Page 12 of Pixie Problems

Ms. Rhodes blew out a heavy breath. "Possibly. Every Morrigan is different. Their magic manifests based on the person chosen, the king who gives them the power, and - "

"Which king?" I broke in.

Ms. Rhodes turned to give me her attention. "The Crow King. In this case, the Crow Prince."

"Jack," I realized.

"Jack," she agreed.

"So, having my shadow just run around on its own, trying to strangle my foster mom, is normal?" I asked, hoping she'd reassure me this was all part of my new magical deal.

But Ivy's mouth opened and nothing came out. She murmured, almost like she wanted to start over, but she hadn't answered at all yet. Naturally, that was when we reached my door.

"I think we're going to need to start your training sooner rather than later," she said instead. "Rain, I do not know what abilities you will have. Only Jack does."

"And he can't exactly tell us," I grumbled.

"But he can give us clues," she countered. "Together, we will figure this out, ok? It's not something for you to worry about."

"And the cottage?" Liam pressed.

"Mm," Ms. Rhodes murmured while I unlocked my dorm room. "Well, my concern is having a respected adult on the fourth floor. Mr. Meadows refuses to chaperone their floor. Mr. Tanner's a possibility."

"I just want to make sure Rain has a home," Liam explained.

"I like having you in the dorms," I said, cringing when I realized I'd just interrupted a talk I probably wasn't supposed to be listening to.

But Ms. Rhodes chuckled like she wasn't surprised at all. "I may have a better idea," she assured Liam just as I swung my door open. "We'll talk later?"

"Definitely," Liam agreed.

The word was barely out of his mouth before a streak of black rushed out screaming, "Rain! Jack-Rain. Rain-Rain. Rain-Dad!"

"What did he say?" Liam asked.

Aspen's laugh came from inside somewhere. "Jack learned how to say dad today, Liam." Then she sucked in a breath, seeing me through the open bathroom door. "Did you buy the whole store? I thought you were going to talk to your fosters!"

"We did that," Liam said as he gestured for Ms. Rhodes to put her half down on the desk right inside my door. "Then we went shopping. Now we're back." And he smiled at Aspen proudly, as if she'd done something impressive.

I kept walking until I reached my bed. There, I let the bags slide off my arms. "Did I miss something?"

"Nope," Liam said, sounding like I definitely had.

Ms. Rhodes chuckled softly, then looked at Liam and tipped her head back towards the hall. "If you're done, can I borrow you for a moment?"

"Sure," he agreed. "Don't forget you're meeting Bracken in the gym at five, Rain."

"Bye, Dad," I called after him, making sure I got used to this new dynamic.

The pair was barely through the door before Jack landed on the headboard of my bed and started making a ruckus. It was a mess of crow clicks and yammering sounds, but he was clearly demanding my attention. Gesturing for Aspen to close my door, I headed to the bird and sat beside him.

"It was a few hours, Jack," I explained. "I'm also sure Aspen talked to you, and she probably gave you plenty of food, so what's your problem?"

"He slept," Aspen said as she made her way over to give me a kiss. "But we're both excited that you got a family. Sounds like it's all official now, huh?"

"Yeah, Bracken sent Liam a message just as we left the restaurant. Waiting for the paperwork, but it seems I'm officially Lorraine Brooks le Fae. The Morrigan title is my legal lastname now."

"And is that a good thing?" Aspen asked.