Any notions that it might have been a dream were dispelled when I had to go across town to pick up my car from Skinny’s. Jackie never did tell me how she’d gotten back to my place without it—she just said she didn’t have the keys.

It was a couple of days later that she showed up on my doorstep, looking annoyed. “Is something wrong?” I asked after letting her in.

“It’s Mom,” she grumbled. “She found out what I did, gave me a big long lecture about ‘freaking the mundanes’ and crap like that.” She rolled her eyes. “And after you wouldn’t believe how much ’don’t-throw-me-in-that-briar-patch-ing’ on my part, she put a geas on me, too. Which may have the side-effect of freaking you even more, but I think you can take it.”

“Uh…okay?” I said hesitantly. I wasn’t able to say anything more, because she was kissing me again, and looking deep into my eyes. A moment later, she was gone…but a little voice in the back of my head was saying, “Wow, it’s pretty dusty in here. You don’t use this brain for much, do you?”