“Does what it says on the tin, I assume.”
When the waitress comes, I order a steak as raw as they’ll allow it. Snow orders the “American Burger.” Bunce says she’ll have “what they’re having.”
“The burger or the steak?” the waitress asks.
“Penny,” Simon says, “you don’t eat beef.”
“Oh,” she says. “Then I’ll have the… I’ll have whatever people have.”
“People like the Buffalo Blasts,” the waitress says.
“Isn’t buffalo still beef?” Simon asks me.
I shrug. I don’t know the first thing about buffalo.
“They’re chicken,” the waitress says. “With buffalo sauce.”
“Fine,” Penny agrees.
“I suppose she can skip the sauce.…” Simon mutters after the waitress has walked away.
I get that Bunce is in a catatonic state, but we really need to talk about our plan now. I need the old Bunce back. With the chalkboards and the diagrams. “So, about tonight,” I say, “I assume we don’t have a place to sleep.”
Snow and I wait for her to answer. She’s staring at a spot between the breadbasket and Simon’s shoulder.
“Right,” I say. “Hand over your mobile, Bunce, I’ll find us a hotel.… Bunce?…Penelope.” She looks up. “Your phone?”
“It died in the car,” she says. “And I couldn’t charge it.”
“Where’syourphone?” Simon asks me.
“It doesn’t work out of the country.”
“Why didn’t you switch it over?”
Because I’m on my parents’ plan, and I didn’t want them to know I was leaving the country, which I don’t want to tell Simon. “Did you switch yours?” I say instead.
“No. I figured you and Penny would.”
Bunce is staring at her lap now.
“Penelope?” Simon asks. “Are you okay?”
“Clearly not,” I whisper.
“Penelope?”
“I want to go home,” she says abruptly.
Simon sits back. “What?”
“This was a mistake.” She’s looking more like her usual bold self, but with a manic edge I don’t like. “I didn’t think this through. I’m sorry.”
“Can we do that?” I ask. “Our tickets—”
“There’s got to be a spell to change them,” she says.
“There isn’t a spell for everything,” Simon says unpleasantly.
