Silverthorn by Sydney Bristow Page A

jelly sandwich.”
    Her eyes lit up. “Yes, please. And milk?”
    “Of course.” I went about setting up a late night snack for her. “And cookies. We can’t forget cookies.” I dreaded asking my next question, but I had to push forward because I needed to know if she could be completely honest with me. “Celestina…I’m really glad you stopped by, but did you sneak out of the house to come here?”
    She lowered her head and nodded.
    At least Celestina knew when she had broken common parenting rules, although I had no idea if Alexis had set…any ground rules. “I’m not upset with you.” I put the peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a plastic plate, set it in front of her on the island in my kitchen where she sat on a stool, and then poured a glass of milk for her. “Am I disappointed in you? Yes. But I’m not upset.”
    “But Mom’s always gone. How could I tell her? Tonight, she came home, slammed the door, and bumped into the walls in the hall until she went into her bedroom. I heard the bed springs pop, so I knew she fell into bed. A minute later, she was snoring.”
    I wanted to scoop her back into my arms and tell her that no child should have to deal with such an errant mother.
    “I can’t leave during the day. Granny…I mean, that woman doesn’t teach me the basics anymore.” Seeing my confusion, she said, “English and grammar? Science? Math? History?” She shook her head. “Now she teaches me magic for an hour. Then she falls asleep again. She’s always tired.”
    I supposed Zephora was tired due to her unfamiliarity with human form, since she last inhabited an individual during the Great Depression. Furthermore, she slipped into a body whose previous tenant may have been a substance abuser, or so I suspected based on an offhand comment Alexis made the other day.
    “What kind of magic does she teach you?” I asked.
    “Stuff I never thought possible.” A wicked smile took shape. “I can do sooo much now.” She caught sight of Lulu, who stepped into the hall and looked in the other direction. “Check this out.” She unfurled an arm and pointed at Lulu.
    My dog’s legs spun around so that she faced us. Whining in confusion, her legs plunked into the carpet in our direction against her will, releasing light howls as she did so in an attempt to break free of the mysticism forcing her onward.
    “What are you doing?” I asked, appalled that Celestina would force a harmless dog against her will. “Stop it!”
    “Why?” asked Celestina, puzzled. “I’m asking Lulu to come here. So I can pet her.”
    “You didn’t ask her. You forced her. There’s a difference.”
    “Why are you so mad? I didn’t hurt her. I would never hurt her.”
    “If you wanted her to come, you should have called her. Don’t force her to do something she might not want to do.”
    Celestina took a bite from her sandwich, eliciting a bitter expression.
    “Do you understand?” I asked.
    She lowered her eyes and nodded.
    I preferred not to scold her, but I wasn’t sure if my sister followed up on rules she set up, but instead gave Celestina free reign. Lacking a true parental figure, she might not respect authority, and since I didn’t want her to grow up callous, only to abuse her abilities and harm others. I also wanted to make sure she respected her elders.
    My niece comprehended what I said, but didn’t respond. Instead, she chewed so hungrily that it looked as though she wouldn’t let anything come between her and that sandwich.
    “Hey, Brandon! Can you come in her a sec?”
    He entered the kitchen a few seconds later. “What’s up?”
    “It’s experiment time.” I gestured to my niece. “Don’t think twice about what I’m going to ask of you.” I whispered,” Use some magic…and take that sandwich from her.”
    As directed, Brandon concentrated on Celestina for a fraction of a second.
    The sandwich slipped from my niece’s hands, zipped through the air, and Brandon snatched it in his