CHAPTER TEN
The following morning, Tammy, Tommy, Penny, and their (disguised) Fairy Godparents were back on the School hover-bus zipping along to school. While Tommy was catching up on some last-minute homework on his laptop, Tammy and Penny were chatting.
"Last night was great, Penny", Tammy said, "thank you for giving us sanctuary over at your place".
"No problem, Tammy", Penny replied, "Any enemy of a Vicky-bot is a friend of mine. Besides, my parents were quite pleased to have me host friends. It's a first for them as well as myself".
"And our other 'mutual friends' didn't seem to mind either", Tammy added, referring to their fairy godparents.
Timantha and Brendan smiled at the reference. So did Cosmo and Wanda. While Penny, Tammy, and Tommy were having fun playing games and snacking, Timantha and Brendan took the time to show Cosmo and Wanda their house. The layout, and the furnishings that Timantha had tastefully POOF-ed up when she created the place impressed Wanda very much.
"Perhaps you should think about taking up interior decorating as a part-time job in Fairy World, Sweetie", Wanda had suggested.
This morning, Cosmo and Wanda were disguised as watches on the twin's wrists. Timantha was disguised as a necklace around Penny's neck while Brendan was disguised as a bracelet around Penny's wrist.
"I still feel sorry though for those clones you left behind to face the Vicky-bot", Penny said in a low voice, "but it was a good idea, and I got Timantha to POOF me up a cloning device of my own in case I have to use it",
"Hey, Tommy!" Byron said while Tammy and Penny were still chatting, "still leaving your homework until the last minute, I see".
"Yeah", Tommy replied, "a Vicky-bot was kind of keeping me occupied yesterday, so I'm trying to get things done before class".
It wasn't quite a lie as a Vicky-bot was involved, Tommy said to himself, but once he had gotten back home – when the clones had called to inform him that the Vicky-bot had gone – he ended up playing the 'no homework game' at Cosmo's suggestion. Oh well…
"Someone ought to find a way to either wipe out, or reprogram those automated misery-makers", Byron grumbled.
"Amen to that", Annie-Jay added from beside Byron, "but trying to catch one of those in the act of terrorizing is like trying to hold onto greased lightning!"
Both Tommy and Byron nodded ruefully at that.
"Hey", Todd called out from the back of the bus, "here comes Ms. Moneybags. On her way to A-SNOB". Todd was gesturing out the back window of the hover-bus.
Most of the children on the bus didn't deign to look out at the tinted window limo as it overtook them. However, behind those tinted windows, Tonya was using the instruments that Juandisimo had POOF-ed up to scan the bus. What she saw made her gasp.
"I'm getting indications of four fairies in that bus", Tonya said to Juandisimo – who was disguised as a jewel necklace around her neck, "that means there must be four kids with fairy godparents there".
"Not necessarily", Juandisimo replied, "fairies who are married can look after a single godchild".
"You mean, two fairies for one godchild?" Tony asked.
"Si", Juandisimo replied, "as I am unmarried, that is why I am here alone with you".
Tonya leaned over and picked up the interphone to talk to the driver.
"Jeeves", Tonya said, "slow up so that we stay just ahead of the bus".
"Yes, Miss", Jeeves replied. Tonya hung up the interphone.
"Now that the first detector has detected their presence, Juandisimo", Tonya said, "What do I use now to identify which kids have them?"
Juandisimo POOF-ed up what looked like a set of binoculars and handed it to her.
"This will enable you to see into the bus", Juandisimo explained, "The fairies – however disguised – will have a red glow around them".
Tonya put the 'binoculars' to her eyes and looked out the back window. She could now see into the bus – just like an X-ray. By slightly adjusting a couple of knobs, she could go from row to row slowly and methodically. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for.
"Two glows are coming from one person, while the other two are on separate persons in the same seat", Tonya said, "wait…I recognize those two! They are kids from one of Mom's acquaintances. The Turners!"
Tonya recognized them because her mother Veronica Harding Buxaplenty was a personal friend of Trixie Tang Turner. When she would go out to the mall with her mother, she would occasionally meet Trixie. Those kids would usually be with Trixie.
"Very good", Juandisimo replied, "Now that you have found out, I can tell you that Tammy and Tommy Turner do have fairy godparents. They are a married couple named Cosmo and Wanda".
Tonya nodded. She re-focused on the other person who had the other two fairy 'glows' emanating from her neck and left wrist..
"This other person I don't recognize, but she must have a married couple as her fairy godparents", Tonya said.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you about them until you find out yourself the name of that person", Juandisimo stated.
Juandisimo badly wanted to tell Tonya, but as he was on probation, he could not even consider bending – let alone breaking – DA RULES. His plan would be derailed and as such, he had to move carefully.
"No matter", Tonya replied, "I wish that those kids no longer had their fairy godparents!"
"Sorry, Tonya", Juandisimo said, "but EL RULES forbids that. The only way that a child can lose their fairy godparents is by magical duel, being completely ungrateful, wishing away their own godparents, or when they turn eighteen. Fairy godparents can of course quit, but there would have to be very special circumstances for that".
"That bites!" Tonya replied, "but that magical duel thing sounds appealing".
"The magical duel consists of three tasks that the challenger and the challenged must do", Juandisimo explained, "and the person who loses the duel loses their fairy godparent. If you make the challenge, there is a chance that you could lose and thus lose me".
"That's no fun", Tonya replied, "I like to play games where I know I will win. It's more organized that way".
Tonya thought for a while, and then she looked back at Juandisimo.
"You know, instead of targeting the fairies themselves", she said slowly, "what happens if the godchildren cannot make any wishes? That would have the same result, wouldn't it?"
"Si, but remember that wishes can be communicated by more than just a voice to be granted", Juandisimo explained, "So it can be spoken, mimed, written, etc. However, if no wishes can be given at all by the godchild, then the fairy starts to build up what is called a surplus of magical energy. If no wishes are granted within a two-week period, the buildup is so great that the fairy inflates like a balloon, and then explodes".
"You told me that you didn't have a fairy godchild for some years, Juandisimo", Tonya said, "so how come you didn't explode?"
"I was serving a sentence, Tonya", Juandisimo said, "and the spell that goes with the sentence filters out any buildup".
"I see", Tonya replied, "well, it's given me an idea in any case. But I would need to know one thing: is it possible to trap a fairy?"
"Si", Juandisimo answered, "a butterfly net will trap a fairy and will negate any magic being cast by a fairy within it, though spells going INTO the net will still work".
Tonya nodded and smiled. She had an idea, and what Juandisimo had said meant that she could start making plans. First, she would find out the identity of the girl with the two fairies, and then she will act…
Juandisimo smiled too. Everything was starting to fall into place.