Operation Tenley

  But Tenley wasn’t looking. “You’re kidding!” She shook her phone. “This is not possible. It didn’t record! The whole tutorial. We have to start all over again.” She threw her phone across the desk and slumped into her chair with her back to Pennie.

  Pennie sat down on the bed. When she did, the hologram disappeared. “This is serious, Tenley. We only have—” She looked at the clock on the bedside table and did a quick calculation. “Thirty-five hours and fifty-one minutes—”

  “That’s how long I have until the nomination?” Now Tenley was distracted and panicked. She held her cell phone up to Pennie.

  “Don’t record this, please.”

  “I’m seeing if it works.” She fumbled with her phone. “This is really weird.”

  “You know what happened in the mall. With the rock?” Pennie went to the window and shut it.

  “It wasn’t me,” Tenley said. “Give me your hands. I have to take the polish off.”

  Pennie held out her fingers while Tenley wiped her nails clean. “It was you. Maybe you didn’t exactly mean for it to happen, but it was you.”

  “I put the rock back, Pennie. Someone else must have thrown it at those girls.”

  “Listen, Tenley. You have the power to create a very powerful wind, which is one of the four weather elements. I should have stopped you from using it a long time ago, but I didn’t. And now, something very bad is going to happen to both of us if you keep using it.”

  “Girls?” Mrs. Tylwyth called from the top of the stairs. “I’ve made some lemon squares. And I’ve saved the spoons for you?”

  “No thanks, Mom. I’m having recording problems.” Tenley, finished with the last nail, dropped Pennie’s hand.

  “Pennie?” Mrs. Tylwyth stuck her head inside the doorway, holding a wooden spoon with yellow dough on it. “Would you like the spoon?”

  “Yes, she would,” Tenley answered. “I have homework, too.”

  “Pennie dear, why don’t we leave Tenley alone. Come downstairs. I saved a little more in the bowl.”

  “She’d love to,” Tenley said.

  Pennie sighed.

  “I’d love to, Mrs. Tylwyth.” Pennie stood and followed her down the stairs.

  24

  Ten years, one month and six days earlier

  Hadley Beach

  Halloween. Three year-old Tenley is running down a sidewalk dressed as Snow White. She trips on the cement and her bag of candy spills out into the street. Tenley begins to cry but stops when she sees her mother is distracted by another mother up ahead. She narrows her toddler eyes and concentrates, blowing out a quick breath. Immediately, a wind tunnel forms over the candy and quickly vacuums it all up. Tenley blows at another quick breath and holds her bag open for the candy to drop back inside. She runs to catch up with her mother who is pulling a red wagon filled with more candy.

  ***

  Eight years, seven months and nineteen days earlier

  Hadley Beach

  Tenley’s mother peeks her head into the bedroom just as Tenley makes her first mark on the wall. “Oh no, honey. We don’t draw on walls. Only paper. Remember we talked about that the last time, how that makes Mommy and Gerty sad because we have to clean it all up and paint it again?” Tenley nods and returns her blue marker to her drawing table. “Good girl,” Mrs. Tylwyth smiles and disappears.

  As soon as she’s gone, a look spreads across little Tenley’s face. She stands with all the markers and goes to the wall again.

  A few minutes later, the wall looks like a subway stop. Lines and squiggles cross over themselves in every color as high as a five-year-old’s arm can reach. Tenley continues scribbling until her mom’s voice trills up the stairs. “Tenley? Time to go now.”

  Little Tenley drops her markers. She hurries to the bathroom, fills her glass with water, and returns to the wall. Then she throws the water into the air and blows out a quick breath.

  The wind catches the water, sending it splashing against the wall. Another quick breath from her gets the water swirling and scrubbing the mess clean.

  Finally, Tenley blows out a long steady stream of air, which dries the wall like an industrial strength blower. When the wall is a perfect white again, Tenley runs out the door.

  ***

  Pennie opened her eyes. She’d been dreaming.

  It took a moment for her to remember where she was and why she felt like she was pinned down to the couch. Earth. Gravity. Time.

  She pulled the blanket off and rolled herself up to sitting.

  Last night, Tenley and Mrs. Tylwyth had stayed up to watch America’s Next Most Inspirational Teen reruns. Pennie had been so exhausted she’d finally excused herself and come into the living room to nap. Except she must have slept through the night.

  Her shoes were off. She pushed herself up to standing. Had Mrs. Tylwyth noticed her small feet? Right now, she could barely move them at all. She felt like she was fighting her way through sludge, just like she had yesterday when she’d first landed in the tree. She shuffled her way over to the doorway where she could see the clock on the kitchen stove. 5:30 a.m.

  Pennie paused. It didn’t sound like anyone was up yet. Going to Tenley and having her sign the form before she was fully awake was an option, Pennie thought. She might even think she was dreaming. Except if Pennie scared her by mistake, Tenley would shriek loud enough for Mrs. Tylwyth to rush in. And then Pennie would have to explain what she was doing, lurking around in Tenley’s room.

  Pennie shuffled around again and went to the window. The sky! It was the most beautiful color she’d ever seen. Not quite pink and not quite orange. She thought of Tink’s paintings and wondered if she’d ever seen the sunrise from Earth before.

  A lump formed in her throat. Pennie wouldn’t be seeing too many sunrises at all if she couldn’t get Tenley to give up her element in the next twenty-six hours and thirty minutes. She’d be looking at gray walls inside the Administrative buildings. For eternity.

  She had a new worry now, too. There was no doubt about what she’d seen at the mall yesterday; Tenley had used her element to throw that rock. If she kept using her wind to move objects around in public, it was only a matter of time before Mother Nature would find her.

  The thought made Pennie’s eyes heavy. Maybe she’d just lie down again for a spell. She shuffled back to the couch. With heavy arms, she twisted her long red hair into a bun, fluffed up the pillow, and plopped down.

  25

  24:00:00

  Hadley Beach

  Holden picked himself up. The ramp must have been wet. There was no other reason he would have lost his balance and tumbled into the street like that.

  “Not such a great idea with a cast on,” a teacher with a stack of books warned. “How ’bout we don’t try that again.”

  “Sure thing, Mr. Lombarto.” Holden waved. Mr. Lombarto continued down the path into Hadley Middle School.

  Holden scanned the drop-off zone for any more teachers who might be watching. Instead, he spotted a girl in tennis whites by the crosswalk. She waved at someone behind him. He looked back to make sure it wasn’t a teacher, or any other kind of adult, then hopped back on his skateboard again and headed to the ramp.

  “Hey, Casper, courts are that way,” a boy on a scooter yelled.

  Holden couldn’t hear the tennis girl’s response under the rumble of his wheels but he hoped it was something equally annoying. That kid was always harassing other kids from his scooter, then zooming off.

  “Holden!”

  It was the tennis girl. He must have been hearing things.

  “Hey, Holden.”

  This time he stopped.

  “How do you know my name?” he shouted across the street.

  “Your uncle. We’re friends.”

  “You’re friends with my uncle? That’s like, a little weird. He’s old.”

  “I mean we’re not friends, friends. We work … out in the same place.”
br />   “K, that’s still weird,” Holden mumbled.

  Pennie started across the crosswalk.

  Gravity felt a little easier on her since going back to sleep again this morning. Or maybe it was Mrs. Tylwyth’s chocolate chip waffles. She’d had six. If she lived on Earth, she’d eat waffles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

  “Are you on the tennis team?” Holden asked.

  Pennie stepped onto the sidewalk and shook her head, confused.

  “Oh, cuz your skirt, it’s like a tennis one.”

  Mrs. Tylwyth had insisted on buying Pennie three pairs of jeans at the mall but this morning they’d all itched so badly Pennie had looked for a skirt to borrow instead. Tenley’s old tennis skirt was the only one that fit her.

  “Do you go to school here?” Holden asked.

  She half nodded. “I’m new.”

  He frowned. “But it’s the end of the school year?”

  Pennie stared at Holden. He had a kind face, and his eyes were a deep brown. Although Laraby, like most Fair Ones, didn’t know which power his client possessed—and wouldn’t know until Holden turned eighteen—Pennie could tell he was going to be a strong force against Mother Nature someday.

  Holden mistook Pennie’s intense stare to be that of terror. The girl had it rough, he thought. What kind of parents would make their kid start a new school at the end of the year, in a tennis skirt?

  “So, do you know anyone here?” Holden asked.

  “I know Tenley.”

  “Tenley Tylwyth?” He lifted up his skateboard. The ramp would have to wait. “Yeah, I know her.” He looked down at his cast.

  “You tried to stop that Frisbee.”

  “Whatever.”

  “That was really nice of you.”

  Holden felt his cheeks burn. This girl was good-looking in a whole different way from Tenley Tylwyth. Shy and sweet and kind of Tinkerbell-ish.

  The bell rang.

  “What’s your name, anyway?” Holden asked as they started toward the school together.

  “It’s Pennie. One.”

  “Where are you from, Pennie One?”

  “Up north.”

  “Well, welcome to Hadley Middle School. Home of the Hedgehog.” He pointed toward the front entrance, a sculpture of a hedgehog above it.

  Across the grounds, another student was walking toward the entrance. It was Tenley, who’d gone off to take some selfies before school.

  “That’s the Tenley Tylwyth you’re friends with? The one who wants to get on that TV show?”

  “America’s Next Most Inspiration Teen. That’s her.”

  “Are you trying to get on it too?”

  “No. My mom was her babysitter.”

  The second bell rang.

  “Well, if she’s too busy texting and stuff to help you out,” he shrugged. “I’m pretty much always around.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Coming in?” He waited at the entrance.

  “In a minute.”

  “Better not be late. Frimpy hates late.” Holden looked back at Tenley. “And don’t wait for her. She always gets in trouble.”

  Pennie heard it first—the rumbling. Next, a strong gust of wind blew past her, ruffling up her tennis skirt. Behind her, someone started shrieking. It was Tenley, flying through the air.

  “Help!” Tenley screamed.

  Holden sprinted toward her.

  Tenley was too high off the ground for anyone to do anything but watch as she flew head-on for a maple tree. Just before impact, her body jerked to a stop.

  .Her sash had caught on a branch.

  “Are you okay?” Holden yelled up to her.

  “No!”

  The sash was starting to rip.

  “One of you, call for help!” Holden shouted to a group of students who’d run over.

  “Like 911?”

  “And you!” He pointed to another student. “Get Frimpy.”

  Pennie looked up at Tenley; she was helpless without her tools. “Hang on, Tenley!”

  Holden spread his arms out below her. “Don’t worry. I’ll catch you.”

  The sash tore through. Tenley plummeted downward. Just before dropping on top of Holden, another gust of wind swept her straight up again. This time, she stayed suspended in the air for a moment before gently dropping feet first next to Holden.

  “Are you okay? What just happened?” he asked.

  Pennie knew exactly what had happened. She gave Tenley a knowing look. Except this time, it had saved her life.

  “That was like awful. Did anyone get it on video? I need to post it immediately.”

  “I did.” A boy held up his phone.

  “Yes!” Tenley fist-pumped. “Put: ‘ANMIT nominee survives a near-death experience’ on it. Don’t forget to hashtag ANMIT.”

  “Move it, people.” Principal Frimpy broke through the crowd. “What just happened here? And get it right the first time or you’ll all meet me in my office.”

  A tall boy with large glasses spoke up. “She almost flew into that tree.”

  Principal Frimpy sighed. “It’s going to get painfully hot in my office, people.”

  “It’s true,” a girl chimed in. “That sash got caught in a branch and saved her.”

  “This?” Mr. Frimpy picked up the ripped sash. “You’re telling me this thing stopped Ms. Tylwyth from hitting the tree?”

  Yups all around.

  Mr. Frimpy handed the sash back to Tenley. “Can you walk, Miss Tylwyth?”

  “I think so.”

  “Good. Pulling silly pranks like this is not the way to get your nomination, Ms. Tylwyth. It’s a way to get you disqualified. Come with me.”

  “Disqualified? It wasn’t a prank, Principal Frimpy. I swear.”

  “Really? Then what was it?”

  Tenley pointed at Pennie. “She did it. This new girl is trying to kill me!”

  Pennie froze. “What?”

  “Who are you, then?” Principal Frimpy looked at her.

  “She’s the stalker. Remember, she fainted yesterday?”

  “Oh yes,” Principal Frimpy said. “How could I forget?”

  “I don’t know how she did it, Principal Frimpy,” Tenley started to cry. “But she was warning me about weird things, telling me bad stuff was going to happen. And then this gust of wind picked me up and flew me into the tree. Now I need a new sash.”

  “Hold it.” Holden stepped forward. “This new girl didn’t do anything. She was just standing here like the rest of us.”

  Principal Frimpy studied him. “Mr. Wonderbolt would have no reason to lie, would he?”

  Holden shook his head. “She’s not a stalker, Principal Frimpy. She’s Tenley’s babysitter’s daughter.”

  “I see. Mrs. Tylwyth has been calling all morning about getting her enrolled.” He clapped quickly. “People, get to class. Except for you, Ms. Tylwyth. You’ll need to get checked out by the nurse first. Would anyone like to escort Ms. Tylwyth?”

  The students picked up their paces and ran off.

  “I can help, sir,” Dan Ringer said.

  “Hello, son.” Principal Frimpy brightened. “I didn’t know you were here.”

  “Hi, Danny.” Tenley batted her eyelashes at him.

  He ignored her and turned to Pennie. “Hey there, Pennie. Nice to see you again.”

  Pennie stood confused. Had she told him her name?

  “You’re looking much better than yesterday.”

  He was the teenager who’d brought her to the nurse’s station, Pennie realized. “Thanks. I’m feeling much better.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Dan smiled.

  “I think I’m going to faint,” Tenley cried, placing the back of her hand on her forehead.

  Dan rushed over and swooped her up in his arms. Holden stole a look at Pennie. She seemed as enamored of Dan as all the other girls were. Figures, he thought. Dan was twice his size, in every direction. r />
  Tenley took a few selfies in Dan’s arms on the way into school.

  “As for you, Pennie, is it?”

  Pennie answered Principal Frimpy with a nod.

  “You’ll need to come to the office with me. I’m afraid I’m going to have to send you home with some papers to sign before we can get you enrolled.”

  Principal Frimpy started into the building. Holden and Pennie followed.

  “See you later, I guess,” Holden said.

  “Yeah. See you later.”

  “Oh hey!” Holden said. “Do you skateboard?”

  Pennie shook her head.

  “I’ll teach you, then. See ya.” He disappeared down the hall.

  “Come along, Miss One,” Principal Frimpy called from his doorway. “I’ve already wasted enough time this morning.”

  Pennie looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. So had she.

  26

  22:00:00

  Hadley Beach

  By the time Pennie rounded the Tylwyths’ driveway, she was sure of it: Mother Nature had discovered Tenley. She might not have captured her today, but she’d be back. A rogue gust of wind wasn’t the only weather weapon she had, either. Tenley wasn’t safe anywhere now.

  Pennie tried the front door. “Today it’s locked?”

  She sat on the front steps and looked up at the late morning sky. Birds were chirping and leaves were rustling. Mother Nature was terrifying but it was obvious why she would do anything to protect her planet. The Earth was electric and, except for gravity, magical, even.

  A giant object dropped in front of her.

  “Gavron!” Pennie jumped to her feet.

  “Howdy-do, Fairly One. Didn’t mean to scare ya.” He brushed down his sooty robes. “This place gives me the willies. Look at all this nature.”