Legacy of the Popcorn Fairy Book 1: Return of a Legend
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
-Psalm 18:32-34 NIV
Chapter 1: Reawakening
In a small lab on the outskirts of civilization, work was steady as usual. Monitors with 3-D topographic maps of hundreds of different areas remained unmarked, free of any possible threats. Employees sat at their desks… bored. Nothing was happening.
"I can't take this anymore!" one employee finally shrieked. "All I've been doing for the past five years is staring at monitors! I can't live like this!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Johnson!" another one shouted.
"Tell me I'm not the only one thinking it!" the half-crazed one continued. "Nothing's happened since this place was built and nothing will happen!"
"Don't say that!" someone shouted as he stood up. "It's going to happen! Maybe not tonight, maybe not tomorrow, but it will happen!"
"When?"
As if to answer the question, a soft beep was heard from one of the monitors. All eyes turned to the one it was coming from.
A red dot was flashing at one point on the map. Each time it reappeared, lines bulging out of it seemed to get longer and longer, as if it was portraying something spreading across the area.
"Black!" one employee shouted while pointing to another one. "Bring that one up!"
Black nodded and brought up the same map on his computer. Several others gathered around and waited anxiously for the news.
"Where is it?"
"It looks like…" Black said as he brought up the map's coordinates, "…Peach Creek."
"That little town a half hour south of here?"
"Hold on." He continued typing, bringing up old files as well as readouts on the red dot's data. He came out with a match. "Yep, that's them."
"Holy Cheez-Its!" Johnson started freaking out again. "What do we do? I don't know what to do! The only reason I took this job is because you never have to do anything!"
"Calm down, kid!" called a new voice. Everyone turned towards the voice to find their boss, Mr. Tucker, standing in the doorway. "Don't panic. You know what must be done. There's only one thing that will stop them, and there's only one who can control it!"
Everyone nodded, silently confirming that they understood.
"Send out the packages. Wherever she is, we'll find her."
The employees immediately ran back to their desks to either make a phone call or look at their own monitors. Mr. Tucker calmly left the room, his face low and cold.
"It's time for the reawakening."
It seemed like a normal day at Peach Creek High School. The second lunch period had begun, and everyone was crowding the lines as the long hours of waiting for this period wore thin. Once they had their trays, they filed into their usual seats.
On one end of the cafeteria were the popular kids, including jock boy Kevin Lewis, pretty girl Nazz VanBartonschmeer, and foreigner Rolf MacFen. Not far from them were Jonny West and his wooden friend Plank.
On the other end were the oddballs, known as the Eds. Edwin "Ed" Alba, Eddward "Double D" Duling, and Edgar "Eddy" Verra made up this small group. They always sat far away from the three girls with huge crushes on them, Lee, Marie and May Kanker.
And on the very far corner of the cafeteria was a girl sitting by herself. No one knows a lot about this girl. Some call her a loaner. Others, a freak. Still others call her that weird girl with the black jacket who doesn't talk to anyone.
That girl is me.
You, the reader, may refer to me as Natalie.
It was my usual thing to find an empty table by myself, which was made easy by the fact that I don't have to wait in the lunch lines because I pack my lunch. It's not that I didn't want to sit with other people, I'm just not… social. I can't hold a conversation, let alone start one that other people would get into. So I isolate myself, spending my time alone with my wild imagination.
Something in my gut told me today would be different.
Maybe it wasn't my gut, but the fact that the new kid was looking around for a table. Yes, there was a new kid at the creek. He was in my English class. His name was Henry, but he preferred to be called Mutt, heaven knows why. Throughout my day I had overheard other students talking about him, most of those students being girls. That didn't surprise me, what with that thick head of hair and well-built body he had.
Strangely, he hadn't said much since he came here. I had only heard him talk when he introduced himself and answered questions. Sometimes he would also do something to make the ladies swoon, but other than that he had been silent.
At the moment, though, he was looking for a table. One or two people offered him a spot, to which he politely declined. Then he looked my way.
We locked eyes, instantly sending a wave of embarrassment through my stomach. I averted my gaze, hoping he would just walk away. But when I forced myself to look up again, he was casually strolling towards my table.
Dejected, I sighed and leaned my head into my hand. I heard him sit down and drop his tray in front of him. Then he spoke. "Hey."
My heart started racing. His voice was so… smooth. Just that one word got my hormones riled up. God, this boy was smoking.
I looked up and managed a smile and a "Hey," then I looked back down.
"Um… Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" he asked me.
Without looking up at him, I rubbed my neck and responded, "'Cause I don't feel like sitting with anyone. I'm not really a social butterfly."
He shrugged. "That doesn't mean you have to isolate yourself. Just sit with someone and enjoy their company. I mean, don't you get lonely?"
"Not really." Hey, it was the truth.
"Well you can't just sit here alone all through high school."
I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just shrugged it off and asked, "So… you're Mutt, right?"
"Yep. And you're… in fifth period English with me, right?"
I chuckled a little bit. Of course he didn't know my name. "Yeah. My name's Natalie."
"Nice to meet ya."
We were both silent for a moment while we ate. He had a lot on his tray, but I didn't bother questioning that. I didn't want to be rude.
"So…" Mutt muttered after about two minutes. "What's it like here in Peach Creek?"
"Well…" Where to start? "It's mostly quiet. Some excitement can happen here and there. Everyone knows each other on my street. All in all it's just your basic suburban neighborhood."
"Hmm…" He nodded. "It's definitely a big change from old Detroit."
"You moved here from Detroit?"
"Uh-huh. At my old school, my class alone consisted of about two… three hundred."
"Gosh," I whispered as I leaned back in my chair. "I could never imagine something like that. I've lived here my whole life."
He just nodded to that, then we resumed eating. I was just about done, but first I wanted to know something.
"Tell me…"
He looked up at me.
"Of all the places to sit, why here? Why would you wanna sit with me?"
He dropped his fork back onto his tray and shrugged. "Because… I was looking for the spot where my company was most needed. When I saw you sitting here alone, I figured you'd need someone to hang with you."
I leaned forward. "But why? Other people offered you a spot, and girls all over this school have been drooling at your feet!"
"Really? I haven't noticed."
Was he being modest or stupid? Hard to tell. "I'm just not… not…"
"Wait, wait, wait," he interrupted, holding a hand up. "Are you saying you're not worth it?"
I fell back slightly. "You could've sat with anyone."
"But I chose to sit here, didn't I?"
"Well yeah, but… I'm nothing special. I'm just the weird girl with the black jacket that doesn't talk to anyone."
"Aw, come on, Nat. You know that's not true."
My eyes widened slightly when he called me "Nat." He was already giving me nicknames?
"You know there's more to you than just the jacket. Anyone in this school would be lucky to have you as a friend. I can tell; your eyes are telling me more than you're saying." He gently placed his hand on top of mine, sending a rush of heat through me.
Quite literally, actually.
"Wow…" I choked up, trying not to stutter. "Your hand is… really hot. Do you have a fever or something?"
He pulled it back. "Um… I-It's been like that for a while."
"What has?"
"I… I've just been having weird fluctuations in my body temperature. It's no big deal."
"Oh." I looked back down, feeling embarrassed for asking.
"Anyway…" he slowly continued. "Don't keep yourself locked up. I'm sure if you let others see the real you, they'd quickly accept you."
I found myself smiling. He was so nice. Heck! Hot, nice, smooth… this boy was perfect!
He then pulled out a sticky note and pen, wrote down a series of numbers and handed it to me. "Here's my cell phone number. Feel free to call any time."
He gave me his cell phone number? Inside I was glad I don't have a fan girl personality, or else I'd be squealing. Mutt was being nicer to me than almost anyone I'd ever met!
My arch enemy, the bell, rang. I jumped slightly, lost in the time.
"Well," I said as I stood up, "it's been nice talking to you." I stuck the sticky note in my jeans pocket.
"Wait, uh, what class do you have next?"
"Biology."
"Um… Could you show me where French is?"
"Oh, sure! I take French two!"
He stood up and walked next to me. "Cool. Too bad we aren't in that class together."
"Oh, uh…" I just noticed our misconception of words. "I'm in French two, as in this is my second year taking it."
"Ah," he said, understanding. "Right. Do they provide foreign language classes to middle schoolers here?"
"Only to advanced students."
"Well, there you go! I had a feeling you were smart!" Mutt chided as he wrapped an arm around me.
I couldn't help but blush. Was the new kid- the new incredibly hot kid- my friend?
After bio and band, school was over. I didn't have any more classes with Mutt, which didn't surprise me. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would join the school band.
I walked out the doors near my locker and onto the sidewalk. I just had to meet Jared in the student parking lot and I'd be home free for the weekend.
When I looked down the lot a bit, I found Mutt standing beneath a tree… surrounded by the Kanker sisters! My heart raced again while my mind flooded with the thoughts of what those horrible girls were doing. I moved in and tried to listen in on them.
"Well, look who showed up," Lee crooned.
"Glad you finally made it to the creek," Marie threw in.
Mutt glared. "Oh, leave me alone." He tried to walk away.
"Hey, don't be like that, Mutt!"
"Yeah," May said, "we haven't seen you since Christmas break, coz!"
"Shut up, May!" Lee shouted at her dimwitted sister.
Did May just call Mutt their cousin?
Marie grabbed his upper arm. "Don't leave yet, Mutt. We haven't given you a proper welcome!"
"Back off!" he shouted as he yanked his arm free.
The girls started laughing, a sure sign that something dreadful would happen soon. I couldn't stand watching as my new friend was tormented by those girls. I stomped up to them.
"Hey!"
They all turned towards me. I cringed slightly at my stupid mistake.
Mutt silently mouthed, "What are you doing?"
Lee tilted her head. "What do you want? And just who do you think you are?"
May scratched her head. "I think that's the girl who sits at that empty table at lunch."
"Shut up, May!" Marie shouted. "It doesn't matter who she is!"
Oh, yeah? Your cousin says otherwise, I thought to myself, unable to find the courage to say it aloud. I instead growled, "Leave him alone."
Lee chuckled. "Who's gonna make us? You?"
Anyone at my school knew that the Kanker sisters don't listen to reason, and no one had the guts or strength to use force. Besides, I'm a pacifist, so I found no other option but to use my words. With all my strength, I walked up to Lee.
"Look, I don't know what you do to Mutt in your spare time, and that's none of my business. But today is his first day at a new school. Don't you think you should give him a break and let him enjoy it?"
Marie pointed at me. "We'll do what we want to him!"
I held my hands up in defense, trying to keep my voice calm. "Even still, if he really is your cousin, you girls should act like… y'know… good cousins. Like family."
"Are you trying to say we need to improve ourselves?" Lee asked lowly.
"All I'm saying is…"
"How about we improve your face?" Lee quickly had a hold on my arms. My heart plummeted to my feet.
"Leave her alone!" Mutt shouted as he pulled Lee off of me. "She has nothing to do with this!"
I heard Marie sigh, but from where I was standing I couldn't see her. "Fine. If you insist, we'll go easy on her."
I suddenly felt a pair of hands reach into the back of my pants and yank hard at my underwear. I'm not a shrill person, so I just let out a loud yell.
Mutt growled. "That's not what I- MMPH!" He was interrupted when May slapped her hand over his mouth and Lee grabbed him.
Unable to bear it anymore, I tightly closed my eyes.
I heard Mutt shouting at his cousins, the girls' laughter, punches, smacks, and the sound of a roll of tape unwinding. At the same time, I felt myself being dragged by my underwear, my feet skidding across the grass until I was lifted off the ground. Then there was one last hard tug until I felt no more movement. My feet weren't even touching the ground!
When I finally heard the girls leave, slowly… I opened my eyes.
I was dangling by my underwear on a low tree branch. I couldn't see Mutt from the angle I was in, and whenever I turned my body to look for him it worsened the pain.
"Aren't they just wonderful?" Mutt sarcastically grumbled behind me.
I sighed. "So… the Kanker sisters are your cousins, huh?"
He moaned. "Of all the families to be born into, I had to be a Kanker."
"So that's why you didn't want to give out your last name when introducing yourself in English."
"Uh-huh."
"I'm so sorry, Mutt."
"Thanks, but I don't think that'll do me much good."
"I know." A fat lot of help I was. "Um… Could you help me down? I've never gotten a hanging wedgie before. Come to think of it, I've never been physically bullied before."
"Believe me, I'd love to give you a hand… but it's taped to my butt."
When I forced myself to turn around and spotted him, I found Mutt duct-taped to the tree. I let out a loud sigh. "JARED!"
After Jared came to our rescue he drove both of us home… because Mutt missed his bus. Jared then told me he had to go mow our uncle's lawn, so he left me alone at home. Mom and Dad were at work, so it was just me and our dogs, Scottie and Louie, the royal pains of the house. I stormed into my room, changed my underwear, stormed back downstairs, and stuck a bag of popcorn in the microwave for a snack.
I didn't feel like sitting down after that traumatizing experience, so I leaned the back of my head against the microwave, folded my arms, and internally complained.
I can't believe it. I finally make a friend and I let him down! Hopefully he can forgive me for this. After all, he must face this a lot at home.
I couldn't hear the popcorn popping, but I chose to ignore it.
Why did I just charge at the Kanker sisters? Am I insane? What was I thinking? I couldn't possibly take them on myself! I'm just a hopeless loaner. I sighed. I can't defend myself… or anyone else for that matter. I really am nothing special.
The microwave timer went off and I quickly opened it. None of the kernels had even popped! I raised an eyebrow and pulled the bag out. I shook it, felt it, even smelled it, but nothing had happened! "Is this bag defective or something?" I asked myself.
I stuck it back in and hit the popcorn button again. Hopefully it wouldn't burn like the last time when I stuck a half-popped bag in. After another run, it was still unpopped!
I groaned and opened the bag. All the kernels looked fine, just not popped. I pulled one out and examined it. Nothing out of the ordinary; it was just a popcorn kernel.
With a soft sigh I closed my fist. "Why don't things ever work out for me?"
I felt a small pinch in my hand, so I opened it back up.
The kernel had popped!
I stared at it wide-eyed. "Did it just… pop in my hand?" I took another good look at it. It just looked like an ordinary piece of popcorn. An ordinary piece of popcorn that popped in my hand!
There was one sense that I hadn't used to examine it, so I shrugged and slowly stuck it in my mouth. Just as I thought, it tasted ordinary. I swallowed it, satisfied by the taste but still curious as to why it popped in my hand and not the microwave.
I suddenly felt a massive throb in my chest, one that practically took my breath away. That pain spread throughout my body and coursed down my spine. My legs gave out from the powerful surge and I fell to my hands and knees.
My head was spinning, as if an energy was overpowering me. When I opened my eyes, I was seeing double. Disoriented, I closed them again. Then, in a quick flash, all that built-up energy exploded out of me. It didn't hurt. In fact, it felt incredible.
Then it was over.
My strength returning, I forced myself up, grabbing onto the counter with one hand and my head with the other. When I let go, I stumbled a bit before standing strait again.
What just happened? Was all of that a result from the weird popcorn? If so, what was in it? I tried to shake it off as I walked to the bathroom. I turned the light on and looked in the mirror…
I looked perfectly fine. A little sweaty, maybe, but fine.
With a sigh, I started pulling my jacket off. "I really gotta learn to consider my actions."
As soon as I threw it off, a pair of sky blue wings unfolded from my back.
Now was the best moment to scream. As I did, I backed up against the wall, staring at what was supposed to be my reflection. I rubbed my eyes, hoping this was a dream.
No. When I looked at the mirror again, they were still there. Slowly and shakily, I reached back and grabbed one. I whimpered when I realized it was real. It felt papery, like a butterfly wing, but thicker and less delicate. Worse still, I was actually moving them with my muscles.
Moaning in terror, I rushed over to the phone, pulled the sticky note with Mutt's phone number out of my pocket, and dialed. My fingers were so shaky that I made several mistakes. I finally calmed down enough to get it right. To my relief, I didn't get a voicemail message, which meant he had it on.
After two and a half tones, he picked up. "Herro?" he said, purposely slurring the word.
"Mutt? It's Natalie."
"Oh, hey! Calling me pretty soon, aren't y-"
"Listen to me!" I interrupted, which I really hate doing.
He was silent.
"Okay… After a weird series of events- not counting the events at school- I… uh… Don't take this wrong way. This is weird for me too." I smacked my forehead. Saying weird things like this has never been easy. "I have…" I inhaled deeply. "…wings."
He was still silent. I desperately hoped he didn't hang up. To both my relief and dismay, he laughed slightly. "You're kidding, right?"
"Why would I kid about something like this?"
"Sounds fishy to me, Nat. How do I know this isn't a joke?"
"Just come down here and see for yourself! I'm panicking here!"
"M'kay, I will. Where do you live?"
"280 Rethink Ave."
"No way! I live on the same street as you!"
I was too nervous to be thrilled. "Great. Now please hurry." My voice died down to a squeak.
"Alright. See ya." He hung up, leaving me to do the same.
I slowly walked back to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. They were still there. Half of me hoped they would stay long enough for Mutt to see.
The other half questioned how I was going to get rid of them.
I picked my jacket up and tried to put it on over the wings, a task I knew would be harder than taking it off. When it was on, I could still see them jetting between my shoulders. It was hopeless, so I threw it off again.
How did this happen anyway? Was it because of that popcorn kernel, or was this bound to happen to me sooner or later? Was it a freak coincidence or the result of… dare I say it… puberty?
There was a knock on my door. I rushed up to it and cracked it open a little. It was Mutt. Relieved, I opened it the rest of the way.
He jumped back slightly when he saw me. Then he took a moment to just look at me. I blushed and averted my gaze. Then he walked in.
"Okay," he managed to calmly speak up. "Convincing… How do I know this is real?"
My mouth fell open. How could he think this was a joke? "Mutt, I'm being serious here!"
"Hey, when you're around my cousins as much as I am, you never know when someone could be pulling your leg."
"Well if you don't believe me, see for yourself!"
Perhaps I should of rephrased that, because the next thing I knew he was looking down the back of my shirt! I found myself exclaiming again in discomfort.
"A-ha!" he shouted. "A strap!"
"Bra strap."
"Oh."
He took a closer look, then jumped back and let out a disturbed yell. I faced him, his face frozen in terror and soft pants escaping his mouth.
"O-Okay, I believe you."
I sighed with relief. "Good." The panic quickly returning, I grabbed his shirt. "Mutt, what am I gonna do?"
He pried my hands off. "Just calm down, Nat. It's alright."
"Alright? How is growing a pair of wings alright?"
He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay, explain to me where all this began."
I tried to straighten myself out and recall the events. I lead him into the kitchen. "Okay, I stuck this bag of popcorn in the microwave." I picked up the open bag. "But none of it popped. I tried again and still nothing. Then I pulled one out and popped it in my hand!"
He nodded as he followed long. "Show me."
Slightly nervous, I pulled a kernel out, clenched it in my fist, and popped it just like the last one.
"Whoa…" Mutt breathed as he grabbed it out of my hand. "Then what?"
"Then I ate it and suddenly felt this… rush of energy overpower me. Then I walked into the bathroom, pulled my jacket off and there they were!"
He nodded again as he examined the popcorn in his hand. With no ounce of fear on his face, he ate it. We waited, minor worry boiling in my stomach, but nothing happened.
"Huh… weird," Mutt said nonchalantly.
I shook my head. "I don't get it."
He took a moment to gather his thoughts. The awkward silence was making me antsy.
"Worse part is I have no idea how to get rid of them!" I added.
Mutt held his index finger up when an idea hit. "Maybe if you ate another piece…"
"NO!" I shouted. "I'm not going through this again! What if it doesn't help?"
"Okay, okay," he said, not wanting to fight about it. "Maybe all you need to do is focus."
I tilted my head. "Excusez-moi?"
"Just focus your mind on removing the energy that changed you."
It was worth a shot. I closed my eyes and focused, picturing the wings disappearing from my body.
I felt a gentle burst of energy release itself from my back. When I peeked an eye open, I saw Mutt wearing a smug grin. I reached behind me and felt my back.
They were gone.
I sighed loudly with relief.
"There you go," Mutt said. "All it took was your willpower."
I felt myself smile. Glad that was over.
"Though…"
It wasn't over.
"…I wonder why nothing happened when I ate it." Mutt pulled a kernel out and tried to pop it with no avail. "So… weird."
I took it out of his hand and clenched it. Once again, it popped. "How come I can do it and you can't?"
"Maybe you're just special."
I frowned. "I'd hardly call manually popping popcorn and sprouting wings 'special,' Mutt."
He smiled, eyes wide and shimmering. Was he giving me the puppy-dog stare?
"You want me to eat it, right?"
He nodded.
"No."
"Please?"
"No!"
"Please?"
"No!"
"Come on, Nat! Do you wanna figure this out or not?"
"I wanna figure it out, but…"
"Then eat it so I can see this for myself."
"NO!"
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
"Alright, FINE!" I reluctantly ate it.
The pain struck moments later. This time it didn't hurt as much; it felt more like a shock. I managed to stay on my feet as the wings reappeared on my back.
"Whoa…"
I folded my arms and looked away. "There, you saw it. Can I get rid of them now?"
"Why are you so worked up?" He grabbed my shoulders. "Nat, think about it. This could be happening for a special reason. What if these wings were given to you for a purpose? You have something special, Nat! You are something special! Embrace it!"
The blood in my face heated up. Did he just say I was special?
I gently pulled his hands off. "Maybe…" I turned around. "But what, then? Why is this happening to me?"
"I don't know the answer to that," he calmly replied, "but I'm sure this will all make sense soon enough."
I didn't know how to respond to that. Another awkward silence fell.
"Wings…" Mutt whispered. "Most creatures with wings can… fly."
I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you saying?"
"WAIT, NO MUTT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP, NO…!"
At this moment, Mutt had dragged me to the top of the rock pile at the swimming hole and was now pushing me towards the edge while I screamed at him.
"Trust me," he said. "I know what I'm doing!"
"NO, NO MUTT! I CAN'T FLY! I CAN'T FLY! I CAN'T FLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
He looked over the edge as I fell towards the murky waters. "Oops… Maybe I don't know what I'm doing."
All I could think to do was scream. Scream and wait for the impact.
Time suddenly slowed down. I felt an energy flow through me. Not one like the energy I felt while transforming. This one made me feel… strong, powerful… confident. My eyes closed as I embraced the energy, letting it swirl around and through me.
I forced myself into and upward position and felt the wind rushing through my hair… from above me. I cracked an eye open and found myself rising higher and higher above the ground. I stopped when I was at eye level with Mutt, hovering. He wore his smug grin.
I felt a huge, excited one stretch across my face.
I was… flying.
Too excited to stop now, I shot up like a bullet, watching as Mutt grew more and more distant. I started to get worried someone would see me, so I flew back down towards the swimming hole. Then I skimmed over top the waters, running my finger through it. Then I shot back up and froze, now on the opposite end of the swimming hole where Mutt was. He looked just as excited as me.
I slowly flew back over to him and landed on the big, flat rock. My legs were so shaky that I could barely stand! "Mutt…!" I squeaked.
He hugged me close to calm me down. "That… was awesome!"
"You really think so?"
"Heck yeah!" He looked me in the eyes. "Do you realize how amazing this is? I mean… flying? Most girls at my old school can't even run!"
I laughed softly… until he tilted his head inquisitively. My smiled faded as minor embarrassment set in. "Is… something wrong?"
"No, no. It's just… your eyes were darker earlier."
"What?"
"Here look." He let go of me and reached into his pocket. When he did, my legs became wobbly again. Then he pulled a pocket mirror out held it up to me.
Ignoring the incoming thought of just how vain carrying a pocket mirror seemed to me, he was right. My eyes were a brighter shade of blue than they normally were. They were a light sky blue, like my wings.
"Huh…" I choked up, getting used to the weirdness. "Maybe it comes with the wings."
Mutt shook his head. "I don't know. They were darker when I first showed up at your house."
"Really?"
He just nodded.
"You know…" I began as I thought this over. "On my way down I felt… a different kind of energy… as if something locked inside me was just… released."
His mouth fell open with intrigue. "Really?"
"Uh-huh. The only question is…"
I looked in the mirror again as my wings disappeared, my blue eyes fading back to their usual shade.
"…what?"