Page 56 of Tamiko and the Two Janitors
“What do you mean?”
“Yournormalis pretty special.” He eased to theground. “As a for instance, what kinds of critters flock around when you’reworking out here?”
Joe’s heart beat a little faster, but he repeated, “Normalstuff. Birds and things.”
“Ever try to look them up at the library? Find out theirproper names?”
He knew what Kip was getting at. The things he saw, thestrange and beautiful creatures that no one else seemed to notice. This personknew about them, too. Joe slowly shook his head. “I made up stuff. Gave themnicknames.”
“This place has become an Ephemera sanctuary, and the onesI’ve encountered are practically tame. Take this little guy.” Kip opened hishands, revealing one of the gem snakes. This is a prismatic midivar, and theyare getting increasingly hard to find. They’re supposed to come in all sevencolors, just like a rainbow. I’ve already spotted three diff–”
“Eight,” Joe interrupted, taking the sapphire gem snake,which wove between his fingers. “We have eight colors.”
Kip counted off on his fingers, rattling off seven colorsand arching his eyebrows questioningly. “And …?”
“Maybe white doesn’t count as a color. That one’s probablyalbino.” He lifted the little creature, which was sort of like a snake withdragonfly wings, and asked, “Midivar?”
“Good. If you want, I can teach you more names. Better yet,I’ll sneak you a book. Then you don’t have to wait around for my days off.
Joe saw his smile reflected in eyes with slitted pupils andquickly looked away, only to notice Kip’s feet. They’re weren’t anything likehuman feet. Paws with claws, thickly furred.
“Too soon?” Kip asked. “I can hide the truth if you’re notready for it.”
“It’s okay. I’m not scared.” He just wasn’t ready to lookup.
“It’s not a very big change, Jiro,” he coaxed. “Hardlyanything at all. I’m still Kip.”
Joe’s gaze darted skittishly over Kip’s features. Samefreckles. Same pale lashes. Same little smirk. But his ears came to points now,like all the Rivven on television. It was almost anticlimactic. “So you’re partsquirrel? I mean … you change into a squirrel?”
Kip said, “I’m an Amaranthine from one of the squirrelclans, and in truest form, I look like a squirrel. This is my speaking form. I usesimple illusions to look like a human and pass myself off as one.”
“Do you like being able to become a squirrel?”
“Honestly? I like to talk, so I hardly ever change.”
“Oh.” Maybe it had been rude to ask.
Watching him closely, Kip continued, “I’m relatively young,so my truest form isn’t terribly large. Well, big for a squirrel, of course,but we fall on the small side of the spectrum.”
Joe was picking up on something, and he dared to give itvoice. “Are you embarrassed about being … little?”
“Are you asking me to show you?”
“Yes?”
Kip’s smile had a hint of fang to it, and the finger thattapped Joe’s nose was tipped by a claw. “Don’t tease,” he ordered, and then hedropped to all fours.
TWENTY-TWO
Cheeky Beggar
Something indefinable swelled like a song that Joecouldn’t quite hear, touching off a case of gooseflesh. Light diffused,dazzling his eyes, and when the need to squint passed, Kip was gone. No, notgone.He’d changed.
Large eyes peeped out from under the edge of a puffed tail,and Joe’s nervousness disappeared. He’d seen documentaries where Rivventransformed into massive beasts, but this squirrel was no bigger than the dwarfgoats in their petting zoo. Only rounder, softer, and possessing an undeniable forceof personality.
Biddie laughed and rushed to pet the oversized squirrel.
Joe was pretty sure this was a breach of etiquette, but Kipleaned into her touch. He watched them with a twinge of envy. Suddenly, Kip’stail flashed under Joe’s nose—ticklish and taunting.
