Page 44 of Fire Dancer
The thing was, Dad looked a little blank. Claire had gone through a long string of imaginary friends, and it was hard to keep track.
“Right,” my dad bluffed, then threw both hands wide.
I mimicked the gesture, trying to send him a hint.
A unicorn appeared in the fire, tossing its mane and a spiraling, ivory horn.
Close, but no cigar,I wanted to hiss.
Claire shook her head. “Not that one.”
I changed the shape of my hands, trying to signal him, but Dad didn’t see.
“Oh, sorry,” he murmured. “Thismagic friend.”
Whoosh!A tornado whirled in the heart of the fire, and Diana, goddess of the hunt, appeared at its core. An old friend from Claire’s Greek mythology stage.
“No, not that one.” Claire chuckled as if he was deliberately teasing her.
Oblivious to my hints, my dad tried an elf, a mermaid, and a phoenix — all recent visitors to Claire’s imagination. But not the one she’d been obsessed with for the past few weeks.
I motioned even more vigorously, demanding his attention while my own mind jumped to Stacy, with that pretty pendant she wore next to that awful blood vial.
“That one!” Claire cheered, pointing into the fire.
A smoky horse galloped through the flames, coming right at us. But instead of disappearing at the edge of the fire or plowing right through us, it leaped into the air on huge, fire-laced wings.
“Pegasus!” Claire clapped.
Everyone watched in awe as the pegasus reared and snorted. Then, with a mighty heave of its feathered wings, it thundered toward the stars. The fire blazed as high as the house, following it. Then, bit by bit, the pegasus faded, though brilliant orange embers marked its outline against the indigo sky. Then they, too, extinguished, and the pegasus became one with the stars.
Claire clapped, thrilled. So did the others, and everyone looked stunned…including my father.
I stared at my hands. They were pointed at the sky, and little sparks played around them. In a flash, I dropped them to my lap and shook them out.
“Wow, Greg,” Abby breathed. “That was your best show ever.”
My father looked at his hands, puzzled. He shot Mike a quick look, but Mike appeared just as surprised as the others.
Me too.Supersurprised, and a little frightened. What had just happened?
I flicked my fingers a few times, trying to get rid of that odd tingle.
And, oops. A trio of tiny sparks rose into the air before I clamped my hands into fists.
Ingo’s midnight eyes locked on mine, and he cocked his head.
I gulped. Um, fireflies, maybe?
“Wow. That really was amazing,” Erin agreed.
My father shot me a side-eyed look. I kept my eyes down and my fingers folded tightly.
Dad cleared his throat and replied very quietly, “Sometimes, I even surprise myself.”
Again, his eyes sought mine. Again, I avoided them. Because, whoa. The tingling went from my fingers to my lungs, and my body felt lighter, as if part of it had galloped into the sky with that pegasus.
“Fire Dancer…” Nash whispered in awe.