Green

by Laura Peyton Roberts

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  Here begins the Accounting of Lilybet Green

  in the first year of her service as

  Keeper of the Clan of Green .

  "How come this ink doesn't bleed through the paper?" I asked Lexie.

  "Magic," she replied. "Enchanted gold dust all through it. Holds a memory spell too. Anything you read or write in enchanted ink will come back to you when you need it most."

  Gigi's clues, for example , I realized, smiling. "I wish they used this stuff at school. I'd never have to study for tests again!"

  The next two hours were busy. Balthazar escorted leprechauns in one at a time, and while deposits meant only a line of writing plus a count to make sure the gold was all there, each withdrawal had to be tracked down, bagged, and carried by me personally to the outer keep.

  Lexie was a huge help, teaching me the leprechaun coins, and how to class the nuggets, and how many dymers were in a delorean, and tons of other useful stuff. Balthazar kept order until the line finally cleared out.

  At last I was free to go home.

  I was about to close the magic wall when Mother Sosanna and her council walked into the outer keep. "Have you forgotten to add that gold to the count, Lilybet?" Sosanna asked, pointing to my stolen bags.

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  "Oh. Yeah. I'll catch it next time."

  "Balthazar?" she prompted. "The clover swear?"

  Scurrying outside, he uprooted a hunk of clover and ran back in to us. I crushed a few leaves into goop while Sosanna did the same.

  "You will never reveal the folk's existence or anything about us to anyone but your successor, and only then when it's her turn to try," Sosanna said.

  "I swear," I said, swapping juicy wrists.

  She smiled happily. "Well, then, Lilybet. I understand you would like to return to Providence now?"

  "Yes. Please."

  "And you will come back regularly?"

  "I'll come back, but we have to work out a better schedule, because I can't be spending two days in a dog cart every time you guys need to do some banking. I have a life, you know, not to mention a mother who asks lots of questions." I felt kind of queasy even thinking about those questions--and all the answers I wouldn't have.

  "You needn't worry so much about time," Sosanna said with a gentle smile. "Time passes faster as you age, Lilybet, and the Meadows is very old indeed. Nevertheless, now that you're our keeper, there's a swifter way to travel."

  "I'm all about swift," I said.

  "Simply open a door," she told me. "Take your keeper key

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  in hand, picture where you want to go, open any door, and step through it. You're there."

  I gasped. "Really?"

  "We can't have you riding two days in a dog cart every time we need you," she said, eyes twinkling.

  "So, like ... I could go home right now? This minute?"

  "Come and go as you wish, Lilybet."

  No wonder Caspar was whining about doors back in Providence! And no wonder Balthazar didn't want me to see one--I'd have been gone before they could blink!

  I was about to raise the security wall once again when my eyes landed on the two bags of Scarlet gold still lashed closed with crimson cords. The first inklings of a new idea stirred inside my brain.

  I stepped back into the inner keep. "You know what? I will count this gold before I leave."

  Untying the heavier bag, I took out a handful of coins and held them into the light.

  "Condors, those are!" someone cried. "Scarlet gold for sure!"

  "Does Scarlet gold look ... scarlet?" I asked Balthazar. "These coins seem kind of rosy."

  "Never heard o' that," Balthazar answered, edging up beside me. "Different denominations, to be sure, but not color."

  "It's pink," I insisted. "You don't see that?"

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  He put his whole head into the bag, happy for any excuse to get closer. "Looks gold," he grunted at last.

  "I don't think so." Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Ludlow in the crowd. "Ludlow! Come help me!"

  He skittered up, blushing with pleasure to have been singled out. "At your service, Lilybet!"

  I pulled the bag over the threshold. "Carry this gold outside for me, will you? I want to see it in the sunshine."

  "My pleasure, Lilybet!"

  Balthazar looked as if I'd just punched him in the gut. He'll thank me later , I thought, locking the security wall and following Ludlow.

  Ludlow dragged the bag through the outer keep, his leprechaun strength almost outmatched by the combination of so much gold and his small stature. I heard Balthazar grumbling that he could have done it faster--and without sweating too--as Ludlow finally pulled the sack through the cave mouth and onto the clover outside. "Is this ... far enough?" he panted.

  "A little farther," I said, squinting up at the sun, then across the field at the keeper's cottage. Ninety-eight percent of the crowd was still in the cave behind us. Only a few scattered leprechauns dotted the open field. One of them was Cain, freshly shaved. He shuffled along listlessly, both eyes on the ground and a poop scooper clutched in his hands.

  Ludlow dragged the bag five more feet.

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  "Perfect!" I said, snatching it from him and making a run for the hut.

  "Lil!" Balthazar cried, horrified.

  A few shocked leprechauns tried to muster a chase as I sprinted over the clover. I had a head start, though, not to mention longer legs. My silver flats ate up the field. I blew past a startled Cain before he had time to react. Glancing back, I saw one of Balthazar's guards gaining fast.

  "Cain! Favor one!" I cried.

  Cain's boot flashed out, catching the running guard's legs and sending him sprawling. A spark returned to Cain's green eyes as he smiled with satisfaction.

  Grabbing the key around my neck, I pictured my bedroom in Providence and lunged for the hut's back door. The knob turned. My foot touched the threshold. The doorframe filled with a swirling blur of neither here nor there.

  "Ha! Amnesty! I have amnesty!" I cried. Pausing on the border the opened door had created, I turned to the crowd catching up behind me. "And serves you right too! You want expenses? Fine. I want this extra bag I stole from the Scarlets."

  I was prepared for just about anything. Some sort of major tantrum seemed likely. My clan stared in stunned disbelief.

  And then they started laughing.

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  "Oh, she's a shrewd one!" Balthazar cried, delighted. "I told you our Lil was a keeper!"

  "Crafty, that was!" a chorus of voices agreed.

  "Slyful like I've never seen!"

  Ludlow stumbled up, completely out of breath. "Lilybet!" he whined. "You tricked me!"

  "Aye." I caught Cain's eye and winked. "What does that have to do with gold?"

  The leprechauns laughed and laughed as Mother Sosanna made her way forward. "Cleverly done, Lilybet," she said. "You may keep your prize."

  "And you can't punish Cain for helping," I said. "The entire clan agreed he had to give me three favors."

  "True enough," she acknowledged. "His assistance must be overlooked."

  Dipping into the open bag, I flipped a condor to Lexie. "For luck!" I called. "See you soon!"

  Gold flashed like solid sunshine as the coin tumbled through the air and landed in Lexie's small hands. "Soon!" she called back merrily, brandishing her new lucky charm.

  With a last wave to my laughing clan, I stepped through the cottage door and closed it firmly behind me.

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  Chapter 20

  Everything went dark. All I saw was black. I experienced an instant of pure panic.

  And then I felt the doorknob still clutched in my hand. Twisting it hurriedly, I pushed the door open again.

  Light replaced the darkness. I was standing in the doorway of my own bedroom, looking into a familiar hall.

  Home!

  I nearly shouted for joy. Then I remembered what I was wearing. And the gold still in my
hands. Explaining my absence would be hard enough without adding in Gigi's sweater and a bag full of leprechaun coins. Easing the door

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  shut, I retreated into my bedroom and did a silent happy dance. Then I stashed the gold beneath my bed and grabbed some clean clothes to change into.

  I barely recognized the girl who stared back from the bathroom mirror. My hair looked different, of course. And, honestly, I could have used a bath. But beneath those spikes and smudges was a pair of too-wide eyes brimming with new confidence. My complexion glowed in a way that would make any girl feel lucky. I looked ready to take on the world.

  I could only hope I was ready to take on my mother.

  Stripping off Gigi's sweater and shirt, I stepped out of her jeans without taking off my flats. The leotard and shorts I'd worn a week before still lay on the floor where they'd dropped. Kicking them aside, I pulled on a green T-shirt and white shorts. Then, with Gigi's clothes wadded under one arm, I headed for my closet to change shoes. Halfway across the room, the silver flats on my feet morphed into green-and-white sneakers.

  I stopped and stared in disbelief. The shoes had transformed before my eyes.

  They're magic! I realized, awed. But how? Leprechauns can only enchant gold, and these shoes are made of silver .

  The obvious truth finally hit me. Not silver. White gold .

  The shoes' cobbler had the touch! No wonder Horace Green shoes were such a big deal. On top of everything

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  else they did, they coordinated with outfits! I smiled, imagining the possibilities as I stashed Gigi's clothes and pulled on a sweatshirt to cover my keeper key.

  Opening my bedroom door, I ran into the hall. "Mom!" I called at the top of my lungs. "I'm home!"

  "Lily? Lily!" She came running out of the den so fast we nearly collided in the kitchen. "Thank God!"

  I caught only a glimpse of her worried, tear-streaked face before she wrapped me in a hug and started squeezing the life out of me. "Where have you been? I've been so worried!"

  I hugged her back almost as hard. "I'm really sorry, Mom. I never meant to worry you, or leave the house, or anything bad."

  "Okay. It's okay," she said, crying into my hair. Then she pushed me out to arm's length and took a long, anxious look. "Are you all right?"

  "Yes, fine. Just sorry, like I said."

  Mom took a deep breath. "Has anybody hurt you?"

  "No, nothing like that. Nothing bad happened to me." Nothing I could tell her about, anyway, thanks to Sosanna's clover swear.

  "Let me see your head." She started searching through my pixie, parting my hair every which way. My heart sank as I realized she was looking for blast injuries. That "bitty pop o' sparks" on our porch was going to be darn hard to explain.

  "I'm not hurt, Mom. I promise."

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  She checked my whole head anyway, then took another, relieved, breath. "Well, it's definitely not as bad as I feared. Candy Douglas made it sound like you were singed down to your scalp!"

  "Really?" I said weakly. "Hmm."

  "I need to sit." Mom dropped into a chair at the kitchen table, her eyes still roaming over every inch of me. I sat across from her.

  "Who cut your hair?" she asked at last.

  "Um ..." Would I even be allowed to say Kate's name? "Just some girl I met."

  "Met where, Lily? Where have you been all night?"

  "Well, uh ... Wait. All night?"

  Hallelujah! I thought. So Sosanna had been telling the truth about time.

  "Don't act like you don't know how long it's been!" Mom scolded. "And how did you get back into the house?"

  "Um, through my bedroom?"

  "I thought I locked that window! This house ... I don't know, Lily. Maybe we should move."

  "Not again!" I begged.

  She looked surprised. "I thought you hated it here."

  "I do. I mean ... I did. I'm getting used to it, I guess. At least I'm friends with Kendall now." If she's still speaking to me , I added silently. "I just don't want to move again. Please."

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  "Well, the neighbors are nice." Mom sighed. "Although if I were you, I wouldn't expect to babysit again anytime soon."

  "No," I said glumly.

  "Where did you go, Lily? I looked everywhere."

  "Just to the park. And then, you know ... around." Inspiration struck. "I couldn't say, exactly."

  "You weren't at one of your friend's houses? You didn't ride in someone's car?"

  "No. I promise."

  "Who is this girl you were hanging out with?"

  "What? Oh, her. I wouldn't say we were hanging out . I just kind of met her, and she offered to cut my hair. It only took a few minutes."

  "No boys?" Mom asked.

  "What?"

  "You weren't ... involved with any boys?"

  "Mom! No."

  Not in the way she meant, anyway. I pictured Kylie Scarlet dogpaddling back to his clan and wondered how he'd redeem himself. Now that I was keeper I knew there were only two ways to lose our job: die or step down. Kylie would never step down--I felt certain of that. Sooner or later, I'd see him again. I might even be able to forgive him. What happened in the Hollow wasn't my fault, but I had kind of started it. Still, if Kylie thought he'd even

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  things up by stealing my gold next time, he had another think coming.

  Mom shook her head disapprovingly. "I don't like that Byron Berry. I've heard things about him, and I heard he was here. Did he give you those fireworks, Lily?"

  "He didn't give me anything," I assured her, glad to be able to clear at least his reputation.

  "You don't have to protect that boy."

  "I'm not!"

  Mom heaved a massive sigh. "Let me tell you what I think happened: You were mad at me for not staying home on your birthday. You were here by yourself, maybe a little bored, and Byron--or someone --gave you those fireworks, and you thought, 'Why not?' Except that you obviously didn't realize how dangerous fireworks are. You're lucky you still have both eyes!"

  I nodded unhappily. That part, at least, was completely true.

  "Some neighbors ran over, our window was broken, you found out I was on my way home, and you panicked. You bailed out your bedroom window to avoid facing the music. How am I doing?"

  Not well. But letting her think what she wanted was better than having to lie.

  I hung my head. "You make me sound like a bad kid."

  Mom reached across the table and squeezed my hands.

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  "I don't think you're a bad kid, Lily. The thought of you wandering the streets all night terrifies me, and if you ever scare me like this again, I'll probably hurt you myself.... But we all make mistakes. You gave me plenty of time to reflect on mine."

  Her tone gave me the courage to meet her eyes.

  "I think you must believe I value work over you," she said.

  "Well ... yeah ," I agreed sullenly.

  "Lily, I need you to understand that you're the reason I work so hard. I don't like moving either, being so far from your gram and Aunt Sarah. I do it for you, for your future. You'll never be trapped by a job the way I am. I'm making sure you have options."

  "You've never said you don't like moving before," I accused. "You always act like it's some big adventure."

  "Because I wanted you to believe that. And that's another place I've failed. You aren't a little girl anymore. I can't just expect you to jump on board with whatever I decide. I'm going to explain things better, Lily, start talking them over with you. We're a team, you and I. There is no one and nothing more important to me than you."

  "Really?"

  "If something had happened to you last night and I hadn't gotten this chance to tell you how much I love you ..." Mom broke off, in tears again.

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  I choked up right along with her. "I love you, too, Mom. I missed you so much."

  "Okay, then." Rising from the table, she gathered me into her arms
. "Let's just put this behind us and try to do better from here. I can do better, Lily." She laughed through her tears. "For one thing, you can be certain I'm taking your next birthday off!"

  Mom stepped over to the counter. "I have birthday presents for you. We can open those later, but here's something special you'll want to see now."

  She handed me a greeting card addressed in familiar green writing.

  "Gigi!" I cried, ripping the envelope open.

  "She must have left it with someone to mail for her, just in case she wasn't ..." Mom shook her head. "It got here a day late, but it's pretty amazing it got here at all."

  The front of the card depicted some artist's idea of a leprechaun sitting on a toadstool formed by the number thirteen. He was about two inches tall and wearing Louis XIV shoes with heels, striped stockings, puffy green shorts, and a gigantic clover boutonniere.

  "Oh, that is so wrong," I said, flipping the card open.

  Its printed message read, LUCKY YOU! YOU'RE 13! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

  And under that was a note from Gigi:

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  Happy Birthday, Lilybet!

  I want you to know how proud I am of you and of everything you've accomplished. I may not be there in person anymore, but you will always be the keeper of my heart.

  The only way back is forward!

  Love you forever,

  Gigi

  "'The only way back is forward'?" Mom said, reading over my shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Just ... an inside joke," I said, sniffling.

  Mom put her arm around my shoulders. "I've been too hard on your grandmother. I know she loved you, Lily. To plan that far ahead for a birthday card!"