David grew quieter as salt gave way to sand, the island alive with birdsong in the swaying trees. Eyes wide, he watched everything passing them by, though he didn’t speak, not until they crested the hill and the house appeared before them.
“This is where you live?” he asked, sounding unsure.
“It is,” Arthur said as Helen pulled the truck to a stop. Right on cue, the front door opened and Zoe appeared.
“That lady has wings,” David whispered excitedly as Zoe hopped from the top step, fluttering down to the ground. “That’s so cool.”
Zoe opened Helen’s door, helping her lady out. Helen stood on the tips of her toes, kissing Zoe with a loud smack, Zoe brushing a lock of Helen’s hair off her forehead.
Arthur stepped out, pulling himself to his full height, stretching his arms above his head. His back cracked deliciously, and he turned to see Linus helping David out of the truck. “Do I need my coat?” David asked him.
“Do you want it?” Linus asked. “You don’t have to wear it if you’d prefer not to.”
“I can be naked? Seriously?”
“Uh,” Linus said. “I don’t … are you naked?”
“And?” Zoe asked, arching an eyebrow at Arthur.
“He’s perfect,” Arthur said, dropping his voice as Linus tried to tell David that it wasn’t necessarily considered nudity, but if it made him happy, he could do whatever he wanted. “Where are the others? I would have thought that—ah. How expected.”
The children were all gathered at the front windows, hands and faces against glass.
“I told them to stay inside so we didn’t overwhelm David,” Zoe said. “They’ve been bouncing off the walls all morning. Literally. Remember when Lucy said he accidentally reversed gravity?”
“Let me guess,” Arthur said. “It wasn’t an accident.”
“It was not,” Zoe said.
David, for his part, seemed to revel in his perceived victory of acceptable nudity. He stomped around, arms raised, claws extended, growling and snarling. “And that,” he said as they rounded the front of the truck, “is how a yeti greets a new place he’s never been before.”
“Truly?” Linus asked, glancing up and smiling at Zoe before looking back at David. “What a fascinating custom. Do you think I could try?”
Suddenly, Linus leaned forward, fingers crooked like claws, lips pulled back over square teeth, and he let out a surprisingly ferocious growl. It was quite good, better than Arthur expected.
David was just as impressed. “Holy wow,” he breathed. “Are there such things as hairless yetis? I’ve never met one, but you’ve got enough insulation to survive harsh winters, so maybe.”
Linus patted his sloping stomach. “My thoughts exactly. We’ll have to do it again, and you can teach me how to be a better yeti. David, this is Zoe Chapelwhite. This is her island you stand upon, and it is with her blessing that you are here.”
David turned around, and just like that, the boy giving yeti lessons disappeared, replaced by shyness, knuckles popping, a funny little half smile filled with nerves rather than happiness. He looked at the ground, the claws on the tips of his toes digging into the soil. “Hello,” he mumbled.
“David,” Zoe said warmly, her translucent wings catching sunlight, leaving fractured rainbows on the ground behind her. “We’ve been waiting to meet you for a long time.”
David lifted his head in surprise. “You have?” Without looking, he grabbed Linus’s hand, holding it tightly. Linus winced but didn’t try to pull away.
“Yes,” she said. “I am so very happy that you decided to give us a chance. Would you like to meet the children?”
David hesitated. “Can … can Linus and Arthur stay here too? I can do it on my own,” he added quickly, “but I think having them here will be better.”
“Of course,” Linus said. “I doubt I could break your grip even if I wanted to. You are very strong.”
“I know,” David said. “Pretty much the strongest ever.”
When Zoe disappeared back into the house and the children had moved away from the window, David tugged on Linus’s hand, pulling him down. “What is it?” Linus asked.
“Nothing,” David said stiffly. “Just reminding you I’m here.”
“As if we could forget,” Arthur said. “I apologize in advance about the noise.”
As if to prove his point, the door burst open and a stream of children poured out, all of them speaking at once with Chauncey leading the charge. The sounds of home, Arthur thought as Chauncey leapt the entirety of the steps, landed perfectly, and bowed, his eyes bouncing on their stalks.
The rest of the children gathered around Chauncey, each of them—including Sal with Theodore perched on his shoulder—looking as if they were doing their level best to keep from running directly at them. Lucy started to do just that, but Theodore lowered his tail, wrapping it around Lucy’s arm, holding him back.
“Oh, come on,” Lucy said with a groan. “They’re right there.”
“We do what we planned,” Sal said. “Who’s got it?”
“I do,” Phee said, pushing her way from the back. In her hands, she held what looked to be a roll of paper with something written upon it in glittering letters. With Sal’s help, she unfolded it, revealing a long banner that stretched across the front of the children, each of them holding part of it up—aside from Theodore, who rested his head on Sal’s, eyes blinking slowly as he studied David. He made a strange sound—not unlike the hoot of an owl—that turned up at the end.
“There’s no such thing as too much glitter,” Chauncey told him. “Except if you eat it.”
The banner was torn in places, and perhaps Theodore was right in that there might have been a tad too much glitter—Arthur could only imagine the mess left behind—but in the end, none of that mattered. Because here and now, six extraordinary children held up a sign that read: WELCOME HOME, DAVID! Each letter was written in a different hand, as if the children had all taken turns. In the top right corner, a smiley face with fangs and devil horns.
Partially hidden behind Linus, David peered around him, making a gulping noise when he found all the kids watching him. He ducked behind Linus again.
Considering his options, Arthur made a decision, and hoped it was the right one. Looking back at the children, he called, “Theodore. Would you mind coming here for a moment?”
Theodore didn’t hesitate, spreading his wings and lifting up from Sal’s shoulder. He crossed the distance in short order, landing on Arthur’s, wrapping his long neck around Arthur’s front. His reptilian eyes blinked slowly, and he chirped, a low, muttering thing that sounded like grumbling.