“You really don’t want to be here, do you?” It was concern that made Sam ask because, well, he’d kind of been exuding I’m-trapped-somewhere-I-don’t-want-to-be vibes.

  “Eh. I’m getting paid.” He shrugged it off as if he hadn’t been sighing theatrically every few moments and rolling his eyes each time he called out ‘next’ for another customer to come in. “But would you want to be here? I haven’t even had time to restock the shelves, I’m afraid they’ll riot out there if I close for ten minutes to use the bathroom.”

  “Oooh.” Gleipnir gasped as the employee’s words sparked a memory. “Toilet paper. I’ll grab some.” He bobbed off in a floating hurry only to return a few seconds later empty ribboned. “No joy.”

  “Do you have more food in the back that needs to be restocked?” The idea that there might be hope for a reasonable dinner sparked in Sam as she continued chatting with the worker.

  “Yeah. But like I said, I can’t –”

  “What if Gleipnir and I were to watch the store for you, no one in, no one out while you do that?” Then she added hastily, “If it will only take a few minutes that is?” The kid was thoughtful for a second before making his decision.

  “The store enchantments won’t let me if it thinks it can’t trust you.” He was waffling but Sam was determined to find something worth eating. Thinking about her F.B.I. badge hidden away in her robe pocket and the standard law enforcement enchantments on it, she was fairly sure things would be fine.

  “Why don’t you try? I’m sure it will trust me.” Forty-five minutes later – twenty of which had been dedicated to the sounds of the loudest shit anyone had ever taken coming from the employee restroom – Sam was sad to say that of the restocked foodstuff, only a small box of Original Flavor Cheasoning mix looked at all appetizing. Hopefully Kyle had some popcorn at home.

  She and Gleipnir were workshopping on how to spin their meager haul off as better than it was the entire ride home. Gleipnir drug his ribbon behind him dejectedly as they made their way up the flight of steps to Kyle’s apartment, lamenting that they didn’t ‘catch’ anything good. None of their ideas would have made their haul look any better. When the entered the apartment, they found Anna at the kitchen counter whistling a tune which the prisms chimed a counter point to – which was a whole different issue that Sam did not have time for right now – using a Daedalus Industries hot-cold stone intended for alchemical laboratory work as a cooktop. The girl was sauteing up a plethora of vegetables and meat in a frying pan while a steaming pot of rice cooled on the kitchen table.

  “What…” A lot of possible questions ran through Sam’s mind as she considered which to ask first. After a moment of hesitation, she settled on something neutral to forestall any potential arguments. “…happened… here?” Yeah. That felt, not-judgy enough and not too panicked.

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  “I got dinner.” Anna smiled happily and went back to whistling with her choir of magical pets. In her head, Sam counted to five and wondered if her sister was deliberately being obtuse or if she just was like that. On the off chance that this was an ‘Anna thing’, Sam chose to believe it was not deliberate. Tamping down the flare of anger that ignited along with the terror she felt for her sister, Sam tried again.

  “I can see that. Where from?” She’d only hissed that through her clenched teeth a little bit. Anna was still unconcernedly working on the meal before her, sniffing appreciatively as she added some fresh cilantro. Which was damn good smelling and Sam had to take a second to enjoy the tantalizing scent herself. Sam had sidled over next to her sister and was in the process of trying to sneak a bite of food out of the hot pan with her unwashed fingers. Anna smacked the back of her wrist with a wooden spoon. “Ow. That hurt.”

  “Then you shouldn’t do it.” The teen scolded the elder sister with a saccharine grin. “What would grandma say?” While Anna was distracted, Gleipnir had nabbed a huge forkful out of her sight. Which he showed Sam over Anna’s shoulder and they high fived behind Anna’s head. “I saw that,” the younger sister admonished. “I just didn’t care because Gleipnir used a fork instead of dirty hands.”

  “Spoil sport.” Gleip sulked, “But where did you get food.”

  “The farmer’s market in the park.”

  “What?” Sam exclaimed; frustrated that she didn’t remember that there was a market, horrified that it was still happening in spite of everything, and furious that Anna had gone on her own instead of just telling Sam to go.

  “By yourself?” Gleipnir was really just concerned about Anna’s safety as she was his little sister and didn’t want anything to happen to her.

  “Chill out.” Stirring the dish, she added some kind of sauce to it and tasted a vegetable. “Hmm, too crunchy still. Needs a minute. And no. I didn’t go alone. Neighbor Dude took me.”

  “That flaked out, stoner, bodybuilder, wannabe surfer boy?” Gleip’s outrage was palpable. “He couldn’t cast a defensive spell to save the one brain cell left in his drug-fried skull.”

  “Well, he really knows his herbs. He helped me pick out all the ingredients to make this. It’s his peanut sauce recipe.” Seemingly oblivious to Gleipnir and Sam’s indignation that she had trusted her safety to someone whom they considered to be of questionable intelligence, Anna tasted their dinner again. “It’s ready. Grab some bowls.”

  “Of course, he knows his herbs. It’s his Gods damned specialty.” Sam muttered as she followed instructions because she was terribly eager to try the food regardless of the recipe’s source.

  “Yes, he’s familiar with all the main herb varieties; Wizard Wowie, Hangman’s Hashish, the Philosopher’s Stoned…” Sam snigged at Gleipnir’s murmured sarcasm, which Anna ignored.

  “Light some candles, will you? I’m tired of having to cast light so I can see better, the emergency lights are okay and all but –”

  “But regular light is better.” Sam finished for her sister with an indulgent smile.

  “And you know how I am with fire.” They tucked into their meal with gusto, Gleipnir helping himself to a second portion which prompted Anna to make a bowl for Kyle and hide it away in the fridge.

  “Can we get the recipe?” Gleipnir grudgingly admired the dish from the guy he’d been making fun of. “This is pretty damn good.”

  “Stoner food usually is.” Sam agreed.