by D. R. Perry
"Doctor Elizabeth!" I smiled. "How's she doing?"
"Well. She'll be up for the masquerade ball in October and staying with me."
"Cool." Logan elbowed me. "Third-years are allowed to go to that."
"We'd better tell Grace, then. And make sure you've got extra shoes."
"Not so fast, you two." Mom shook her head. "They haven't selected a new headmaster yet. The rules might change."
"Bummer." Bar sighed. "I hope you all can go. Our whole class from Gallows Hill will be there. Anyway, is there anything else going in the truck? There's still room."
"That's all." Dad nodded. "Thanks, Bartholomew."
"Hey!"
Everyone turned to see who had called down the driveway. A figure ran up it in the dark. As it drew nearer, I recognized Dylan Khan.
"Dylan!" Logan darted out to meet him, and they hugged.
"Is this all going to Noah's new place?"
"Yeah."
"Can I go with?"
"They're expecting you." I nodded.
"Cool." He smiled. "I've got news too. Mom's coming to work at Hawthorn."
"Whoa!" Logan clapped his hands. "Awesome! What's she doing?"
"School counselor." Dylan shrugged, clearly less excited than his roommate. "Trustees don't want Hawkins doing that while teaching full time."
"Oh." I blinked. "Hmm."
"What's wrong?" Logan stopped bouncing and glanced at Dylan.
"Could get awkward." Dylan sighed. "Like, if I ever happen to need help or whatever."
"Well, my door's always open." Bubbe handed me two bags of food, then set the third one in the cab of the truck with Bar.
"Wow, thanks." The corners of Dylan's mouth turned up.
"Now, you kids ought to get going if Elanor and Noah want to get those bed frames set up before the mattresses arrive." Bubbe went back up the steps in front of her office.
"Yes, and remember that Aliyah and Logan still have curfews to meet."
"Right, eleven-thirty." Logan nodded. "Which gives us two hours."
"Thanks, Morgensterns!" Bar waved out the window. "See half of you back on Palmer Street."
After he pulled away, Logan, Dylan, and I headed back toward The Point on foot.
I sat with Noah in his room and tried to put the bed frame together, which would only have been more frustrating if it had come from IKEA.
"Gimme the monkey wrench."
I slapped a length of metal into his waiting hand.
"No, wait. The Allen wrench."
I replaced it.
"Almost done?" I peered apprehensively at the contraption sagging around him.
Noah threw his head back and let out a laugh that almost sounded like a howl.
"Need help?" Logan stood in the doorway.
"Go help El." Noah waved him away.
"We're done with hers."
"Then have at it, gadget man." Noah stood and stepped out of the rickety-looking excuse for a bed frame.
"That's not bad. Like, for a parody." Dylan strummed the acoustic guitar in the corner and sang. "Gadget man, fixing up his furniture alone. And it isn't gonna take a long, long time. To get this bed set up in here. I'm not the man that's gonna sleep in it, but the one who does is gonna sleep alone. But Noah, he's not a gadget man. Gadget man, top of the class at the place I call home."
"That's pretty good, Dyl." Noah grinned. "Figure out how to make it less derivative, and we've got a new number, I think."
"You really want him writing songs about you sleeping alone?" Elanor chuckled.
"No. But at least he's honest." Noah sighed.
"Got it." Logan stood while dropping the slide wrench into the tool bucket. "Just in time, too."
A truck horn sounded outside.
We all got out of the way as the delivery staff brought in two mattresses and box springs. They left in a hurry, making me think at least one of them was a little weirded out by being in an apartment designed for vampires. We unwrapped the plastic and set the beds on the frames ourselves with little trouble.
"How was that Tropica Mart?" I opened the fridge, looking for drinks to go with the babka, but only saw bottled blood. "Nothing much there besides this?"
"Not true." Elanor shook her head. "I drank all the pineapple Faygo."
"Cadence swears by that stuff." I chuckled. "Is it still open?"
"All night. It's a twenty-four-hour sort of place," Noah answered. "Come on." Dylan leaned the guitar against the wall and headed for the door with us.
"Are you guys coming?" I glanced back at Logan and Elanor.
"Nah." He shook his head. "Can you get me some ginger ale if they have it?"
"Sure."
The Tropica Mart had a sign out front with the picture of a palm tree underneath a crescent moon. The brown-skinned man sitting under it exhibited a fangy smile. I understood why Noah was so enthused to go back to the clearly vamp-friendly establishment.
Inside, the shelves were close together and packed with a variety of grocery and household goods. A fresh fruit and vegetable stand sat at the back, near coolers filled with frosty beverages. I saw plantains, coconuts, papaya, jicama, yucca, tomatillos, and avocados along with apples, oranges, and pears.
"Oh, is this your hermana?"
"Yeah, it is." Noah nodded at the man behind the counter, who might have modeled for the figure on the sign. "Jefe, this is my sister Aliyah. Aliyah, Jefe."
"Jefe DelSangre. This is my store." He held his hand out, and I shook it. "Welcome."
"Thank you." I smiled. "Nice to meet you."
We gathered soda, which was mostly the Faygo brand. They had all the flavors, including ginger ale. After paying and wishing Jefe a good evening, we headed back across the street. At the apartment, we drank soda while unpacking linens and making beds. Logan and I had to go after that, but Dylan stuck around to get the drums set up in the practice room.
"Who's going to play them?" I asked. "Arick went back to Bergen."
"His parents own an airline. So he's coming and going a lot this summer."
"How's that going to work for your monthly gigs at the Baybridge?" Logan blinked.
"Maybe you'll fill in if he's not around?" Elanor shuffled her feet. "I meant to ask more nicely than that."
"No." He planted his feet. "No performing. Not anymore."
"Okay." She nodded. "I understand."
She doesn't.
The voice was right, but I wasn't going to start an argument and miss curfew.
"I'll ask Azrael tomorrow. His dad knows most of the musicians in this town." I shrugged. "For now, we've got to get home."
We left. Out on Lafayette Street, Logan spoke.
"Thanks."
"What did I do?"
"You backed me up." He turned, walking backward like Dorian did last year before Mercy died. In true Logan Pierce fashion, he looked at my face without meeting my gaze. "She would have kept asking if you hadn't mentioned Az. Eventually, I would have been their drummer. Whether I liked it or not."
"Hey, this is what friends do for each other."
"No. Dylan didn't say anything, and he's my friend. We're close." He cleared his throat. "But you're my best friend, Aliyah. Ever."
We stopped to hug on the corner of Lafayette and Derby, then held hands the rest of the way home. He walked me up the stoop in front of my parent's apartment.
"See you tomorrow morning for waffles?" He grinned.
"Yeah. I promise not to try passing ketchup off as syrup. Goodnight, Logan."
"Goodnight, Aliyah."
I ran up the front stairs as fast as I could, peered out the window, and was rewarded for my effort as I watched Logan walk through the door at Bubbe's office, Doris pacing in beside him.
"Peep." Ember nuzzled my cheek, cooing. Then she yawned.
"Yeah, girl. Let's get some sleep."
I only paused by Mom's office to wave at her before heading to my room for pajamas, the toothbrush, and bed.
Chapter Two
&nb
sp; The week before I turned eighteen, I stood in the kitchen.
"Mom, I have to take the extramagus test." I crossed my arms over my chest. "What are we doing about that?"
"Bubbe's still hammering out the details with the Director-General." She poured coffee. "There are still five days before your birthday."
"She's not still trying to get me out of it?" I tapped my foot. "You know how I feel about that."
"I know." Mom toppled a splash of cream into her cup. "And yes, she is trying to make the process easier."
"How does that work, exactly? If I'm an adult, she doesn't get to make that kind of decision for me."
"Which is why she's making arrangements now, while you're still a minor." Mom clinked a spoon in the clouded coffee and stirred.
"You know, Aliyah," Dad interrupted. "It has to happen after you turn eighteen, but there's no requirement for you to have it on your birthday."
"I didn't ask you, Dad." My arms dropped to my sides as the implications of what he said hit me. "Oh. Oh!"
"Aaron!" The air around my mother got warmer.
"I want things to be fair, Angie." Dad sighed. "For Aliyah and everyone else."
"That's why Bubbe's having those talks, so it'll be different this time." Mom said.
"Different only for me?" I narrowed my eyes. "It needs to change for every extramagus. Or else none of us. If Bubbe's planning to get me some special waiver, I'm going to say no."
"I don't want anyone else tortured either." Mom held her coffee in front of her like a shield. "Bubbe thinks you shouldn't have to put yourself through the full ordeal. She's using the summer to your advantage."
"What do you mean?"
"Available space and facilities give her an excuse to request a truncated process." Mom sighed. "Your recent acts of heroism are under consideration, too."
"Hawthorn had all the space and facility they needed for Dylan." I leaned against the counter. "And me."
"There's still no headmaster at Hawthorn. So until the trustees select and appoint one, the test can't happen on campus."
"Do I still get a witness?" I raised an eyebrow.
"That depends."
"That's bullshit." I glared, nostrils flaring, practically daring her to jump on my case for language. Instead, she sighed.
"You can postpone the test until proper facilities are available, but you've got to put it in writing and hand it directly to the Director-General. In person."
"Great. Where is he?"
"Bubbe mentioned the Hawthorne Hotel," Dad offered. "I'd wait until after the dinner hour to see him, though."
"Aliyah—"
"You can't talk me out of this, Mom."
"I know." She pushed the door to her office open. "You can use the guest account on my computer to write your request. I'll print it while you're out. Hold on."
Mom sat at her desk and switched accounts to the one Noah and I used on occasion.
"Thanks."
It took a few moments to compose my thoughts. Then I wrote something more formal than I might have managed without that pause.
Fix it. You don't want to sound...unhinged.
"Never turn in the first draft."
"Hmm?" Dad said from the kitchen.
"Something Logan says at school."
I finished after a few more minutes of work, but something was missing. I stood and paced while trying to remember how letters Mom sent to schools always looked.
"It needs addresses," Mom said. "I'll fix it. You were due down at Bubbe's to help out."
"Right." I nodded. "Thanks, Mom."
She sat at the desk and nodded without looking up. I left, heading out in the kitchen to let her work. More frustration must have shown on my face than I'd intended.
"Hey, Aliyah." Dad put his hand on my shoulder. "You know she's only trying to protect you, right?"
"I know, but she's not an extramagus. I have to do this my way or not at all."
"I get it. I'm proud of you for standing up. But you have to jump through the hoops first. You understand?"
"Yeah, Dad. I do. Thanks for reminding me of that."
I headed down the back stairs, and knocked at the bottom instead of barging in.
"Come in!"
I walked into Bubbe's office and closed the door. Ember swooped through the air above my head, flying up and down the hall. She peered into each room at the boarders and critters there for checkups. I went straight to the small kitchen in the middle of the hall, turning the corner to find Logan sitting over a bunch of patient files and paperwork. My grandmother bustled at the stove, boiling water.
"What's that there?" I peered over Logan's shoulder.
"They’re about Doris." Logan tapped one of the papers. "We're trying to figure out what type of mercat she is. These are genetic tests."
"That's advanced work. Must be exciting for you." I sat beside him.
"Exciting for Doris too." He grinned. "She wants to know where she came from."
"Meow." Doris jumped up on the table and paced back and forth. She peered at the files, then bumped her head against my hand while purring.
"I guess that means she's doesn't mind me seeing them." I smiled.
"Yeah. Doris really likes you. I mean, you did save her life."
"That's not how I remember it."
"You carried her down the street to here."
"Oh, yeah. I barely remember that. But you gave her water."
"That's the part I forget." He chuckled.
“I'm bringing this decoction to the opossum in room two," Bubbe said. "I'll be back in about five minutes."
"Okay." Logan nodded.
I waited until I heard Bubbe crooning in the treatment room.
"I need your help." I drew a deep breath before letting the hard part out. "They're making me take an extramagus test. I want you to be my witness."
"What?" Logan blinked. "Extramagus test?" His voice cracked.
"Anyone with more than one element has to. I wasn't allowed to tell anybody, but I guess I'm telling you they exist because otherwise, I can't ask you to be there with me."
"They test every extramagus? But why? And how?"
"I'll tell you another time." I glanced at the open door. "It's a secret."
"It must be horrible if it's unspoken." He picked at the ragged skin by his thumbnail, a habit when something disturbed him.
"I found out when Dylan went through it last year. He chose me."
"Okay, then."
"Are you sure? You can change your mi—"
"It's utterly horrible?"
"Terrifying. Been dreading it all year."
"You don't need to tell me more. I'll be there, no matter what. Like I promised."
Doris jumped into my lap, purring. Ember landed on my shoulder, gazed down at the mercat, peeped once, then hopped on Logan’s shoulder where she curled herself around his neck in a familiar fashion.
"She hasn't done that in a long time." Logan nodded at Doris.
I glanced at Ember. "Likewise." I rested my chin on one hand while petting Doris with the other. "So what's this about a genetics test?"
Logan launched into a lecture about chromosomes, alleles, and genetic markers commonly found in mercats. His enthusiasm for the subject made it more interesting than it would've been if I'd read it or even if Bubbe had explained it.
I spent the rest of the day in the extraveterinary office with Logan after going over the file. We fed and watered the boarded animals and took some to the backyard for exercise. After that, it was time for lunch.
We headed down the driveway. Izzy sat on her porch with Lee. After a brief conversation, they both joined us at Engine House for pizza.
It's hard enough to keep secrets from a clairvoyant. When Cadence the gossipy mermaid plopped down beside us, my privacy was a lost cause.
"Aliyah, you look off." Cadence peered at my face. "Iz, pull a card for her."
Izzy reached for the bag with her cards.
"Don't." I shook my he
ad. "I've got kind of a big ask. Just Cadence and Izzy, but I trust you to keep this on the down-low, Lee." I picked a bit of cheese off the crust on my plate.
Izzy narrowed her eyes. "I don't like this, Aliyah."
"It's worse than that." Logan patted my shoulder.
"Oh?" Cadence raised her eyebrow while glancing from Logan to me.
"I'm serious. This is some ‘never again’ level stuff. Are you sure you want to hear it? Because I can't unsay any of this."
"Go on." Cadence leaned forward, elbows on the table.
"Spill it," Izzy ordered.
Lee nodded.
"After I turn eighteen, I've got to take a test because I'm an extramagus. I saw one happen last year, to Dylan. It's absolutely inhumane, like being tortured with every kind of elemental magic that exists. If enough people knew, maybe they’d find another way. So I want to record mine and leak it to the public, but I need your help."
Logan covered my hand with his. Cadence's eyes widened. Izzy nodded, and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Lee leaned back in his chair, lips pressed into a thin, flat line. He surprised me by speaking first.
"That's why he was off all last year." It wasn't a question but a statement of fact.
"I wish he'd said something." Cadence sighed. "Everyone assumed all his drama came from breaking up with Grace."
"He wasn't allowed to talk about it." I narrowed my eyes, trying to keep tears out of them. "I get one witness who has to be a magus. I chose Logan. The rest of you aren't supposed to know this. Or even be there when it happens."
Izzy's thrummed her fingers against the table. "So, how do we help?"
"With press coverage, of course." Cadence smirked. "At least that's my best guess. If you want to blow this thing wide open, my mom can make it happen."
"You've got it, Cadence."
"What's the other part?" Izzy tugged at the strap on the satchel she carried her cards in. "All I've got to offer is my skill with my cards."
"No. Like it or not, you're the most popular girl at Messing, Izzy. You’ve got connections. What I need is some way to pull the entire experience out of my head and share it. Are there psychics who can do anything like that?"
"Usually, that's a telepath." Izzy shook her head. "I don't know any, but Jacinda might be able to help you."
"She's Messing's cheer squad captain." Logan nodded. "A memory psychic, right?"