Chapter 19

Kitty

As soon as Nathaniel departed, Kitty began the incantations for summoning Ptolemy. But he wasn't as easy. Almost all of the Pharaohs of his time had the name of Ptolemy. So at the end, Kitty added a bit. "Ptolemaeus of Alexandria, friend of Bartimaeus, visitor of the Other Place." Her efforts seemed to have the desired effect. Trails of human essence came as before, but they were gold. Perhaps it's because Ptolemy's an older spirit. Kitty thought to herself.

Kitty waited silently and paitently. Eventually, the streams of essence completed their task. A small, dark-skinned boy with deep green eyes in a loincloth formed in the penticle, seated, scribe position. Kitty sat down as well. The boy was looking around, as though interested. "That's it."

"What's it?"

"God," She whispered. She found herself leaning in closer to the boy. Bartimaeus had mirrored the boy perfectly. "It's perfect," She was still whispering. "Right down to the two—" Kitty stopped herself and shook her head. She leaned back into her normal sitting position. "I'm sorry," she began. "I'm being rude. My name's Kitty. Kitty Jones."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kitty. I'm Ptolemaeus. But if it's alright with you, I prefer Ptolemy." Ptolemy looked around. "Where are we? This place certainly isn't Egypt."

"This is London. London, England." Ptolemy grew a blank look on his face. Kitty noticed and tried to improvise. "Um, Europe? No? Er…Holy Roman Empire?"

Ptolemy nodded. "I think I know where I am now. Thanks."

A different voice cut between the two of them from the windowsill. "You are so lucky these are Ptolemy's books. If they weren't, I wouldn't have gotten them all! Do you realize that it took me about an hour just to find all the books? Then I had to fly back here without dropping them, and that took another hour…" The voice drifted off into an angry grumble A copy of Ptolemy made itself known and dropped the books onto the tablewith the others. When he saw Ptolemy, he stopped dead. Kitty and Ptolemy stood. "Who's that?" Bartimaeus motioned to Ptolemy, clenched his fists, got into a fighting stance.

"Ptolemy," Kitty answered simply.

"Impossible! He's long gone!" Bartimaeus fired a Compression at Ptolemy. Ptolemy waved his hand, muttered a few words. Bartimaeus' attack rebounded back on him. Black bands wrapped around Bartimaeus and squeezed him tightly. "Call it off! Call it off! Call it off!" Each time he said this, the Compression got tighter, making his voice sqeakier.

Ptolemy uttered a single word. The Compression bonds lifted and swiveled away into nothing. "Sorry I had to do that."

Bartimaeus stared into Ptolemy's eyes. "It can't be you," He whispered in disbeleif. He shook his head. "It's impossible."

Kitty smiled. "Anything is possible. Haven't I proved that to you already?"

Bartimaeus looked over to Kitty and shook his head. He turned to Ptolemy. "Is it really you?"

Ptolemy nodded. "Ms. Jones brought me here."

Bartimaeus' mouth was wide open. Is that what you've been working on? The new penticle you've been designing?" Kitty nodded. "I don't know what—" Bartimaeus cut himself off. "Did you hear that?" He was whispering, almost too quiet to hear.

The three were silent for a moment. Kitty spoke first. "I don't hear anything." She was whispering, too.

"Scratching off somewhere in the distance. Dog panting. Wolf howl. Werewolf."

"Then we have to leave."

"But what about the books?" Ptolemy broke in.

"Bartimaeus," Kitty gasped. "he's right! We need the books!" She was speaking a little loud, if not frantically.

"What are you talking about?" Bartimaeus was the same way. He obviously didn't want to be caught up with a werewolf. Kitty didn't blame him. He looked around and groaned in wary dispair. A long, cold, shrill wolf howl was heard off in the -not-so-distant distance. "Fine. But get the books that are the most important."

Kitty grabbed her bookbag, emptied it of its current contents, started to refill it with all of Ptolemy's works and biographies.

"What about the others?" Ptolemy asked her. Kitty started a little. She hadn't noticed Ptolemy was next to her the entire time.

"Those aren't important. Yours are."

"I'm flattered, really."

"No time to be flattered," Bartimaeus interjected. "Hurry up! It's getting closer!" Bartimaeus changed from Ptolemy's from to the one of a giant Roc. "C'mon! We have to go, now!"

Another howl. It was closer. Bartimaeus scooped up Ptolemy and Kitty—despite their shouts and pleas—and said as he flew away, "I don't usually do this, but desperate times call for desperate measures." He bursted his way through the side of Kitty's 'apartment'.

The werewolf looked up to them, sat where it was, gave a loud, deafening, howl.

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Yay! Kitty suceeded! Duh! Any guess who the werewolf is? I'll give you one guess. Oh, and HappeeGoLuckee, yes, Kitty suceeded. Bartimaeus figures everything out on his own accord, and I'm not exactly sure if Farrar killed Mr. Button. Sad, isn't it? I don't even know where my own plotline is going. Yes, very sad. But, at least it's going somewhere. I'll get it all sorted out in time. Thanks to everyone for reviewing!