I squeezed my eyes shut as the sounds of crashing came from outside the door. My heart echoed the sound of the freight train, beating so forcefully I was surprised it didn’t crack my chest. Something banged against the door, making me jump back. One of the women let out a muffled scream.
The sound of ripping came from overhead, and water dripped in streams from the ceiling and pooled onto the linoleum floor.
“Have we lost the roof?” one of the ladies asked.
Tiles ripped away from the ceiling, revealing patches of the outside sky, a sickening greenish-gray. Overhead, pieces of debris whipped past as the funneling winds sucked them away.
“Are we gonna die?” one of the women screamed, her voice panicked. I wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay, but the fear wouldn’t let me speak, and I wasn’t sure I would be telling the truth anyway. Maybe Zack would get his wish after all.
I kept my arms tucked over my head as the tornado passed over us, tearing off large sections of the roof. A massive clatter erupted around us as the wind ripped apart the tiny bathroom. The sink tore from the wall, spraying water over us. Chunks of cinder blocks crumbled onto the floor, raining bits of sharp stone down onto the floor.
Broken pieces of plywood combined with the stones. Something heavy struck my head. I fell back, screaming, realizing I was going to die, and then everything went black.
I awoke with the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. As I opened my eyes, I found Zack hunched over me. As I scanned the area surrounding us, I realized I was lying in what was left of the bathroom—half a wooden frame, a portion of the roof, and the toilet remained sticking up in a sea of boards and debris. I rubbed my head, feeling a tender bruise on my cheek and along my hairline.
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked.
“They’re fine. They both made it back to their cars, and we’re waiting on an ambulance. You got it the worst, I’m afraid.”
“Oh.” My head felt as if it had turned to lead, and I had trouble focusing on Zack’s face. But I didn’t have time to wait for an ambulance. I’d been in Earth Kingdom for far too long already, and now that the tornado had passed, I was desperate for answers.
“Zack,” I said, “please, will you let me help you now?”
“Help me?” he asked, confused. “What do you mean? I’m helping you. Come on, let me at least get you back to your car.”
“My car? It’s okay?”
I glanced over his shoulder to find the beast still parked where it was. Except for a few new dents, the car looked pristine.
“Fine,” I grumbled and allowed him to help me stand. I hobbled on shaky feet back to my car, unlocked the door, and sat in the driver’s seat. I had trouble focusing on anything. My thoughts felt like a jumbled mess. But one thing I did know—I needed Zack’s help finding the vachonette egg. That one thought played through my head as I found my bag in the backseat, thankful my mirror was still intact inside. The feel of the plastic casing under my fingers gave me a sense of relief and helped me clear my head. My stomach felt sick and my head pounded. I’d most likely suffered a concussion, but none of that mattered right now.
As I opened my mirror, the familiar Faythander magic enveloped me.
“You’re really doing this now?” Zack asked.
“Yes. I don’t have a choice.” I turned to him as he knelt on the ground outside my door. “There are some really bad things happening in Fairy World. My stepfather, the dragon king of Faythander, has been captured, and the only way to get him free is by trading him for a very rare dragon egg. It’s called the vachonette, and it’s black with gold bands—the only one of its kind.”
His eyes widened. He pulled the pendant from beneath his shirt collar. A tiny black-and-gold egg hung suspended on the silver chain. “Like this?”
“Yes. Exactly like that.”
“But I don’t understand. Why do you need my help?”
“Because you’ve most likely seen it. And you’re the only person who may know where it’s located. That’s why it’s so important I do this spellcasting. If we can figure out where you saw that egg, then I may be able to get my stepfather back.”
He shook his head. “Dr. Kennedy, you’re in no condition to be working right now. Let the ambulance get here first. Let the medical team examine you. Then we can talk diagnosis.”
“But I can’t wait that long. Please, every second we waste brings him closer to death. You don’t understand what sort of monster is holding him captive. She will do what she says—she will kill him.”
He looked out over the landscape. Palm trees stuck up like matchsticks, stripped of their leaves. Ruined piles of lumber mingled with broken windows. In a few places, shelves were still standing, holding on to their stacks of canned corn and mixed fruit. Although the tornado had passed, we still had the storm to deal with, yet the rainy drizzle seemed like nothing compared to the tornado. Zack’s breathing grew shallow as he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.
“You know,” he said, “it was a short time ago that I was begging you for help.” He looked at me. “If I do this, will it cure me of my compulsions?”
“I can’t say for certain, but there’s a very good chance you’ll never struggle with your mental disease again.”
“And… do you think I’ll be able to have a normal life again?”
“I’ve seen it happen for many people. I don’t think you’ll be any different.”
He nodded, finally seeming to make up his mind. “Very well,” he said with a sigh. “Show me what’s in the mirror.”
Chapter 23
Sirens wailed in the distance as I sat in my car with Zack kneeling beside me. The ruin
