Chapter 13

Kitty

As Kitty wolfed down on the food Bartimaeus supplied her, she started to think about what he had said.

There is just enough bad talk as there is good.

No matter how hard she tried, Kitty couldn't get the djinni's words out of her mind. Bartimaeus was right in so many ways. Wisdom born of a long life. Most everything he said was pure knowledge.

There is just enough bad talk as there is good.

Kitty found that she had left herself in mid-bite as she thought.

"Don't like the sandwhich?" Kitty looked up to see a midnight black cat with emerald green eyes looking back at her. It was…spell binding, in a sense. It was hard to explain.

"Cute guise."

"Didn't answer the question," The cat prompted. It stopped, licked its paw, the rubbed its head with the same paw. It acted the same way all cats would.

"Yes, I like the sandwhich. I was just thinking."

"What is it that you do here when I'm gone?"

Kitty gestured to her books. "Research." She answered simply.

"What is it that you reaserch?"

Kitty hesitated. She could somehow feel Bartimaeus' thoughts. Her reslience, perhaps? She shook the thought out of her mind and answered, "Mainly djinn. Summons. Stuff like that."

"Do you know? Hmm…" His voice drifted off in thought. Kitty got that worried sensation again. She could somehow feel Bartimaeus as he thought. It made her feel uncomfortable; confined, trapped, small. As though she was being watched but couldn't tell by who.

Thanks to this odd new sensation, Kitty could tell Bartimaeus hadn't a clue about what she was planning. She could see it in his eyes. He was thinking on all his conscious planes, searching for a reasonable answer. But he couldn't find one. Her secret was safe. Bartimaeus couldn't come up with an explination to what she was doing.

Kitty had a five thousand year old djinni stumped.

Kitty took another bite of her sandwhich, satisfied with herself. She smiled and looked off to the distance, her head slightly cocked, chewing slowly and thinking about what would happen in the future.

Bartimaeus was silent while Kitty finished her sandwhich. She moved to one of the cups, opened it, and drank. It was her favorite type of coffee; a mocha latte with extra whipped cream. Kitty smiled in delight and forced the cup away from her mouth.

Kitty wiped the extra liquid off her mouth. "Mmm. Bartimaeus, this coffee is awesome! How'd you know my favorite?"

"I have my ways," The djinni answered; his voice hollow. He was still deep in thought. Kitty could feel herself smiling again. She was out-witting a five thousand year old djinni. One that had seen many empires fall and delt with many masters. The matter was simply amazing to her.

"Well, thank you. I didn't realize how hungry of thirsty I was until you showed me."

Bartimaeus blinked and looked her in the eyes. "Your aura looks a little better."

Kitty nodded. "I feel a little better, too. But, anyway," Kitty looked over to her books and sighed. "I've still got a lot more work to do."

"You should take a break every now and again. It does better for you then you think. And the summons are wearing you down."

"I'm fine. You seem tired yourself. Do you want me to dismiss you?"

"It's nothing, really. I can handle a few days. I just need to clear my head."

"But you have been here for a day or two now."

"The bastard tied me to Earth for two years. I think I can handle two days."

To Kitty's surprise, she laughed. Bartimaeus just smiled. It was a cunning—sort of sailor styled—smile. It gave her a sensation that she wasn't alone in the world. "Well," She began. "just tell me when you want to go home. Doesn't bother me if you do."

Bartimaeus nodded and looked around for a moment, as though he was nervous and stalling from something; keeping something from her. "Kitty," He said finally. But then his voice drifted. "Where did your master live? I don't know where his house is."

Kitty could tell that wasn't what he originally planned to ask. She could sense that he had wanted to ask her something else, perhaps tell her something. But he hadn't. Why, she wasn't exactly sure. She could feel he wanted to tell her something, as though the two were connected. But nonetheless, she decided to tell him.

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Well, there's chapter…13, right? I don't number my chapters in my notebooks. But whatever. Bartimaeus is next!