Brandon Mull - Fablehaven 02 - Rise of the Evening Star

Fablehaven Rise of the Morning Star

(Fablehaven Series, Book 2)

Brandon Mull1

The New Student

Crowding into homeroom with the other eighth graders,

Kendra found her way to her desk. In a moment the bell would ring, signaling the start of the last week of school.

One final week and she would leave middle school behind forever and start anew as a high school freshman, mingling with kids from two other junior highs.

A year ago that had sounded like a more exciting prospect than it did now. Kendra had been stuck in a nerd rut since around fourth grade, and a fresh start in high school might have meant an opportunity to shed the quiet, studious image. But this had been a renaissance year.

Amazing how swiftly a little confidence and a more outgoing attitude could elevate your social status. Kendra no longer felt as desperate for a new beginning.2 Alyssa Carter sat down in the desk next to her. I heardwe get yearbooks today, she said. She had short blonde hair and a slender build. Kendra had met Alyssa after making the soccer team back in September.

Great, I looked hypnotized in my picture, Kendra groaned.

Yours was adorable. Remember mine? My braces look the size of train tracks.

Whatever. You could hardly even notice them.

The bell rang. Most of the kids were in their seats. Mrs.

Price entered the room accompanied by the most disfigured student Kendra had ever seen. The boy had a bald, scabrous scalp and a face like a chapped welt. His eyes were puckered slits, his nose a malformed cavity, his mouth lipless and crusty. He scratched his arm, crooked fingers lumpy with bulging warts.

The hideous boy was otherwise nicely dressed in a black and red button-down shirt, jeans, and stylish tennis shoes.

He stood in front of the class beside Mrs. Price while she introduced him.

I'd like you all to meet Casey Hancock. His family just moved here from California. It can't be easy starting at a new school so late in the year, so please give him a warm welcome.

Just call me Case, the boy rasped. He spoke like he was strangling.

Would you look at that, Alyssa murmured.

No kidding, Kendra whispered back. The poor kid barely looked human. Mrs. Price directed him to a desk near3 the front of the room. Creamy pus leaked from multiplesores on the back of his scabby head.

I think I'm in love, Alyssa said.

Don't be mean, Kendra muttered.

What? I'm serious. Don't you think he's a hottie?

Alyssa was acting so sincere that Kendra found herself repressing a smile. That's just cruel.

Are you blind? He's amazing! Alyssa sounded genuinely offended that Kendra didn't agree.

If you say so, Kendra placated. Just not my type.

Alyssa shook her head as if Kendra were crazy. You must be the pickiest girl on the planet.

Morning announcements were droning over the loudspeaker.

Case was talking with Jonathon White. Jonathon smiled and laughed. That was strange ---- Jonathon was a jerk, not the sort of kid to befriend a circus freak. Kendra noticed

Jenna Chamberlain and Karen Sommers sharing looks and whispers as if they too found Case attractive. Like Alyssa, they didn't seem to be joking. Scanning the room, Kendra didn't see a single student who seemed repulsed by his appearance.

What was going on? Nobody who looked this weird could come into a class without raising any eyebrows.

And suddenly the truth was apparent.

Casey Hancock looked inhumanly deformed and hideous because he was not a human. He had to be some sort of goblin who looked like a normal kid to everybody else. Kendra alone could see his true form, the aftereffect of having been kissed by hundreds of giant fairies.4 Since leaving Fablehaven nearly a year ago, Kendra hadseen magical creatures only twice. Once she had noticed a bearded man barely a foot tall pulling a length of pipe out of a pile of rubble behind the movie theater. When she tried to move in for a closer look, the tiny man scurried away into a storm drain. On another occasion she spotted what looked like a golden owl with a human face. She made eye contact with the creature for an instant before it took flight in a flurry of gilded feathers.

Such odd sights were usually veiled from mortal eyes.

Her Grandpa Sorenson had introduced her to magical milk that enabled people to see through the illusions that normally concealed mystical creatures. When the fairy kisses had made that ability permanent, he had warned Kendra that sometimes it was safer to leave certain things unseen.

And here she was, staring at a grotesque monster posing as a new student in her homeroom! Mrs. Price came down the aisle handing out yearbooks. Kendra doodled absently on one of her book covers. Why was the creature here?

Surely it had something to do with her. Unless repulsive goblins routinely infiltrated the public school system. Was he here to spy? To cause trouble? Almost certainly he was up to mischief.

Glancing up, Kendra caught the goblin staring at her over his shoulder. She should be glad to be aware the new kid had a hidden identity, right? The knowledge made her nervous, but it would help her prepare to counter any threat he might pose. With her secret ability, she could keep an eye5 on him. If she played it cool, Case would have no idea shecould see his true form.

* * * *

Shaped like a huge box, Roosevelt Middle School was constructed so that in winter the students never needed to go outdoors. Interior hallways connected everything, and the same room where they held assemblies doubled as an indoor cafeteria. But beneath the June sun, Kendra found herself seated outside for lunch with three friends at a circular table connected to curved benches.

Kendra signed Brittany's yearbook while munching on a croissant sandwich. Trina was signing Kendra's, Alyssa was signing Trina's, and Brittany was signing Alyssa's. It was important for Kendra to write a long, meaningful message after all, these were her best friends. Have a great summer might work for acquaintances, but true friends required something more original. The key was to mention specific jokes you had shared, or fun things you had done together during the year. At the moment, Kendra was writing about the time Brittany couldn't stop laughing while trying to give an oral report in History.

Suddenly, uninvited, Casey Hancock plopped down at their table holding a lunch tray loaded with cafeteria lasagna, sliced carrots, and chocolate milk. Trina and Alyssa scooted aside to make room for him. It was almost unprecedented boldness for a lone boy to settle in at a table with four girls. Trina appeared slightly annoyed. Alyssa shot6 Kendra a look as if she had just won the lottery. If onlyAlyssa could see what her new crush actually looked like!

I don't think we've met, Case announced, his voice pinched and gravelly. I'm Case. I just moved here. Just hearing him speak made Kendra's throat sore.

Alyssa introduced herself and the others. Case had been in two of Kendra's classes since homeroom. He had been well received each time he had stood up front for an introduction, particularly by the girls.

Case lifted a forkful of lasagna to his toothless mouth, affording Kendra a glimpse of his narrow black tongue.

Watching him chew made her stomach churn.

So what do you do for fun around here ? Case asked around a mouthful of carrots.

We start by sitting with people we know, Trina said.

Kendra covered a smile. She had never been so grateful to see Trina giving somebody a hard time.

Is this the cool kids' table? Case replied with mock surprise.

I'd planned to start at the bottom and work my way up. The comeback left Trina speechless. Case winked at