Mimic [ON HOLD]

Chapter Six: Journey

"Also known as a note from your daddy," I smiled. Felix was nice, I guess, but such an easy target. "Not going to happen."

"Anya, do you know how seriously Mimics take law-breaking? Our Paxion are very strict. That's why there's no evil mastermind Mimic taking over the world... well, mostly."

"Mostly? Oh, great, we're mostly safe. That's reassuring. You aren't making a good case for yourself, Felix. I'd rather stay here, blissfully uninvolved in your magic tricks."

Felix seemed to deflate. I felt a little twinge of regret. He was obviously proud to be a Mimic, and calling his culture "magic tricks" didn't seem to go over well.

"I'm taking you. Whether you want to or not. You may be fine with breaking the law, but I'm not. I have orders to escort you straight to the Academy, and I'm not screwing this up. And..." Felix faltered. "This is my first task as a Junior Paxion."

"Paxion?"

"Mimic police," Felix explained. "I want to be one when I grow up. But if I can't even handle a fifteen-year-old girl, I'd be a pretty rotten Paxion."

Felix made a sad face. Suddenly I felt very, very bad. The poor kid was just trying to do his job. Plus, it wasn't like I had much to lose. I didn't have a family, but if they were anywhere, it would be Casimir. I might as well go.

"Okay, fine."

Maybe I shouldn't have made such a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it felt right. There wasn't really any point in hiding from my power. Maybe this Academy place could help me control it.

Felix cheered up immediately. I got a strange feeling that his impressive pout was merely a guilt tactic. "Excellent. Pack a bag, Anya."

"Okay..." I said slowly. "We're leaving right now?"

"No. We can leave in, like, fifteen minutes, maybe?" Felix said, completely missing the point. I nodded anyway, and began to pack my stuff. I put my phone, some books, my toothbrush, a hairbrush, and a few sets of clothes in my green backpack. The rest of my clothes I shoved in the shopping bag with my puffy white dress. Hoisting them both on my back, I looked around for Felix, only to find him missing.

"Uh, hello?" I asked tentatively. Was I that delusional that I imagined someone breaking into my room? "Felix?"

I didn't want to be too loud, for fear of waking up the Bissets. I crept out into the hall, looking for his shadow. Suddenly, something darted across the floor towards the half-closed door of the Bissets' room.

"Oh God," I whispered. "FELIX!"

Before Felix, in chipmunk form, could slip into the master bedroom and wake up Mrs. Bisset (who, by the way, was petrified of rodents), I scooped him up soundlessly. He wriggled but I gripped him tightly, creeping down to the front door. Catastrophe avoided. I stepped into the cool night air and set him down.

"What was that for?" I asked as soon as he freakishly expanded into human form.

"Bathroom?" he offered.

"You're a chipmunk. Use the woods."

Felix scowled.

"Next time you break into someone's house, maybe it's worth noting that exploring the whole place is not the stealthiest move," I told him, hoisting up my pack.

"Whatever."

"How do we get to Casimir?" I asked. For some reason, I doubted that Felix was going to pull out some plane tickets.

"Oh. Dragon, obviously."

I froze, obviously mishearing him. "Dragon?"

"Yeah. Like... oh." The light in Felix's mind flipped on. "This must be new for you. Well, you'll see. There's a take-off point at an abandoned farmhouse near here. You can't by any chance turn into a horse, can you?"