PART III

Suitcase-hopping through four different airports without detection was a feat of courage, perseverance, and quick wit. Once safely over the Pacific Ocean, in the baggage compartment of a plane headed to Honolulu International Airport, the five fairy travelers had a chance to rest and regroup.

Chris gave up first—he hit a point where he was trying to sleep rather than succeeding—and he put himself in charge of coming up with a plan. Compared to his brother, he was more knowledgeable about the city of Honolulu because he had lived in Hawaii on two separate occasions, both times when he was an adult, or close to it anyway.

Joe, not quite able to relinquish control, began walking around on a map of Oahu with Chris, joining the effort to figure out where their father might be.

There was a cat in a crate nearby. At the sound of Joe's voice, it awoke from its nap and started hissing at them again. Chris gave it a look that did nothing. And while he was forced to listen to it complain, he wished he possessed some fairy magic, something he could use to silence the damn thing without hurting it.

"Who knows if he's even in Oahu?" Chris suddenly groused, glancing at another, less detailed map that included the other Hawaiian Islands.

"We'll cross that bridge when the time comes," Joe said. "For now, I say we track down Alana's family. Do they still live in Manoa?"

"Simona does." Chris strided over to the residential neighborhood on the map. "I might recognize the street name if I see it."

"What about her brother or mother?" Joe asked. "You used to be friends with Kale, right?"

"Yeah," Chris replied grimly, "but that was before I became involved with his sister. Now he'll want to kill me more than ever. And her mother—let's just say she severed ties with reality a while back. She's in some nursing home in Honolulu. I think Simona is our best bet."

"Aren't there two others?"

"Kale, Alana, Simona, Jasmine, and Bane," Chris listed, in order of their birth.

Saying their names aloud made him realize how long it had been since he had seen anyone in Alana's family, other than Simona, her closest-in-age sibling. Simona had been able to visit a few times in Massachusetts, while Jasmine and Bane never could, and Kale never would.

The last time Chris had been in Honolulu, Jasmine was wearing braids in her hair and Bane was barely more than waist-high, with dimples and a near toothless smile. Now they would both be teenagers.

Chris wondered if he would even recognize the two youngest if he saw them. The thought made him cringe. Alana had never had the opportunity to visit her family after the twins were born, and Chris felt partially responsible. They never seemed to have enough money, or his candid blessing to use the money they could have borrowed or scraped together.

And now she was gone.

"Who do you think has the fairy blood? Their mother or father?" Joe wondered.

Chris shuddered out of his reflective silence and his eyes zoomed back in on the map. "I'm guessing their father. He's been MIA since their childhood. Catching on to a pattern like I am?"

"Yeah, deadbeat fairy fathers and the dysfunctional families they left behind."

"Yup."

Joe pointed to their old street with his foot. "Hey, here's where we used to live."

"Yeah, I saw that already." Chris continued to scour the map a few inches away, his frustration peaking. "I know it's right around here! Why can't I—" He was interrupted by a nudge to the ribs. "What?" After a sharp glance at Joe, he looked where his brother was looking.

Oh, he thought.

Cassie had emerged from her solitude wearing a perfectly tailored, form-fitting jungle-green sundress, courtesy of Morgan's doll collection and Cassie's own needlework. Long robes, cloaks, and multiple layers of clothing would not be necessary in Hawaii.

The cat finally stopped hissing. At least someone had a little fairy magic.

While the elegant fairytale creature was pinning her hair into a neat bun, Morgan and Ryan circled around her, trying to engage her in their merriment. They couldn't control their laughter and excitement. It didn't seem to matter that they were in the cramped cargo section of an airplane. Their play suggested they were already frolicking in a mystical fairy paradise. And the princess who ruled over that euphoric land was kind, virtuous, and entrancing. Her trim legs, graceful arms, and subtle curves they hadn't yet had a chance to notice were nothing to frown on either.

She must have felt the brothers' eyes tether themselves to her. Her smile faded, and her steps lost their buoyancy as she came toward them. "What's wrong? Is it the dress?" She looked down, smoothed the seams, and checked for flaws. "I could change back into—"

"No, no. . ." Joe started.

"Don't," Chris continued.

"You look fine."

"It should be warm. . ."

"Very warm. . ."

They had the good sense to stop jabbering and made an effort to act natural by continuing about their business. Chris considered himself crazy for even looking. Cassie wasn't the type to draw attention to herself. But, then again, she didn't have to. Any man, fairy, troll, ogre—whatever—would zero in on her anyway. She was that pretty. So Chris forgave himself for the momentary lapse of good judgment and vowed not to let it happen again.

"It's warm now!" Joe tugged at his collar. "Is it hot in here or is it me?"

In fairy form, both Chris and Joe had only their heavy Pyxis clothing. They had taken off the excess layers hours ago but still had on their animal-hide pants and the long-sleeve white tunics. They had the sleeves rolled up on their forearms, but still, it was hot . . . hotter than expected. They had chosen to camp out near the pets to ensure that they wouldn't freeze. But something was likely malfunctioning. The heat was on full blast.

"No, it's not you," Chris whispered as an aside to his brother. "It's hot in here all right. And nice save."

Joe did a quick raise of his eyebrows and suppressed a smile. And Chris had yet another reason not to look; Joe had essentially staked his claim the moment Cassie had first made her presence known.

"Aha! I found it!" Chris tapped the correct street with his foot. "I think the house number is ninety-one. Alana had me mail a Christmas card there only a few weeks ago."

Joe swayed a little where he stood on the map. "Do you feel that? I think we're losing elevation."

"Let's get our stuff together," Chris said. "The suitcase behind us belongs to someone staying in Waikiki. That's close to where we're going."

Chris, Joe, and Cassie gathered everything useful they'd found and put away some of the things they did not intend to carry. Then they tucked themselves and the children into an empty side pouch of the suitcase as the plane touched down.

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They were picked up, tossed, rolled, and bounced within their pouch, but they arrived safely at the hotel. Luckily, the owners of the suitcase ignored the side pouch during their unpacking and shoved the bag along with several others into a corner of the room.

By the time the room was quiet and they felt it safe to emerge, it was late evening and not the ideal time to be making unannounced visits. So Chris and the others opted to hide underneath the bed until morning.

Just after sunrise, the human inhabitants left the room. Joe and Chris Modified and put on some of the tacky Hawaiian clothes they found, tucking Cassie and the kids into their colorful shirt pockets. They strolled out of the hotel, figuring that it was a tourist haven and their bare feet and oversized clothing wouldn't attract any unwanted attention.

With Chris's cash, they hit the tourist shops first. The brothers bought a backpack and human-sized flip-flops to use for the time being and fairy-sized doll clothes for themselves to use for later. Then they purchased some fruity pastries for breakfast and headed to the beach.

The day was young and the beach was not yet crowded. They found a secluded spot, flopped onto the sand, and lifted Cassie and the twins out of their pockets.

"The view is spectacular!" Cassie gushed from Joe's palm.

He handed her a large crumb of a pineapple strudel. "That's the good ol' Pacific Ocean. Doesn't it make you wonder why anyone would want to live in New England, or Pyxis for that matter?"

"I have never seen anything like it."

While she ate her food, she stared at the waves breaking on the sand and took notice of the distant sunbathers on the beach, enjoying what there was plenty of—warmth and sunshine. In fact, there wasn't a cloud in the sky or a breeze strong enough to prickle the skin.

"Are we ready to see Aunt Simona?" Chris asked his kids once breakfast was winding down. The climate was improving his mood and energy, and he intended to get everyone else motivated as well.

"We just got here," Joe complained.

Chris stood up, added the twins to his pocket, and brushed off the excess sand from his clothes. "Get your sorry you-know-what up. This isn't a vacation, Joe."

"Well, it should be one. We could use it."

Joe lay back on the sand and put his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and looked set on wasting the day away, lounging in the sun . . . just like everyone else.

Chris had to nudge him with his foot. They weren't everyone else. Those days were over.

"I'm coming. I'm coming. Keep your clothes on." Joe sat back up irritably. "Do you have a plan? Or are we just going to show up uninvited?"

"I'm going to Modify, like we talked about last night. You should keep me out of sight for a while. Simona will have gotten the news by now, and if she thinks I murdered her sister, she may not be particularly helpful. Do you think she'll remember you?"

"Oh, she'll remember me."

"How do you know she'll—" Chris mouthed the word "oh" when he saw the suppressed grin on Joe's face. Then Chris smiled, nice and broad. "When did that happen?"

Joe turned bright red all the way to the tips of his ears.

Chris squatted back down and spoke to Cassie. "Awww, isn't Joe cute when he's embarrassed?" Chris chucked a seashell at his brother to piss him off even more. "Oh, Joe, I do wish you would teach me your ways."

Joe gave him a look, stood up, swatted off the sand, put Cassie in his breast pocket, and then attempted to smack Chris in the head. But Chris was quick and Joe only ended up grazing his scalp. "Like you ever needed any help."

"She's married now with kids, so don't expect a heartfelt reunion," Chris crooned unscrupulously. He evaded another smack with fancy footwork.

"I hope she didn't marry that tool she brought to your wedding," Joe said. "That could be awkward."

"So it was at my wedding. No wonder we couldn't find either of you when it was time to give the toast."

"Hmmm . . ." Joe mumbled, chuckling to himself, apparently lost in a moment of nostalgia.

Chris moved close enough to give him a small push forward. "Come on, Don Juan. Let's get a cab."  

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