Page 109 of Shadow and Skulls

“I bet they will,” I agree. “That way they can watch us together, because you and I will always be friends.”

Her mouth pulls wide. “Lily told me you gave the necklace to someone who needed it.” She points at my neck.

My fingers absently search for the little dragonfly. “Oh, yeah, I did. I hope that’s okay.”

She shrugs. “Did you get your wish?”

“I sure did.”

“Then it will come back to us. Lily says it always finds its way back.”

I feel bad, because I don’t think it will this time. It’s all the way in Iowa. But I don’t want to dash her hopes.

She leans back and pulls something out of her pocket. “What’s that?” I ask, scooting closer to her.

Her little finger taps over it. “It’s a pocket watch.” She holds it up, dangling it in front of my face. “Elijah gave it to me. He said it belonged to a great pirate named Bill.” The gold reflects against her black eyes. “Well, he didn’t give it to me. I’m just borrowing it.”

I laugh as she struggles to say the wordborrowing.

“That word is a bit of a tongue tie, isn’t it? What do you need it for?” I ask, genuinely curious. I can see she’s caught up in one of Elijah’s stories. It’s easy to get swept away here at the warehouse. It’s a magical place.

Her smile widens. “To tell the time, duh.” She stops it from spinning and shows me the face of the watch. “Do you know what time it is right now?” she asks.

“Uh, eight,” I say. God, I haven’t looked at a real clock in forever.

She waits for me to focus my eyes back on her. “It’s time.”

“Time for what?”

“To go on our next adventure,” she whispers, placing her finger over her mouth. She wraps her hand around the watch before stuffing it back in her pocket. She stands and holds her tiny hand out to me.

“Okay,” I say. Charlotte is a good little actress. I almost feel sorry for Petey.

When we open the bathroom door, the warehouse is completely dark. I stop, pulling her behind me.

She giggles, reminding me that this is a game.

“We need to find a flashlight,” she whispers, grabbing my hand. She continues to pull me toward the living room.

I’m hoping she knows where we’re going because I can barely see anything as the bathroom light fades behind us. She pulls me to the coffee table, tugging us to our knees in front of it.

“We can use this.” She pushes an old lantern in front of me and hands me a book of matches.

I take them from her. I’ll admit I’m a little excited.

As I light it, shadows play over her face as the flame grows. I fall back on my ass when the walls light with dragonflies. I cover my mouth, quieting my squeal of delight. Charlotte’s dark eyes twinkle mischievously.

“Your daddy made it,” she tells me.

“It’s so cool.”

“I know. It’s my favorite, but they’re all really pretty,” she says.

“There’s more?” My heart beats fast.

She nods, her eyes filling with tears.

“Oh, honey.” I pull her close and wipe them away with the bottom of my t-shirt.

---