by D. R. Perry
"Exactly." Izzy nodded. "If there's something you need to make sure somebody sees, a memory psychic is what you want. They can put your memory into an item, and anyone who activates it will see what happened from your point of view."
"Wow. Do you think she'd help us, though?"
"No idea," Izzy said. "She's kind of an introvert."
"She mentioned that Bar's her cousin." Logan traced shapes in the condensation on his soda cup. "Maybe he can help."
"I don't want him involved." I shook my head.
"Why? Because it's dangerous?" Cadence grinned. "Bar's a big boy, with powers to match."
I opened my mouth, about to say exactly what I thought.
Don't tell her it's because he's still hung up on her.
"Last year, danger got my professor killed." I made a fist and crushed the paper plate in the middle of it, pizza crust and all.
"You act like a sponge, not a mermaid." Izzy glanced at a card in her hand. She put it away without showing us. "You soak up every bad attitude your edgelord boyfriend puts on."
"Are you sure Crow's her boyfriend? Because that's subject to change." Logan's catty question made my mouth drop open.
"Why, Mr. Pierce. I never would've dreamed you had it in you." Cadence shrugged. "It's complicated. He's on thin ice."
"Good." Logan put his palms flat on the table, actually looking her in the eye. "I'm sick of people getting hurt. I'm not letting it happen this year."
"I'd love to chat with you about calculated risk." Cadence nodded, her auburn curls bobbing. "This isn't about one evil person. One of our best friends is facing off against persecution. The danger here isn't my fault, or Crow's." She raised an eyebrow at me. "Right, Aliyah?"
"I don't know." I sighed. "Both of you are right, but we should be more careful, not less."
Silence stretched. Eventually, I felt a presence nearby. I looked up to find Brianna Collins holding a pitcher of soda.
"Sorry. I guess I walked in on something?"
"Just talking about last year."
"Are you all okay?"
"Yeah," Logan answered.
"Thanks for the soda," Cadence said.
Brianna looked like she was about to say more when the bell above the door jingled. Elanor sauntered in with Noah, Dylan, and someone I didn't expect to see today.
"Is that Arick Magnuson?" Lee blinked. "From Norway?"
"His parents own an airline," Logan said.
The bandmates sat at the next table and leaned across to chat after giving their order to Brianna. Nobody mentioned the extramagus test. But the conversation about the future didn't stop there.
"So I hear your mom's the new counselor," Lee said. "It's going to be cool, finally meeting Dylan's parents."
"Parent. No Dad, just Mom."
"Why?" Cadence blinked.
"They split up."
"That's pretty heavy," Logan said. "Are you okay?"
"I guess." Dylan shrugged, worrying the napkin with his fingers. “They started arguing last fall. Think I've got something to do with it."
There's an elephant in this room.
I walked up and punched it in the trunk.
"Because you're an extramagus?"
"Probably. Mom filed divorce papers before I came out to them." Dylan sighed.
"I bet it's not about you." Noah patted his shoulder.
"Either way, it sucks." Izzy shook her head. "Let me know if you want a reading."
"Some other time." Dylan waved a hand. "We've got all summer."
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked.
"Mom told me last month. Besides, I talked about it already." He glanced at Noah, then Elanor. "Bandmates are mates."
"Right." Noah elbowed him.
"Speaking of mates." Cadence glanced at Noah. "Have you seen Jonah?"
"They're only letting family visit. I've sent letters. He hasn't written back. I don't know why."
"Maybe he can't send anything out. Or his lawyer advised against it," Elanor said. "You'll talk sooner or later."
"I don't know." Izzy's brow furrowed. "Hang on." She pulled out a card. "Crap on a crap cracker."
"Share with the class?" Dylan said.
"It ain't nothing nice." Izzy slapped the card on the table.
It was The Chariot reversed, which meant something wrong with communication, usually deliberate.
"Let's hope any ban on letters out is prison-wide," Logan said. "Nobody wants Temperance sending out manifestos while she's locked up."
"She's not in the same place." Noah shook his head. "They put her in some white-collar juvie hall down in New York. It's totally unfair."
"But she's a murderer." Logan blinked.
"Her parents are saying she was duped, led down a dark path." Noah snorted. "By Alex Onassis."
"Weren't you calling him the prince of darkness last year?" Cadence raised an eyebrow.
"I can't stand the guy." Noah shook his head. "But Aliyah and I wouldn't be sitting here if he hadn't done the right thing at the last minute."
"Are you sure?" Izzy asked. "Because he definitely bought into all that magisupremacy."
"Temperance was worse." Arick snorted. "She handed out honest-to-gods fascist pamphlets. And blaming it on Alex? The guy who showed up bruised after their alone time?"
"I noticed." I shook my head. "Anyway, Coach Ives was her real boyfriend."
"What?" Cadence's mouth dropped open.
"The two of them were, um, intimate." I grimaced.
"Where did you hear that?" Izzy blinked.
"I overheard Mom," I answered. "He resigned when they got caught, and the state revoked his teaching license."
"I believe it." Arick nodded. "Nazis suck."
"Spoken like a true punk." Noah chuckled. "I mean that in the nicest possible way of course."
"Thanks." Arick grinned.
"Has she had her trial?" Logan asked.
"No." Noah shook his head. "There's a hearing, something about whether Jonah's coerced turning case is part of her murder charges. Her family's contesting his plea."
Elanor blew a raspberry. I nodded.
"When?" Logan pulled a pencil stub and a small notebook from his pocket.
"July," Noah answered. "I'm giving a statement. I'd appreciate some moral support."
"Can I give one, too?" I asked.
"I'm not sure, Aliyah." Noah shook his head. "You can offer, but they might not accept it because you're an extramagus."
I sighed. "Do they have that horrible device at least?"
"Yes. And the autopsy reports." Noah sipped his soda. "But it's a hearing, remember? They still have to decide whether me getting turned has anything to do with all that."
"If only Lotan could talk." Elanor glanced at the serpent sleeping on Noah's shoulder. "But what can you do?"
"Translate." Logan chuckled. "You know I can understand what they say, right?"
"No. I did not know that." Noah blinked.
"How long have you been able to do that?" Elanor narrowed her eyes at her brother.
"In my first year. Thought it was only Doris at first. But I understand all of them." He stared at his hands, his right one twitching as he tried to refrain from pulling a scab off his left thumb.
"Of course he kept it secret." I came to his rescue. "If your parents knew, what would they have done?"
"Had him committed." She paled. "That's the plan if he sets foot in Nevada ever again. They would've done it last summer if they'd known. Saw some nasty paperwork over winter break and that's why I moved out."
"Yeah." Logan stared at his uneaten pizza. "I figured. Feels like we're in a Grimm story. The kind where the parents end up eating their kids."
"What if they come to Parent's Night?" Elanor shuddered.
I looked around the table at all the wide-eyed faces. Dylan broke the silence.
"If they try anything funny, I'll conjure a tornado and drop a house on them."
Everybody chuckled a little, but nobody outright laug
hed. This humor was drier than a desert and twice as harsh. But as long as my friends could keep laughing, we could get through anything. Right?
That night, I leaned against the fence between the driveway and my backyard, gathering the courage to cross the street and head into the Hawthorne Hotel with my postponement letter. Could I face the Director-General? Would he accept my request if I stood there, visibly shaking? After watching him test Dylan, I feared him.
It's worse. The man terrifies you, with good reason.
Because I was alone, I answered my inside voice, which wasn't acting particularly evil.
"Thanks for understanding. But I don't know what to do."
Hand him the letter at your grandmother's appointment, perhaps?
"I don't want to risk her stopping me."
So go. Quake in your sandals if you must. You're not alone.
"That's right." I nodded at Ember, who sat on my left shoulder. "You'll help me be brave, right girl?"
"Brave for what?"
Don't be alarmed.
I turned slowly. The voice was right because Logan stood peering over the fence from the backyard.
"I didn't know you were out here."
"Likewise. What's going on?"
I told him.
"I'll go with you if you want."
"I do. But you're busy."
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "It's time for the opossums to go back inside, anyway."
"I'll help."
I strode through the gate Logan held open. The simple yet challenging task of wrangling baby opossums onto their mother's back and escorting them back to their room lifted my spirits. Maybe it was Logan's enthusiasm. Or both.
Absolutely both.
"Yeah."
Logan noticed my gaffe but said nothing. Did he not care about my habit of replying to nobody? Or did he think I communicated with Ember the way he did with Doris? At least he didn't seem to judge me for it.
Sooner or later you have to tell somebody about me.
I ignored the voice this time.
"Where are you headed?" Logan walked beside me down the driveway.
"I've got to hand a letter to an, um, intimidating person."
"This is about that test." Logan sighed. "How can I help?"
"Do you remember the first Parents Night dance?"
"Yeah. We hid your solar. But he knows you’re an extramagus."
"It's not magic I need to hide, Logan." I sighed. "It's fear."
"Oh." He blinked. "Maybe you want someone braver than me."
"You've got plenty of courage."
"He's in the hotel?" Logan changed the subject.
"Yeah. Mom put the room number right on the letter."
"Let's cross the street then."
"Meow." Doris walked ahead of us, like a standard-bearer.
The front door at the Hawthorne Hotel was still open after dinner, the likeliest time for Director-General Rockport to be in his room. We turned left toward the bank of elevators. My finger trembled over the up button, but I managed to press it. The elevator opened immediately. Inside, my hands shook too much to select the floor.
Logan stilled the paper flapping in my grasp and glanced at the address on top. I let him take it from me. When he selected the fourth floor, the elevator closed its doors.
The pit of my stomach would've sunk anyway, but the elevator felt like it sent my guts straight to hell. That's an atypical thought for a Jewish girl like me, but that entire evening felt less normal by the minute. When the elevator opened, the hallway yawned in front of me like a gullet, the red paisley carpet and maroon striped wallpaper enhancing that impression.
Logan took my hand and led me down, glancing at the room numbers as we went. I followed, unable to do much more than measure my steps to match his pace. Doris brought up the rear this time.
"Peep." Ember nuzzled my cheek and wrapped her tail over my shoulder like a hug.
We stopped in front of his room. I didn't notice much about the door except that the knob was free and clear of the Do Not Disturb sign. At least I wouldn't feel like I was imposing.
"Hold this." Logan handed me the paper, the entire reason for my visit. "If you need, I'll do the talking. Formal introductions are like dancing for me."
He knocked solidly, four times. Muffled footsteps sounded on the other side. The door opened inward, revealing the man who'd haunted my nightmares since last autumn. He probably figured more frequently in Dylan's than mine now.
"Good evening, Director-General Rockport." Logan inclined his head in a gesture of respect. "Miss Aliyah Morgenstern is here to deliver a document concerning an appointment later this week."
Logan didn't look in the Director-General's eyes, but Rockport seemed to take Logan's mannerisms in stride.
He knows all the trustees, including Logan's father.
I almost replied to the voice. Instead, I addressed Director-General Rockport.
"I'm requesting a postponement of my test to a date and time when proper facilities and equipment are available at Hawthorn Academy." I held the letter out to him. "All the details are in the body of the letter, sir."
Good show, calling him sir.
"This is against the wishes of your grandmother." He raised an eyebrow as he perused the paper. "Nevertheless, as you must be an adult at the time of testing, it's not her decision. As unconventional as your choice may be, I'm inclined to honor it."
"Thank you, sir. I—"
"Conditionally. Give me a reason to postpone. The letter does not specify one." He looked me in the eye, no allowance for avoidance given the way he done with Logan.
"My experience should be fair. My knowledge of the process makes me think a modified test isn't equitable."
"Your knowledge?"
"I was the peer witness for Dylan Khan."
"Interesting." He tilted his head. "You will receive notice of your rescheduled date in August. Good evening."
He took one step back and closed the door. That's when my knees gave out.
"Whoa, Aliyah." Logan hooked his arm under mine, supporting my weight on one side as Ember flapped her wings on the other. Doris squeaked a few times.
"Right, Doris." Logan nodded. "Time to go."
He helped me down the hall and out of the Hawthorne Hotel. I'd carry the burden of the test all summer. I hadn't realized that before, but it wouldn't have stopped me anyway.
I stood on the back porch in the mist at six the next morning, peering through the haze at Ember flying from branch to branch in the mulberry tree. The door opened behind me. My grandmother leaned against the railing on my left, mug of tea in one hand, hair red as an autumn maple. The other held a postcard, which she slapped down on the railing between us.
"This arrived late last night. Read it."
"Your appointment has been postponed until further notice, per written request of one Aliyah Sarah Morgenstern. Director-General Walter Rockport, BEA."
"Aliyah, what have you done?"
"The right thing, Bubbe." I turned my head and met her gaze.
"I hope so."
"You know how I feel."
"Yes." She sighed and bowed her head. "You're not the only one with big emotions here. The first step on this path is the only easy one."
"The second one's the hardest." I put my hand over hers. "I know."
"You don't. That's what scares me, Bissel." She looked back up at me, eyes rimmed with red.
"Why do you keep acting like I didn't think this through, Bubbe?"
"Because that's impossible. You don't have enough information."
"So why didn't you give it to me?"
"I don't have it. Nobody possibly could." Her hands curled around warm ceramic. "Not even your mother, with all of her theory work."
"What about Logan?"
"Maybe he could have figured it out. Given more training than Hawthorn offers."
"Well, he helped me. Last night, delivering the letter. I was too scared to do it alone." I blinked, eye
s suddenly damp. I glanced up, but despite the misty morning, it wasn't drizzling.
"At least that level of fear matches the danger." She shook her head. "I only wanted to spare you pain. Because I love you."
"I know, Bubbe. I love you too." I sniffled. "I care how you feel, so much. But since Dylan's test, I think about every other extramagus that doesn't have someone like you on their side."
"You're only eighteen. You can't save the world, Aliyah."
"I'm not trying to." I shook my head. "I want to spare them pain."
"It's unclear how your suffering will accomplish that." She set the tea down on the railing, covering the postcard. "But it's too late for me to change that now."
"I've got a plan. And help."
She opened her arms, and we hugged.
"All the same, I can't stop worrying."
"Why?"
"There's an old saying that when you have children, part of your heart lives outside your chest."
"That's harsh."
"Yes. And it doesn't soften for grandchildren."
"I'll be as careful as I can be, Bubbe. Because I love you."
She let go.
"And I you, Bissel. Forever and always."
Chapter Three
In July, I stood in the exam room beside Logan, watching Bubbe remove a thorn from a moon hare's flank. It wasn't Grace's familiar Lune, thank goodness. Azrael's father found the poor critter under the bandstand on Salem Common.
"Once everything's sterilized, we must take extreme care," Bubbe explained. "If we touch anything but this shaved area, we'll need another tweezer."
"It's okay. She's helping." I tried comforting the poor hare, but she didn't seem particularly soothed by my words.
Logan stepped to my left, made eye contact with the frightened creature, and wiggled his nose. We saw the effects instantly. The hare lay back and extended her leg toward my grandmother. She took it in her gloved hand and brandished the tweezer over the puncture. The animal looked away from my grandmother but sat like a stone.
"Brave girl." Bubbe stepped away and tossed the thorn in the trash. "Now we'll patch it up."
The hare didn't need stitches, just a butterfly closure. Once Bubbe did that, she discarded her gloves and washed her hands. I brought the tray of soiled instruments to the sterilizer while Logan gathered the hare in his arms, humming as he carried her to a recovery room. He set her down, wiggled his nose a few more times, then let her rest on a cushion. He closed the Dutch door's bottom and joined me by the sterilizer.