Bartimaeus fanfic sequel

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Well, it's not surprising when you consider that you were the first person she saw when she turned back to human form." Kitty told Nathaniel while sipping her tea.

"I don't know... I'm not an expert in psychological trauma." He replied. They were sitting at her dining table face to face across a corner of it. Bartimaeus had been dismissed and this was the first opportunity they had had to talk by themselves since then, while Farrar was taking a shower. "But it seems like she remembers me a little; we did know each other from a young age."

Kitty recalled Mr Button's assessment of Jane. "How young exactly?"

Nathaniel wasn't sure of her exact age, but he knew she was around 2 years older than he was. "I'm not exactly sure, maybe around 13 or 14 years old?"

"The magician that looked into her said she won't remember much from after she was 11 years old, if anything at all." Kitty said. "It's not far off though, so maybe she has a faint recognition of you. In any case, anything that makes her more comfortable is good because she's been feeling anxious ever since she turned back."

Nathaniel shrugged. "It's anybody's guess what's going through her mind." He still had trouble believing she had amnesia since he was still looking at the same Jane he had known. Her expressions and demeanor gave it away though; she wasn't the calm and ferocious Farrar he had worked with. Then again, his current situation wasn't any less improbable. "What about the rest though? What happened to the city since... I've been gone?"

"It's been rough..." She began telling him all about the past weeks: the new mixed council, the incident with Nouda, her trip to Egypt and how she found Bartimaeus. Although her retelling of the events seemed nothing short of difficult, she had a smile on her face the whole time. It seemed she was happy to have someone to talk to about everything.

Nathaniel mentioned this when she was done. "You seem to be in a better mood; you looked a little lost with what the imp told us earlier."

Kitty sighed. "It's just that I've never dealt with this kind of situation before. In the past there was always a clear goal, but right now big problems are popping up on all sides and they all seem beyond my capabilities to solve."

"I'll help you find a solution." He told her. "You're not alone like you were before."

She smiled again, looking him in the eyes. "You were right; I feel better now, because I'm glad you're here."

Nathaniel didn't know how he should reply. He was also glad of course, but for some reason he couldn't find the right words to say. The way Kitty had said them so bluntly took him by surprise. He opened his mouth but he was abruptly interrupted.

"Mistress?" Jane had just returned from her shower dressed in some of Kitty's spare clothes, her hair not quite dry yet. The white t-shirt and gray sweat pants were in stark contrast with her previous expensive yet torn outfit.

Kitty almost choked on her tea. She coughed and said: "You mean me?"

"I'm under your care, so I have to call you Mistress." Jane said. "With your permission I had some questions I wanted to ask you."

Kitty nodded. "Sit down and ask away, but please just call me whatever you like."

"Yes, Mistress." She replied and sat at the end of the table. "The magician in the wheelchair the other day said I won't remember the last 8 years and I noticed that my body is a bit more..." She looked down and touched her breasts. "...grown up. I'm not eleven years old anymore, right?"