Page 6 of Monster's Delight

“Dryads and water don’t mix,” she said sorrowfully.

“Sure they do. You have to drink water or you’ll dehydrate just like the rest of us,” I said, trying to make her laugh.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She stuck her tongue out at me.

I sighed inwardly. “I’ll distract you on the ferry so that you won’t even notice it moving,” I offered.

“I doubt that will work, but thanks anyway.”

“Well, if you’re going to be all doom and gloom—”

The ferry’s whistle pierced the air, not dampened in the slightest by the mist.

“Call for boarding. Take care, dear.” Grandfather gave me a hug and a kiss on my cheek.

“Love you,” I replied. I took Hazel’s hand and towed her behind the rest of the students queueing up to board the ferry. “Look, we’re last in line. You’ll be on the boat for the least amount of time possible.”

“Thank goodness for small favors,” she muttered darkly.

“Your pessimism doesn’t suit you,” I said cheerfully. “You’ll feel better once you’re at the Academy.”

Hazel gritted her teeth as she stepped from the dock to the ferry and her cheeks turned a paler shade of green. “Of course I will. It’s onland. Did you say you were going to distract me?”

“The sea conditions seem favorable today, minus the mist. It’ll probably take us less than an hour to complete the entire trip,” I said, leading her to a bench in the center of the ferry. “You’ll feel the motion less from here. Also...” I reached into my purse and pulled out an aloe plant seedling in a pot. I concentrated my magic and it grew in my palm before I placed it on Hazel’s knees. “I had a theory that perhaps being near a growing plant might help you.”

Her eyes filled with tears as she gently cupped the seedling in her palms. I noticed that she already looked a healthier shade of green.

“This is so much better,” she breathed, her gaze never leaving the sprig of aloe. “How did you think of it?”

“It was Papa’s idea. You really scared me on the ferry at the end of the term. He said that his dryad friend brought a flower he picked from beside the dock. I figured something actually growing would help even more.”

“I can’t believe this hasn’t been tried before!”

“I mean, you certainly don’t enjoy going on the water and avoid it at all costs. I bet the same can be said about the rest of your kin. So why would they have discovered this?” I reasoned.

“I suppose.”

“Do you still need me to distract you?”

Hazel laughed softly. “Since when do you need my permission to talk? Or better yet, when do you ever stop talking?”

“When I’m with people I don’t know,” I retorted.

“True enough. Distraction would still be appreciated.”

“I’ve started planning my tour of Europe after I graduate. I’m going to start in Northern France, and travel west along the coast to Spain and Portugal before looping back. I’ll hop over to Morocco at Gibraltar, of course, before continuing on to Switzerland and Italy. A ferry over to Greece and Turkey before my favorite part, the river cruise from Bulgaria to Germany with stops along the way.” I couldn’t wait. “Then I’ll explore the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries.”

“You just listed a heck of a lot of countries in a row,” Hazel said. “It went in one ear and out the other.”

“That’s okay. I brought all my notes with me, including my map! I can show you in the room!” I knew Hazel didn’t understand my obsession with traveling, but I was still excited to show her what I’d been working on all summer. “After Europe, and yes, I know I missed some countries, I thought I’d cut across Asia to—”

“Okay, okay!” Hazel cut me off, laughing. “I get it. This isn’t really distracting me though. Tell me about your summer?”

I sighed.

“You can tell me all about your travel plans when you can show them to me on your map,” Hazel reassured me.

“Okay.”

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