The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 1: The Pendant of Life

Chapter 27: The Surprise On The Table

Chapter 27

     When Shade woke up on the morning of Thanksgiving he looked up but Echo wasn’t on his bed. She had hopped from his bed to the foot of Dev’s bed, curled up and purring, sleeping like a kitten. Shade swore that he saw a smile on the tiger’s face.

     Feather Edwards was already up, out of her bed and looking out the window. Dev was lying in his bed, sleeping and snoring a little. The tiger at his feet did not seem to have bothered him at all.

     Shade tried to get up but he still felt very sore. He winced and groaned in pain as he tried to stand up. He was still aching everywhere but not as much as the day before. He grabbed the post of his bed and used it to heave his body up from the stiff mattress. He shuffled slowly towards the window that Feather Edwards looked out of. He came to stand next to her.

     “Good morning, Ms. Edwards,” Shade told her, “Happy Thanksgiving.”

     “Good morning, Mr. Shade,” Feather replied. “Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.”

     “What are we looking at?” Shade asked.

     “Just the snow that fell last night,” Feather said, “It didn’t stick. Most of it is gone now.”

     “It’s still too warm,” Shade said. “It’s cold, but not cold enough yet for the snow to stick.”

     Feather nodded. “You’re the guy that’s supposed to watch over the Hogwarts kids, right?”

     “That’s right, Ms. Edwards,” Shade answered. “I’m an Auror.”

     “So you chase after werewolves and stuff?” Feather asked him.

     “I guess you could say that,” Shade answered.

     “Cool,” Feather replied. “We all thought that you were just the weird guy who hung around the weird kids out in that tower of yours. Like some kind of super-nerdy-Wizard’s-Chess champ or something. Or, Godric, one of those weird role play guys who talks funny around people.”

     “What?” Shade asked.

     “Man, I thought maybe this snow was going to stick. I was looking forward to playing out in it.” Feather’s sudden change of topic wasn’t uncommon. She often spoke a million miles a minute.

     Shade looked out the window. He shook his head. He shook off the “Weird Guy” comment.

     “So are you leaving for Thanksgiving to see your family?” Shade asked.

     “Yes, in about an hour or so,” Feather answered. “I was supposed to leave last night on the Phoenix Flyer but since I got hurt I have to wait until the morning train. Taking the Caterwauler in and going home to Hillendale.”

     “Hillendale?” Shade asked. “That’s a small town up north in Pennsylvania, isn’t it?”

     “Yeah,” Feather replied, “It’s a small witch town. We have some family from Boston and Buffalo come in and we have a big fat turkey for everyone. My mother and aunt charm a big feast for everyone. It’s pretty cool.”

     “That sounds nice,” Shade said.

     “What are you doing for Thanksgiving, Mr. Shade?”

     “Staying here, healing up,” Shade said. “I will probably be enjoying whatever the house elves and chef goblins are brewing up before they leave for their dinners with their families. I’ll have Echo fetch me a sandwich.”