doorstep that he didn’t even have to explain. They blamed themselves, sure that their revelation of his adoption had been the motivation for his running away. They didn’t care where he’d been. They were just glad to have him back.
Of course, Delia was annoyed.
“If I’d run away, you guys would have grounded me for, like, a decade,” she said sullenly.
The last time Brendan had seen Delia, Orcadia had been threatening her life. Brendan was so happy to see her safe he couldn’t help himself. He threw his arms around her and held her as she thrashed.
“Gross! What’s wrong with you? Get off me, you creep!”
But he wouldn’t let go, despite her protests. He hugged her close and smiled at his parents over her shoulder. He was home.
The next day, he went back to school. BLT rode along in his knapsack as he walked through Queen’s Park. The squirrels chirped, “Hello? Hello? Food?” Brendan tossed them some bread he’d brought along for just such an occasion. Lord Chitter’s voice shouted at his back, “What? No jam? Bring a muffin next time, you big punk!”
Brendan smiled but didn’t look back.
In homeroom, Harold and Dmitri were delighted to see him. For Brendan, the reunion was bittersweet. They didn’t mention any of their shared adventure so Brendan had to assume that his Compulsion had worked. He was relieved but a little sad that they couldn’t share his happiness. From now on, there would be a distance between him and his close friends.
“We were so worried,” Dmitri exclaimed.
“Yeah,” Harold said. He looked at Brendan strangely, and for an instant, Brendan worried that his Compulsion hadn’t worked on the chubby boy but after a second, Harold smiled, saying, “We thought you’d gone nuts like Chester.”
Brendan frowned. “What do you mean, nuts like Chester?”
“Didn’t you hear?” Harold was full of glee. “He ran off all of a sudden. He just lost it and started running. They finally picked him up outside of Niagara Falls trying to run across the bridge into New York State. All he would say is, ‘I gotta get lost! I gotta get lost!’ over and over again.”
“They have him sedated in Sick Kids Hospital,” Dmitri added. He wasn’t quite so ecstatic at Chester’s misfortune but he couldn’t help a small grin.
“If ever a guy deserved a little bad luck, it’d be Chester.” Kim’s voice cut into the conversation. “He’s a jerk.”
Kim walked into the classroom and plunked down in her customary seat without so much as a glance at Brendan’s surprised expression. Her glamours were up, but Brendan could see a ghost of her Faerie features shimmering beneath her Human facade. She dropped her knapsack at her feet, the field hockey stick poking out. Before Brendan could say anything, the bell rang to start the day.
Walking to English class, Brendan managed to get a word with Kim as Harold and Dmitri walked ahead.
“I didn’t think you’d be back,” Brendan said.
Kim shrugged. “Somebody has to keep you from hurting yourself. You’ve got a lot to learn and until you do, I’ll be watching over you. Besides,” she smiled, hauling the field hockey stick out of the knapsack and brandishing it in front of her, “All-City Championships are next month.”
Brendan laughed as they entered class.
“No weapons in the classroom please, Kim!” Mr. Greenleaf’s clear, crisp voice called out. The Faerie stood in his impeccable green suit and yellow vest at the front of the class. He had just finished writing his name on the blackboard in his elegant, flowing handwriting. He smiled at Brendan and gestured for him to take a seat. Kim rolled her eyes and replaced the stick in her bag.
Shaking his head but smiling, Brendan took his customary desk.
“I am Mr. Greenleaf,” the substitute teacher began. “I’m sure you all will be delighted to hear that Mr. Bowley will be back today. Though he won a tidy sum in the lottery, he felt it was still his duty to bring the glory of chemistry to young minds.” The announcement was greeted by a universal groan. Greenleaf laughed. “The good news, for me, is that your English teacher, Ms. Hewlett, is going to be away on maternity leave for the rest of the year so I will be replacing her as your teacher.” This announcement brought a titter of excitement from the girls and an eye roll from Kim. “I am delighted to be given this opportunity to further your education.” Greenleaf’s eyes found Brendan’s and lingered there. “Delighted.” Brendan smiled back.
“Excellent.” Greenleaf clapped his hands once. “English! The written word! Is there anything more noble or capable of transporting the heart? I think not. Let’s begin with poetry.”
Later on, in gym class, Brendan found himself standing on the sidelines as the Murderball game progressed. He had found it laughably easy to avoid the ball. All his former clumsiness was gone. He could have stayed in the game right until the end if he had wanted to but in the second round, he’d let the ball strike him. People would wonder if he suddenly changed too much. Besides, there was no real glory in winning when the game was so easy. He wasn’t a bully like Chester.
The thought of Chester sedated in the hospital gave him a stab of guilt. He had to do something about that.
“Hey.” A feminine voice intruded on his thoughts. He looked up into the beautiful face of Marina Kaprillian. “I’m Marina Kaprillian.”
He’d thought she’d been lovely before when he had only had Human sight. Now, with his Faerie Sight, she positively glowed. Her hair was filled with streaks of light. Her blue eyes sparkled. Her skin was smooth and free of blemish. Brendan felt weak.
As for Brendan himself, he still wore his glasses because he couldn’t think of a plausible excuse for losing them. He would have to replace the lenses with plain glass or risk constant headaches. He’d been vain enough that when he called upon the wristwatch Og had given him to raise his glamour, he’d left out the pimples that had been the plague of his life before his Initiation. Now he looked at this perfect creature and felt that he didn’t have to be afraid or self-conscious. He was secure and happy with who and what he was.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Brendan Clair.”
“I know who you are.” With that, she just smiled and walked away to rejoin her friends, who tittered behind their hands. Marina was absorbed into the embrace of that fortress of girlie giggling with only a single backward glance that skewered Brendan’s heart effortlessly.
He was delirious, weightless, afire. He’d thought that there could be no greater change in his life than learning his true nature but the attention of the most beautiful girl in Robertson Davies Academy had trumped even that. He leaned back against the wall of the gym and smiled.
Kim caught his eye. She stood across the gym and glared at him. She frowned and shook her head slightly. Brendan glared back, refusing to let her glower ruin this moment. He recalled Finbar’s Exile and the pain the old man had gone through. He cast his eye back to Marina. She flashed him a shy smile.
Brendan smiled back. Exile would be worth it.
Everyone was going for a slice after school but Brendan begged off. He had something to do.
He knew that Chester was in the psychiatric wing at Sick Kids. Brendan managed to find the room, and without resorting to any Compulsion, he managed to talk his way in to see his former nemesis.
Brendan entered the private room to find Chester lying in a bed, propped up by pillows. The boy was secured to the bed by padded restraining straps on his wrists, his ankles, and across his chest. Chester was sedated, but he still thrashed weakly in his sleep, straining against the straps and mumbling over and over, “Gotta get lost! Gotta get lost!”
Brendan moved into the room to the bedside. He looked down on his handiwork, and even though he hadn’t been in control himself when he Compelled Chester, he felt ashamed of himself.
“Oh!” A woman’s voice caused Brendan to turn toward the door. A short woman in faded jeans and a sweatshirt and carrying a cup of coffee stood there. Her face was tired. She looked surprised to see anyone in the room. “Who are you?”
“I’m Brendan Clair,” Brendan said quickly. “I’m a friend of Chester’s. From school. I thought I’d come and see how he was doing.”
The woman smiled then. It was a weary smile. “That’s so nice,” she said. “I’m Chester’s mum.” She walked to the bed and stood beside Brendan to look down on her son. “They don’t know what’s wrong with him. His father died suddenly last year and he has taken it hard. He used to be a straight-A student, but he’s been failing this year.
