Author's Notes: This takes place about, oh, an hour or so before the Modgens were discovered.
I'm sure you're all wondering why this took sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomajor snipoooooooooooooooooooooooooo dang long. Well, it all started one day when this talking bat attacked me…
Huge thanks must be given to Dani for beta-ing. Thanks, Dani!
Since Dani has been sick, and hasn't had time to go over this with a fine-tooth comb, I'm taking my life (well, my reputation) in my hands and posting this anyway. (*sends Dani cyberhug* Get better soon!)
Kit frowned bemusedly at his copy of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare". It was lying open on his floor; he had nearly stepped on it. He knew he had not left it that way, as he distinctly remembered placing it on the built-in bookshelf above his bed. And anyway, he for one did not leave books on the floor. Clothes, homework maybe, but never books.
"'Mela!" Kit shouted. "Stay the heck away from my room." ...He hadn't hidden his manual…
"Wasn't me!" Carmela yelled back.
"Bull," Kit muttered, nevertheless knowing it was useless to pursue the point.
A wet nose nudged Kit's leg; he absently reached down to pat Ponch on the head. "She smells funny," Ponch announced.
"Carmela?" Kit snickered softly. "Don't doubt it…"
"She smells funny," Ponch insisted.
Kit sighed. "Who?"
"Her!" Ponch barked helplessly, then paused. Cyene hadn't been created with wizardly conversations in mind. "Come see."
Kit looked at Ponch for a moment. He had rarely—if ever—been at a loss for what to call someone. Even if his only reasonable choice was "Human," he would use it.
But staring became impossible, as Ponch vanished through the door; and Kit followed him, if for no other reason than curiosity.
Kit jumped the last stair, and trailed after Ponch. Ponch went into the kitchen, and Kit experienced momentary doubt that "she" existed. He promptly changed his mind at the sight of a girl sitting at the table, about eleven years old, staring into space, chewing on a lock of her auburn hair. She wore an intense expression; if she was daydreaming, Kit had yet to encounter a daydream such as the one she was having.
"Hey?" Kit said, his voice betraying his shock at finding a kid sitting in his kitchen.
He glanced down when a bright green stick caught his attention; it was his mother's favorite pen. He stooped to pick it up, wincing as his hand banged into the chair, and gazed back up at the girl. She looked at him for a second, anger clouding her brown eyes. Then, with one frightened glance at Ponch, she slipped off the chair and went into the living room; Kit moved to follow her.
Then stopped.
His skin began to sting where he had touched the chair. He glanced at his hand, and his heart skipped a beat. It was, to say the least, not a pretty sight. Bright red, with bumps welling up. Kit sat down abruptly at one of the kitchen chairs, the furthest from the one she had been sitting in, and breathed deeply for a moment. Then, like any good wizard, he ran back up to his room, with Ponch panting beside him, and opened his manual. Kit commenced a search for the answer to even one of the many questions that had flooded his brain.
Who was the girl?
What was the girl?
What was wrong with his hand? He had a sneaking suspicion that if it got anywhere near anything resembling solid matter, the skin would tear, and was holding it as far away from things as possible.
What had Ponch meant when he'd said she smelled funny?
The creaking of the door startled Kit enough that he whirled around without bothering to make sure that his hand touched nothing. It scraped against Ponch's fur. The skin tore. Kit didn't even notice, since the person responsible for opening the door was also the one responsible for the pain in his hand. Her.
Don't look at me that way. I'm working on it. I just happened to get stuck here.
So that was a lie. I did do that on purpose. But the next chapter should be up soon. We've slowed down our unpacking enough so that I have time to write.
If, however, it takes a while, remember that I have a million things to figure out here. Everything from what the girl was doing in Kit's house to what she wanted with "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare". Happily, though, my Muse and I have gotten over our little argument over what color hair the girl should have, and so we're speaking again.
Disclaimer: If I'm Diane Duane, we're all in trouble, because I have to have the next book finished by next fall.
Disclaimer 2: The girl is not a Mary Sue. She does not have special powers. (I swear. What, you don't believe me? *pout*) She is not incredibly gorgeous. I would never voluntarily allow Kit to fall in love with anyone but Nita.
She ain't a Mary Sue. She's actually a pretty minor character, honest.
To anyone and everyone who's posted here: I love you all. I know I really haven't been reviewing, but I luv ya anyhow, and don't let anyone convince you otherwise.
