Page 44 of Avelina

“What’s that?”

He grinned. “It’s just like that stuff you smoked in high school and thought your parents didn’t know.”

“What? They knew about that?”

Ward laughed. It made my heart happy to see it, and I smiled back at him.

“Are you serious? You’re not exactly the Black Widow.”

“Quiet,” snapped Aaron, dropping the dragon at his feet. “I need to listen.”

I sighed. Ward was still silently laughing, and I was glad, but I also knew we needed to get serious.

“Maybe I can help,” I said. I stuck my fingers into the ground, questing out with Connection. I sensed Ward behind me, still depressed but putting on a brave face for my benefit. I felt Aaron, whose anxiety was so sharp I could have cut my brain on it. That was it.

“Spirit,” I called.

I’m here, Lina.

I jumped in surprise because it sounded like she stood right beside me, like if I closed my eyes, I could reach out and touch her. Instead, I grabbed Aaron’s hand so he could listen through Connection. His hand was hot, and standing close to him felt like standing next to a literal fire. He kept his gaze averted and his expression closed, but he let me connect to him. He wanted to listen in, but he was also pissed.

“Any news?” I asked, looking at Aaron. He wouldn’t look back at me.

Seleca waited at your house for several hours and turned on the TV as if she had done that before. Then she got angry and now you don’t have a television. Or windows.

I sighed. “That’s better than no parents,” I said. “What else?”

When I left her, she was digging through drawers looking for something to burn the house down. There’s nothing I can do.

“We’re insured,” I said. “Hopefully it won’t burn the whole state down.” So much for that comfortable bed, I thought, feeling a pang of homesickness. Aaron finally squeezed my hand back and I looked up at him.

“Why did I have to taunt her?” I whispered. “Note to self: don’t purposely piss off the psychopath. Spirit, would you check to see if there’s anyone around to see us climb the fence?”

“Or any oardoo to reveal our presence,” added Aaron.

What’s an oardoo? Spirit asked.

“Blue-headed ostrich,” I said, suppressing a laugh.

Oh. Okay. No, there’s no one.

“You’re done already? That was less than a second,” I said.

Time means nothing over here. Or very little, anyway.

I blinked at that. “Okay, go back to Psycho Snow White and let me know what happens. I want to know if she gives up and goes looking for Aaron’s family.”

Okay.

Then, Spirit was gone again. I was getting used to this ghost-whispering business. Conjuration was a dumb name, though. I would have to come up with something better than that. Necromancy? Ew, no. Keep thinking, I thought.

Aaron gave me the look.

“What?” I asked.

“Is that really relevant right now?” he asked.

“Hey, I’ve got to amuse myself somehow or you might have to see Evilina more and more often.”

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