start appraising. ANNUBIS!â
The dog god pressed his paw hand lightly against Miltonâs back. Milton quivered. âWhat are you going toââ
Annubis patted Milton softly. âShhhhâ¦it will only hurt more if your mind is busy and agitated. Relax. Concentrate onâ¦
nothing.
â
Milton closed his eyes and, despite the thumping of his heart, tried to empty his thoughts. Annubis rubbed his hands together in tight circles until they radiated warmth. He closed his eyes, panted a bit, and then put one hand on Miltonâs head, and the other on his upper back. Slowly, Annubisâs hot hands slipped into Miltonâs body. Milton groaned as electric warmth surged outward from Annubisâs hands. It was deeply unsettling to have someone routing around inside you.
Annubis rummaged around Milton delicately, his fingers searching for something, like a surgeon hunting for a tumor. Then, the dog god let out a little yelp. âGot it,â he murmured.
It was creepy, Milton thought. It was like having fingers wrap around all of your emotions, all of your memoriesâ¦everything. Then, with a gentle tug, Annubis withdrew his hands, and Milton screamed.
In Annubisâs smooth hands was a long, wriggling blob. It was like a stretched-out jellyfish, constantly shifting its inner goo. Unlike the blobs in the jars, this one was brightly colored, a shimmering rainbow of gorgeous gunk.
But to Milton the blob wasnât beautiful or ugly or anything at all, really. It was as if he had been submerged in a Grand Canyon filled with cold despair and infinite absence. He felt numb, lifeless, yet in unendurable agony. Everything about him that was âMiltonâ had been ripped away. In Miltonâs mind, it was the worst feeling, or nonfeeling, that anyone had ever feltâor notâ
ever.
Annubis delicately juggled the struggling blob between his two hands like a Slinky, until one hand held a rich clot of swirling colors and the other, a small speck of black. Carefully cradling the goo, he set the brightly colored mass on one tray of the scale and the dark pebble on the other.
Ammit secured Miltonâs restless, wiggling soul to the tray with a silky net.
âThis oneâs got a lot of spirit,â mumbled Ammit.
âOddâ¦Thereâs barely anything weighing it down. Iâve never seen one like this hereâ¦â
Just then Ammitâs headset chirped. âHecko, youâve reached the Assessment Chamber, this is Ammit speaking, how may I direct your call?â
âNice of you to finally pick up,â Bea âElsaâ Bubb squawked from the tiny receiver. âI called to see if a certain boy has shown up yet. His name is Milton Fauster. Heâs a scrawny nuisance who asks too many questions for his own bad.â
Ammit raised a row of ingrown hairs above his eye that must have been eyebrows at some point. âWhy, yes, Principal Bubb. Heâs right here.â
âExcellent,â she said. âThere seems to be anâ¦
inconsistencyâ¦
in his file. Iâm sure itâs nothing to be concerned about. After all, itâs not like the Galactic Order Department has ever made a
mistake,
and itâs
certainly
no error on our partâ¦
ha ha haâ¦
So until this is all sorted out, we need him under our
thumb,
if you take my meaning.â
Ammit smiled. âYes, your vileness. Understood. You can count on me.â
âI doubt that,â Bea âElsaâ Bubb answered. âBut just make sure you do my bidding and keep this little chat under your jelly, or else thereâll be heck to pay. Have a nice day.â
She hung up.
Ammit began adjusting the scales. The tray holding the colorful glob of liquid energy touched the smooth, alabaster table, while the dark speck was teetering in the air. He grimaced.
âUm, Annubis,â Ammit said. âIs that a zombie squirrel in the corner?â
Annubis whipped his head around
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