green-tinted building on the other might have been lighter shades of gray and green. And it certainly did feel a little different than most paper money. Which, of course, might be because Abby wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a one-hundred-dollar bill before. At least not to hold in her own hands.
“See?” Paige said when she showed it to Abby on the bus one morning. “What did I tell you? It just doesn’t look right.”
Rubbing her fingers over the bill, Abby said, “Well, maybe. But perhaps it’s just because it’s very new.”
But Paige was sure it was more than that. “I’ve had lots of new bills,” she said. “Fifties and one hundreds. That grandmother always sends brand-new bills. But none of them ever looked as stiff as this one.”
Abby was impressed. “Your grandmother always sends you fifties and one hundreds?” she asked.
Paige nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, one of them does. The other one sends clothes. Things you couldn’t pay me to wear. I like money better. Here!” Suddenly she held the bill out to Abby. “See what you can do with that.”
For a moment Abby thought Paige meant that she should see what she could buy with one hundred dollars. It was an interesting thought, but when the money was pushed into her hand, and her fingers pushed down over it, she got the picture. Paige was suggesting that she should try the Magic Nation thing.
“Wait a minute,” she said, feeling resentful and reluctant. Wishing, in fact, and not for the first time, that she had never, ever told Paige about the Magic Nation thing. “Even if it is counterfeit, what could I see that would prove anything? I think it only works when you’re holding something that was close to the person it belonged to for quite a while. The longer, the better. And this bill doesn’t look like it ever was in someone’s pocket, and not even in a wallet. At least not for very long.”
“Well, try it anyway,” Paige said. “Maybe you’ll see a building where they’re printing counterfeit money and their name will be on the building or something.”
“Whose name?”
Paige sighed and looked exasperated as she said, “Whoever printed the bill and passed it off on my poor dumb grandmother. Go on. You can try, at least.”
Even though she thought the whole thing was pretty useless, Abby closed her fingers over the bill, closed her eyes, and waited—and waited some more. After a while the warmth started, but not much. Not even enough to be sure it was really happening. And then what seemed to be a vague, distant form of the bits and pieces started whirling through the air. The pieces came together and bounced apart, never staying long enough to form a real picture, except after a while one that looked a little like Paige herself. A Paige who was leaning forward and staring, just as she was really doing when Abby opened her eyes.
“All right,” Paige was demanding. “What did you see?”
Abby grinned. “I saw you,” she said.
Paige looked startled, but then she smiled and nodded. “Sure,” she said. “Because I was the last one to hold it. But you didn’t see who had it first, or who made it?”
Abby shook her head. “Nothing else.”
Paige frowned. Giving Abby a look that said she was a big failure, Paige grabbed the hundred dollar bill and stuffed it angrily into her wallet. Then she turned her back and didn’t say anything else until the bus stopped, and went on not saying anything while they got off and walked side by side to the school entrance. Abby didn’t see her again until lunchtime.
Abby was still arranging the different parts of her lunch neatly on one of the lunchroom tables, as she always did before she started to eat, when she looked up and saw Paige approaching. She was bracing herself for some more of the silent treatment when Paige plopped down beside her and said, “Okay. Wait till I tell you what kind of crimes are going on right here at the academy. Right here in Mrs. Patterson’s art
“See?” Paige said when she showed it to Abby on the bus one morning. “What did I tell you? It just doesn’t look right.”
Rubbing her fingers over the bill, Abby said, “Well, maybe. But perhaps it’s just because it’s very new.”
But Paige was sure it was more than that. “I’ve had lots of new bills,” she said. “Fifties and one hundreds. That grandmother always sends brand-new bills. But none of them ever looked as stiff as this one.”
Abby was impressed. “Your grandmother always sends you fifties and one hundreds?” she asked.
Paige nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, one of them does. The other one sends clothes. Things you couldn’t pay me to wear. I like money better. Here!” Suddenly she held the bill out to Abby. “See what you can do with that.”
For a moment Abby thought Paige meant that she should see what she could buy with one hundred dollars. It was an interesting thought, but when the money was pushed into her hand, and her fingers pushed down over it, she got the picture. Paige was suggesting that she should try the Magic Nation thing.
“Wait a minute,” she said, feeling resentful and reluctant. Wishing, in fact, and not for the first time, that she had never, ever told Paige about the Magic Nation thing. “Even if it is counterfeit, what could I see that would prove anything? I think it only works when you’re holding something that was close to the person it belonged to for quite a while. The longer, the better. And this bill doesn’t look like it ever was in someone’s pocket, and not even in a wallet. At least not for very long.”
“Well, try it anyway,” Paige said. “Maybe you’ll see a building where they’re printing counterfeit money and their name will be on the building or something.”
“Whose name?”
Paige sighed and looked exasperated as she said, “Whoever printed the bill and passed it off on my poor dumb grandmother. Go on. You can try, at least.”
Even though she thought the whole thing was pretty useless, Abby closed her fingers over the bill, closed her eyes, and waited—and waited some more. After a while the warmth started, but not much. Not even enough to be sure it was really happening. And then what seemed to be a vague, distant form of the bits and pieces started whirling through the air. The pieces came together and bounced apart, never staying long enough to form a real picture, except after a while one that looked a little like Paige herself. A Paige who was leaning forward and staring, just as she was really doing when Abby opened her eyes.
“All right,” Paige was demanding. “What did you see?”
Abby grinned. “I saw you,” she said.
Paige looked startled, but then she smiled and nodded. “Sure,” she said. “Because I was the last one to hold it. But you didn’t see who had it first, or who made it?”
Abby shook her head. “Nothing else.”
Paige frowned. Giving Abby a look that said she was a big failure, Paige grabbed the hundred dollar bill and stuffed it angrily into her wallet. Then she turned her back and didn’t say anything else until the bus stopped, and went on not saying anything while they got off and walked side by side to the school entrance. Abby didn’t see her again until lunchtime.
Abby was still arranging the different parts of her lunch neatly on one of the lunchroom tables, as she always did before she started to eat, when she looked up and saw Paige approaching. She was bracing herself for some more of the silent treatment when Paige plopped down beside her and said, “Okay. Wait till I tell you what kind of crimes are going on right here at the academy. Right here in Mrs. Patterson’s art
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