Night School Part 17

Mom and Dad glance at one another and I catch the worry in their faces. "We haven't seen or heard from her since that night at the condo," Dad says at last. "We sort of figured she stayed with you two."

I shake my head. "I hope she's okay ..."

"Rayne McDonald!" Mom says suddenly, her voice sharp. "You have wings!"

My face heats. "Oh yeah," I say, positive I'm blushing deep red. "I ... um ... well, it's a long story, really."

Mom opens her mouth-probably to lecture me some more-but at that moment, Jareth lets out another loud groan. I whirl around, praying he's at least regained consciousness. Happy family reunion or not, I have to get him out of those chains.

"Jareth!" I cry.

"Is that your boyfriend, Rayne?" Mom asks, squinting her eyes at the unconscious vampire. "He looks familiar."

I nod miserably. "Yeah, that's Jareth."

"What is he doing here? Rayne, we told you not to mix up any mortals in this," Dad rebukes me sternly. "It's too dangerous."

I draw in a breath. Here goes nothing. "He's not mortal, Dad. Look at those silver chains burning his skin."

Dad's eyes widen in realization. "He's not a ...?"

"Vampire? Yes. He is."

Both my parents shriek in unison and shrink back in their cells.

"You're dating a vampire?" Mom cries. "Oh, Rayne! How could you? First you turn yourself into a fairy after I specifically told you not to, and then you tell me you're dating a vile, disgusting creature of the-"

"Mom, stop it!" I interrupt, more than a little annoyed at their reactions. "You can yell at me all you want later. Ground me-whatever. But right now, we need to focus on getting out of here so we can save Sunny." I mean, they're both freaking fairies, for goodness' sake! How can they be so prejudiced against vampires? And what would they do if they knew yours truly was also one of these so-called disgusting creatures of the night?

Mom falls silent, but she doesn't look too happy. Geez, even trapped in a fairy jail, I manage to get the parental units mad at me. I have such a knack.

I turn to my dad, realizing he's shaking his head. "Honey, there's no way out of here," he informs me, his voice filled with sorrow. "We've tried, believe me. Since the day we got here."

I frown, refusing to accept his words. I've been in tight situations before and I've always managed to come through. Even at Night School, where I was sure we were doomed. I just called for help and ...

That's it! I can try to channel Magnus. Let him know where we are. I wonder if it's dark yet. I don't think Jareth can hold off much longer. I close my eyes and picture the coven leader in my mind, then push my cry for help, just in case.

I open my eyes. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. I could really use Corbin's whole kung fu grip thing right about now. I wonder if he'll have normal vampire powers or be gimped like me, since he was bitten by Jareth. Poor Corbin. If only I hadn't vampire scented him to begin with ...

That's it!

"Hey!" I start screaming at the top of my lungs. I take off my shoe and bang it against the cell bars. "Guard! I need some water. Come here and give me some water!"

Mom and Dad look at one another, then at me. "What are you doing?" Dad hisses.

"Trust me," I mouth, then bang some more. "Hey, jailkeeper dude! Get your a.s.s over here. Now!"

It takes about five minutes, but finally a grumpy-looking dwarf (maybe Grumpy himself?) waddles up to the cell, peering at me with an annoyed look on his pockmarked face. "Cut the racket, Fairy!" he snarls. "I'm trying to read." He holds up a brand-new copy of Snow White.

"The prince kisses her awake and they live happily ever after," I say. "Now focus. I need you to let me out of this cell."

He rolls his eyes. "And why should I do that?" he demands.

Here goes nothing. I turn on the vampire scent full blast and get down on my knees so I'm eye level to him. "Please, my height-challenged friend," I say. "I would be oh so appreciative." I bat my eyelashes at him seductively.

"Do you have something in your eye?" he asks gruffly, not even remotely taking the bait. d.a.m.n it. It must not work on dwarves. Just my luck.

I grab him by the shirt collar, pulling him against the cell bars, careful not to touch them myself. "Let me out!" I cry.

But sadly, I don't have a kung fu grip. Especially not after Grumpy calmly reaches to his side and pulls out an electric baton, zapping me in the shoulder. "Ow!" I cry, letting go and rubbing my burnt skin angrily.

"That's for grabbing me!" he snarls. Then he turns up the heat and strikes me again. This time, I'm thrown to the back of the cell from the force of the electric charge. My hand lands in the toilet. Ew.

"And that's for spoiling my book!" he adds.

Defeated, I watch as he stomps angrily back down the hall.

"Rayne, are you okay?" Mom asks worriedly.

"Yeah," I mutter, scrambling to my feet. Of course I can't tell her that as a vampire, I heal quickly. Not after the reaction she had to Jareth being one. Coming out of the coffin to her someday is definitely not going to be easy. "I'll be fine. I'm just mad my plan didn't work."

"Actually, it worked perfectly!"

I look up, my eyes widening as I see Francis step into the corridor. He has Grumpy by the neck, in what appears to be a perfect kung fu grip. Behind him are Magnus and the other vampires.

"Was someone in need of a fairy-tale rescue?" he asks with a grin.

28.

"Magnus! Francis!" I cry happily. "Thank G.o.d you're here. You have to help Jareth!" I point to my boyfriend's cell. He's writhing in pain now, almost convulsing, with white foam sputtering from his mouth. He doesn't look good and I pray they're not too late.

Francis hands off the angry dwarf to one of the other vampires, then hurries to Jareth's cell. He grips the iron bars in both hands and effortlessly pulls them apart, allowing an opening for Magnus to get through. The coven leader dons thick, black gloves, preparing to remove the silver chains from my boyfriend's body.

I plop down on the lumpy cot, relieved beyond belief. "Thank goodness," I say. "My cry for help actually came in handy for once."

"Actually," Francis says, looking over at me apologetically, "we have a GPS tracker on Jareth. As co-master of the Blood Coven, we need to keep track of him."

Oh. Well, whatever. Maybe in another life I'll get the kung fu grip.

"Once the sun went down, the place really cleared out," Francis continues, tossing one of the chains to the side of the cell. "We were able to jump the turnstiles and follow your trail pretty easily, though we had to take it slow, so as to not draw attention to our presence."

I watch as Magnus slices his wrist with a knife and drips blood into Jareth's open mouth. "Is he going to be okay?" I ask anxiously.

Magnus thankfully nods. "My blood will purify his poisoned blood."

Mom stares at Magnus, then at me. "You and Sunny are both dating vampires?" she cries. "How did I not know this? I must be the worst mom ever."

"How long have we been here?" I ask Francis, ignoring my mother. "What time is it now?"

Francis glances at his watch. "I fixed it to fairy time," he informs me. "It's about eleven-thirty, give or take."

I swallow hard.

"We have to hurry," I tell them. "Sunny's getting married at midnight."

Magnus looks over at me, horror clear on his face. "Are you serious?" he asks.

"Fairy," I remind him, "can't lie."

He rises from the floor, wrapping a swath of cloth around his still-bleeding wrist. "We can't let that happen!" he cries. "We have to find her." He paces the jail cell floor as Francis goes and rips open my cell. "Where would they hold a wedding in this G.o.dforsaken place?"

"In the castle," my dad interjects. Mom kicks him and he turns to her. "What?" he asks.

"Bob, they're vampires, remember?" she hisses.

"Honey, these vampires can help us," Dad chides. "Just because they're different than us ..."

Magnus approaches my parents' cell, bowing low to my mom. "Mrs. McDonald," he says. "I love your daughter. More than anything in this world. I made a promise to keep her safe, no matter what. And I intend to keep that promise."

Mom still doesn't look too happy, but at last she reluctantly nods her head. My dad pulls her into a comforting embrace. "Don't worry," I can hear him whisper. "We'll get her. I promise." It's then I realize that I need to cut Mom some slack. Like the rest of us, she's just scared and worried about Sunny.

I step gingerly through the now-open jail cell bars, careful not to touch them. Magnus c.o.c.ks his head in question.

"The bars are made of iron," I inform him. "Iron's poison to fairies. Like silver is to vampires." I show him my still slightly burned fingertips.

His face lights up. "That's perfect!" he cries. Then he turns to the other vampires, who are still guarding Grumpy. "See if the dwarf has any tools in his office," he commands. "Some kind of saw or something. We'll turn these iron bars into weapons." He grins widely. "The fairies won't know what hit them!"

The other vampires hasten to obey orders. Dad turns to Mom, helping her step out of the cell. "See?" he says. "Isn't it good to have them on our side?"

I rush over to Mom and give her a huge hug. The kind I couldn't give her behind bars. "Don't worry, Mom," I murmur as I take in her soft body and warm scent. "Sunny's going to be okay."

She kisses me on the head. "I know, dear," she says. "Now go ahead and check on your boyfriend."

I flash her a thankful grin, then sprint to Jareth's side. The vampires have moved him to the cot and he's lying there weakly, his face still really white. "How are you feeling, baby?" I ask.

"Like I've been run over by a truck," he mutters.

"He'll heal," Magnus says, looking over. "But it may take a while. I'm going to have Tanner take him out of here and back to Donegal."

"I want to help you rescue Sunny," Jareth protests weakly.

"You won't be any help in your condition," Magnus says. "I'm sorry."

"We got it, baby," I murmur, holding him close and kissing him about a hundred times in a row. "You just concentrate on getting well."

About ten minutes later, we're ready to go. Francis and his friends have cut three long lengths of iron and sharpened them into metal spears. If only I was able to wield one. "Okay, let's do this," Magnus says, taking weapon in hand. "Tanner, you take Rayne's parents and Jareth back to Donegal. We'll meet you there when we're done. Francis, Stilton, and Rayne, let's head out."

"Wait a second!" Mom interrupts. "We're not going anywhere with them."

Magnus turns to look at her in question. "What?" he asks.

Dad steps up to face him, his expression fierce. "That's my daughter they've got up there. And we're not leaving fairyland without her."

Magnus frowns and a silence comes over the jail. For a moment, I think he's going to refuse them-force them to head back with Tanner and Jareth anyway.

"Please," Mom begs. "After all, you're not the only one who pledged to keep Sunny safe."

Magnus turns to her, his expression softening. He thankfully nods his head. "Very well," he says. "Lead the way, fairies. Let's go rescue your daughter."

29.

Mom, having grown up in fairyland, knows all the shortcuts. And all the ways to avoid the guards, too, for that matter. She says she and my dad used to sneak down in these tunnels late at night when they were lovesick teens, forbidden to see one another. They'd wander, hand in hand, through the darkness, talking about everything and anything and making big plans for their futures.

"Your father would take me to some very-out-of-the-way spot, deep within the labyrinth, and surprise me with lighted candles and nectar picnics," Mom remembers dreamily. "He was so romantic back then."

I steal a glance at Dad, who's looking at Mom with fondness in his eyes. It seems their time together in jail has rekindled their friendship. I love that. Almost as much as I love knowing Dad didn't abandon us like we always thought he did. And now if only we can get my sister back-we can actually have a chance at living happily ever after.

"So what's the deal with the Light Court of fairyland looking exactly like Disney World?" I ask curiously as we head down a long corridor.

Mom glances at Dad. "I was wondering when you'd ask that," she says. "Do you remember the story of Peter Pan, when Tinkerbell is going to drink poison because not enough humans believe fairies exist?"

"Yeah ..." I remember our Mom reading us the story when we were little. We had to clap our hands to prove we believed in fairies to save Tink's life. Of course, now that I know what a b.i.t.c.h she is, I totally regret doing it.

"Well, twenty years ago, fairyland was literally dying just like that-people on Earth stopped believing in us and we started fading away. We were in danger of losing our entire kingdom. So Tatiana, your grandmother, had to figure out what people did still believe in. And that turned out to be the Disney happily ever after. It's practically guaranteed ..." She smiles. "So she did a major remodel of the fairyland Light Court and it's looked like this ever since."

"Wow," I reply, shaking my head in disbelief. "That's quite ... quite a story."

"And you might have noticed, the new fairyland's not just for fairies either," Mom continues. "Your grandmother wanted it to be a safe haven-a refuge-for all fairy-tale creatures from all over the world." She smiles. "It's really amazing if you think about it. A kingdom for endangered creatures that most people believe are imaginary. Pretty crazy, huh?"

Crazy doesn't even begin to explain it. But if we survive all of this, I'm so going to hit s.p.a.ce Mountain before we leave. Think they have Fast Pa.s.ses here?

"And what about the Dark Court? Do they look like Disney, too?"