Page 23 of Switched

“What? He seems nice.”

“Nice?” Jax scoffs as he peels an apple with a paring knife with one smooth move. “He’s already had detention three times for talking back to teachers, and he walked out of Magical Fairy Pets because he refused to be paired up with an animal. I don’t like the guy.”

“He’s having a hard time adjusting,” I whisper as Jack sits and his tray floats down in front of him. “I did too. Be nice. Jack, these are my friends Jocelyn, Maxine, Ollie, Kayla, and Jax.” Everyone says hello or waves.

Jack’s napkin magically ties around his neck as Peaches begins nudging the bag that he’s placed at his feet. “Leave that alone, you ugly duckling!”

“Peaches is not ugly,” Maxine says with a huff. “She’s unique.”

Jack eyes the duck suspiciously, then shrugs. “Your duck. Think what you want.”

“So Jax—I mean Jack—how are you settling in?” Kayla asks politely. “Sorry. Your names are so similar.”

“They are!” Ollie agrees. “Jax and Jack. Jack and Jax. Jack-Jax!”

“Our names are not similar at all.” Jack eyes his new nemesis. “I’ve never even heard of a Jax before. It’s so stuffy.”

Jocelyn laughs.

“It’s Jaxon,” Jax says curtly. “Prince Jaxon.”

“Oh, excuse me, Your Excellency.” Jack stands up and bows.

Peaches takes that moment to dig into Jack’s bag. I don’t say anything. I’m too worried about these two brawling.

“So, Jack, how long are you in for?” I ask.

“I’m hoping the shortest stay possible,” he says. “I have to get out of here and go find my mum. I don’t want her around Rumpelstiltskin for too long, you know?”

“I spent years searching for my family after he took them,” Kayla says, her face darkening. “He’s a hard man to pin down.”

“The royal court will find him,” Jax says. “We just have to be patient.”

“Thank you for your words of wisdom, Prince,” Jack says, “but her sister is missing. My mom and cow have been taken. Why should we wait around for the royals to find answers when we can find them ourselves?”

Maxine claps excitedly. “Ooh! An adventure! Are you saying we should go look for Stiltskin?”

“No!” Jax sounds exasperated. “Last time we barely survived giants and a bandersnatch.”

“You’re scared of a giant?” Jack laughs out loud. “I’ve already defeated one of those monsters.”

“So you claim.” Jax glares at him, and Jack glares back. “And besides, it’s not just giants out there. We’d have to go up against Stiltskin head on, and we’ve never done that before. I don’t think we’d get away so easily.”

“Magic carpet racing starts in ten minutes!” Blackbeard bellows from the open doorway. “All ye lads and lasses who want in, better be swift! Aye, only taking first ten on each line.” There’s a huge rush for the door. Our table is the only one that stays seated.

“Since when are you afraid of a challenge?” I ask, feeling prickly.

“I just don’t think we should go looking for trouble without a reason,” Jax says. “Until we find Anna and the others, or learn what book Stiltskin is looking for, there’s no point going on a Mother Goose chase. Other than Hayley’s sighting, there’s been no sign of Stiltskin since he left FTRS, which means he’s cooking up something more awful than we can imagine.”

“I heard he was after some magic beans,” says Jack, and my ears perk up. He didn’t hear Hayley’s Pegasus Post. If he knows about the beans, maybe he has more intel to share. “Maybe he’s planning on growing a beanstalk.”

Jax ignores him and looks at me. “I think my sister is right. We have to know what he’s after before we put a move into play.”

“You think the royal court cares about Stiltskin if he’s not a threat at this exact moment?” Jack asks, chomping on his turkey leg. “You think they care about my mum or cow?”

“Or Anna?” I ask quietly.

“They care about all their subjects,” Jax says.