murmur and shuffle their feet. Leena ignored them.
Caitlin moved to stand in front of her sister and, hesitating only for a moment, also dropped to one knee. “You have my word, too, Leena. I’ll find him and we’ll all come back together.”
She bent her head and waited. Leena felt tears prickling in her eyes. She realized that she couldn’t remember ever being apart from her sister for more than a night or two. She was going to miss Caitlin. A lot. Placing a hand on her sister’s head, she muttered, “I have your word.”
Caitlin stood up, hugged Leena quickly, and then rushed through the door. Leena guessed that she was starting to cry as well and didn’t want anyone to notice.
Jeremy said, “Um…Yeah, same for me,” and followed Caitlin through.
Kira and Daphne were busy talking to Aislin and Fin. When they realized everyone was staring at them, they stopped and turned back to Leena. Daphne stepped forward.
“I…um…” she started.
Leena smiled ruefully as she blinked back tears. “You don’t have to kneel.”
“Okay,” Daphne said, looking relieved. “I’ll find him, though. Don’t worry. I will find him and bring him back.”
Squaring her shoulders, she stepped through the door.
Kira came to stand next to Leena and they looked through the open door together. Shanachie was talking to the other kids, looking somehow younger and straighter than he had in years. While they watched, he said something to Jeremy and started to tug at his mustache.
“I doubt those two will get along very well,” Leena said and surprised Kira by giving her a small grin.
Kira smiled back, but a little uncertainly. “Look, I know all of this is partially my fault. I’m not going to deny that anymore, but…Well, doesn’t it seem strange that one of your friends let someone get to the door twice?”
Leena’s grin vanished. “What are you saying?”
“Just that it’s strange, okay? Did you know that my mom didn’t apply for the job at the elementary school? The principle contacted her directly and offered it to her. He said that she had been highly recommended, although he never said by who. I think someone wanted us to move here. And the only reason I came up here today is because Gideon told Daphne that I needed to get you to go and rescue Dylan. It sounds to me like he wants the door to stay open.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Leena snapped. “The Five gave up everything to come here with me. They pledged their lives.”
Kira shrugged. “Well, maybe one of them changed his mind. You’re right, though. I don’t know anything about it. I just thought you should know that he wanted me to come and talk to you. Maybe he was just worried about Dylan, I guess.”
Leena didn’t say anything and for a moment the two girls just stared at each other.
“Look,” Kira said finally. “I’m sorry about opening the door and everything. Friends?”
She offered her hand.
At first, Leena just looked at it, trying to make up her mind. But finally, she did take Kira’s hand and shake it briefly.
As their hands separated again, Kira said, “Tell my mom I’m going to face my problems.”
Then she turned and walked through the door.
About the Author
Aubrey Fredrickson lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, who is a golfing pirate on his days off, and their two sons, who are absolutely the smartest and cutest kids on the planet. This is in no way a biased opinion, of course. When she was quite young, she found something that described the origins of her name and claimed that Aubrey meant “ruler of the elves.” Perhaps this explains why she dreams of the Otherworld. She is a full-time stay-at-home mom, a part-time freelance writer, and an in-between-time teller of tales. Not to mention an elf queen, of course.
Connect with the Author
If you would like to connect with me on social media or keep up on the latest Seelie High news, you can:
Visit my website at https://aubreyfredricksonauthor.wordpress.com
Like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tales-from-Seelie-High/822673714447178
Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/seeliehigh
Discover other titles by Aubrey Fredrickson
Tales from Seelie High
New Girl (#1)
Leena and the Giant (#2)
New Boy (#3)
Other Short Stories
Sophie and the Flash Mob Santa
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