Page 59 of Outcast Fae
Now they felt like a bribe, a treat to make us forget they’d killed one of our own.
“Hurry, please,” Meadow Song said, gesturing me towards where the rest were gathering.
I stood up, evaluating and wondering if I should try to flee. Were they here for me because we’d gone off without the group? Did they know what Vaughn and I had discussed last night? But if I ran, would that allow them to say I’d broken a rule and dole out punishment? None of my options seemed good.
I walked cautiously to Meadow Song and lowered myself down next to where Daniella had sat in the sand. I sat still, barely breathing, my body on high alert as I waited to see what this meeting would bring. I glowered at Meadow Song, hatred suffusing me. How could she do this?
“Now that we’re all here,” she said in her syrupy sweet tone, “I wanted to commend you for working together and sharing the roasted pig yesterday. Good work.”
What? Was she not going to say anything about Wally’s death?
She smiled. “Okay, let’s begin. As I was saying before, we’ve gotten a bit away from our rehabilitation schedule, and I’d like to get us back on track. You see, we do really care about your growth and development here at New Starts.”
Vaughn snorted at this. Meadow Song’s face tightened, but she moved on, pretending as if she hadn’t heard.
“One of the ways we find helpful in getting students to evaluate their past choices and learn to make new ones is to talk a bit about decision making. What we’ve done in the past and what we can do better in the future.” She tossed her long blond braid over her shoulder and clasped her hands together gently.
“We also want you to know that you’re safe here. There will be no punishments for things you reveal during this group therapy session.”
I looked up, gauging whether people believed this or not. Others were casting glances at each other. No one’s expression suggested they believed we were safe with Meadow Song and Silver Bear.
They both seemed to sense this, too. Meadow Song shot a look at Silver Bear and he nodded. Soon, they were both finding a place in the circle and sitting in the sand.
“There,” she said. “Now we’re right down here with you. Isn’t that better?”
No one responded, but Elon seemed to relax. He nodded like a little boy trying to please his teacher. “It is better, Meadow Song. Thank you. And, can I be the first to say that you look really pretty this afternoon?”
She smiled at him. “Thank you, Elon. Manners go a long way. Using language like that instead of hateful words can make a good impression on people.”
The humans had a term for this: kissing ass. I’d learned it when one of the fae children said it to another, a sneer on his face. Elon was a world-class ass kisser.
Silver Bear rolled his eyes at the interaction, then addressed the group. “So, can anyone tell us a decision they made that they regretted and what they might do differently given a second chance?”
Elon’s hand shot into the air, but Silver Bear ignored it. Finally, Gina’s small hand raised up.
“Yes, Gina,” Silver Bear said.
“Before I came here, I was hanging with a crowd my mom really didn’t like,” she said, her voice smaller than I’d ever heard it. “I was doing some things she said were dangerous. I cast spells out of a book a kid gave me. People got hurt.” She dropped her eyes as her hands pinched together in her lap. “If I had it to do over again, I never would have touched that book.”
“Very good,” Meadow Song said, smiling. “Who else?”
“This is bullshit,” Daniella whispered, glancing at me.
Meadow Song’s head swung our way. “What was that, Daniella?”
Her head darted up and fear flickered across her face, but then the expression changed and hardened. Daniella seemed to have finally had enough. “I said this isbullshit.”
“Language,” Meadow Song said.
Silver Bear’s spine straightened. “What is bullshit, Daniella? The fact that we’re trying to help you?”
“You aren’t trying to help us,” she squeaked. “You killed Wally. If you really wanted to help us, you would have stopped those creeps before he got shot.”
Patricia and Chan seemed to shrink as if they wanted nothing to do with our group. Sinasre’s keen eyes watched our “counselors” closely. I needed to tell him what I had learned. He had to know.
Silver Bear’s eyes narrowed. I half expected him to burst into bear form right there, and my body tensed. If I had to, I could try to lift Daniella to safety, but my wings were still weak. I glanced at Vaughn who was as tense as a rod, too.
Meadow Song held out a hand, signaling to Silver Bear that she would handle this. “Daniella, sweetie, we had nothing to do with Wally’s death. If you had been there, you would have seen that we intervened. Otherwise, they might have shot all of your friends. They broke a very important rule. That side of the island is off-limits. That property isn’t part of New Starts.”
