Aleks Mickelsen and the Twice-Lost Fairy Well Read online

  Filip, on the other hand, was more awkward than anything else, especially around her. He’d grown a foot taller and still didn’t know quite what to do with his hands and feet. He was prone to tripping over thresholds and knocking over cups, which meant his friends gave him a wide berth at the lunch table. It frustrated Filip beyond anything, because he prided himself on being a good athlete.

  He had an edgy, blond haircut that dipped into his green eyes, which Geirr’s slightly older sister, Kajsa, had once called dreamy. Aleks wondered what Zaria thought of Filip when she looked at him. Did she think his eyes were dreamy too? Would this semester be the one when Filip finally got up the nerve to ask her out? He’d have to wait and see.

  A new voice greeted them as they entered the school. “Good morning, everyone. May I take your bag, Princess?”

  Aleks looked up and spied Henrik, the newest member of their friend group. Henrik, previously known to them as Hart (or the spare), was now the Stag Lord of the ellefolken, which made him a prince and heir-apparent. He was Filip’s biggest competition for Zaria’s attentions, or at least that’s how Filip felt. Aleks wasn’t so sure. It was sometimes hard to read their enigmatic friend.

  Henrik was a little shorter than Filip, with pale brown hair and shockingly blue eyes, almost like Geirr’s. Kajsa called them cobalt, when she’d met him the first time. The teen’s hairstyle matched Filip’s, or perhaps, more accurately, Filip’s hairstyle matched Henrik’s, whose locks slashed across his forehead and made girls swoon as they passed.

  “You shouldn’t call her that at school,” Christoffer said, elbowing him. “You’re going to draw unwanted attention. Plus, all the girls will think you’re dating her and then how will you be my wingman?”

  Christoffer was the heart of the group. He was the funny one, outgoing, and bright-eyed. He’d loved exploring magical Norway and couldn’t understand Aleks’ reticence toward it. As the son of Chinese immigrants, he was good at fitting in wherever he was, and his laid-back happy attitude won him many friends and kept them, too.

  His mother taught history at the lower secondary level, and his father was a doctor. He had two younger sisters, twins, who were holy terrors. Aleks knew this from helping Christoffer babysit them on occasion. For a time, that was the only way Christoffer had been allowed to hang out with his friends, until his parents realized that his disappearance nearly three years ago wasn’t going to be repeated. After all, how often does one get kidnapped by a troll?

  Aleks winced, recalling more than one tea party with the twins. He’d never drunk so much tea in his life. The indignity of having to do so while wearing a pink feather boa, blue eye shadow, and tons of costume jewelry just rubbed more salt into the wound. Christoffer loved them, which is why Aleks put up with it, but he swore never to use the stargazer with the girls. No sense in prolonging the torture.

  The bell rang, and the group splintered off, going in multiple directions: Aleks and Filip to language studies, Zaria and Henrik to chemistry for lab work, Geirr to algebra, and Christoffer to world history. They promised to meet up at lunch and talk about plans for after school. The weekend was upon them, and they had decisions to make.

  “He’s always by her side,” Filip said glumly, looking over his shoulder as Zaria and Henrik disappeared around the corner.

  “Why don’t you just ask her out?” Aleks countered, dodging a group of girls coming at them in the hall. They always seemed to travel in packs, congesting traffic wherever they went.

  “Didn’t you listen? He’s always by her side. I can’t get her away from him. He just tags along.”

  “That’s because Zaria convinced her parents to host a foreign exchange student. She got them to sign the paperwork. He lives with her.”

  “I know. And I’ve hated it ever since she brought him home after Koll was defeated,” Filip said, rolling his eyes. “I still can’t believe her parents bought that he was from Denmark.”

  Aleks shrugged. “They’re American. They don’t know better, and anyway, she was the only one who could get him into the school, passing him off as an army brat to the administration.”

  Filip sighed. “I know, I know. It just sucks. He’s always around, calling her princess, making her laugh. I don’t know what to do.”

  Aleks clapped him on the shoulder and steered him into the classroom just as the second bell rang. “He’s a prince who can have only one heir and mates for life with the girl who gives him said offspring. That’s not really a recipe for romance. You’ll be fine.”

  Filip gave him a wry look. “You’d be surprised, mate, just what – or who – girls like.”

  “Gentlemen, please take your seats,” said Mrs. Berg, their teacher, as the door shut behind them.

  Aleks sat down and pulled out his textbook and notebook, placing them on the table he shared with Filip. Clicking his pen, he settled into the lecture on sentence construction, copying the phrases on the board, with Filip dutifully doing the same beside him.

  The hour passed quickly. This was unusual for school, where the hours seemed to drag. When it seemed like a day would never end, Aleks wondered if the teachers had their own stargazers. They would be diabolical enough to use them, too, if they did.

  It helped that Mrs. Berg was a very dynamic teacher who got her students involved. Her classes never failed to entertain. Absorbed as he was in the lecture, Aleks at first didn’t notice anything. Then something acrid hit his nose, jolting him from his note taking.

  “FIRE,” cried a girl by the windows. “Look, over there!”

  His gaze followed where she pointed. While other students crowded around her, blocking his view, Aleks stood up on his chair. Looking through the window, he watched black smoke billow out of two windows on the other side of campus.

  “That’s the chemistry lab,” Filip said, shoving back his chair.

  Mrs. Berg cut in front of Filip, blocking his exit. Clapping her hands together, she drew all the kids away from the windows and formed them into a line.

  “Students, stick together,” Mrs. Berg admonished as the fire alarm started blaring. “Hurry now. Stay orderly. No shoving.”

  She led them from the classroom, merging them into the stream of students pouring out into the halls. Many students hadn’t yet realized it wasn’t a fire drill, as they were gossiping and checking their smart phones. When they reached the double exit doors, propped open, the gossiping turned into excited shouts, as everyone began to realize there was an actual fire on campus.

  “We have to get over there,” Filip called back, shoving his way through the crowd. “Zaria and Henrik could be in trouble.”

  “Filip, stop. No, Filip. Stop!” shouted Aleks, pushing through bodies to catch up. “You can’t go toward the fire.”

  Sirens blared in the distance. For a second, Aleks watched as fire engines made their way across the river. He glanced back to find Filip and saw that he was gone. Swearing, Aleks pushed harder and forced his way through the throng. He slipped between bodies and stumbled out into an opening, gasping and choking on the smoke that suddenly blew toward him, stinging his eyes.

  In the distance, Filip raced across the green toward the other crowd of students.

  “Come on, man,” Aleks grumbled, and took off after him, ignoring the shouts of teachers telling him to turn around.

  He sprinted, putting on speed and leaping over a ditch to follow Filip. As he approached, he searched for the others, using his innate navigational sense to locate them in the crowd of dirty students. He spied Henrik first, standing a foot taller than the girls that clustered near him. On his left stood Zaria, clutching a book. Some things never changed.

  “Filip,” he called, pointing at them. “Over there!”

  “Zaria!” shouted Filip, skidding to a halt in front of her. He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a small shake. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

  She shook her head, clutching her book tighter. “I’m fine. Henrik got me out.”

  Filip’
s mouth tightened slightly, but he nodded to the Stag Lord. “It’s good then that you were there. Are you okay, mate?”

  “I’m fine,” Henrik said. “There was a lot of smoke –”

  “Still is,” Aleks said, indicating the black clouds spilling out of the lower floor of the building.

  Just then, the fire engines pulled up and a team of firefighters took over the scene. Men were deployed to walk the building’s perimeter, hand lines were advanced and unkinked, apparatuses and tools were set up, and water was connected. Like clockwork, the team took up their positions and aimed. Nozzles opened, and the fire was attacked at its source, cutting off its extension.

  “What happened?” asked Filip, as they watched the firefighters operate the hoses.

  “A Bunsen burner exploded in the chemistry lab across the hall,” said Zaria. “Or at least that’s what the others are saying.”

  “Seriously? What were they working with?” asked Aleks. “Dragon fire?”

  School administrators with tablets cut through the masses assembled and started roll calling. Kids shouted “Here!” as they heard their names, and they were checked off the roster. Aleks and Filip stayed and did the same, as their names were called.

  Working swiftly and methodically, the firefighters brought order to the chaos. The fire was quickly extinguished, and the students were dismissed for the rest of the day. The unexpected early release was greeted with cheers from all around. Aleks and the others gravitated toward the front of campus, looking for Geirr and Christoffer. When they met up, Geirr’s eyes were alight with excitement.

  “This is great, guys,” he said, slinging his backpack up and over his arm. “I can go do my flight early. Does anybody want to come along? I can take two, maybe three with me. It’s not like flying on the back of a winter-wyvern, but it’s still pretty cool. I can show you the sights.”

  “I’ll go,” said Aleks. “I liked it the last time I was up. I’m not doing anything and my folks will be at work.”

  “We’re supposed to help Mrs. Fierce with household work today,” said Henrik, his voice wistful.

  Zaria nodded, looking disappointed. “I’d love to go, but we’ve got chores and dinner preparations to do. An early start means we’ll be able to hang out later.”

  “My parents don’t want me doing anything dangerous,” said Christoffer, somewhere between rueful and apologetic. “They’d say going up with you is like going out in a car with a first-time driver. Besides, I have to go find mum soon and let her know I’m okay. This sort of thing worries her.”

  “I can go,” said Filip. “It’s Friday after all, so why not? I have the whole weekend to do my science homework. It’ll be fun.”

  Little did they know what would happen next.

  Chapter Two: An Unexpected Visitor

  The mid-morning flight was exhilarating. To Aleks it felt like freedom, and he could see why Geirr loved it so much. The aerial views were breathtaking. In fact, it had been such a pleasant experience, Aleks wished it didn’t have to end. He was already wondering when he could press Geirr to take him up again.

  He sat behind the copilot seat of a Cessna 182, enjoying the view. Filip sat beside him, nose pressed to the window. Svein, a fellow pilot who had some free time and came along for the ride, sat in the copilot seat. He and Geirr had been excellent tour guides, telling them where to look and what they were looking at. It had been a beautiful clear afternoon.

  Now they were approaching the airport, preparing to land and grab a late lunch. Aleks was proud of his friend’s accomplishment. Geirr had wanted this for years, and now he was licensed and could go up more often. He was saving for his own aircraft, thinking he might want to start a business air taxiing people around Norway.

  The ground rose up, coming close. Aleks could see the crisscrossing runways get bigger and bigger. A button lit up on the control panel.

  “What does DH mean?” asked Filip, pointing to it.

  “Decision height,” said Svein, looking back. “Geirr must decide whether he can make the landing or must execute a go-around to try his approach again.”

  Geirr checked his instruments and distance to the runway. He nodded. “This will be a piece of cake,” he said. “Just like practice.”

  The plane lowered steadily. Aleks and Filip watched the ground. Geirr sat in the pilot seat, relaxed and carefree, talking to them about what he was doing.

  In an instant, the smooth landing soured. Out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind blew sideways at them, botching the approach. It was too late to shift course. Geirr called out to Svein, who grabbed at the controls. Aleks shouted in alarm, bracing himself against the seat ahead, instinctively knowing what was about to happen.

  Split-seconds later the plane crashed heavily into the grass adjacent to the runway. The right side bore the brunt of the landing, causing the landing gear to snap, tipping the plane sideways. Aleks grabbed at the seat in front of him, as the propeller hit against the ground.

  They skidded through the dirt, the aluminum steel fuselage groaning horribly as it absorbed the impact. Air trapped in Aleks’ lungs, as he waited with bated breath to see if the aircraft would flip over. A loud groan shivered through the aircraft, and the plane thumped down.

  As the shuddering and groaning came to a halt, Aleks let out the breath he’d been holding with a whoosh. Svein clicked off his restraint and shoved at the door.

  “Door’s stuck,” he said. “How’s everybody doing? Anyone hurt?”

  “I’m fine,” Aleks said.

  “Me too,” said Filip. “Geirr?”

  They looked at him, but Geirr didn’t move. Filip tried to rouse him. He was knocked out. Svein cursed and grabbed for the old-fashioned window opener, which looked like it belonged in an eighties’ car, not on an aircraft. He cracked open the window a few inches, but then it stuck.

  “It won’t budge,” he growled, leaning his weight into the crank, trying to fully extend the window. “We need to get out of here.”

  “What are we going to do?” asked Aleks.

  “I have to get to that little arm and break it,” said Svein, pointing to the corner of the window. “If the window had opened all the way I could have kicked the arm to break it.”

  “Try kicking the window,” suggested Filip.

  Svein nodded and turned sideways in his seat. Leaning back, he lifted his legs and kicked. His feet landed with a dull thunk. The window was a hard plastic material, not glass, for safety. It took several blows to get it to budge. Svein then kicked at the arm, snapping it. He caught the window as it fell down.

  The sound of sirens, faint in the distance, signaled the approach of emergency vehicles. With a grunt, Svein pushed himself out of the plane. He landed with a thump on the ground. The crenellated wing above his head was a daunting reminder of how close they had come to tipping over.

  “Everyone out. Now!” he shouted, indicating for Filip to climb through.

  “I can’t. Not without Geirr,” said Filip.

  “Help me move him,” Aleks ordered. “You take his arms.”

  They labored under their friend’s weight, struggling to shift him enough in the tight space to get a good grip on him. It was a tough squeeze in the cockpit. Filip backed up toward the window and angled Geirr through the opening. Svein guided his head through and then pulled him out by his shoulders. As Geirr plopped to the ground, the engine started smoking.

  “That’s not good guys. You better hurry,” Svein said, holding the window until Filip caught it.

  Svein hauled Geirr away from the aircraft as Filip scrambled through the window. Aleks shoved his friend’s legs out, which toppled Filip over. He landed in a disgruntled heap. The window banged shut. Filip popped up and lifted the window with one hand, using the other to reach in for Aleks. He gripped Filip’s arms, kicking off the seat as Filip tugged hard. They just managed to keep their footing.

  “Get away from the plane,” shouted Svein, who was carrying Geirr in a fireman’s hold. “We need
to get to a safe distance.”

  Aleks nodded and ducked under the wing as emergency vehicles arrived at the scene. Filip quickly followed, and they raced across the grass to the opposite runway, where the vehicles were gathered. Another team of firefighters connected their hoses and stretched the lines out to the aircraft to douse the smoking engine.

  Someone asked them what happened. Aleks stared blankly at Geirr’s unconscious form, as Svein parsed out what had transpired. It wasn’t enough. They were asked repeatedly and in different fashions what went wrong. Svein explained that he didn’t know, saying that the whole event was quite unusual because Geirr was such a good pilot. He even commended Geirr for keeping a cool head when the landing went askew.

  With the pilot’s words in his ears, Aleks’ mind whirled with the possibilities. What had gone wrong? It was true that it was unlike Geirr to miss a landing. Everything had started out smoothly enough. The plane had been lined up perfectly to the runway.

  It was only when the wind burst had hit them that things went sideways. He glanced at the nearby trees; not a single leaf stirred. He frowned, feeling sweat trickle down his neck. Something wasn’t right. His thoughts arrested as his friend’s eyelids started fluttering.

  Geirr groaned and sat up as paramedical personnel attended to him. “Is everyone all right?” he asked, holding his head.

  “You’re the one hit on the head, mate, not us,” Filip said, smiling in relief. “Glad you’re awake.”

  “I’m so sorry, guys,” he said. “That’s the first time something like this has ever happened to me.”

  “We’re all safe,” Aleks said reassuringly. “Don’t stress. How’s the head?”

  “You did really well, kid,” Svein said, coming over. “The plane didn’t flip, and we’re all out safe. It wasn’t your fault. I’ve seen you land a plane hundreds of times. Don’t let this get you down.”