Part 41 (2/2)

”Well, because we don't have the hangups you guys doyou know, about family names and all that Excusebut contempt”

”Where is Ballard and what have you done with hi effect on hiet why Wiccans have to reject where they come from, is all I don't understand why they have to lose their na to take Gaven's na to hyphenate?”

”Meh,” said Ballard ”Oh no!”

”What? What is it?” I said I looked around, wondering as going on

Ballard was alaret it” He slapped the keyboard ”I've just been outbid,” he said, turning the computer monitor, so that I could see

I looked: intake asket kit

”Is it too late?” I asked

Apparently he had just lost out on the only one ”Now ain, and then ate his grattachecca, looking like he had come to the end of his existence

”I'avelook

”Can't you use one of these?” I said I pointed to the other bikes around the shop

There were literally twenty of the some kind of minor operation ”They suck,” said Ballard, disain to his woe-is-me attitude ”That's it, then,” he said, defeated I felt like I could relate GivenI thoughtthe whole Lennox thing

I looked at ive it away, even if it did cost a hundred thousand dollars, and could solve all of Ballard's probleuess I won't be Il Gatto, after all,” he said, reed

The race! How could I have forgotten?

”We do three laps to see ill be the head cyanthrope, re as dejected as I had ever seen hi (a olf)

”But I thought it was for a year” I said ”I thought the race was for a year”

Gaven had won it just last suo, didn't he?

”It only lasts as long as you have a tail, and can shi+ft, and as Gaven can no longer transfor,” said Ballard He looked like he was going to be sick

Gaven I wondered hoas doing?

”Oh, he's all right,” said Ballard ”After all, he's got Lia It's sickening the way heeyes at her Like he has no self-respect Always chasing after her And the sounds she makes It should be outlawed I can't wait until they're no longer underface

”I think it sounds romantic,” I said

He just rolled his eyes at me

”She says fetch and he fetches It's like, I don't know, she's e,” said Ballard

”Good use of 'Or so',” I said ”Maybe he just knohat's i about it made me hurt inside, so I stopped

”Besides,” I said ”You're too young to be Head Wolf They're all twentysos, remember? And you, you're a kid”

”Not you too,” said Ballard ”I would have taken it last year, won the race,” he said, ”if fate hadn't intervened Or did you forget?”

”There's just the s bike,” I said

I didn't tell him that what I really wanted was for hi down here Not if ere going to Prague together

”Sorry It's just,” I said, ”last time you nearly died And I care about you too much Besides, you have all kinds of time, I mean, don't you?”

”What d'you mean?” said Ballard

”Well, I mean, you're, you know, and er than they will, won't you? A olf, I uess,” said Ballard, who looked like he hadn't been listening

”They only started turning when they were how old, whereas you, Ito Gaven, it's unprecedented, a olf being so young”

”I'll have noto Gaven'or Gaven's ordersthank you very much,” said Ballard

”You knohat I mean, Ballard,” I said ”You're special”

”I aotten under his skin He looked angry about so with obligations of one type or another hi

”Are,” I said ”And I won't hear differently” I slurped ized for his outburst

”I've just been stressed out, is all Sandor and Septi, and my parents will be there You know, the people who raised Lia and meand never told us aboutabout any of it,” said Ballard The bitterness had crept back into his voice I assu, in Italian, lupo mannaro A wolf-rowing up too fast I decided to steer us in a new direction

”I bet it's gotta be tough,” I said; he stuotta, but then nodded his head, clearly an understate in me wanted to ask him to show me a olf transfor about the monster I had seen I wanted to know that there was some difference between it and Ballard And between Roht of the Werewolf World on his shoulders Plus, he was really buff

”There's a statue of Rhea Silvia,” he said, ”called the Capitoline Wolf, an Etruscan bronze in the foret to suckle Rhea Silvia, you know, they get to groith it, lycanthropy Be ot thrust upon me I eened of lycanthropy froift is showing itself early Gaven is convinced it is a sign, but the others are skeptical And so on,” said Ballard ”You remember Locke?”