Jaci Dawn

A black SUV with heavily tinted windows pulled up to the curb in front of the State Capitol building. Three men in dark suits and red ties got out, looking slowly around the town. Their expressions told nothing, and they walked up the wide stairs to the Capitol doors.
An old woman wearing a pink parka stepped out from behind a pillar. Her pink floral dress covered her legs down to the fuzzy mukluks she wore. “You won’t get in,” she said.
The lead man looked her over, eyeing the grey hair blowing out from under the parka hood. “Who might you be?”
“Mrs. Swainson. I come down here to complain because one of my cats got into it last night with an owl, and all the owls’re supposed to be dead. Doors have been locked since 9:ooAM, and no sign out.” She spat off to the side.
“Killing owls would be a Federal offense,” the man said.
“Keep the cat indoors,” another one of them said.
The third man walked up to the doors and pulled. He banged on the glass and waved at a teenager walking by inside. He pulled out an official looking badge and held it to the glass.
The boy was in a red t-shirt, shorts, sandals, and wore a white ball cap turned backwards. He eyed the badge and nodded. He turned the manual lock on the inside of the doors and pushed them open.
“I’m just headed up there, myself.” He held the door open for the men, but closed it on the old lady. “Sorry, Mrs. Swainson. Open later.”
The men walked past security scanners that were inoperable and security officers who were tied up with zip ties. Teenagers milled about in the hallways, gawking at paintings. The boy with the white ball cap jogged to catch up with them.
“Sorry, son, but you will need to stay down here,” the first one said.
“But I’m with Ella Peabody’s team in the governor’s office!”
They shook their heads, and Deke had to sit at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for his friends. He was furious.

Federal agents arrived at the different police stations in town, and a S.W.A.T. team roared in to surround the building being used as a detention center. Detainees were set free, and officers in charge were arrested, in a wide-spread reversal of fortune. It was all very professional, and like a scene out of some movie.
Phoenix Peabody snatched the cage in which a yellow parakeet was held, much to the objection of the newly-arrested Officer Conley, who had grown fond of feeding the bird (and thinking it was Miss Sophy).
“I am afraid it is Goldie, and Miss Sophy is most likely worried to death about where her parakeet has gotten to,” the doctor told the young officer. He added, “Did you really think you could capture a master wand maker?”

The public confession of Governor Eric Hicks was held on the courthouse steps at precisely 0100 hours. Federal Agent Jack Peabody informed the public that the perpetrators of this reprehensible act of dividing the public had been brought to a close by the heroic actions of a group of teenage wizards and two adult wizards who had guided them, and who had connected all the dots behind the scenes. The method in which it was brought to a close was never mentioned, and the wise never asked.
The body of the Yokai was presented to the Press, along with the three tails, and a brief explanation by one retired librarian, Richard Nagasaki. It would seem that the only way to destroy a Kitsune fox was to cut off all of its tails. No one knew the whereabouts of the missing press secretary, Fred Gist. (Mrs. Collins wept a little then: she had always imagined Fred as sweeping her off of her feet. She was a widow, of course.)
The skill and talent of the youths who had so brazenly broken into the Capitol building and disabled all communications and security was lauded, in particular, the pair of previously delinquent Goths who had disabled the entire electronic system of the building and over-ridden the automatic doors.
Parents were reunited with children, bus drivers were acclaimed as heroes (or not), and Ella skipped out on the limelight with Aric, Gran, Dish, Billie, and Twerp in tow. Someone was interviewing Kyle about his role in saving the teens in the woods and in saving young Tito after his head injury. Not once was being an animal mentioned, as Kyle was a very good story teller.
“Come on,” Ella whispered. “Let’s get to my house before my folks do! We’ll surprise them!”
It was not to happen: Richard informed the parents of the teens about the plot to surprise them, and he told the Peabodys about where they might find the contents of their attic. The teens were surprised by a reception at the Peabody house – a reception which included Uncle Jack and his two FBI counterparts, all wizards. Uncle Jack revealed the truth of the rescue in the privacy of the Peabody house, and Ella was forced to make a speech.
“Um. Yeah. Just so you know, magic didn’t solve this,” she said. “Logic and a little sleuthing did.”
Everyone groaned.
“But, magic did play a good deal into it, and I want to thank my friends for opening my eyes to the possibilities of something outside of what can be easily explained away. I mean, Twer- er, Deacon – managed to transform us all into mice and we overcame a lot of weird things as mice. Aric even killed the governor’s own familiar, an evil toad named Venemo, or Vennie.
“We met Kyle, and caught up with Dylan and Madison. Dylan’s mom protected us. Richard – Mr. Nagasaki – was key in keeping us safe. And I will hate rats for the rest of my life.”
Everyone laughed.
Champagne and sparkling cider were served. Mrs. Peabody waved a wand and created a buffet of wonderful hors d’oeuvres. Miss Sophy arrived with the three Beaman children: Missy, and twins Mike and Tito. Kyle’s mother and father wandered in, and a round of hugs and celebrations went out.
Kyle was forced to explain what happened both in the woods when he saved Ella and crew, and why he was inside the walls after Tito had been severely injured.
“We couldn’t perform any magic, just yet.” He was humble and shuffled his feet. “But I know something about concussions, and I helped Miss Sophy keep Tito awake. We had to get ice from the ice maker to put on his head, and she sneaked through the war zone and back with an ice cube. Must have froze her fingers off.”
She waved it aside. “Point is, young Kyle was a hero.”
“Oh, and she gave me my wand before everything happened,” he said proudly. He pulled it out to show everyone. There were a few tut-tuts. But most accepted that Miss Virginy Sophy had known what she was doing, with or without the boy’s parents.
Deke told how he battled the cat with Horace and Natalie, and perhaps he exaggerated his role a little (Natalie merely smiled). He sniffed when he related the tail end of the tale, especially since everyone now knew Mrs. Swainson’s cat had returned home wounded, but very much alive. Horace was a good owl, familiar, and friend.
There was also the tale about how he came to be in possession of the wand that had belonged to Fred Gist, and how Ella had solved the cryptogram using just logic. Deacon attributed the ability to turn everyone into a mouse to the fact that he had found the wand. A toast was made to the missing Fred, and his generosity in leaving the wand for someone to use for good.
Ella, Gran, Dish, and Billie caught up with Aric, Kyle, and Deke in the kitchen.
“We should all sneak up into the attic and see if everything really is back up there,” Gran suggested.
“We could get our cell phones back, too.”
They went up the stairs as if they were going to Aric’s bedroom, but turned down the hallway where the attic ladder dropped out of the ceiling. Gran pulled it down and they all climbed up.
“So much easier than the first time I was up here,” Dish play-shoved Ella’s shoulder and winked.
Everything was back in place, even the mannequin and the old mirror. The wands were hanging above the trunk in the same order they had been before Gran took them down. It seemed a disappointment. Nothing had changed, and yet – everything had.
Ella walked over to the mirror and stared at it. She saw nothing more than her own reflection, and the reflections of everyone in the room looking over her shoulder. Even after they turned the mirror around, it reflected nothing that was not there. Ella touched it. “I guess it doesn’t want to talk right now.”

The party broke up, and everyone drifted off to their own homes to clean up and restart their lives. Tomorrow would be another day, and with just a little magic, everything would return to almost the way it was before. Ella sat by her window, staring out into the night and listening to an owl hoot.
But I will believe in magic in the morning.

Aric went to bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time.
I was born to be a warrior.

Kyle curled up in bed and smiled.
I have friends who like me.

Dish went home and hugged his father. They played cards into the night until Dish fell asleep on the sofa, dreaming of the girl he wanted to ask out: Ella.

Billie walked home with Gran, and Gran asked her to go to the winter dance with him. She said, “Yes.” She wasn’t worried how she’d tell her former crush, Mike.

Deacon walked out into the backyard and stared up at the moon. Somewhere, an owl hooted, and he hoped it was Horace. He reached into his pockets and pulled out the magic wand left to him by Fred Gist. It was beautiful.
It was not the only thing he’d found in the street the day that Fred Gist disappeared. He hadn’t wanted to show anyone, because they were always making fun of him for his collections, and this was just one more thing. It wasn’t magic; it wasn’t special; it was just pretty to look at, and right now it glowed slightly in the light of the full moon. Deke held it up and studied it.
It was a perfect blue sapphire crystal.

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The cat trotted out into the open. It gently dropped the little creature onto the lawn and waited. The little creature did not immediately move, but the cat expected that. When the thing did move, it was slowly. The tabby expected that, as well. The cat wasn’t worried. The little thing would provide entertainment soon enough.
The cat batted at its new friend: no claws, that would be most uncivil. It just wanted the little thing to wake up and shake it off.
Deacon shook his head. He had his magic wand, but did he dare use it? It would probably alert someone, and the mission would be lost. He needed to think. He rolled over when the cat prodded him, and found himself looking up into its whiskered face.
“Can’t you just be a familiar, like Horace?”
The cat blinked.
“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.” A tinny voice called from behind, and the cat turned to look. A little beacon of light crossed the cat’s face. The cat knew this game: chase the little light.
It looked back at the little creature, considering options: little light game? Or new friend?
“Kitty, kitty.”
New friend wasn’t moving very quickly, so the cat turned its attention on to the little light.
Deacon stood up as soon as the cat turned around. He saw the light in the grass as well, and could hear Natalie calling the cat.
They’d come to save him! Simultaneously, he wondered: what about the mission? How many others were out there?
The cat pounced in the direction of Natalie, but the light went dark before it landed. The light popped on, again, off to the left, and another voice called, “Kitty, Kitty.” The light danced in the grass, which made it more fun, and the cat danced along with it, waiting to make a final pounce.
Deke could make not out the capitol building He didn’t know how far the cat had carried him. He just needed to make it back to the building. He ran, zig-zagging, through the grass. The cat landed in front of him.
“KITTY KITTY KITTY” Natalie shouted and flashed her light in the cat’s face again. Natalie had also moved closer to the capitol building.
Before the cat turned, it flipped Deke up into the air, caught him as he tumbled back down, and batted him overhead into the branches of an azalea. Deke’s arms helicopter out as he tried to gain purchase on the stems of the little evergreen. He caught himself just above the ground.
The cat abandoned Deke (for the moment, Deke, knew), and pounced playfully after the little beacons of light in the grass. Deke saw one light fly over the cat’s head and go off.
Natalie called. “Run toward my voice, Deacon!”
Deacon dropped to the ground, dusted himself off, and called, “I lost my flashlight!”
“Just run toward me!”
He dashed. The cat dashed. Horace jumped up in front of the cat. The cat caught Horace with both paws and landed on top of him. Horace squealed in terror.
“Nooooo!” Deke changed directions and ran at the cat. “No, no, no, nooooo!”
Natalie tried the distract the cat, but now it was fixated on the little creature running at it. It held the mouse under its paw, and waited.
“Deacon, you must follow me!” Natalie ran forward, to intercept Deacon. “Horace can handle this!”
“It’ll kill Horace!” He cried as the older mouse caught his arm.
“Yes, and it will kill you. It’s a cat. That’s what they do.” Natalie pulled Deke back. “We have a long way to go, to get back to the rest of the group.”
“But – Horace!” He looked over his shoulder in time to see Horace transform into an owl, and push the cat off.
“I’m telling you, Horace can handle this. Come on!” Natalie pulled Deke in the direction of the capitol building.
The cat jumped back in alarm when the mouse changed shapes before its eyes. It hated the big birds, and knew them to very dangerous. It arched its back and hissed, all thoughts of play abandoned.
Horace opened his wings and hissed back, hopping forward with great yellow claws open.
The cat fought back with a strong swipe of sharp claws, and a long, drawn out growl.
Deke could hear them fighting as he ran, tears streaming down his face. How could Horace hope to win over a creature so naturally evil as that cat?! The sound of the battle followed the pair of mice all the way to the capitol building, when it ceased altogether. Deke turned and stared out into the dark lawn. The sun was beginning to come up, and he was a long way from his friends, and from Horace. He slumped his shoulders and followed Natalie.

“Who goes there?” A light shone in Natalie’s eyes, then Deke’s.
“You guys have clothes on,” the voice added. “I thought we were supposed to be real mice.”
“We are real mice,” Deke grumbled. He bet the other voice had never been down a mouse hole, and he had.
“I might ask who you are,” Natalie replied, cooly. “Turn the light off, or you’ll attract the cat.”
The light flipped off. “Th-there’s a c-cat?”
“Who are you, again?”
“Oh. My name’s George. I’m with the front door patrol. We’re supposed to take down Security at 0900 hours.”
“George? Not Gran’s brother, George?” Deke peered around Natalie.
“Is that the Twerp?” George grinned. He was dressed in camoflage, right down to his hunting cap.
Natalie intervened. “Natalie Woodhouse. Deacon and I were way-laid by a particularly hungry feline.” She stressed Deacon, and Deke thought he could hug her. “We lost our group. Where is yours?”
“Oh, this way.” George led them behind a tall plant with sword-like leaves. “We’re digging out our entrance so we can get into the building and hack the security system. I’m on sentry duty. Hey guys!” he called ahead. “I found some more allies!”
Natalie glanced at Deke. “Some sentry,” she whispered.
Deke grinned, the sting of having lost Horace temporarily gone.
The leader came forward when George called out.
“Goodness. Natalie Woodhouse! So good to see you. We’ve just broken through and we’re going in. Where is your group?”
“Long story, Sharon. May we join you?”
George’s group consisted of two more senior high school boys; a pair of Goths; two girls from the high school girls’ basketball team; Mr. Howard, the art teacher; and Sharon, the public librarian. Sharon had a last name, but she’d never used it, and Deke couldn’t remember what it was.
They climbed into the duct work and everyone squeaked, “What now?”
“You climb.” Deke grabbed an Ethernet cord. “Tell me where we’re going?”
The rest followed him, dubiously. “Have you done this before?” complained someone from far behind Deke.
“A time or two,” he answered, irritated.
The plan, Mr. Howard explained to Deke’s tail, was to get into the main security office, and lock all the doors into and out of the building at precisely 0900. They needed to disable all computers and telephone lines.
“Server room,” Deke muttered. Where his own team had been headed, according to Ella. He hoped they would make it in time.
They came out inside of a cabinet. Deke could see footprints in the dust.
“Okay, we’re clear,” Natalie peered out of the cabinet into the darkened room.
The first mice up the server tower were the two Goths. George and his friends explored the top of the cabinet, relaying the information they found on the schematics. The rest fanned out to take up positions in case someone came into the server room. The basketball girls found a conference room chair in poor condition. This was shoved by group effort into place under the door handle, to keep anyone from breaking is easily.
Deke wandered off by himself, looking for tracks from his friends. He needed to think, to devise a way to rejoin them. He felt terrible that Horace and Natalie had followed him out into the grass, and now Horace was gone. He’d let the team down!
He sniffled, once. If only he could have used his wand! But it was safe in his pocket.
“What’s this?” squeaked Sharon. “It looks like someone got caught in a sticky rat trap!”
Deke ran. Sharon, Natalie, and Mr. Howard were standing over one of those traps Aric’s dad used in their old house. Only this trap held a surprise: a very dead rat with a safety pin stuck in the side of its head, and its nose between a pair of black lace-up boots in the shape of mouse feet.
They all looked at each other.
“We stick to the plan, and hope they got past the rat,” Natalie said, decisively.
Deke sank in a heap, wondering whose boots were stuck in the green goo, and who had thought to use a safety pin as a weapon. He hoped it was the same mouse, and that mouse had made it to the governor’s office.

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