For the next couple of weeks, Mara carried on quite well. She had begun to sleep most nights for at least four or five hours. Nothing she needed was above her eye line, and so she rarely tilted her head up. She moved cautiously from side to side. To her ultimate delight, she had been excused from PE class.
Christi showed some dutiful concern. More often, however, she spent her time between her boyfriends’ houses. Once, Christi's mother had called Mara to speak with her daughter. Mara had lied, saying that Christi was in the bathroom. She then called the boys’ houses in order to track down her friend. Ten minutes later, Christi had called her mother back from some boy's basement.
At their lockers the next day, she had thanked Mara for handling the situation. Although it tore her heart out, Mara looked her dear, old friend straight in the eyes.
“It's okay. We're even,” she said void of any emotion. Christi held her gaze and then nodded. She walked away with tears in her eyes. She understood.
That night, Mara slept and dreamed of Battery, Blaze, Professor Akub, and Dru. They were having a dinner party and had set a place for her. Dru was wearing a mask as if he was at a masquerade ball. Battery threw a glass of water in his face. The dream turned nasty. Dru spat at Battery. In the background, Blaze and Dr. Akub were holding hands and gazing longingly into each other's eyes. Battery screamed at them, “He's not my father!”
Mara jolted awake, drenched with sweat. Something was not right. Her clock read 11:54 p.m. It was still early. Kneeling on her bed, Mara opened her bedroom window a crack. Outside was a mock cherry tree. When it blossomed in spring, it gave off the most soothing fragrance Mara had ever smelled. Mara saw two eyes glinting at her from the tree. Then, a bubblegum-pink nose and a flash of white fur disappeared.
“Pixie?” she whispered.
The phone rang. Mara leaped out of bed, not the slightest bit concerned about her dizziness, and grabbed it.
“Hello.”
“Mara?” The line was crackly. She heard a shrill buzz.
“Yes, it's me!” shouted Mara, in her loudest whisper.
“It's Battery and Dr. Akub. Please try to come again.”
“What? I can't hear–” exclaimed Mara, as her voice was cut off.
“–monkey bars. Every day. Same time as before,” gurgled Battery.
“Okay. I'll come. Miss you.”
“Me too. Bye.” Mara hung up the telephone and returned to bed, her mind now racing. Her father was still reading in bed and called out to her.
“Who was that at this hour?”
“An old friend. I'll tell you in the morning,” offered Mara.
“Please tell your friends not to call so late at night.”
“Okay, Dad. Good night.” Mara knew that these particular friends would never risk calling at all unless there was an urgent problem.
Before going to school the following morning, Mara told her father that she might be late home. She invented a school fund-raising function and said pizza would be provided for volunteers. She knew the pizza was a good touch as he would be concerned about her missing dinner otherwise.
Mara was ambivalent. She felt proud of her quick thinking and yet sad that she had to lie to her father. Her father respected and completely trusted her. That was how she came to have so much freedom. She felt more than a twinge of guilt at her inability to be honest.
Unable to think of anything other than Battery, Mara zipped through her day. She walked down the hall in a daze. A group of popular kids called her Tipsy as she passed. She barely noticed. Her French teacher tried to speak to her about her uncharacteristically poor quiz mark. But Mara's mind was elsewhere.
When the last bell finally rang, Mara packed her bag and said good-bye to Christi. She dashed out of the school and toward the park near the elementary school. She hid her packsack in the bushes and looked around. No one was looking.
She spun around three times, ran to the monkey bars, and started to climb. Trying to move jerkily, she stared at the ground. The sudden twist of her head did disorient her. An electric current raced through her. But it was not enough. She remained.
Mara had another idea. She climbed across the bars and hung in the centre. She swung her legs up and hooked her knees over a bar. Then she released her arms and hung upside down. She counted to ten while the blood rushed to her head. She swung back up, grabbed the bar, and jumped to the ground. Blood drained back into her body. Nothing. Solid as a rock.
She heard a rustling in the direction of the gravel path. Mara turned her head sharply and gasped. It was Christi! And then she was gone.
Mara fell to her knees about a foot away from where she had been. She looked up. Instead of Christi, standing above her was Dr. Akub.
“Mara, my dear! So glad you could come.”
“Dr. Akub, what's going on?” pleaded Mara urgently.
“Come with me,” he said. “Battery won't be much longer. Then we'll explain the whole situation.” With that, he glanced her over. A look of concern crossed his piercing dark eyes. Noticing, Mara returned a quizzical glance. He smiled and ushered her into his car.