her eyes. “It’s the money. There’s probably more than you would expect.” She started talking faster. “Look, I didn’t know how long it would take to find you. I had to survive somehow. No one got hurt and I didn’t cheat anyone, I swear.”
For the first time since we met, I looked at her like the frightened child she was. The barely-a-teenager-would-be-orphan. I was her once. Except I had family around me. Support and love. Ivy was alone. She knew this wasn’t a game. I could see it all over her. She wore confidence like a cloak, but that was purely a defense mechanism. She had to pretend this was a game because at the moment, she had no idea where life was leading her.
I sat down on the bed next to her and held her hand. “I’m not mad about the money. You’re safe now, okay?”
She nodded, sniffled a little.
“Tomorrow, you and I are going to have our first lesson.”
Her eyes grew bright with excitement and she began to speak, but I stopped her. “With Birdie’s supervision,” I said.
“But why? You’re the powerful one.”
Where was this girl getting her information? “Maybe I am and maybe I’m not, Ivy, but I have never been a teacher. I’ve never passed my knowledge along and since you seem to have learned just enough to be dangerous, we need to lasso and tame your talent before someone gets hurt. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Now tell me what was glowing.”
“I already did. The money.”
“Why was the money glowing?”
Ivy slid off the bed and bent over to unlace her boots. “It’s one of those pens that bankers use to make sure bills aren’t fake. Mom worked at a bank for a while so that’s how I know. If the bill is real the ink turns yellow. I guess it glowed beneath those neon bar lights.” She kicked off her boots and stretched. “I wanted to make sure no one in the bar ripped me off, so I scanned them with the pen.”
She bewildered me every day, this one. I had witnessed Cinnamon run a marker over larger bills at the Black Opal on occasion, presumably for the same reason. “What would make you think that someone would pass you a fake bill?”
Chance had left a tee shirt folded on the dresser. Ivy examined it, held it up to her chest and frowned at the Steelers’s logo. She slipped into it anyway. “I don’t know. It happens. Mom talked about phony money sometimes when she was on the phone.”
It was strange to hear her talk about my mother the years after she had left Amethyst. It left me feeling empty. Discarded.
Like phony money.
I stood up and Thor opened one eye. “I guess I should get ready for bed too.” I walked over toward the light switch and Thor jumped down.
“Stacy?” Ivy said. “Would you mind—just for tonight—sleeping down here with me?”
I turned around and said, “Why not?”
Four hours later, I knew exactly why not.
TWENTY-SEVEN
The guttural growl of a nearly two-hundred pound dog awoke me from an empty dream. Thor’s head was low, targeting something small in the corner of the room. Slowly, I raised my head, then my shoulders and tried to focus my eyes.
I couldn’t see anything around Thor’s body. A quick glance at Ivy told me she was sleeping soundly and smiling.
Then all hell broke loose.
Something chattered and squeaked and leapt through the air to land on the dresser. Thor roared and darted across the room, but whatever the flash of gray was, it was much faster than Thor. Faster even than my sight could follow.
Then Ivy’s backpack bumbled and danced around the dresser top and I figured that whatever the thing in the room was, had burrowed inside her bag.
Amazingly, the kid was still asleep. Still smiling.
Thor threw a glance my way and I gave the hand signal for him to heel. He trotted around the bed and stood still by my side, ears erect, tail straight up in the air. I lifted the covers, extracted one leg after the other and slowly stood up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
Ivy giggled and
For the first time since we met, I looked at her like the frightened child she was. The barely-a-teenager-would-be-orphan. I was her once. Except I had family around me. Support and love. Ivy was alone. She knew this wasn’t a game. I could see it all over her. She wore confidence like a cloak, but that was purely a defense mechanism. She had to pretend this was a game because at the moment, she had no idea where life was leading her.
I sat down on the bed next to her and held her hand. “I’m not mad about the money. You’re safe now, okay?”
She nodded, sniffled a little.
“Tomorrow, you and I are going to have our first lesson.”
Her eyes grew bright with excitement and she began to speak, but I stopped her. “With Birdie’s supervision,” I said.
“But why? You’re the powerful one.”
Where was this girl getting her information? “Maybe I am and maybe I’m not, Ivy, but I have never been a teacher. I’ve never passed my knowledge along and since you seem to have learned just enough to be dangerous, we need to lasso and tame your talent before someone gets hurt. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Now tell me what was glowing.”
“I already did. The money.”
“Why was the money glowing?”
Ivy slid off the bed and bent over to unlace her boots. “It’s one of those pens that bankers use to make sure bills aren’t fake. Mom worked at a bank for a while so that’s how I know. If the bill is real the ink turns yellow. I guess it glowed beneath those neon bar lights.” She kicked off her boots and stretched. “I wanted to make sure no one in the bar ripped me off, so I scanned them with the pen.”
She bewildered me every day, this one. I had witnessed Cinnamon run a marker over larger bills at the Black Opal on occasion, presumably for the same reason. “What would make you think that someone would pass you a fake bill?”
Chance had left a tee shirt folded on the dresser. Ivy examined it, held it up to her chest and frowned at the Steelers’s logo. She slipped into it anyway. “I don’t know. It happens. Mom talked about phony money sometimes when she was on the phone.”
It was strange to hear her talk about my mother the years after she had left Amethyst. It left me feeling empty. Discarded.
Like phony money.
I stood up and Thor opened one eye. “I guess I should get ready for bed too.” I walked over toward the light switch and Thor jumped down.
“Stacy?” Ivy said. “Would you mind—just for tonight—sleeping down here with me?”
I turned around and said, “Why not?”
Four hours later, I knew exactly why not.
TWENTY-SEVEN
The guttural growl of a nearly two-hundred pound dog awoke me from an empty dream. Thor’s head was low, targeting something small in the corner of the room. Slowly, I raised my head, then my shoulders and tried to focus my eyes.
I couldn’t see anything around Thor’s body. A quick glance at Ivy told me she was sleeping soundly and smiling.
Then all hell broke loose.
Something chattered and squeaked and leapt through the air to land on the dresser. Thor roared and darted across the room, but whatever the flash of gray was, it was much faster than Thor. Faster even than my sight could follow.
Then Ivy’s backpack bumbled and danced around the dresser top and I figured that whatever the thing in the room was, had burrowed inside her bag.
Amazingly, the kid was still asleep. Still smiling.
Thor threw a glance my way and I gave the hand signal for him to heel. He trotted around the bed and stood still by my side, ears erect, tail straight up in the air. I lifted the covers, extracted one leg after the other and slowly stood up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
Ivy giggled and
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