Fire Water by Jaye Wells

wrong, buddy?”
    He yawned and wiped sleep from his eyes. When he opened them again he finally noticed Pen standing there. Without another word, he threw himself at her for a hug. She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. “It’s good to see you, too, dude.”
    I smiled at the pair. Even though Danny was about to start middle school, he sometimes forgot that and showed signs of the little kid he used to be.
    â€œPen and I were just talking about how much you’re going to love Meadowlake,” I said.
    Danny pulled out of the hug with a frown. “I don’t have any friends there.”
    Pen leaned down to look him in the eye. “You will,” she promised. “There are lots of nice kids there. Plus, the school has really cool computers for all the students to use.”
    His eyes opened wide. “Really?”
    She nodded. “You’ll even be able to take a video game design class.”
    Danny looked at me like he couldn’t believe his luck. “Awesome! My old school only had one computer and you couldn’t play any games on it because it was so slow.”
    I smiled at him. “See? I told you.”
    â€œI guess I can give it a try,” he said, trying to play it cool.
    â€œOnce you guys get moved into your new house, we can set up a time for you to take a tour of the school,” Pen said. “You’re going to love the library.”
    He frowned. “Books are lame.”
    I shook my head at him. “You know what else is lame? The fact you’re up way past your bedtime.”
    â€œAw man.”
    I pointed toward the bedroom. “See you in the morning.”
    He hugged Pen one more time before he dragged himself back to bed. Once the door was closed, Pen turned to me. “He’s getting so big.”
    I nodded. “I had to buy him new shoes last week and he’s already in the men’s sizes.”
    She shook her head. “I remember when he wore light-up shoes with superheroes on them.”
    â€œIt makes me feel old.”
    Pen laughed out loud, the sound coming from her belly and bursting forth like a song. “Girl, shut up. You’re only twenty-two!”
    At the ripe old age of twenty-seven, Pen considered me a baby. But while most twenty-two-year-olds were just finishing college, I’d graduated from the streets of the Cauldron, which made people like dogs—aging seven years for every one they survived. I knew what she meant, though. Sometimes I felt seriously old, but I really did have my whole life ahead of me, especially now that I was finally about to start a new chapter. Still, I couldn’t let Pen’s comment go unanswered. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot about your advanced age. Maybe I should have a ramp installed in the new house for your old-person scooter.”
    She chuckled and took a swig of her beer. “For real, though. I feel like it’s only good things for you from now on, Kate. The hardest years are behind you.”
    I held up my can for a toast. “To the future: May it be filled with good fortune and even better friends.”
    She tapped her can to mine. “And lots of super-hot dudes.”
    â€œAmen, sister.”
    Â Â 
    I arrived at the docks the next morning to find Cap’n already on the boat. “You’re late,” he snapped.
    I glanced at my watch. I was five minutes early, but I let the comment slide. After the tension yesterday, I’d decided to take Pen’s advice and try to just get my last two days on river patrol over with. “Good morning to you, too.”
    â€œUntie the lines.”
    I did as instructed as quickly and quietly as possible. Unlike the day before, the sun was shining and the sky was the kind of blue that only happened on a perfect summer day. A nice breeze was coming off Lake Erie, which chased away the worst of the river’s funk.
    â€œYou done yet?” my grumpy partner said.
    â€œAll