The Third Reader - The School for Good and Evil

6) Birds

Wind forced Evelynn's hair back from her face, ruffling her pink skirt.

Her legs shook on the windowsill she was stood on, fear clawing at her chest.

It's ok Lynn, just picture the bird in your mind, then transform into it. You were Chaddick, you were Pollux, you can be a bird.

Evelynn took a deep breath, shifting her bare feet the tiniest bit on the stone windowsill and closing her eyes.

She pictured the bird on the stump, then other birds, all kinds of birds.

They flashed behind her eyes before her feet were no longer feet, but tiny talons. Evelynn snapped her eyes open.

She had shrunk so much she was the same size as a mouse, she turned her head to the mirror in her room, and sure enough, she was a cute violet hummingbird.

Evelynn faced the open window again, chuffed with her achievement, slowly spreading her wings....

A strong gust of wind picked her up like she was nothing but a feather, sending her tumbling up and down in the open air. She flapped her new wings furiously, trying to gain control.

Evelynn managed to finally stop tumbling about, opening her wings as wide as she could and soaring with the wind.

It was the most magical feeling she'd ever experienced, and if birds could smile, she was.

"Shoot it!"

Evelynn was distracted by a yell from a large balcony connected to one of good's turrets. Three ever boys were scanning the sky, the yell must have come from them.

One of them was holding a crossbow, and pointing it straight at her.

Evelynn panicked, flapping frantically to get out of sight.

"What if it's a student?"

"Don't be stupid Tristan, no one has learnt to mogrify yet! It's our first week here!"

What's mogrifying? Evelynn wondered.

"Well how many purple hummingbirds have you seen?" The supposed Tristan snapped back.

Quicker than Evelynn imagined an arrow came straight towards her, piercing her wing.

She tweeted in pain, spinning through the air in a descent to the hard ground.

She tried to use her mobile wing and managed to get close enough to one of the blue turrets, crashing through the window and hitting the floor with a small thud.

Evelynn became her human self again, writhing in pain on the wooden floorboards and gripping her wounded arm to stop the blood.

The first thing Evelynn noticed about the room was the smell. It was familiar...like oceans and mint-

-"Evy?"

Tedros gaped at her from across the room, he was stood with a large hardcover book in his hands.

"Help." Evelynn choked, rolling onto her side.

Tedros dropped the book with a thud and rushed over, scooping her off the ground and kicking open the door. She groaned in agony as he shifted her arm, too shocked to even cry.