creepy hollow 05 - a faerie's revenge by rachel morgan Read Free Book Online Page A

have a new tracker band for you,” Olive says. “We need to test that it’s working.”
    I take the tracker band and put it on. “Okay. Is there anything in particular you want me to do?”
    After a long exhale of breath that suggests it’s the bane of her existence to come up with an exercise for me, she says, “Yes. Do that aerobics routine from the other day. Bring the tracker band to my office when you’re done.”
    I manage to nod instead of groan. I’m one hundred percent certain Olive came up with that stupid routine specifically to embarrass me. With a combination of stepping, jumping, running on the spot, punching the air, and kicking imaginary opponents—all in a repeating pattern—it’s easily the silliest thing I’ve ever done. No doubt Olive’s sole purpose was to get me to finally say no to something. I’m pleased to say I managed to resist.
    I head to the far corner of the training center where the obstacle course items are stored and attempt to hide myself between some of them. Then I imagine the beat Olive told me to count in my head and get started on the silly side-to-side stepping while pulling one knee up in between each step. I ignore anyone who walks past. I keep going through all the various moves, recognizing that this might actually be fun if I were on my own with some music playing. I’m not, though, and when I feel I’ve embarrassed myself sufficiently, I bring my little routine to an end.
    I slip the tracker band off and walk across the training center. “Come up to the Seer trainee level when you’re done,” Gemma calls to me as I pass her.
    “Okay.”
    Olive doesn’t waste time when I get up to her office. She opens the cupboard where all her trainees’ past assignments, recorded onto tiny marbles, are stored in rows. She takes a blank marble from a box and returns to her desk where the replay device is waiting. The replay device—which Ryn told me is new technology; they didn’t exist in his day—is a sphere with a flat base on which to sit and a small hollow at the top in which to place the marble. She picks up the sphere, puts it down on top of the tracker band, and places the marble in the top. With her stylus, she quickly draws a symbol onto the side of the sphere. Then she stands back, crosses her arms, and watches. A small three dimensional image of me doing my aerobics routine appears in the air above the device, proving that I did, in fact, look as stupid as I felt.
    “Good. The tracker band’s working.” She removes the marble and adds, “We definitely don’t need to keep that recording.” She returns it to the box of blank marbles, presumably so she can record over it next time.
    “Thanks.” I wait for a moment, in case she’s about to give me some extra training for tonight, but when she says nothing further, I turn around and leave her office.
    I’ve never been as high up as the Seer trainee level, but I know where it is. When I reach it, I ask a young girl for directions to the common room. She takes me to the end of a corridor and points to the room on the left. I step into a large round space with a rich blue carpet covering the floor and pairs of blue curtains hanging at regular intervals around the room. In between each set of curtains, an oval mirror is attached to the wall, each with a pretty, decorative frame. Couches, tables and chairs are arranged into various different sitting areas.
    I walk down a few steps into the room, searching the groups of people until I see Gemma. She’s talking with a guy I presume is Rick. As I move toward the two of them, I can’t help comparing him to Perry. Rick is almost as tall, but he isn’t as lean and muscular—obviously, given that his training doesn’t involve anything physical. His face is handsome, but there’s something about Perry’s smile and that mischievous glint in his eyes that makes him cute. Perhaps I should ask Gemma if she’s noticed it. Then I can at least tell Perry if he stands