The Society of Imaginary Friends (Book 1 of The Conjurors Series)

Chapter 19

After finishing the tour of the gothic Guardians of the Boundary Guild, which was filled with secret passages, dark hallways, and tall, arched ceilings, Valerie, Cyrus, and Kanti left The Horseshoe so that Valerie could see the rest of the city.

Kanti had to leave to teach a class on popular culture on Earth to the apprentices, and Cyrus seemed more relaxed after she left. He and Valerie wandered around Silva for hours, peering into strange shops and exploring the winding streets. She insisted on stopping by every shop that sold sweets. Since she wasn't sure how to barter her power yet, Cyrus volunteered to leave small objects made of light in return for the candy. She gobbled the candy up, though none tasted as good as Dulcea's pastries.

"Dr. Freeman would freak out if he knew how much junk I'm eating! But maybe not. Maybe he doesn't have time to think about me."

"Why do you always do that?"

"What?"

"Assume no one cares about you. Trust me; you're not the kind of person people forget." A piece of Valerie's heart that she didn't know was frozen thawed a little. "Anyway, it's almost dinner time, and Dulcea doesn't like it when anyone comes late."

They burst into the dorm cafeteria in the nick of time, and Dulcea was waiting at the door, watch in hand. "Right on time. Valerie, how are you liking Silva?"

"I love it. There's so much to see!"

"Excellent!"

"And thank you so much for my room. I love it."

"Of course! That's what I'm here for. Now, you two go fill your plates and make sure you leave room for dessert!"

A long buffet full of strange dishes stood in the middle of the room. On either side of the buffet were round tables filled with other young Conjurors of different ages studying at the Society of Imaginary Friends. In the group of around one hundred, Valerie spotted several fairies, two giant people who towered five feet over everyone else, and five boys with bright red hair who were completely identical. Were they were brothers, or was one was an amoebiate, like Thai, and they were all clones?

She put a little bit of everything on her plate, and then she and Cyrus sat alone at a table in the corner. This time, she didn't hesitate to taste everything, no matter how strange it smelled. She was in ecstasy, and she practically inhaled everything in sight. It was as if a part of her couldn't believe that she was finally going to have as much to eat as she wanted, so she had to fill up before it all disappeared.

"Cy, you have got to try this purple lumpy thing; it's the perfect amount of salty and sweet! It's like mashed potatoes with a little hint of sugar."

"It's muddleberry pudding. It's really popular in Elsinore, where Kanti's from. She's always eating that stuff."

Once Valerie had her fill and topped it off with a chocolate filled with a sweet cream, she sat back, content.

"Finally! I've been waiting to give something to you," Cyrus said. From under his shirt, he pulled out a long chain that he was wearing around his neck. On the end of the chain was a clear sphere. He pulled it over his head and handed it to her.

She took it, looking curiously at the image that was flickering inside the sphere. At first, she couldn't make it out, but then the image shifted, and she realized what she was seeing. Inside the sphere was a moving picture of Valerie when she was little, playing with a dollhouse that she recognized from when she was seven years old. It was her first trip to the hospital, and it had been her favorite toy. "It's me in there," she said in confusion.

"Yeah. This was made for you. It's your protective charm, so that when you were on Earth, no one could find you except for me."

"Like the charm Venu has that stopped you from finding him?"