an albino, you're just pigment-challenged."
"Cheers, sis."
"No worries."
"Is it really real?" She looked straight at him, a softer version of her high-voltage interrogation stare.
Tom nodded sadly. "Wish it weren't."
"'Ken oath," Cath said fiercely. "My daggy little brother is going to die young." She reached her hand across the table and squeezed his. Tom felt his eyes getting wet. "Don't think that means you're forgiven, right? You're still a bloody, buggery little bastard for holding out on me for so long." A tear trickled down her face. "Complete and utter, utter, utter bastard."
8
Glowing
Jay-Tee tried the handle of the door to New York. It turned, but the door didn't open. Locked solid, of course. She didn't know where the key was, and even if she did she wouldn't have used it, on account of how opening the door was still using magic, even if it was only the tiniest, tiniest bit. She'd sworn she wasn't going to use magic anymore. Looniness before death!
Jay-Tee just wanted to see home. She bent down and peeked through the keyhole and could barely make out the bottom of a rickety fire escape. New York didn't seem to have any colors. It was blurry, like she was looking through Vaseline. It made Jay-Tee feel weird inside, as though fleas were crawling under her skin, like magic was leaving her. She shivered and slid to the floor and, knowing she shouldn't, pulled herself up to the keyhole for one last blurry glance of a higher-up section of the fire escape and the bricks behind.
How was she going to keep from using magic?
Jay-Tee wished she could squeeze through the keyhole. Go stay with her brother. She missed Danny more than she ever had now that he was her only family in the world. Now that she was stuck in Sydney with no way to get home. She couldn't go through the door, so how else was she going to get back? On a magic carpet? Nope, that used magic too. She didn't have enough magic, and she didn't have a passport either.
Suddenly Jay-Tee was so tired she felt like crying again. She was trapped with no passport, no clothes of her own, no money, no family, no magic, no nothing.
She went upstairs, collapsed onto the bed that wasn't hers, and shut her eyes. She didn't care if Tom never came back from talking to his sister, or if Esmeralda never took her shopping for clothes, or if Reason turned into a monster elf man like that Raul Cansino guy. What did it matter? Jay-Tee wasn't going to be around to see any of it.
* * *
Jay-Tee dreamed he was chasing her through the streets of Manhattan. Only they were covered in mist and all the buildings were tall. No matter how fast she ran, the man who'd drained away most of her magic was always just a few feet behind her. But then he wasn't him anymore, he was her father.
She sat bolt upright in bed. Where was she? For a moment Jay-Tee thought she was in his apartment. But this room was so big, so light. White curtains, shiny wooden floorboards. That wasn't right.
Then she remembered: she was in Sydney. In Esmeralda's house. With Esmeralda, the wicked witch, who hadn't turned out to be anything like as bad as he 'd said, which figured. Why had she ever believed a word he said? Except that sometimes he did tell the truth…when it was useful to him.
Jay-Tee was so glad she'd escaped him, that Reason had rescued her. She had been too afraid to run away on her own. Reason wasn't afraid of anything. Right now Jay-Tee was afraid of pretty much everything.
She was in Sydney, where the best she could do was peek through the keyhole at New York City. Where…
Tom hadn't come back. Or maybe he had seen that she was asleep and gone away again.
She went into the bathroom, splashed her face with water, looked at her clothes. The T-shirt she was wearing (one of Esmeralda's) was all wrinkly. Figured, given that she'd just slept in it, but there wasn't
"Cheers, sis."
"No worries."
"Is it really real?" She looked straight at him, a softer version of her high-voltage interrogation stare.
Tom nodded sadly. "Wish it weren't."
"'Ken oath," Cath said fiercely. "My daggy little brother is going to die young." She reached her hand across the table and squeezed his. Tom felt his eyes getting wet. "Don't think that means you're forgiven, right? You're still a bloody, buggery little bastard for holding out on me for so long." A tear trickled down her face. "Complete and utter, utter, utter bastard."
8
Glowing
Jay-Tee tried the handle of the door to New York. It turned, but the door didn't open. Locked solid, of course. She didn't know where the key was, and even if she did she wouldn't have used it, on account of how opening the door was still using magic, even if it was only the tiniest, tiniest bit. She'd sworn she wasn't going to use magic anymore. Looniness before death!
Jay-Tee just wanted to see home. She bent down and peeked through the keyhole and could barely make out the bottom of a rickety fire escape. New York didn't seem to have any colors. It was blurry, like she was looking through Vaseline. It made Jay-Tee feel weird inside, as though fleas were crawling under her skin, like magic was leaving her. She shivered and slid to the floor and, knowing she shouldn't, pulled herself up to the keyhole for one last blurry glance of a higher-up section of the fire escape and the bricks behind.
How was she going to keep from using magic?
Jay-Tee wished she could squeeze through the keyhole. Go stay with her brother. She missed Danny more than she ever had now that he was her only family in the world. Now that she was stuck in Sydney with no way to get home. She couldn't go through the door, so how else was she going to get back? On a magic carpet? Nope, that used magic too. She didn't have enough magic, and she didn't have a passport either.
Suddenly Jay-Tee was so tired she felt like crying again. She was trapped with no passport, no clothes of her own, no money, no family, no magic, no nothing.
She went upstairs, collapsed onto the bed that wasn't hers, and shut her eyes. She didn't care if Tom never came back from talking to his sister, or if Esmeralda never took her shopping for clothes, or if Reason turned into a monster elf man like that Raul Cansino guy. What did it matter? Jay-Tee wasn't going to be around to see any of it.
* * *
Jay-Tee dreamed he was chasing her through the streets of Manhattan. Only they were covered in mist and all the buildings were tall. No matter how fast she ran, the man who'd drained away most of her magic was always just a few feet behind her. But then he wasn't him anymore, he was her father.
She sat bolt upright in bed. Where was she? For a moment Jay-Tee thought she was in his apartment. But this room was so big, so light. White curtains, shiny wooden floorboards. That wasn't right.
Then she remembered: she was in Sydney. In Esmeralda's house. With Esmeralda, the wicked witch, who hadn't turned out to be anything like as bad as he 'd said, which figured. Why had she ever believed a word he said? Except that sometimes he did tell the truth…when it was useful to him.
Jay-Tee was so glad she'd escaped him, that Reason had rescued her. She had been too afraid to run away on her own. Reason wasn't afraid of anything. Right now Jay-Tee was afraid of pretty much everything.
She was in Sydney, where the best she could do was peek through the keyhole at New York City. Where…
Tom hadn't come back. Or maybe he had seen that she was asleep and gone away again.
She went into the bathroom, splashed her face with water, looked at her clothes. The T-shirt she was wearing (one of Esmeralda's) was all wrinkly. Figured, given that she'd just slept in it, but there wasn't
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