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Faces blurred together, and glances streaotfaces on a busy sidewalk I’d only been glancing for a few hours, but I was starting to get sleepy It must have been ti, lish accent

I had been drifting off Oops

With h ray walrus reat deal about your talent," he said "I’d like to know rasped his hand

Despite lance was just as ju’s, but the secret went even deeper

First, I saw thisto a roo like awhite church with broken s and a strange spire shaped like an X

Next, I saw him throw back the hood of his copper-colored robe in the empty ritual chamber and kick the drained Bludo," he said to hily, I saw the oldthis tall top hat, buttoned down his throat He wasn’t wearing gloves or boots or a copper-colored, bloodstained robe

No, he was reclining in an expensive bed, tucked into rich, fluffy blankets On his right was a small table with a telephone and a clock radio On his left was an IV stand An older wo, "Well, then, Mr Grove That’s better, ain’t it? Y’allday, you know"

She looked out theat a h brick wall In the fancy driveas aHands Ho a heart

I startled as the oldtone

The British accent sounded fake to me, and I wondered what his real one was like I knew that I had to lie, but I had only a split second to decide whether to seeenuine or ham it up I ith fake and threw in several of the trite phrases Criht reat leader You will live a long and fulfilling life Your destiny is cloudy The spirits watch over you Beware a dark-haired stranger"

I focused on his mustache as I finished, and it twitched His eyes narrowed He was suspicious Whether he believed me or not, I couldn’t say Most people aren’t prepared for a true fortune-teller who speaks lies

"I see," he said "I see" Then his eyes traveled over my face and down to my chest I drew back

"That’s a lovely chain," he said "You’re brave,around these monsters"

Criminy and Mrs Cleavers had decided to dress me in a Bludman’s blouse for the actual crowd, since they would all be Pinkies It upped the exotic factor and would help draw their attention away from my occasional blunder The top of the locket barely peeked out froht

I wrapped my hand around the locket defensively "Thank you, sir"

His eyes roved overnal, Pe on the man’s coat

"Our time appears to be up," he said in the sa your talents, old coin onto the table and strode purposefully back into the crowd My next custoed woman with desperate eyes

"One moment, madam," I said

Fortunately, there was a feather quill onwith the crystal ball, skull, and other props I scrawled on the back of Cri mustache head of Coppers wants to kill Bludave it to Pemberly

"Take it to Criain in acknowledgment, and she scampered into the crowd I put on a professional s customer and held out my hand

Then I went unconscious

14

Even beforeMy alar, and

9:47 Crap

First the alarm Slept in for more than two hours Oops

Then the cell phone

"Nana, I’ar, you’re the one who has to clean up if I wet h breakfast would be nice, too"

"I’ht forgive you, then," she said

I was so exhausted that I could barely stand up Iwas blurry and heavy, like being drunk without the fun I showed up at Nana’s just in time to prevent a laundry crisis and hnuts and hotter coffee, and sleepwalked through my chores there, barely able to focus on what she said I was so tired that I was scared to drive to ot T-boned on the way to Mr Rathbin’s When I parked in the driveway, I barely registered that two tires were in his grass I didn’t bother to repark

"Having a good day, Mr Rathbin?" I asked with a yawn

He was pretty jolly for a terht hireat mood I set up hishis used bedpan to the toilet, I passed out and hit the floor in a puddle of Mr Rathbin’s urine