The Mirror Doesn’t Blink

Phoenix’s morning sun hit the “Tooth & Nail Dental Salon” sign like a spotlight.

Dr. Skull slid in through the back door, wings tucked tight. His black hair hung all the way to his back, and his bangs hid one eye like a curtain.

Dr. Pinkie pointed at her phone. “Four kids. Overbites. Ten o’clock starts now.”

Dr. Skull’s one bright green eye narrowed. “I can handle scared kids.” He bared his fangs at his reflection. “Behold… responsible dental care.”

His reflection did not look impressed.

Dr. Hearts rolled a salon chair closer. The chair squeaked like it was tattling.

“No,” Dr. Skull said. “That thing eats people.”

Dr. Mikey lifted a tiny trimmer. “Not scissors. Quiet. We can test it on a shoelace first.”

Dr. Pinkie whispered, “One rule for later: nothing sharp near his face.”

From the lobby, a kid’s voice cracked. “Do you… pull teeth?”

Paper Slips

“Do you… pull teeth?” Collin asked from the lobby couch, squeezing his red hoodie strings until his knuckles looked pale.

Dr. Skull, a vampire tooth-fairy dentist with tiny fangs and bat-like wings, leaned over the counter. His long black hair hung down his back, and his bangs hid one eye.

He lowered his voice. “Only if your teeth misbehave.”

Collin’s eyes got huge.

Dr. Pinkie slid her phone into Dr. Skull’s hand. “No spooky talk. Go outside by the front window. Play this quick video of an overbite fix. Make them laugh, not faint.”

Dr. Skull stomped out into the bright Phoenix sun, stopping under the sign. He tapped the screen.

A jogger raced past. The jogger’s dog lunged, leash tight, and the dog’s shoulder bumped the wall.

The clinic’s little mail-slot box popped open.

Cards and papers burst out like white confetti.

“No—those are the kid forms!” Dr. Pinkie shouted from inside.

Dr. Skull dove for them, but a gust flipped his heavy bangs over his bright green eye.

One paper skittered toward the street as Brandon, Will, and Brooke pressed their faces to the glass