Bridge of Mist and Fog by nikki broadwell Page B

relationship?
    But there were topics they couldn’t discuss, like his father. The last time he’d brought him up Airy had asked him to stop; she’d heard too many creepy stories about Brandubh from her parents. Fehin couldn’t blame her since the man had very nearly destroyed the Otherworld. He assured her his father had been banished, sent to a place he could never escape. But somehow Wolf had escaped from the same place. He was pondering this when he heard a voice.
    “Are you coming to class today?”
    He turned to see a boy in his math class staring at him. Gary was nice enough but for some reason Fehin didn’t feel comfortable around him. “I have to since we’re having a test.”
    Gary laughed. “You missed the last one.”
    “I did?”
    “Yeah, you did. I saw you with that girl—the one with the red hair? Don’t say I blame you for skipping out.”
    Fehin didn’t know he’d missed a test that day and hoped Gary was mistaken. Every test counted 25% of the grade. “I guess I’d better talk with the TA. I’ll have to make it up.”
    It was sometime later in the afternoon that Fehin saw Wolf and Gary walking across the quad together. What the hell?
    ***
    “Can you two please shut up?”
    Fehin glanced over at the pirate. “Sorry,” he said, sliding closer to Airy.
    “We probably should go to sleep now,” Airy whispered in his ear.
    “How can I lying next to you?”
    “If we can’t sleep then we can’t do this, Fehin. I’ll never make it on no sleep.”
    “I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving,” Fehin whispered, trying as hard as he could not to grab her and pull her close. The bed was narrow and too small for two people but when he suggested sleeping on the floor she’d said no. He was trying to relax but her proximity and the scent of her hair and skin was driving him mad.
    He finally fell into a fitful sleep with dreams of Wolf barging through the door and his feeble attempts to stave off the larger boy. When he woke in the morning Airy was not in bed. He turned to see her pulling on her jeans.
    “I thought you were still asleep,” she said, flushing.
    “Where’s the pirate?”
    “She’s gone to breakfast. You better be careful. If she hears you call her that you’ll be out of here in a second.”
    “Maybe she’d appreciate the name,” he muttered, swinging his legs off the bed. At Airy’s insistence he’d slept in his jeans. He reached for his shirt where he’d hung it over a chair and pulled it on. “Only two more days until break.”
    Airy had turned her back to button her blouse. “I hope you can behave yourself while we’re up there.”
    “Whatever do you mean?” he asked innocently, pulling on his socks and shoes.
    “My grandparents are free thinkers but I doubt they’ll let us share a room.”
    Fehin chuckled. “I’d be most surprised if they did, Airy. After all, we’re only sixteen.”
    Airy laughed. “They’ll like you.”
    “Who’s in there?” a voice called out. Fehin dove under the bed just before the door opened revealing the older girl who monitored the dorm. “Who were you talking to?” she demanded.
    “Hi Sandy. I was talking to myself. I do it a lot,” Airy answered.
    “If there’s a boy in here you’re in major trouble. You know it’s against the rules.”
    “There’s no one in here but me.”
    Under the bed Fehin waved his hands, deflecting the monitor’s attention and putting something else in her head.
    “Are you getting along with Storm?” Sandy asked, as though that was the entire reason she’d come in.
    “Storm and I get along great,” Airy answered.
    “Well, good then. See you later,” she said before backing out the door and closing it.
    Fehin slid out from under the bed and stood up, brushing the dust off his shirt and jeans.
    “What did you do?” Airy whispered.
    “Just a little magic trick.”
    Airy shook her head and then hugged him. “We’ve got to get to class. Wait here until I tell you,” she said, opening