Archie cawed again, flapping his enormous wings.
Mom still gripped her pan. “Are you seriously having a conversation with a blackbird? And how did he get here?”
“He’s a crow, er, sort of. Kid is his name for Regge. Archie’s smart, Ma.” I ran up the stairs, calling Regge’s name. He was up and struggling into jeans when I opened the door. “Archie’s here.”
“I know. He came in last night.” He grabbed my Dropkick Murphys shirt, pulling it over his head. “What’s going on?”
I didn’t answer because I truly didn’t know. Even though I was used to Archie’s method of communication, Regge understood him much better. We entered the kitchen together.
“Archie,” Regge said, walking up to the large crow and petting his chest feathers. He turned to Marjorie. “Good morning. I’m sorry if he scared you. He’s rather headstrong, but he won’t hurt you.”
She put the pan down. “He calls you kid?” Slowly, as though she didn’t want to startle the bird, she made another pot of coffee.
Regge chuckled. “He used to belong to an old apothecary who took me in as a teenager. When Master Gomfrey passed away, Archie kind of latched onto me. My guardian, Theo, often calls me kid, so…”
She patted Regge’s shoulder. “He’s certainly unusual. What does he eat?”
“Archie’s a carnivore, but he loves fruit as well. I fed him some of your tuna last night,” Regge replied.
Food. Food. Trouble.
“I have some blueberries in the fridge.” Marjorie pulled out the small plastic packet, handing it to Regge.
“Would you like to feed him? I promise he’ll be a gentleman. Won’t you, Arch?”
Good boy. Good boy.Archie bobbed his head. My mom laughed. Regge showed her how to hold a berry in her palm out to the bird. Archie gobbled it up. She added another.
“Archie,” said Regge, “this is Marjorie. Hunter’s mother.”
Mamasaid Archie. He looked at me.Mama?
This time I laughed. “Yes. She’s my mom.”
Regge took a cup of coffee I offered, and we leaned against the counter side by side as Mom fed Archie the berries one by one.
“Good morrow, sir,” Regge mumbled close to my neck. “How fares thee this morn?”
I felt my cheeks pink up. “I’m great. You?”
His smile was answer enough. It was difficult not to pull him into my arms right then and there.
I doubted my mother would care, but I’d never really had someone at home before. Even my two-year relationship had been mostly away at college, so Mom had never seen me with anyone. Anyone special, that is.
She completely ignored us as she conversed with Archie. “That should be enough berries. How about I cook up some bacon and egg sandwiches? Just bacon for you, of course.” She closed the lid on the berry packet and returned it to the fridge.
Good boy.Archie is a good boy. Archie hopped to the other chair and preened his feathers. He looked at Regge, flapped his wings, then looked at Marjorie.
I frowned in confusion.
Regge whispered, “He wants to be in his cat form but doesn’t want to cause trouble.”
Nodding, I pulled out the loaf of bread.
“I’ll do the toast. Um, Mom? You know how my friends in Philly are kind of well, magical?”
“Are you talking about your sight? Or Izzy’s? That girl is extraordinary.”
“Kind of yes. But also, Archie is more than just a crow.”
