Newford [07] Trader by Charles De Lint

Author:Charles De Lint [Lint, Charles De]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ePub Bud (www.epubbud.com)
Published: 2005-02-27T16:00:00+00:00

Owning Your Own Shadow

For every evil under the sun,

There is a remedy, or there is none.

If there be one, seek till you find it;

If there be none, never mind it.

—from Mother Goose

1 Nia

The more time she spent in Zeffy’s company, the better Nia liked her. She’d liked the whole group of them—Zeffy, Tanya and especially Jilly. They were so interesting. The fact that they were all probably twice her age didn’t strike her in the least bit odd. She’d always gotten along better with adults than kids her own age. That wasn’t something that had started with Max; it was just the way it was. If she thought about it at all, it was probably because her mother had always treated her as a friend instead of a child.

Used to treat her that way, Nia corrected herself. Before the walls went up. Before her mother decided she liked women better than men. Before the aliens came and set up house in her head. Whatever.

She sighed heavily which made Zeffy turn to look at her.

“We’re almost there,” Zeffy said.

“I’m not tired,” Nia assured her. “I was just thinking.”

Zeffy’s features took on a worried look that Nia already knew didn’t fit in at all with her new friend’s usual good humor.

“You and me both,” Zeffy said. “I’m still trying to figure out why I’m even letting myself get mixed up in all of this.”

At Nia’s side, Buddy seemed to have taken Jilly’s advice to heart. He’d been relaxed ever since they’d left the restaurant, actually butting his head against Nia’s leg and wagging his tail whenever she reached down to give him a pat.

“Is it Max you like?” she asked Zeffy. “I mean, the person he is, or is it the way he looks?”

“What makes you think I like him?”

Nia smiled. “Because I figure that must be why you’re here. If you hated him, you wouldn’t be helping out.”

“If I buy into it—which I haven’t completely . . .” Zeffy’s voice trailed off. She glanced at Nia. “Well,” she tried again. “He looks like Johnny Devlin, but that’s not necessarily a good thing.”

“I think he’s handsome.”

“Handsome’s perhaps too strong a word. I’d say attractive instead, except Johnny—the Johnny I’ve always known before the last few days—has always been so full of himself and there’s nothing worse than a good-looking man who’s too aware of his good looks, you know? There’s something in their eyes, or in the way they smile, that just gives me the creeps.”

“But Max isn’t like that.”

Zeffy gave her a tired smile. “Max. Who’s supposedly living in Johnny’s head now.”

Nia hadn’t lost her own confusion in dealing with it all, either. Last night, she’d have had no doubt. But after he’d jumped all over her earlier today and been so mean, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Except for the two big fights we’ve had,” Zeffy went on, “and even they weren’t anything like arguing with Johnny, I have to admit he’s been really sweet. He wasn’t all full of himself

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