A Touch of Magic

Chapter 27: Major Improvements

 "...and Mum's still not talking to me properly." My brow wrinkled. It'd been three long weeks since the woods incident. I found it hard to concentrate at school. "It's as if she knows what I am thinking."

"Are you sure the ESP missed her generation and went straight to you?" Zara's eyes scanned the crowed looking for Pete. "Iona is staring again."

I shrugged, not even bothering to look. "Leave her. She's not a danger to me anymore." I'd another person to find in the afterschool rush.

"I wish she'd drop out." Zara was certainly not scarred for life; somehow, Edgar, Gladys and I had left her detached about the whole episode. I hoped that was a good thing. "I meant to ask, has Ed had any luck in tracking down the missing evil-beings or their spell book?"

"No." I took a deep breath. Nothing. The rest have all gone to ground, except Iona, who Ed can't catch out, and he's followed her." And more worryingly, even though he felt a trace of something magical, Edgar found nothing but a very sick grandma in bed in the back of 'Of Bit's Bizarre'. She never leaves the shop."

"I've checked the local news every day and there's been no mention of a camping trip disrupted by falling trees."

"He checked police reports too, nothing, but then I didn't think there would be." I sighed.

Edgar's physical presence in my life had decreased, which hurt a great deal. His desertion wasn't devastating void I'd experienced when Dawlish had been knifed, but a lingering sorrow made time drip by slowly. The connection was still strong; I took consolation in that. And I could call him to me at anytime. But I didn't. He was giving me time to think and I wasn't ready to talk for fear he'd see me incapable of coping with a 'long distance relationship'.

There was Josie in the distance. "Got to go Zar." Leaving my friend to talk to her widening circle of friends, I joined my cousin on the walk back to Glebe. I liked spending time with Josie. I'd forgotten how clever she and lively she could be.

This presentation was more than an opportunity for an apprenticeship. She'd taught me more about 'poverty reduction' and 'sustainable development' than five years of geography and Mum's endless Radio Four. Josie was passionate about the subject and about people. Josie deserved to win.

I was a valued part of her preparations. On day one, I'd slipped a bind-rune in her purse under a photo of her dad; to make sure she'd go wouldn't back out, whatever Shelly contrived to do. Then, I revamped her old computer from the inside updating anything that might come in handy. Nice. I watched and critiqued, made suggestions, tea and jokes. As well as being able to drop in George's name whenever I could, last night I'd discreetly fixed up a pair of shoes and an old 'retro' dress of her mother's to wear. Tonight was 'P Day', as we called the presentation evening.

And Josie was coming round to the idea of George. Yesterday she'd waved at him from a distance, and today she laughed as she retold me something he'd said in class.

"...and he looked over and grinned when he realised I was laughing at him. It was as if it mattered to George what I thought."

"I keep telling you, he does. When we met for a coffee, all he did was talk about you. Why don't you ask him out?"

She wrinkled her nose. "We're so different now, especially our taste in friends."

She meant Shelly. "Well, you both like me, so you can't be that different."

As we walked along the gravel drive, we ignored the 'For Sale' sign, speared into the ground. Mum had been right about Tracey's plans.

Josie stopped in front of an unfamiliar car and frowned. "Let's give up on tea for a bit. Tracey has viewers. There were four couples looking around yesterday." There was no emotion in her voice.