Kitty was worried. She had called Nathaniel time and time again with no reply, and even gone as far as to march over to his house and pound on the door, sometimes for hours at a time (much to the distress of the neighbors). It had been a week since Bartimaeus's interesting visit. She had not seen hide nor hair off either boy since. In an act of panic, she did the one thing she could think to do. Summon Bartimaeus.
And that was how she ended up standing across from a very peeved djinn trying to explain what exactly she was so worked up about.
"Honestly Kitty, quit worrying. Nathaniel's a big boy, he doesn't need you to monitor his every move just to make sure he doesn't get into trouble."
"I know, but after what you told me... I just want you to check up on him. If he's fine then I owe you an apology and your dismissed. No harm done." She could see the djinn considering her point. In the end, he relented.
"Fine but when I come back and Nat's perfectly fine, you will wish you never heard my name. Witty remarks are part of the package, or have you forgotten?" And with that he was gone.
. . .
I don't think I've ever wanted to hit Kitty Jones more then when she told me why I was being summoned. I am a powerful djinn, NOT Nathaniel babysitter! At least, I started out angry. As the anger wore off, I began to feel real concern begin to creep in. I reverted back to Ptolemy's form (I had been a crow) when I reached the large mansion Nathaniel called home. I pounded on the door.
"Guess who?" I called. No reply. "Nat?" I tried again. Still not a sound. I was worried now (as well as feeling a but ridicules. I was shouting at a door in plain view of anyone who decided to peek there head out the window to see what the commotion was about). "Hey! If you don't answer, I will break the door down!" I warned. Still, no reply. Well, you can't say I'm not a djinn of my word. I fired a small detonation at the door, blasting it off its hinges. Created quite the mess too. I went to go find Nathaniel, resolving to come admire my handy work after I found the annoying little prick.
I had checked his bedroom, all the guest rooms (guess how long that one took. How many rooms dose one kid need), the library (quite an impressive collection), the living room, and was now headed to the kitchen. I had pretty much come to the conclusion that the kid was out at the store or something by now, so imagine my surprise when I found him laying in the kitchen floor.
"Nat!" I shouted, feeling a bit panicky at the sight of him laying there, unmoving. I sat down and pulled his limp form into my arms. "Nat!" I called again "wake up! Please! Oh god." I shook him gently. His breathing was shallow, his lips dry and cracked, and he was even thinner then before. His skin had taken on a sickly pale hue, and his face was tear stained. "Wake up! Just wake up. Please, I... I... I need you!" My voice broke as I recognized the truth in my words. I needed him. That stupid, shallow, annoying magician had somehow come to mean the world to me, and I needed him more than anything. I held him tightly to my chest and sobbed tearlessly (djinn can't cry). "Please wake up." I begged. I ran my fingers through his hair and down the side of his face. Gently, I cupped his cheek in my hand and pressed my forehead up against his. "Please..." Then, a light touch on the back of my hand, and a weak voice whispered my name.
"Bartimaeus?"