A Brackendra Story (Part 2)

Chapter 14: delivery girl

Chapter 14: delivery girl

I don't own fablehaven. And I know nothing about building things!

Kendra's POV

Ever since the war with the dragons, the old manor at Fablehaven had been damaged. Other priorities had taken its place when zzyzx had closed and the following three months were no walk in the park and we had got held up these past two years. The manor itself was a wreck with boards jutting out and always the question of when the thing would tip over, especially during a festival night or when the wind got particularly strong. That's why we were out fixing it before the snows came.

It was a nice September afternoon and the air was cool and had the lovely thickness to it. This was my season.

I walked over to the tool box Warren had left sitting in the grass. Since it did belong to Warren, the thing looked like a rat's nest. Cords intertwined with various tools. A hammer head that had broken off the stick poked out a hole in the side. Drill tips lay like confetti. I brushed aside a roll of duct tape. The thing I thought had been nails turned out to be gears. What normal person put gears in an average tool box, I could never be sure of.

This was taking too long. I tipped the box over and dumped the contents. Chipped red paint stuck to my fingers and I had to wipe it off. At the very bottom, the nails glittered. I swiped them into my hands and the cool metal made me hug my jacket a little tighter.

I set off across the lawn. Today I got to play delivery girl since I could easily go from the ground to the roof because of my wings. Once I was close enough to the mansion, I reactivated them and the gold-tipped, blue wings were shown. I could never really get over the fact of how they looked and how I had wings. A human girl...with wings. Crazy.

I started to flap and the breeze shuffled through them. I had always wondered what having a tail would feel like, in a way this was the same way. No different than an extra limb.

As I neared the top, Bracken came into view. I couldn't help smile. He was always doing things for us, it really was in his nature, but this time it was more. I hadn't seen him since the movie night in the summer where I had brought out his dork, the memory making me smile wider. He had been busy with the fairy realm. The queen had opened up so many shrines, it was quite crazy. And with all the re-building they had had to do, free time wasn't typically a word Bracken knew. Of all the things he could have chosen to do, he had picked pounding nails into wood, with me. I must've melted right into my shoes.

My feet finally passed over the edge and I touched down. My wings retracted. Bracken must have heard me. He turned his head and got up from his knees, wiping them off. He grabbed my hand and wrapped me up in a hug.

"I'm sorry I haven't been there for those first few days of school," he told me.

"We haven't seen each other for a month, and that's what you choose to comment on?" He broke the hug, giving me his dopey grin.

"Senior-ship is a very big deal."

I swatted him. "You're making me sound old!" It was true. Ever since I had "died" and lost several years to saving the world, I had finally gotten to go back, being the oldest one there. Which meant I was a senior...and Seth was joining me...weird.

Bracken picked up both my hands. "You do know who you're talking to right?"

I freed a hand and put it to my head dramatically, and put on my best "lady" voice. "Oh I do suppose."

He laughed before looking at my hand. "And, I see you've brought me nails. It's crazy, this thing eats them up!" He gave out a laugh and stole the nails from me. He walked over in a zigzagish pattern and set them by his hammer. He winked at me. "Wouldn't want to go through any roofs."

I shrugged and my shoulders shook from silent laughter. I turned my attention away from Bracken, as well as the gaping hole in the middle of the roof, to the view. I could see the forest laid out around me. When the dryads and fairies had finally agreed to letting the leaves change colors, Fablehaven had seemed even a little more magic. "Bracken! Have you seen this?" I gestured our around me. I could see Warren's cabin! And if I squinted Viola's barn too! That was another new ability I had found: increased eyesight. Bracken's was still ten times better, but I would take what I could get.

"You're great that way," Bracken said. I looked at him confused. He copied my gesturing. "Right now your fawning over trees!" He shook his head. "It's cute, it is."

I scoffed. "I don't fawn."

"Yyyaaaa, you do."

I crossed my arms. "Rude!"

"I don't see how that's rude."

"It's...just...argh! You work me up so bad you know."

"I'm not sure if that's good or not."

"You're so weird."

"I'm shooketh."

"And I'm leaving."

I got ready to open my wings, trying to fit them through the slits of my jacket. Sometimes they got stuck.

"Ewww I can't believe I just witnessed that." Seth. I tried to find him. He wasn't on the ground. He was...on the third floor? I thought he was doing something else. Seth had his hands over his ears. Seriously? "You guys done flirting or is Kendra bringing me screws?"

This boy needed help.

"Talk to you later?" I asked Bracken.

"Definitely."

I walked over to the hole and stuck a hand in my pocket. It was good that screws weren't highly needed. I wasn't up for another trip to Warren's tool box. I brought out a handful of screws.

Before I knew it, my wings burst out and I caught an updraft, lifting into the air, legs awkwardly swinging, more like kicking, the air. My wings curled back under and I fell backwards. I thrust them open again and rammed into the side of the opening. I drifted down and ended up on my butt by Seth. He looked down at me clearly concerned. I almost couldn't see him since the room was so dark and bare.

"Are you ok?" Seth asked me at the same time Bracken said, "Are you Alright?"

"I...I'm fine. My wings...glitched or something? Bracken?"

"I don't know. But don't worry, we will figure this out. For now, no more flying, ok?"

I leaned back until my head rested against the floor. "Wasn't planning on it."

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*And this my dears is the importance of a schedule. I feel terrible about not updating since I've freaking Adopted this! So er here's this chapter. This too will make sense eventually. It's a bit different from the other chapters, but I have a plan! Also in creative writing we're learning about "painting the picture around you" and so I tried to do that with this chapter, let me know what you think. Oh and before I forget, updating Thursday's, if I don't, someone get mad at me!*