The Other F Word

Dekram half-listened to the students while she watched the bun on the back of Mrs. Ecarg's head bob to the beat of the chalk moving on the blackboard. Her eyes wandered to the clock on the wall over the door and she mentally counted off seconds, willing the minutes to move along. After two-hundred-and-seventeen seconds—three ticks of the big hand on the face of the clock, thirty-one seconds to the next—her eyelids felt heavy and her mind wandered back to the cypress tree and the swarm. The stupid Fire fairies are the least disciplined and most unsupervised kids in Wandermere. So totally not fair. Why does the council put up with them? If I had my way...

When the communication device above Mrs. Ecarg's desk screeched a shrilly sound, the teacher jumped out of her Birkenstocks', bare feet kicking the hem of her muumuu.

Two hollow taps echoed and a winded sound reverberated the speaker, before Principal Nrets stern voice came through loud and clear. "Mrs. Ecarg, please send Dekram to the office."

"Right now," the voice of Dekram's mother snapped.

Dekram bolted out of her chair, wings all a-flutter. "Pandora's box," she groused under her breath. "What now?"

"Yes, sir, she's on her way," Mrs. Ecarg warbled, wings beating themselves invisible as she waved Dekram toward the door.

Soahc, Miss Everybody-Has-My-Number-On-Speed-Dial, snickered. "What'd ya do this time, half-breed? Eat the family pet?"

Accompanied by a chorus of giggles, rapid comments filled the air:

"Her mother doesn't have wings."

"Lucky she got some from Daddy."

"Skype 'er, man. Two words: Pond scum."

"Why do all of you have to be so rude?" Detaf blushed. His dark blue Air fairy skin turned purple. He ran a hand under his ball cap, palmed his black hair, and lowered the brim of the cap over deep blue eyes.

Soahc curled her lips at Detaf. "Even gnats have wings…unless you pluck them." She flipped her blonde hair with some major attitude.

"That's enough, missy!" Mrs. Ecarg snapped, back in her shoes that were firmly planted on the floor. "Do I need to enforce my no-tolerance policy in regards to species prejudice? Because I certainly will. Each of our species' individual Elements is essential to everyone's survival in Wandermere. No single species…"

While Mrs. Ecarg yammered on, Dekram thought, Yeah, lotta good that does me, Little-Miss-Ethnic-Misfit. Why'd my father have to get all domestic with a Water sprite? He's a Human Services officer. Surely, he could have found another Air fairy to attach himself to? I hate being the only half-breed in Wandermere.

"Nymph's granny undies! Where does she fit into the Elements that rule each individual species?" asked a girl sitting behind Soahc.

"This is getting old." Detaf's mouth pushed disgust in the group's direction.

With a garish grin, Etah held Detaf's attention. "She's mottled our Elements—I say we put her in a cage before she mates and makes more anomalies!"

Soahc adjusted the shoulders of her saffron-dyed dress and chided, "Bet you didn't have a policy until she came along, anyway."

"A Merrybegot's dreaded existence—that's my life! I hate it!" Dekram caught Detaf's sympathetic expression and her delicate wings turned pink as she grimaced and tried to ignore the bell-like giggles of her classmates. She bolted for the classroom door, bright curly hair billowing around her heart-shaped face, and flew down burnt-orange halls, past closed classroom doors and blue lockers dotted with colorful padlocks.