Diesel strolled into the shop at noon and stood in front of the pastry case. "You must have had a run on cupcakes, " he said. "There are no cupcakes here. " "I don't want to talk about it, " I said. "I want a double cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. " I traded my chef coat for my sweatshirt, hung my purse on my shoulder, and avoided looking at the trash bag that held a little over two hundred cupcakes not fit for sale. "You're either pissed off or celebrating, " Diesel said. "I can't tell which. " I swished past him, out the door to the turbo. "Exactly. " Carl was crammed into the miniature backseat. He peeked out at me and gave me a finger wave. "Your dad rolled out around ten, " Diesel said. "Cat was looking like he needed some alone time, so I brought Carl with me. " "He just fits in the backseat. " "Yeah. It's monkey-size. You want to tell me about your day so far? I'm not getting a clear signal. " "I can't make cupcakes. " "And?" "No matter what recipe I use, the cupcakes are awful. " "Honey, it's not the end of civilization. " "I thought you would be upset. " "Guess I'm not in a cupcake mood. I thought the cheeseburger sounded like a good idea. " "Cheee, " Carl said from the backseat. "What about my Unmentionableness? You said I made Unmentionable cupcakes. " Diesel rolled the engine over. "I don't know how to break this to you, but not everything I say is true. " He glanced over at me, his expression unreadable. "Is there anything more you want to tell me about you and Wulf?" "I was unconscious for some of the time, and when my cupcakes flopped, I got worried that Wulf might have used the opportunity to unempower me. " "Wulf won't unempower you until he's in possession of the SALIGIA Stones. If Hatchet gets run over by a truck, you're the only one who can identify the Stones. And until Wulf has the Stones, he won't chance being reduced to a Normal. " Diesel grinned at me. "Anyway, you can count on me to save you from Wulf. The minute I think you're really in danger of getting unempowered, I'll make the sacrifice and do the unempowering myself. " "Gee, thanks. " A half mile later, Diesel swung into a drive-through and ordered burgers and fries. "This is a new car, " I said to Carl, handing him his bag of food. "Be careful. I don't want to see any crumbs or ketchup stains back there. " "Eee, " Carl said, taking the bag. I ate my double cheeseburger and sucked up some milkshake. I checked Carl out in the rearview mirror and saw that he was eating his fries one at a time, working at being neat. I nibbled at a single fry from my own bag and inadvertently sighed. "There's something going on in your head, " Diesel said. "I can feel anxiety leaking out of your ears. " "I can't stop thinking about the cupcakes. What if you're wrong, and they really were part of my Unmentionableness? What if something did happen when I was unconscious?" "You'd still be the same person, " Diesel said. "Being Normal or Unmentionable doesn't change who you are. " "It isn't that. I don't care that I might not be an Unmentionable anymore. I never wanted to be one in the first place. It's the way I might have lost it. There's another possibility besides Wulf. " I squinched my eyes closed. "It's so awful I can't even say it out loud. " "Hatchet?" Diesel asked. I nodded my head yes. Carl tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to look at him, and he burped in my face. "Yuk, " I said to Carl. "That was gross. " "Eep. " "He's drooling, " I said to Diesel. "Have you ever known him to drool?" "Gorp, " Carl said. And he threw up burgers and fries and chocolate shake all over the backseat. Diesel grimaced and rolled his window down. "I totally screwed up my karma. I don't know what I did, but it must have been bad, because now I have this monkey. " "You made him carsick. It's your driving in this car. You rocket around corners, and zoom off from stop lights, and then you stop short. " "Yeah. It's fun. " CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN