Read The Emerald Mask for Free Online

diving through a series of increasingly narrow hoops.
    Flash! There was Darren, impundulu wings outstretched as he perched high on an exposed pipe near the ceiling. Small sparks crackled from the end of his talons. With Mack’s keen fox vision, he could see the determined gleam in Darren’s eyes. You can do it, Mack thought to him.
    In that same instant the bolt of lightning ripped through the room. Was it coincidence? Or had Mack accidentally distracted Darren?
    It all happened so fast—that burning bolt of electricity that sliced through the air. Mack watched,horrified, as it missed the pool where Fiona swam, blissfully unaware, by inches.
    Thweeeeeet!
    The call from Ms. Therian’s whistle captured everyone’s attention.
    â€œHuman forms, please,” she said, her voice trembling.
    If Darren’s lightning bolt had hit the pool while Fiona was swimming . . . , Mack thought as he transformed. He shook his head. It was too terrible to think about—all that water, electrified, and Fiona trapped in the middle of it . . .
    â€œDid you see that?” Gabriella, who was back in her human form, asked him.
    Mack nodded. “Close call, huh?”
    â€œToo close, I bet,” she replied in a low voice. “Ms. Therian looked like she was going to have a heart attack.”
    Mack tilted his head. Ms. Therian’s face did look pretty gray.
    â€œThat was a good practice,” Ms. Therian announced as everyone gathered around her. “Mack, very nice form while sprinting. You seem more comfortable as a kitsune every time you transform.”
    Then Ms. Therian turned to Darren. “Darren—”
    â€œI’m sorry,” he said right away. “I didn’t mean to send out any lightning—”
    â€œIt happens,” she interrupted him. “After all, practice is the purpose of this class. Still, I think it would be wise to take additional precautions. Whenever Fiona is in the pool, you should practice on the opposite side of the gym.”
    â€œOf course,” Darren replied. Then he turned to Fiona. “Sorry about that.”
    She smiled at him. “No harm, no foul,” she said.
    â€œFiona, you need to continue practicing your breathing exercises,” Ms. Therian continued.
    â€œIn the ocean?” Fiona asked hopefully.
    But Ms. Therian shook her head. “I would prefer you work on them in a controlled environment. However, I suppose you could practice in your bathtub at home.”
    For some reason the thought of Fiona as a seal, lounging in a bath tub, was hilariously funny. Even Fiona laughed, though her cheeks burned bright red at the same time. And just like that, the anxious tension that had filled the room from Darren’s stray lightning bolt melted away.
    â€œAnd Gabriella . . . ,” Ms. Therian began.
    Mack’s head turned, just a little. Whatever advice Gabriella was about to receive, he wanted to hear it, too.
    But Ms. Therian didn’t comment on Gabriella’s performance during practice. Instead, Ms. Therian tapped her own temple and said simply, “Mind your eyes.”
    All the kids looked at Gabriella just in time to see her golden cat’s eyes shimmer and shift to brown human eyes. “Thanks,” she said. “I need all the reminders I can get.”
    Gabriella seemed ready to say more, but closed her mouth instead. She pulled a small compact out of her backpack and glanced at her eyes to double-check.
    â€œEnjoy your weekend,” Ms. Therian said as she dismissed them. Then she crossed the room to examine the spot where Darren’s lightning bolt had struck the floor.
    Everyone hung out by the bench while they waited for the final bell.
    â€œSo my dad says we need to leave by eight thirty tomorrow morning,” Fiona said to Darren. “Pick you up at eight twenty?”
    Darren grimaced. “I usually have a strict policyagainst setting my alarm clock