Page 32 of Collin: Episodes 13-15
Ash nodded.
“Then come with. I’m just walking around and talking to people.”
Ash scrunched up his nose. “People.”
“Come on, you like people.” Collin threw an arm around Ash’s shoulders. “Think about how much you like Ms. Linda, Ellisandre, Damian, Carrie, Bruiski, Janice, Mr. Reevesworth. There’s a whole list of people you like.”
Ash pushed Collin off, giving him the stink eye. “You’re not people. Ellisandre is not people. You’re you.”
Collin laughed, pushing open the door to the conference room and holding it for Ash. “I’m wounded. Ash, since when did I lose my human…”
One hundred and forty pounds of flying girl hit Collin square in the chest, arms and legs locking around him. Collin fell back into the door.
“Oof!”
“Brother!”
“A—Alice?!”
She dropped her feet to the floor and danced back. “I took an earlier flight. And Mr. Reevesworth had some guy named Holden pick me up.”
Collin glanced behind her. Mr. Reevesworth stood at the end of the hall, hands in his pockets, smiling. He gave Collin a nod and walked away toward his office.
“You’re, like, super early. I didn’t think you got here till eleven.”
“I know. I had to wake up so early for my flight it wasn’t even today!” She bounced up and down and turned, taking in Ash. “Is this the techno mage guy? You said he has red hair.”
“Ash, this is Alice. Alice, this is Ash. Yes, he’s the techno mage.”
“Hi, I’m Alice.” Alice stuck her hand out.
Ash held out the box of buttons. His brain had obviously departed for regions unknown.
Alice peered into the box. “Oh, you have those dog training things. Where’s the dogs?”
“It’s us.” Collin pointed between him and Ash. “We’re the dogs.”
Alice poked one of the buttons. “Yóujiàn,” spurted out of the little speaker.
“What’s ‘you jan’ mean?”
“Mandarin for email,” Collin replied.
Ash seemed to have lost all ability to speak. He was staring at Alice like she was something from a fantasy world. Which, in all fairness, she kind of looked like right then. Somehow in the last week, she’d dyed her hair a brilliant blue to fuchsia ombre, and she was wearing a blue skater skirt and suspenders with oversized butterfly buttons over a chunky pink crop-top sweater. Giant gold bangles bounced from both ears, and she had on sparkly purple combat boots with ice-pink tights.
“Please tell me you brought a coat,” Collin begged.
She giggled. “Of course, I brought a coat. Remember? We do sometimes have cold in California. I left it with Carrie at the front desk. So, Ash, can I see your dungeon?”
Ash colored to nearly the same shade as his hair. “Five minutes. Five minutes!” He ran past Collin, clutching the box of buttons.
“Is he always that way?” Alice stared after him.
“He’s shy. Give him time. Usually he’d growl, so the fact he said to give him five minutes is a good thing.”
Alice tapped her finger to her bottom lip. “Maybe I should have brought a bribe or a treat. Boys are like puppies. They need treats, cuddles, and clear boundaries to feel safe.”
Collin looked down at his little sister with both eyebrows raised.
