Island of Fog: A Magical Fantasy Adventure by Keith Robinson

Author:Keith Robinson
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Unearthly Tales
Published: 2009-04-23T16:00:00+00:00

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They made it to the end of class without being strung up by the hot-tempered stranger. Hal eagerly got together with Abigail and Robbie and herded them outside away from Miss Simone. He led them under the low-hanging oak tree and kept his voice down.

“Did you see Lauren’s thumb?” Both Abigail and Robbie frowned at him, perplexed. “It changed!” Hal said.

Abigail nodded knowingly. “Ah.”

“It grew,” Hal went on, “and she sprouted hair from her knuckles. She was trying to scratch an itch, and it must have happened without her realizing it.”

“Hair?” repeated Robbie doubtfully.

“And a long, curved nail. It was bizarre. I wonder what she’s turning into.”

“Could be anything,” Abigail mused. “I’ve seen it happen too. But a long thumb and fingernail with a tuft of hair isn’t much to go on.”

“Hair,” Robbie mumbled.

Abigail turned to him, her face developing a huge grin. “Robbie can’t face his girlfriend having hair sprouting from her knuckles.”

“Shut up, Abi!”

Hal laughed. “Bet she’s right, though. Not a very appealing image, is it? A girl with hairy knuckles. But maybe she’s another ogre. Then she’d be a perfect match for you.”

Robbie huffed and made a face, reddening.

Most of the classmates had walked to school because it was so muddy after last night’s storm, but Fenton, Dewey and Lauren had brought their bikes. There was a moment of confusion when Fenton, silent and broody, swung his around and got his front wheel tangled up with Dewey’s pedals. He pulled at it roughly and ended up yanking Dewey’s bike right out of his hands. It fell in the grass and Dewey backed off as Fenton scowled at him.

Hal feared trouble from the big boy, but Fenton seemed out of sorts. He looked around at his classmates, as if unsure what to say. Finally he managed to squeeze out a few words. “Looks like that’s it, then,” he said gruffly.

“Are you really leaving, Fenton?” asked Emily. “I mean, Miss Simone said you were, but I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t believe anything Miss Simone says,” Abigail agreed.

“It’s true,” Fenton said, sticking a fat finger in his mouth and prodding at his teeth. “Mom and Dad said so last night. We’ve been packing.”

There was an awkward silence. It seemed unbelievable that Fenton would not be there the next day. None of the children knew how to say goodbye to anyone. The only practice they had had was when Thomas supposedly died years ago. But standing in front of a tombstone mumbling words of remembrance was hardly the same thing.

“Well,” Fenton said, turning his bike around. “See you.”

“Um . . .” Darcy said.

Fenton looked at her, but she said nothing more. Nobody said anything. It was all too much to take in. How could Fenton not be there tomorrow as usual, annoying them all, bullying them? Nobody particularly liked Fenton, but he was one of them, after all.

Hal found his voice. “Are you . . . are you looking forward to leaving?”

“No.”

Another long silence.

“Well, see you soon,” Fenton said finally, and cycled away before anyone could say anything else.

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