Page 131 of How to Entice a Fiend

“Did you tell her?” Mads asks.

“Tell me what?” Rylee asks as she comes out of the master bedroom, which she is still claiming as her own.

I give Mads a look, but it’s obvious he did it on purpose. “Rylee… we’re going to be staying here for a bit.”

She hesitates, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinizes me. “Like… a bit as in a couple of days?”

“For the foreseeable future.”

“So… like a couple of days?”

“We’re going to stay here until we decide to move somewhere elseinthe area. But think more like months,” Mads tells her.

“That’s a really long time,” she says, like this is some mystifying information.

“Orin said you could decorate your room… which will not be the master bedroom. You do not need that king while we sleep on the full,” I say.

“Fine! Can I go pick out my room? And I can put stuff in it? And I can really live here?”

“When we’re done eating, let’s go shopping,” Mads suggests. “We’ll find you some clothes and other stuff to fill your room with.”

“Really?” Rylee asks, looking so hopeful.

“Really,” I say. “You’re also going to go to school.”

“That sounds scary. I like you being my teacher.”

“You’ll get to meet friends your age and you will not eat any of them,” I warn her.

“Why would I eat them?” she asks.

“Just because you chew on your friends doesn’t mean she’ll chew on hers,” Mads teases.

“I really will go to school? I’ve never gone to school.”

Mads walks over and kneels in front of her. “Did you know I was a teacher?”

“No!”

“I can assure you that school is really fun. You get to meet kids your age who you can play with. And you can invite them over for sleepovers and go to birthday parties and have recess and art. And Ender will be here every single day when you get home to help you with anything you need.”

“You promise you won’t leave while I’m at school?” she asks me.

“I’m not going anywhere. If I was going to leave, don’t you think I would have left when you made me watchThe Aristocatsfive times in a row? I’m not going anywhere.”

Rylee runs over and grabs me in a hug. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Can we get Señor Fluffybottom more toys?”

“He doesn’t even move or play with the toys you’ve already got him… but sure,” I say as her face lights up.

She rushes off to pick which room she wants as I walk over to Mads.

“Now when we have to move, she’s going to be very upset,” I say, not liking the idea of shattering her hopes.

He turns to me. “But we’re not going anywhere. You have to believe that, okay? You can have faith that we’re not going anywhere. You don’t realize it, but you worry as much as she does. Maybe more.”

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