The Fairy Office Has a Problem

The Tooth Fairy Bureau of Phoenix, Arizona looked exactly like a dentist's office — which was, according to Dr. Skull, the worst possible design choice in the history of everything.

He sat in the corner chair, black hair cascading past his shoulders, heavy bangs hiding one eye completely. His skull hair pins held back just enough hair that his one visible green eye could glare at the room properly. He unscrewed his thermos, took a slow sip of warm chicken blood, and said nothing.

"Good morning, Skull!" chirped Dr. Pinkie. She wore her pink scrubs like a birthday decoration and smiled approximately one thousand watts.

Dr. Hearts gave a lazy wave from the couch. Dr. Mikey spun in his chair, then spotted Skull's thermos.

"Dude, is that blood again?"

"Chicken," Skull said flatly.

"Still weird."

Skull took another sip. Outside the window, Phoenix baked under a brutal sun. Somewhere out there, four kids were about to become their problem.

Four Names on the Board

A notification buzzed on the office tablet. Dr. Pinkie snatched it up first.

"Ohhh," she said, drawing the word out slowly.

Dr. Hearts leaned over from the couch. "What?"

"Four new cases just got assigned to us." She turned the screen around. Four names. Collin, Brandon, Will, and Brooke. Their patient files had photos attached — four kids with matching overbites that made their front teeth jut forward just enough to notice.

Dr. Mikey read over her shoulder. "Overbites. Easy."

"Look at the notes." Pinkie tapped the screen. "All four of them refused their last three appointments. Three. Their parents had to literally drag them and they still bolted."

Skull set his thermos down. One green eye scanned the photos.

A parrot in a small cage by the window — the office's unofficial mascot, a loud green bird named Chief — suddenly shrieked, "NOBODY'S GOING. NOBODY'S GOING."

"Thank you, Chief," Mikey said flatly.

Dr. Hearts sat up straighter. "So we're not just fixing overbites. We have to get them to actually show up first."

Skull said nothing. He picked up his thermos again.