Elliot and the Pixie Plot by Jennifer A. Nielsen Read Free Book Online

and then with a mischievous shrug added, “especially when I get to make the rules!”
    When she poofed away, Elliot rushed to the bars. “Mr. Willimaker, what happens in a time-out?”
    “It’s a fight. When the time runs out, someone’s usually dead. Isn’t that what time-out means in your language?”
    “No,” Elliot said, slumping to the ground. “No, it isn’t.”



 
    Elliot’s twin brothers had spent most of their first six years of life either in time-out or doing something that deserved a time-out. Elliot had done his share of time-outs too. Something told him, however, that this time-out would be very different from sitting alone on a stool in the corner.
    For one thing, no one had ever tried to kill him in time-out before, and Elliot’s parents were very strict about not letting Elliot kill anyone, whether in time-out or not.
    For another thing, time-outs were usually done alone, and Elliot was pretty sure every Pixie, Brownie, and Goblin in the Underworld had gathered around the Battle Zone to watch.
    The Battle Zone was about as big as Elliot’s schoolroom, but it was round and fenced in with thorny tree branches and had a dirt floor. Elliot had removed Reed’s slippers for the fight. He’d never seen anyone win a battle to the death while wearing house slippers. He’d never seen anyone win a battle in red-checkered pajamas either, but he couldn’t do anything about that.
    Directly across from Elliot, Grissel paced in preparation for the fight. He hadn’t changed much since Elliot had last seen him. A little rounder around the middle, maybe, due to his eating a lot of chocolate cake lately. But still the same shade of green skin, same bony face, same hatred of humans reflected in his eyes. He’d barely looked at Elliot since he was poofed here, but he was already drooling, hungry for revenge. The Goblins cheered loudly for him. The Brownies sat behind Elliot, cheering for him. The Pixies seemed to be cheering for a long battle, no matter who won. Then from somewhere nearby, Elliot heard, “You can take this one, Penster. Win it for the humans!”
    Elliot turned. Even Tubs was cheering for him. Then Tubs yelled, “Besides, if you die, how will I get home?”
    That was less helpful. Although just before Elliot was poofed to the Battle Zone, Tubs had given him some good advice: “If you can’t beat him, just move around a lot until he gets tired of chasing you. I always hated it when you did that to me.”
    “Grissel doesn’t need to chase me. Goblins scare you to death.”
    “But that only works if you’re scared, right? Just think funny things and you’ll be fine.”
    “Wow, Tubs,” Elliot had said. “That’s actually a good idea.”
    Tubs had stuck out his chest. “I’m smarter than all the kids in the whole first grade.”
    “But you’re a seventh-grader.”
    “Duh.” Tubs snorted. “I didn’t say I was in their grade, I just said I’m smarter than them. And it is a good idea, so use it or else!”
    Now Elliot waved at Tubs, who shook a fist back at him. Threatening to beat Elliot up if he didn’t win was Tubs’s style of cheering him on.
    Fidget fluttered in from above them and landed in the center of the Battle Zone. For the time-out, she had chosen a bright yellow shirt with a hot pink skirt. She looked like she was dressed for a disco party. “Like, welcome to all Pixies, Goblins, and everyone else,” she began, clearly forgetting that other than Tubs, “everyone else” was the Brownies. “We are so blown away by having a time-out today, which has totally not happened for over a hundred years.”
    A cheer rose from the Pixies. Not sure whether they should be celebrating this or not, the Goblins clapped a little, then lowered their hands when Grissel turned to glare at them. The Brownies remained silent.
    Fidget continued, “So here are the rules. The time-out will last for ten minutes, because the awesomest stylist ever is coming to do my hair. If Grissel