“But I made a road trip playlist!”
“Are you trying to kill us all before we can listen to it?”
I turn on the stereo. It looks like it came with the car. “I think it’s just got a radio,” I say, fiddling with the dial. It makes a statickywow-wowsound, just like in the movies. Maybe everything in America is just like in the movies.
“Can’t I plug in?” She’s still hanging between us.
“I don’t think so. I’ll try to find some music.” It takes me a second—you have to turn the dial really slowly and kind of trap the signal. I twist past people talking about politics and baseball, and find a station playing classic rock. “I think this is the best I can do.”
Penny sighs and flops back into her seat.
“Fasten your seat belt!” Baz shouts. He’s changing lanes now, and it’s a whole complicated dance—twisting in his seat, changing gears, and pumping one of the pedals. I’m glad we haven’t broken up yet, because then I never would have got to see it.
10
PENELOPE
We’ll be at Micah’s house soon.
I told him I was coming.
I called him last week—I said I was worried about Agatha and that Simon needed a holiday. And I told him that I miss him. “We’ll stop in Chicago first,” I said. “On the way.”
And then Micah said that probably wasn’t a good idea. That we should talk about it more.
“There’s no time to talk about it—Agatha might be in trouble!” I wasn’t planning on saying this, but then I did, and it wasn’t a lie. She really might be. Historically, she has been.
Then Micah said, “It is a day ending with ‘-day,’ isn’t it?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Do you not believe that Agatha’s in danger?”
“No, I believe it. Agatha’s in danger. And Simon’s hit a rough patch. And Baz has a dark secret. And there’s probably some conspiracy that you can’t tell me about. The whole World of Mages is probably at stake!”
I decided to pretend Micah wasn’t angry. So that he couldstopbeingangry at any moment without it being a big thing. I said—“Well, I don’t know that there’snota shadow conspiracy.…”
And he said, “Whatever, Penelope. Do what you want to do. You will anyway.”
“I’ll do what Ihaveto do,” I said, “not what I want to do.”
And then Micah didn’t say anything.
“Micah? Micah, are you still there?”
“I’m here.”
“Do you think I’m making all this up?” (There’s a difference, I think, between making something up and exaggerating.)
“No.”
“Micah…”I tried to make my voice softer, smaller. “Maybe you could go to California with us. We could use your help.”
“I have my internship.”
“Well, we’re flying into Chicago anyway. If you change your mind—”
“Agatha might be in danger, right? You should fly straight there.”
“I suppose that’s true.…”
