The Witch and the Huntsman by Rod Kierkegaard Jr J.R. Rain Page B

or anything...”
    I was so startled, I actually couldn’t think of anything to say for a few seconds. “Aw,” I finally managed. “That’s so sweet, except I have to work. And...well, the thing is, I’m sort of seeing someone, so...”
    It never rains, but it pours, right? Take away the red face and the stuttering, and Sergeant Doberman really wasn’t so bad-looking. He just wasn’t in Eric’s league.
    But then, who was?
    Meanwhile, Doberman was nodding and getting that sulky, just-slapped-in-the-face look around his jowls. “Right, right, I should have guessed. Well, I’ll just get out of your hair, then. I’ll probably swing by sometime tomorrow—just to make sure nobody else goes missing.”
    Like me , I guess he meant. But he roared off in his police cruiser before I could tell him about the night hunts.

 
    Chapter Sixteen
     
    “ And this is where they make you sleep?” Ivy stood in the doorway of my little room, staring incredulously.
    “ Shhhh— you’re not even supposed to be here!” I said, wrestling her inside and shutting the door behind us. Honestly, I wasn’t even that crazy about her insisting on seeing the room, either; I still had hopes Eric might show up later. “Keep your voice down so nobody can hear us.” We’d almost gotten caught sneaking into the staff building by Conrad the Stick Man.
    “ My dressing room in Cabo was three times as big as this. And they don’t even give you a dorm fridge?” She stuck her head into the bathroom. “ EEEEK ! ”
    So much for keeping her voice down.
    “ You can see her, too?” I said. Up to that point, I hadn’t been sure if anyone else could.
    “ Sure I can see her, too. What the hell’s a naked girl doing in your bathroom?”
    You really wouldn’t expect a Hollywood actress to be such a priss, would you? I mean, Millicent totally wasn’t naked—she was wearing a pair of my panties and a T-shirt, but I told her to put on some sweatpants, too.
    “ This is Millicent, Ivy. Millicent, meet Ivy.”
    “ Wow,” said Ivy as Millicent, beaming and smiling, came into the bedroom and took her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you—I just never thought...Oh crap, you’re even prettier than I am.” I couldn’t believe it; tears had sprung to Ivy’s eyes. “It’s just that you can speak inside Allison’s mind and not mine, so I just thought you and I could never meet or be joined together.”
    “ Oh, dearest Ivy. Dearest, dearest Allison,” said Millicent. “Here, take my other hand. Now take Ivy’s. From now on, the three of us will be able to share our thoughts, to conjoin our powers when needed. I’m so happy we’re together at last, sweetest sisters in magic.”
    Okay, I totally know what you’re thinking. But it wasn’t like a group hug on a TV show at all. A radiant revolving glow seemed to bathe all three of us at once, like an aurora borealis rising up from where our hands touched. But way more beautiful and joyous than any light show our auras could put on, was the amazing feeling that flowed through the three of us like electricity, uniting us in a love of almost infinite compassion and healing. It was as if we were triplets in the same womb together, if that makes any sense; in those moments—which seemed to last a lifetime—we each knew we would never be alone ever again. Could never be alone. No matter what happened, we would always have each other...
    Know what else is really weird? How those moments that seem to last a lifetime, usually get interrupted like almost immediately. This one was no different. I heard a light tapping on the door.
    Oh, shit , was my first thought, somebody’s heard us .
    “ Language, dear ”. Millicent’s voice tingled reproachfully in my mind. Slowly, reluctantly, the three of us broke contact, and I went to answer the door.
    It was Eric.
    “ I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked, peering past me into the little room. Then his mouth dropped open as he caught sight of