevent forest fires,” Chase said, and they all cracked up. Even Lena smiled tremulously.
I stared at the smoking tree. If this wasn’t a dream, and if Ever After School was setting fire to trees, then they took the role-play game really seriously. I could get in a lot of trouble. If the wrong people found out
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