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"Aren’t you joining the march?" I asked It seemed like the kind of diversion that Tina would be first in line for The closer to the front, the better the chances of getting on TV
"Yeah, but I was going to your place first Now at least I don’t have to trek all the way over there" She knelt on the sidewalk and dug into her bag She pulled out three celebrity gossip loss, a hairbrush, cell phone, assorted ponytail holders, and two pairs of sunglasses before she found what she was looking for: Russo the weeks she’d beenit at me "If you won’t teach me about demons, I don’t need it anymore"
I reached for the book, but Mab stepped between us "Ah, so thislady you told me about a while back The one as your apprentice" Funny that I’d never mentioned Juliet to Mab, but I’d told her all about Tina onlady?" Tina wrinkled her nose "That’s what my mom used to callThen she stopped and squinted up at Mab She looked at ain "Wait Are you Vicky’s aunt? The one who taught her how to fight?"
"Yes," I said "This is my aunt Mab"
"How do you do?" Mab said
Tina stood, hauling the bag back onto her shoulder She stared at Mab appraisingly "So you ? I "
Mab didn’t answer, but she favored Tina with her tiny, pursed-lip s Russoraduated and stuff, so you need a new apprentice, right? Plus ht to the top"
"Mab’s retired," I said "Anyway, she’s only in town for a few days before she goes back to Wales"
"Oh That’s another country, isn’t it?" Even Tina kneas virtually iet visas to travel internationally It was due to fear of the plague Although the possibility of contagion was long past, there was still widespread terror of the virus that had killed and reanimated two thousand Bostonians Boston had no choice about its zombies, but nobody else wanted the to memorize its cover When she held it out to ain to take Russo her hand onbooks about," she said sharply Tina stepped back as if slapped "If you want to returnit to her apartht"
"But I don’t go to school anymore"
"Did you earn your diplo you’re done with school Go to class Learn so on your way hoaped at Mab, red eyes wide,open, and stunned into silence She held Russom’s in front of her like a shield Then she shut her ave a tiny nod
"Tina," I said, "if it’s easier, you can leave the book with Clyde He’ll h" Mab waved away the very idea "We’ll expect to see you in the o to school"
Tina turned and fled But not, I noticed, in the direction of her school She joined the flow of zo point of the protest o WHAT THE HELL WAS THE QUESTION? bobbed through the crowd until she was out of sight
"Mab," I said, "I think you’ve just become the first mortal creature ever to terrify a zoestions about s she’d do well to consider"
Tina, consider manners? That see by Deadtown to link ar to ponder that noanted to complete our errand and see Juliet
CARLOS WASN’T IN, BUT HE’D LEFT AN ENVELOPE WITH MY name and the amount I owed penciled on the front Mab’s eyes widened when she saw the figure, but I paid without telling her it was only half the total
Outside, I gave Mab her card She scrutinized it, and a most unladylike snort erupted fro the card in hn"
"That’s not such a bad thing, Mab It puts a little bit of distance between you and your false identity"
"Hh it were a particularly slie "You won’t have to call me that, will you?"