Page 32 of Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

Overhead, glass broke with a shattering crack.

Cora grimaced. “I don’t know,” she said.

“It’s all right,” said Antsy. “Hudson will have told them who’s on their side and who’s not.”

She turned her attention back to Vineta, and her expression was terrible and cold.

“If you run now, you might find a Door,” said Antsy, as the birds poured in above her head like a furious cloud, the sound of their wings and cries filling the air. “You won’t know where it goes, but it’s probably better than being driven through a Door you didn’t choose.”

“Howdareyou?” gasped Vineta.

“How dareyou?” countered Antsy, much more calmly, as the magpies began to descend.

Hudson was the first to land, touching down delicately on his waiting perch. He cocked his head, light reflecting from his glasses. “Vineta, the Mischief of Magpies who rule the Land Where the Lost Things Go has decided that your services will no longer be required. You may now vacate our property. I would suggest you do so quickly.”

More and more magpies were landing. Some, like Hudson, wore glasses; others had monocles, or cuffs on their legs, or fancy little hats. The majority were unclothed, and looked like any other magpie, anywhere. All their eyes were fixed on Vineta, hard and furious and making it all but impossible to ignore how sharp their beaks were, how pointed their talons.

Vineta turned and ran, faster than any of them would have expected a woman her age to move, and the magpies followed.

Sumi slid off the counter, looking only faintly disappointed that she hadn’t been given an excuse to start breaking bones with a croquet mallet. “Birds are scary,” she said.

None of them could disagree.

Antsy walked over where Yulia still pressed her face into Emily’s arm, crouching down. “Hello,” she said.

Yulia peeked at her. “’lo,” she replied.

“So I’m going to be running things here for a little while, with the help of the magpies.”

“Mostly me!” said Hudson.

Antsy smiled. “Mostly Hudson. I know you don’t want to go back to the world you came from, and I won’t make you, but you still have a choice.”

“A choice?” sniffled Yulia, finally turning to face Antsy altogether.

“Everyone gets choices,” said Antsy firmly. “My friends are going back to the school they all attend, and you could go with them. The woman who owns it is kind to kids like us, she’ll make sure you’re safe and taken care of, and have everything you need. Or you can stay here, but if you do, you have to do as you’re told, even if you don’t always like it.”

“You won’t hurt me?”

“Never intentionally,” said Antsy. “There will still be Doors to open, if you stay here, but we’ll open them at a pace you feel comfortable with, and you’ll have time between them to grow up at the speed you should. We’ll figure it out together.”

“And you know where the Doors go? So I won’t accidentally open one that leads to where I came from?”

“Yes.”

“But Icouldgo back, someday, if I wanted.”

“Yes,” said Antsy again.

Yulia took a deep breath as she pulled away from Emily, straightening. “I’m going to stay here,” she said. “With you. I’ll help keep the shelves stocked and make sure the customers find what they need, and I’ll be happy, because there aren’t any vampires.”

The magpies that hadn’t gone after Vineta cawed their approval of the plan, voices ringing from the rafters.

Antsy nodded. “All right. And if you ever change your mind, we can find you someplace else to be.” She turned to the others. “The same offer’s open to all of you,” she said. “If any of you want to stay here, with me, you can. Or I can send you back to the school, or I can send you…”

“Home,” said Emily, and the longing in her voice was an agony. “School for me, please. Harvest will call me when it feels I’m sure enough.”

“Never going back,” said Kade. “School.”

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