I see a flash of anger in Headmistress Flora’s eyes, but she doesn’t lash out. “Perhaps I should give you a moment to think about what you want to say next.” She purses her lips and rises from her cushy chair. “I wouldn’t want us to start off on such unpleasant terms.”
Flora leaves the room and I’m all alone. I stare at the shiny desk in front of me and contemplate a life on the run. That gold quill set on Flora’s desk could get me enough money to make it at least to Parrington. There is no way I’m staying in this place. I stuff the quill in my overalls pocket. That’s when I hear someone laugh.
“Nice score! Wow, you seem pretty spunky for a human. I like that.”
I jump up and spin around. “Who said that?” I don’t see anyone in the office. “Miri?” I knock on the mirror in Flora’s office. Miri said she could jump mirrors. She must be listening in. Maybe she saw me steal that quill. Fiddlesticks.
“God, no!” A girl my own age slips out from behind one of the tall lamps in the corner of the office and half runs, half floats over to me. How did she hide behind something so narrow? “Miri’s on break right now, which is why I’m in here.” She walks around the desk and I notice two almost transparent wings sticking out of her back. They’re fluttering at top speed. “Rule number one about FTRS: Always know Miri’s schedule. That mirror can get you in big trouble.” She holds out her hand. “Kayla.”
I stare at her hand but don’t shake it. I agree with Father on one thing—people aren’t nice to you without a reason. “What do you want?”
Kayla doesn’t look ruffled, even if her wings stop moving for a second. “Nothing.”
“So why are you spying on me?” I ask.
She smiles coyly. “I’m not spying. I came to swipe a scroll so I could get a message to someone, but I heard Pete bring you in and I had to see what the fuss was about. Usually no one fights once they get thrown in these doors, but you…” She folds her arms across her chest and takes me in from all angles. “I’m impressed. I can’t believe you’ve avoided the joint this long after getting caught stealing three times! You must be some kind of genius.”
“You go here?” I ask, mystified by this pixie of a girl in front of me. She’s my height, but so petite that she looks like she could break in half. Her short blond hair only makes her look smaller, as does the pale blue jumper she’s wearing. It must be a school uniform because the crest on the chest has the letters FTRS. “What are you in for?”
Kayla waves her hand. “I was caught using fairy magic for personal gain, and my family got all bent out of shape about it.” She rolls her eyes. “Is there anything wrong with wanting the baker’s son to have a crush on you? I think not!”
“You’re a fairy?” I can’t help but be skeptical. “I thought fairies were tiny.”
Kayla fiddles with one of her oversized amber earrings, which match her eyes. “We can be tiny when we need to be, but I’m not supposed to fly ’til I’m twenty-one, so I usually stay normal size.” She rolls her eyes. “My mother is a stickler about the flying early thing, which is why she was peeved when she caught me flying over Royal Manor. I was already grounded for casting a spell on my sister that made her nose as big as her face. My aunt was able to fix it…eventually.” Kayla looks at a portrait on the wall and sighs. “After that, Mother said I was a hazard to everyone around me so she had me committed at FTRS. I’ve been here for a while now with no parole in sight. That’s why I keep flying. Why stop?”
“I thought you could leave whenever your transformation was complete,” I say.
Kayla purses her lips. “That’s what they tell people, but.…”
I try not to let her answer ruffle me. “So how is it?”
The dungeons rumor. Tell me there are no dungeons. Or whips.
“Honestly? It’s not bad as schools go. The dungeon is never used,” Kayla tells me. Maybe she has ESP. “And we are not chained to the walls or forced to take strange potions to transform us. We do have to wear these itchy uniforms.” She points to her own blue jumper. “Basically FTRS is a boarding school for delinquents. We take etiquette with the Sea Witch. Try taking dancing lessons from a teacher floating in a fish tank.
“The chef makes a mean apple cobbler—without poison apples! The dorms are sweet—they’re in the castle turrets and there are only two students to every room. And we have plenty of time to try out activities—fencing, Pegasus flying lessons, snake charming. They like us to tap into new parts of our personalities here.”