Author's Note: This did not go as planned. At all. I thought I'd end it halfway through and make it a two parter. The first part will be posted before GU: TT and the second will be posted after.
Also, there's slight profanity in here, but I thought it was well deserved and should stay.
Wishful Thinking: Part One
Tootie came home from school and started tossing things around. She chucked them roughly into a suitcase, but didn't care whether or not it made it in. Huffing, she tried using her training wand to sort it better and accidentally set a blouse on fire. Trying to put it out fanned the flames and, increasingly annoyed, she called her godfather to remedy the situation.
"Deborvak!" she called. A slim faerie with mid-shoulder length dark purple hair (it looked more like black with a purple sheen), royal purple eyes, and black dragon wings appeared in front of her. His skin was ruddy due to his Fire element and he wore a white pinned robe with the symbol of two dragons crossed in gold. With his robe he had on a black crystal necklace and open toed sandals. His face was a little chubby, almost childlike, but his forehead was broad and his ears pointed. There was a single gold circlet around his index finger, which was new.
"We're setting stuff on fire?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
He aimed his wand and she cried, "No! I did it by accident!"
"I thought you were trying to burn the evidence," he said and quickly put out the shirt before it spread throughout her room. Unlike the other faeries Tootie had encountered, Deborvak seldom floated. Instead, he stood before her and inspected her.
"Bad day?"
"I have to go on a family trip with Vicky!" she cried.
"And you haven't got a thing to wear," he teased, but there was seriousness behind his tone. "You know, Tootie, since Vicky is family, it's not surprising you'd have to eventually take a family trip with her."
"Spare me your witticisms," she snapped. "I wish-"
"No," he said and smirked. "You don't. I retain the right to start a training session whenever I want, and I've decided this would be an excellent time for one."
"All right, but make it snappy," she said. "We have to leave by five."
"Oh, no, that's not what I meant," he said and his eyes gleamed. "Your assignment is to learn to use magic more effectively-"his gaze fell upon her scorched shirt- "and still manage to do it under Vicky's nose."
"But that's impossible!" she protested.
"Not impossible," he corrected. "Vicky is not Crocker. Vicky does not insist on every abnormal event being magic. In fact, Vicky, along with a lot of other humans in this town, is easy to dupe in regards to magic. Besides, faeries use magic under humans' noses all the time."
"Don't I have any say in when these training sessions happen?" she groaned.
"No," he said. "By the way, where are you going?"
"To some dumb hotel resort," she said. "We're going to tour all the sights and Vicky will make my life miserable."
"Not necessarily," he said. "Any changes in temperature I should be aware of? Any natural predators that might decide to chomp on a faerie dragon?"
"There's the brochure," she said, pointing at it morosely. It was on her bedside table and Deborvak leafed through it. In frustration, she resumed packing. It always seemed like Deb had the worst timing ever. Sometimes, she thought he liked to make her life just as miserable as Vicky, only in different ways. It had been a few months since their last training session and she still hadn't gotten the hang of it.
"Don't worry," he said aloud and put the brochure down. "You'll be all right."
"Were you reading my mind?" she said, wrinkling her nose.
"Did you get a headache?" he replied.
"No," she said, bemused.
"Then I wasn't reading your mind," he answered. "How about a starter test? Clear your mind of all negative thoughts and worries and try to pack using magic. It's a directed spell, so all you have to do is think about what you want in your luggage and how you want it arranged."
"How's Vela?" she asked, attempting to clear her mind and make small talk. Maybe if she concentrated on his strange family, she wouldn't feel so overwhelmed.
"All right," he said. "Tired. The baby's colicky. Why don't you try emptying your mind? Just pretend you're Cosmo."
"Very funny," she said. However, because it was the best suggestion she had, she envisioned herself as Timmy's dull witted godfather. Vicky couldn't hurt her because they didn't really exist in the same space and she was married to someone who could fix all her messes. There were no real worries or concerns, so long as she didn't get caught. The thought was oddly relaxing.
"Bibbidity bobbity boo," he teased. Rolling her eyes, she waved her wand. This time, the clothes went exactly where she wanted them to go. The suitcase shook, but it didn't react like an angry volcano. Encouraged, she thought about what else she needed to pack. Objects didn't float straight into the suitcase; they wobbled and hesitated, reflecting her uncertainties. However, within five minutes, she had everything packed and she waved the wand to shut the suitcase. It didn't budge.
"What'd I do wrong?" she asked.
Deb waved his wand and a small canister nestled in between her swimsuit and suntan lotion. "Insurance."
Tootie stepped forward and grimaced. "Is that really necessary?"
"I'm not going to be able to reach you part of this weekend," he said. "There's a mix-up about some dragon eggs. It might seem like a bit much, but I don't trust Vicky at all."
She eyed the can and then Deb. "What about your family? Would they come if I called?"
"Vela would, but you know her full name, I believe," he said. "Aurelia might if she's inclined, but she'll be helping me with dragon eggs. If it makes you feel any better, rumor has it Timmy's parents might be taking a family vacation to the same resort. If you really need help, you can always call on Cosmo and Wanda."
"They'd come?" she replied. "I'm not their godchild."
"I worked out something with them," he said and she eyed him skeptically.
"Yes, I did ask them this time, Toots," he said. "It's not like the time I told them at the last minute I had to go and then dumped responsibility on them."
She frowned, still uncertain. With the suitcase packed, all that was left was to steel herself to face Vicky for an entire weekend. She crept to the door and opened it- Vicky was shoving things into a suitcase and screaming all the while.
"An entire weekend of babysitting lost!" she cried. "All that money down the drain!"
"No one tell her Timmy's going to be there," Deb muttered in Tootie's ear. "Wouldn't want to ruin his vacation too."
"Like you ruined mine?" she replied.
"It's not ruined," he said. "Think of it as being under drastic reconstruction."
She huffed and shut the door. She didn't want Vicky to know she was outside and eavesdropping, although anyone within five hundred feet could probably hear her screeching. Shuddering, Tootie leaned against the door and looked at her godfather.
"I don't want to go. Can't you think up some other training session for me?"
"Tootie, I say this in all seriousness- you're stuck with your family for the rest of your life," he said. "Some people, like us, are unlucky enough to end up with mortal enemies who happen to live with us. You have to grin and bear it."
"But why this weekend?" she groaned. "I had plans."
"Judging by the amount of complaining Vicky's doing, she did too," he said. "Maybe you'll find you have something in common."
She looked at him sourly. "Did you find that out with your mortal enemy?"
"I did," he said and then smiled. "That didn't make me like him any more, though."
"Then why would you tell me that?" she groaned.
"It sounded like the right thing to say," he answered, to her exasperation. She looked around her bedroom at all the various art projects she'd been in the middle of working on and a collage that was half finished. None of it would get done this weekend. She'd have to leave it under lock and key to prevent Vicky from savaging it.
"This sucks," she said, stomping her foot.
Deborvak smoothed back her hair and smiled. "It's three thirty. How about we make some fun wishes before you have the weekend from hell?"
Their resort was located in the woods, but there was a swimming pool a half hour away. Tootie had spent the entire drive there being poked, prodded, and tormented by Vicky. Her spirits were low, despite the wishes she had made, and she didn't know how she was going to endure this weekend without her godfather or Timmy. Timmy's godparents were always around. Deb showed up when he felt like it, although he always came when she called. The whole world didn't seem fair right now and she wanted to curl into a ball and sulk.
Her mother shot an anxious look at Vicky. "We're going to go hiking tomorrow. For tonight, I want you two to settle into your room and try to get along."
"We're sharing a room?"Tootie and Vicky exclaimed. They immediately took a step away from each other and cried, in unison, "But Mom!"
"I want us to come out of this trip a family again," their father said. Tootie scoffed. That was impossible. She was only half related to Vicky and the half she was she didn't like. She wondered what Deb meant about a mortal enemy within his family. Whoever they were, they couldn't possibly be as bad as Vicky.
"We never were a family to begin with," Vicky retorted. "All right, let's get this over with. I might be able to babysit over webcam."
"This is a rustic, family gathering," her father said. "No internet."
Vicky turned around slowly; her jaw dropped. "You're joking."
"No internet and no TV," their mother said. Tootie thought of the can Deb had packed. She might need it. Vicky would not be a happy camper without her two favorite things.
"What is this- a third world country?" Vicky complained. "Who doesn't have internet and TV in this day and age? Next you'll tell us there's no phone, either."
"There's a phone," their mother said and they sighed, relieved. That was, until she added, "It's a ten minute drive."
"No phone?" Vicky sputtered. "No internet? No TV? That's it. We're leaving. Everyone, back in the car."
"We're not going anywhere," their father said. It was the first time he had put his foot down to Vicky in a while. "We are going to stay here and bond as a family."
"Without TV? Or internet? Or phone? What are we? Savages?" Vicky said, disbelieving.
"Get inside the cabin, Vicky," her mother said and, without protest, Vicky let herself be led inside. Tootie looked at the cabin- it was a rustic wooden enclosure with a couple screened in windows.
"Deb?" she whispered.
He appeared in miniature holding a black dragon egg the size of his body. It had upraised swirls and shook slightly in his arms. "Yes?"
"I'm pretty sure this is going to be the weekend from hell," she said. "Are you sure I can't wish myself out of it?"
"Too late for that," he said. "Just remember- make sure your parents are far away before giving into temptation."
"What?" she said.
"Leave no witnesses. No one's ever charged a mythological creature with anything and had it stick," he said and then vanished. Tootie's mouth hung open.
"Tootie, come inside!" her mother called and she stared at the space he had occupied.
"This is your half of the room and…" Vicky drew a line down the middle between the two beds. "This is mine."
"What if I have to go to the bathroom?" Tootie asked. The line kept the door on Vicky's side and gave Tootie only enough space for her bed and her suitcase.
"You should have thought of that before you got in the car," Vicky sneered.
Tootie frowned. She could fight with her about it, or she could try to use magic to change Vicky's mind or otherwise alter circumstances. She had used magic before to solve problems, but they were extraordinary problems, not mundane ones. Twisting her head, she looked out the window. She had an idea.
"Fine, but my bed has a better view," she said.
"Of what?" Vicky snorted. "Trees and more trees?"
"Of all the other cabins with kids who need to be babysat while their parents are away," she replied. Careful not to attract Vicky's attention, she waved her wand in front of her with her back to Vicky. The cabins moved closer and projected the image of young children in need of a babysitter. Vicky left her bed and the chalk to stare out the window.
"Let me see," she said. Tootie stepped away.
"Be my guest," she said. "But now you're on my side of the line."
"That bed sucks anyway," she said. "You can have it."
Tootie didn't have to see her sister's expression to see the dollar signs in her eyes. The cabins hadn't really moved- it was part of the faerie glamour she had projected. She didn't know enough magic to move large solid matter yet and the illusion would fade after a few hours, but she was getting better at it. Vicky was convinced, at any rate.
"No line," Vicky decided. "But stay out of my way."
"Gladly," Tootie muttered.
As it turned out, more than her family and the Turners were gathered in the group cafeteria a mile walk down the road. There were a number of teenagers too and a few small children. The small children immediately rushed to their parents and clung to them upon seeing Vicky. Vicky scoffed and headed for the group of teenagers, mostly male, who were in a corner discussing how lame their parents were for dragging them on this trip. Tootie found another corner and tried not to jump Timmy, who had also spotted Vicky and looked wary.
"Hey," a pink book said on the table in front of her. Tootie grinned.
"Hi, Wanda," she said. "Aren't you supposed to be with Timmy?"
"Cosmo and Poof are with him," she replied. "He'll be fine for a few minutes. Have you heard from Juandissimo?"
"He sent me a couple cards," she said. "He shows up once every two weeks and tries, but it's still kinda awkward."
Wanda nodded.
"Also, for some odd reason, he doesn't like Deborvak," she said and Wanda laughed.
"Deborvak scared him," she said. "Don't worry about it. Why don't you go say hi to Timmy? His parents are ignoring him again and it might make him feel better to have a friendly face."
Tootie scowled. Timmy was currently looking at Trixie's picture and muttering to it. Or maybe he was muttering to Cosmo, whom Tootie couldn't see from this angle. It was a large room and Timmy's parents blocked most of her view of Timmy. She was along the far wall, with the teenagers occupying the corner near the fire.
"He looks busy," she said.
"Try anyway, hun," Wanda said. "You shouldn't be by yourself. Where's Deb?"
"Something to do with dragon eggs," Tootie said. "I don't know. He's being all cryptic again."
"Hmm," Wanda said. "Did you want to do some training?"
"This whole weekend is training," she huffed. "And aren't you supposed to be watching Timmy and Cosmo?"
"Oh, Timmy won't wish for anything stupid with this big an audience," Wanda replied confidently. "And if you don't want to talk to Timmy, I could use some time away from the boys."
There was something odd about Wanda's offer, but Tootie couldn't piece out what right now. Nodding, she rose from her seat and Wanda became a pink ring on her right pinky. Almost the instant she rose Timmy's eyes were upon her and Wanda disguised on her hand. His nostrils flared and Tootie shoved her right hand into her pocket. Her heart hammered, but Timmy didn't pursue her. For now, it appeared she was safe.
Outside, it was a beautiful sunny day and the birds were chirping. Tootie had a crick in her neck and rubbed it to relieve the stiffness. Wanda had disguised herself as a squirrel and skipped along, leading Tootie up a path strewn with gravel. It wound through the trees and she couldn't see the end from here.
"What are you going to teach me?" she asked.
"I'm not sure if Deborvak taught you how to draw from the ley lines in emergencies," she said.
"He did," Tootie said, thinking on it. "A while ago. I think."
"A refresher course can't hurt," she said. Wanda set off on the path and Tootie followed. Their surroundings were peaceful and, despite herself, she smiled. She felt at one with nature here.
"I've looked into Deborvak's past," Wanda said.
"I know he's half faerie and half dragon," Tootie said. "And that I can never bring up his father."
Wanda nodded, skipping up a tree. "I can't find out much more than that, either. It's troubling, because every fairy godparent in Fairy World's history has had an easily accessible record. There's almost no record of him. I know he's new, but…"
"Does he know you were snooping around?" she asked.
"No," Wanda said and grimaced. "Don't tell him. He distrusts me enough as it is. I was looking into it to figure out what kind of godparent he might be, especially since Juandissimo is terrified of him now."
"You didn't ask Juan- my father- why?" she said. It was strange to call him her father, even though he was.
"He won't tell me," she responded. "And Deborvak is oddly mercurial, so it's hard to get a measure for his abilities."
"Are you worried about me?" she asked.
"You seem to be reasonably happy under his care and there doesn't appear to be anything wrong…" Wanda frowned.
"But?" Tootie prompted.
"I don't know," Wanda said and shifted into her true form once they were fully immersed in the woods. "Fairy World never has half breeds and those it has they cover up. It's unheard of to teach them magic. This whole situation is strange."
"What happened to the others like me?" she said. Wanda didn't answer and her heartbeat picked up. "Wanda?"
"When half breeds are born, there are no anti-fairies, so there's no balance. It's too dangerous to keep them around unchecked."
"Wanda," she pressed, growing nervous.
"Why don't you reach for the ley lines here?" she said and Tootie's eyes flashed. She advanced and Wanda gulped.
"What do they do to the half-breeds?" she snapped.
"They're locked up," Wanda said softly. "They have their own community, but they're not allowed on Earth or in the general population."
"They're punished for being born?" Tootie exclaimed.
"Jorgen put a ban on having children," she said, "because of what Cosmo did as a baby. It didn't stop illicit mating, especially between interspecies, because the ban only applies to fairy-fairy copulations."
"Then shouldn't they train them? There aren't enough fairy godparents to go around. Why would they lock them up?" Tootie's eyes filled with tears.
"When half-breeds were first born, they were magically unstable. This led to mental instability and some of them attacked children. Jorgen locked them up for their own protection."
Tootie hugged herself. "I'm not unstable."
"That's why Jorgen wants you trained," she said gently. "To see if the others can be trained as well."
"So I'm an experiment?" she asked bitterly. "What if I go crazy like all the others?"
"They didn't all go crazy," she answered. "I don't know the specifics, however. You'd have to ask Jorgen."
"Or Deb," Tootie muttered.
"No, Deb wouldn't know," she said. "He's less than a hundred and not born in this universe."
This brought her up short. They stopped at the base of a hill and Tootie frowned. "Did you really want me to practice or was this a pretense to talk?"
"The latter," Wanda said. "I have to make sure Cosmo, Timmy, and Poof are distracted before I sneak off."
"Is that why you wanted to know about Deb's past? Because he's a half breed and might be unstable?" she asked.
"No," Wanda said and shook her head. "I actually meant to ask you about Juandissimo and whether you two were getting along."
"As well as we can considering he's in love with himself and hates that his daughter is an ugly duckling," Tootie muttered.
"It'll pass, sweetie," Wanda said and then frowned. "Your braces, I meant. Unfortunately, Juandissimo will be vain forever."
"Is that why you dumped him?" she asked.
"Yes and no," she said. "It's part of it. The other part is that Juandissimo cheated on me and tried to force me into something before I was ready."
"Does he have any redeeming qualities?" Tootie huffed.
Wanda smiled. "He's an excellent godfather. And he can be very caring and concerned when he's not obsessed with himself."
"Wish I could see that side of him," she grumbled and looked up. Deborvak appeared in a tree with the black dragon egg clutched to his body. Wanda frowned.
"Told you I had to do something with dragon eggs," he said to her. "Hmm. While I am tempted to continue the training session and see how you succeed with more mundane problems, the temptation to force Juandissimo to stay here and prove himself is much greater."
"Fairies can't be wished away by other fairies," Wanda reminded him.
"This isn't 'wishing away'," he said. "That wish implies finality. This is temporary. The wording is vague and open to questioning."
"You'd really let me off the hook to spend time with my father?" Tootie said.
Deborvak's face became unreadable. "I'd prefer he came of his own free will, but I've had it up to here with disappearing parents. And it is your wish, not his."
"You'll grant it, then?" she couldn't conceal the excitement in her voice. Deb's lips twitched in a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I will," he said. "On the condition you continue to practice over the weekend and use magic judiciously."
He held up his wand and Juandissimo appeared in the woods. He was in the middle of brushing his hair and admiring himself in the mirror. At his appearance, Deborvak disappeared, but not before making a rude gesture at Juandissimo behind Wanda's head so she couldn't see him.
"What am I doing here?" Juandissimo wondered. His gaze landed upon Wanda and he rushed to kiss her hand. "Wandita! You are here to help me, finally, raise our child together! You shall adopt her and together, we will usher her out of the ugly duckling phase and into swan-hood."
Use magic judiciously, huh? Or she could do what Deb did and use magic to play tricks on people. Her lips twisted and she waved her wand. Three pinecones slammed into Juandissimo's head.
"You're here because I'm stuck here for family weekend," Tootie said and then smiled. "You're part of my family. Congratulations."
"Then why are you here, mi amor?" Juandissimo asked.
"Because Timmy is," she said simply. "Why else would I be here?"
Juandissimo's face fell and he glanced from Wanda and Tootie. Tootie forced her smile brighter, although it hurt her cheeks.
"Come on," she said. "You know, I don't even know what to call you."
"You are my first child," he said. "I have never had to worry about that before."
Wanda muttered something that sounded like 'maybe you should of thought of that before you had her'. Her gaze burned holes into Juandissimo's face.
The Hispanic fairy licked his lips and then said, "You can call me 'Father', if you want."
"I have a better term, but you can't repeat it around children," Deb's disembodied voice called.
"Quiet you," Wanda said and aimed a blast at where his voice had come from. It bounced off a shield and burned a small bush.
"Remy has a series of meetings to attend to for his father's company," Juandissimo informed them. "So I may have to come back and forth."
"That's fine," Tootie said. "As long as you come back."
Wanda's expression was dark and she nodded agreement, but there was something else hinted at that Tootie didn't want to guess. Then again, after her explanation of what happened to half-breeds, she didn't think she wanted to know, either.
Wanda returned to Timmy, Cosmo, and Poof, and Tootie decided, since no one was going to miss her for a while, to continue up the trail. Juandissimo followed, not bothering with disguises since there were no other humans around.
"Were you ever going to come back for me?" she asked. "Or were you just using me?"
"To be honest, I have never had the responsibility of a child that was my own," he said. "I am used to handing off responsibility."
"You were going to hand me off and avoid me?" she said. She was unable to keep the hurt from her voice.
"I did not know," he said. "I had not thought about it."
"You didn't think about me at all?" she said. In their past meetings, they hadn't been together for very long. Something or another kept calling one of them away. This was their first opportunity to speak since she had discovered her parentage.
"I was always busy and-" he stopped. Her lower lip was trembling and she had to fight off tears. The cuckoo in the tree above them looked a lot like Deb.
"I am sorry," he said and bowed his head. "Really and truly sorry. I did not mean to neglect you. It hadn't occurred to me what I had done, in full, and I am so very, very sorry, Tootie."
"Did you know that they locked half-breeds up?" she demanded. She sat down on the ground and struggled not to cry. Tears burned the corners of her eyes and she let out a single, hoarse sob. Juandissimo hugged her and he smelled strongly of cologne.
"I did not," he said. "Where did you hear this?"
"Wah-Wanda," Tootie stuttered and started crying in earnest. He held her tightly and rubbed her back.
"Had I known that, I would have come for you sooner," he promised. She thought she heard Deborvak scoff, but wasn't sure.
"Now that you know I'm your kid, you're going to be around more often, right?" she whispered. Her greatest fear was being abandoned and losing her magical heritage, turning her into a normal kid whose parents ignored her because they feared Vicky.
Juandissimo didn't reply and her heart rate quickened. "Right?"
"If I may be honest," he said. "I feel I am in over my head."
"You're not going to give up, are you?" she asked severely.
He looked into her tear filled eyes and thumbed away her tears. His expression was soft and comforting, like how she had always wanted her parents to look at her. Before they were afraid of Vicky, they had reacted like that. More tears formed.
"No," he promised. "I will not abandon you again."
"I wish you were my godfather," she whispered, not even thinking about it. The cuckoo Deb bird fell out of the tree and landed in front of them. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Jorgen Von Strangle appeared in front of them and Tootie clutched Juandissimo tightly, as if afraid Jorgen would take him away from her.
"That's the wish you hear?" Deborvak exclaimed. "What the fuck, man?"
"Language!" Jorgen thundered.
"No," Deborvak snapped. "You do not get to reprimand me. You heard her. She wants Juandissimo over me."
He shifted back into his normal form and she saw something she had never seen before. Deborvak had a tail and it was twitching madly, sweeping the dust back and forth. It twitched in time with his ears.
"Godchildren do not normally wish for other children's godparents," Jorgen said, ignoring Deborvak entirely. "However, as this is a special circumstance-"
"I don't get a say in this?" Deb asked. He sounded hurt. "You just get to take her away from me and that's it? I've been teaching her magic, exactly as you assigned me. I've been taking good care of her."
Tootie bit her lip. Deb's distress was obvious and she felt guilty now. She hadn't meant to say that. It had been a spur of the moment thing. Even after months, she still hadn't gotten used to the idea that 'I wish' held a real, tangible weight now. She was used to it being abstract and meaningless.
"Perhaps she would be better off with her birth father," Jorgen said and glared at Deb. To Deb's credit, he didn't react.
"You don't frighten me," Deb snapped. "You may scare every other fairy in the universe, aside from Big Daddy, but not me. You're a giant bully, nothing more."
Tootie's eyes widened. "I didn't mean it! I want to keep Deb as my godfather! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause all this!"
"Wouldn't this qualify as 'fairies cannot be wished away by other fairies'?" Deb said harshly. "Or am I misinterpreting your lavishly vague Da Rules again?"
Jorgen faltered. "This has never happened before, with a human half-breed in training desiring her father, who is an active godparent."
"Why is it you only plan for the contingencies after they happen?" Deb snapped.
Jorgen surveyed the group. "I will temporarily assign Juandissimo to Tootie for a week and Remy will have Deborvak."
"What?" Juandissimo, Tootie, and Deb said in unison.
"No," Deb said. "I refuse."
"You cannot refuse," Jorgen said. "It is a direct order."
"You hired me to teach Tootie," Deb said. "Remy is a full blooded human. I refuse to godparent him. Find someone else."
"There is no one else!" Jorgen snapped. "You will obey me!"
"You want me to babysit him?" Deborvak hissed. "Fine. I'll grant his stupid little wishes. But he'll never love me."
With that, Deb disappeared. He was the only fairy she knew who didn't leave fairy dust behind when he left. Mouth agape, she turned to Juandissimo, who looked just as stunned.
"I will return in a week!" Jorgen announced and was gone. Tootie felt like she'd been run over by a truck.
"While I do not like Deborvak, I think perhaps you may owe him an apology," Juandissimo murmured.
"I didn't mean…I didn't mean to!" she protested, tears welling again. "I forgot 'I wish' meant anything! This isn't my fault! Deborvakovik, come back!"
Though she had been taught they had to obey and return at their true name, he did not. It may have been that he flinched somewhere, far away, having heard her but not obeying.