“Don’t want to.”
“You have to. The Mage’ll suspend you if you get caught in here.”
“Let him. I could use the free time.”
I get out of bed and stand over her. Her dark hair is spread out over the pillowcase, and her glasses are smashed into her cheek. Her skirt has hiked up, and her bare thigh looks plump and smooth.
I pinch her. She jumps up.
“Come on,” I say, “I’ll walk you.”
Penny straightens her glasses and untwists her shirt. “No. I don’t want you to see how I get past the wards.”
“Because that’s not something you’d want to share with your best friend?”
“Because it’s fun watching you try to figure it out.”
I open my door and peek down the staircase. I don’t see or hear anyone. “Fine,” I say, holding the door open. “Good-night.”
Penny walks past me. “Good-night, Simon. See you tomorrow.”
I grin. I can’t help it—it’s so good to be back. “See you tomorrow.”
As soon as I’m alone, I change into my school pyjamas—Baz brings his from home, but I like the school ones. I don’t sleep in pyjamas when I’m at the juvenile centres, I never have. It makes me feel, I don’t know—vulnerable. I change and crawl into bed, sighing.
These nights at Watford, before Baz gets here, are the only nights in my life when I actually sleep.
*
I don’t know what time it is when I wake up. The room is dark, and there’s a shaft of moonlight slicing across my bed.
I think I see a woman standing by the window, and at first I think it’s Penny. Then the figure shifts, and I think it’s Baz.
Then I decide I’m dreaming and fall back into sleep.
6
LUCY
I have so much I want to tell you.
But time is short.
And my voice doesn’t carry.
7
SIMON
The sun is just rising when I hear my door creak open. I pull the blankets up over my head. “Go away,” I say, expecting Penny to start talking at me anyway. She’s good at immediately making me forget how much I missed her over the summer.
Someone clears his throat.
I open my eyes and see the Mage standing just inside the door, looking amused—at least on the surface. There’s something darker underneath.
“Sir.” I sit up. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, Simon. You must not have heard me knock.”
“No … Let me just, I’ll just, um … get dressed.”
“Don’t trouble yourself,” he says, walking to the window, giving Baz’s bed a wide berth—even the Mage is afraid of vampires. Though he wouldn’t use the word “afraid.” He’d say something like “cautious” or “prudent.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to welcome you back yesterday,” he says. “How was your journey?”
I push the covers off and sit at the edge of my bed. I’m still in my pyjamas, but at least I’m sitting up. “Fine,” I say. “I mean, I suppose … not exactly fine. My taxi driver was a goblin.”
“Another goblin?” He turns from the window to me, hands clasped behind his back. “Persistent, aren’t they. Was it alone?”
“Yes, sir. Tried to scarper off with me.”
He shakes his head. “They never think to come in pairs. What spell did you use?”
“Used my blade, sir.” I bite at my lip.
“Fine,” he says.
“And Into thin air to clean it up.”
The Mage raises his eyebrow. “Excellent, Simon.” He looks down at my pyjamas and bare feet, then seems to study my face. “What about this summer? Anything to report? Anything unusual?”
“I would have contacted you, sir.” (I can contact him, if I need to. I have his mobile number. Also, I could send a bird.)