The Magic Mirror of the Mermaid Queen - Delia Sherman [3]
Would they teach us magic? I really wanted to learn magic.
The shadow of Castle Rock crept out over me. I paddled to the shore and climbed out onto the bank.
And that was when I realized that I’d forgotten to bring a towel or anything dry to put on over my wet T-shirt.
The ducks laughed like loons, and I thought I could hear the turtles sniggering. I picked up my jeans and dripped all the way up the steps and across the courtyard to the Castle.
I peeked in the kitchen door. The entire contents of my clothes chest was draped over the furniture, with the Pooka standing in the middle of it, holding my Demon Dance T-shirt by one sleeve and shaking his head.
“What are you doing?” I squealed.
Astris snatched up a kitchen towel. “You’re as wet as a fish, pet. Come by the stove and have a cup of tea. You’ll catch your death.”
I ignored her. “Why are my clothes all over the kitchen?”
“Your godfather and I were discussing what you should wear to school tomorrow. Do dry yourself, pet. You’re dripping all over the floor.”
“There’s nothing to discuss.” I took the towel and rubbed at my hair. “I’ll wear jeans and a T-shirt. It doesn’t have to be the Demon Dance one.”
The Pooka dropped the shirt and nudged it to one side with his toe. “My heart,” he said, “you will not so. Your jeans are out at the knees, and each and every one of your shirts is a crying and a shame. Mortals care about such things.”
“I’m a mortal,” I said. “I don’t care.”
“You should.” To my surprise, he was totally serious. “The pride and honor of the Park are at stake.” He pointed to a chair piled with black and white. “Put those on, and let’s have a look at you.”
It was the black pants and white top Honey the vampire had given me last summer so I’d fit in on Wall Street. I took them upstairs, changed, and came down again, tugging at my top and wishing my waistband wasn’t cutting me in half.
The Pooka walked around me. “The britches are a bit snug.”
“I’ve grown,” I said defensively. “There’s no rule against that, is there?”
The Pooka tsked. “With your leave,” he said, and laid his hands on my shoulders. Immediately, my clothes began to squirm unpleasantly against my skin.
I squealed and wriggled. “Be still,” the Pooka said severely, and I bit my lip and endured until everything settled down.
“Better,” the Pooka said, “but it’s lacking something.” He took off his own coat. It was black, with a nipped-in waist and full skirts and wide sleeves with turned-back cuffs and big silver buttons. He helped me into it. It snuggled across my shoulders, smelling faintly, like the Pooka, of animal.
“There,” he said. “They’ll all be inquiring after your tailor, so they will, and never mind your worn jeans. Mind you take care of it, now. Coats like that don’t grow on trees.”
I spun around, making the skirts whirl, and grinned at him gratefully.
“One thing I do know about school,” Astris said, “is that you must get there bright and early in the morning.”
I hate getting up early. I sighed. “Is there a Betweenways stop nearby?”
The Pooka shoved a pile of clothes off a chair and sat down. “Will I let a godchild of mine take the Betweenways her first day of school? I will not so. See you’re waiting for me in the courtyard—shall we say dawnish?—and I’ll take you there myself.”
Since Folk don’t like being touched unless they ask, I didn’t hug him.
Astris announced it was time for dinner and I must tidy everything away. Because of the coat, I did not point out that I wasn’t the one who had spread my clothes all over the kitchen. I gathered them up and headed to my room at the top of the tower.
On the second-floor landing, I passed the full-length mirror hanging outside Astris’s room.
Mirrors are rare in New York Between. Astris’s mirror is the only one in Central Park, if you don’t count the Magic Magnifying Mirror I won from the Mermaid Queen, which now belonged to the Green Lady of Central Park. As magic mirrors go, Astris’s mirror is pretty lame: