Part 33 (2/2)
”It's lovely,” Brenn said.
Kelsey's hair turned deep red, blus.h.i.+ng. ”It's embarra.s.sing,” she said.
”Another coming,” the demoness announced.
It was another young woman. ”h.e.l.lo. Is there room for one more?”
”I think so,” Cube said, smiling.
They went through another round of introductions. The new one was Seren, who didn't know whether she had a magic talent, but was disgusted with her name.
”What's wrong with it?” Brenn asked. ”It seems nice.”
”My last name is Ity. People always say it as one word: Serenity. Then they pretend they are being very serene.”
”That's doesn't seem too bad,” Kelsey said.
”And my middle name is Dip. I tried to get it changed, but it's locked in.”
”Serendipity,” Cube said.
”Yes. Others find that funny, but I don't.”
”But that could relate to your talent,” Cube said. ”Do you find things?”
”Sure, all the time, but never what I'm looking for. For example I was looking for a camp with several attentive handsome men.”
”Instead you found us!” Kelsey laughed, her hair flickering yellow.
”Yes. I'm sure you're nice people, but--”
”How old are you?” Brenn asked.
”Fourteen, I think. I was a foundling, about two when found in a cabbage patch.”
”That's why,” Cube said. ”You aren't old enough to join the Adult Conspiracy. Those men would have betrayed it. So you found something else.”
”If that's my magic, I don't like it.”
Metria appeared. ”If you're a foundling, how do you know your name?”
”It was on the only thing I had, a broken pacifier.” She held it up. Sure enough, on it was printed SEREN DIP ITY.
”I wouldn't mind having a talent like that,” Cube said. ”Mine is summoning nickelpedes.”
The girl looked at her. ”That's not very feminine.”
”Exactly. It's useful when I encounter a wild beast, but I'd rather have some other talent.”
”Will, if mine is finding things I'm not looking for, I'd gladly trade it for yours.”
”Too bad talents can't be traded,” Kelsey said.
”Or names,” Brenn said.
Cube got the hint of a weird idea. ”I wonder. Maybe the talent is a.s.sociated with your possession.”
”The pacifier? I've tried to get rid of it, but it always comes back.”
Cube's idea got weirder. ”I have something like that.” She brought out the mirror. ”I have tried to give this away several times, but it returns. Let's see if we can trade.”
”All right. I wasn't looking for a mirror, but I wouldn't mind seeing my face when I do my hair.”
They traded items. Cube put the pacifier in a pocket, wondering how long it would stay there. ”About the mirror--”
”What is this?” Seren demanded.
”It's a rear-view mirror,” Cube explained. ”What you weren't looking for.”
”Actually this is okay,” the girl said, admiring her rear, which was a pert one.
”Let's see how long we can keep each other's things,” Cube said. ”They may both be magic, and will probably revert soon.”
”Okay.”
But the two objects did not revert that evening. In the morning Cube still had the pacifier, and Seren still had the mirror. ”Maybe they can't be given away, but can be exchanged,” Cube said. ”If your talent really is connected, you won't find what you aren't looking for while you have the mirror.”
”Does that mean I'll lose the name?”
”Maybe. I don't know how these things work.”
”What else could I call myself?”
”Mirror,” Kelsey suggested, her hair turning green.
”Mirror. I like it,” the girl said.
They went their separate ways. Cube wondered whether her wild idea could be right: that the name and talent went with the pacifier. If so, they both might be hers now.
Ridiculous! Her imagination had made her believe something that couldn't be. Still, she wondered.
Metria appeared. ”You know, Seren, this path is heading toward Castle Roogna. But you've already been there.”
”What did you call me?”
<script>