Rebel

Chapter 3

19/07, 20th Year of the Rebellion

Government Territory

Felicity stormed into her home, Squee trailing uncertainly after her. The weather had just gotten ominously stormy.

She sat on her chaise longue and crossed her legs. "I only have one bedroom, and I'm not giving it up, so you can sleep on the couch. Help yourself to the food, as long as it's not chocolate. Don't touch the clothes or the clarinet. Try not to impale yourself on any weapons, though I suppose the Headmistress won't give out to me if it was an accident."

Squee tripped over a hat rack. "What, exactly, am I doing here?"

Honestly, the girl must be either completely dense or have the memory of a goldfish. Or both.

Felicity sighed. "You're staying with me until we get called for an errand," she said. "Then, you will pay for your pitiful excuse for a crime and return to the tiny dot on the map you came from."

"And what, exactly, will this 'errand' be?"

Goodness, did she ever stop talking?

"It will probably be something along the lines of making a rebel leader disappear, gathering information, the like."

"So, you're an assassin?"

Felicity frowned. All this stress was going to give her wrinkles. There was no point in being immortal if you looked like a hag from the Vassan Caves.

"Assassin? Of course not, I'm a student."

Squee snorted, muttering something about what they teach people in the East these days; Felicity snapped that she was not too well learned herself.

They sat in simmering silence for a time; then a muffled giggle came from the other fíthe's vicinity. Felicity saw it then – the absurdity of it all. She should be happy to have female company. At least it was a respite from CeCe.

Right then, her stomach gave a loud and rather embarrassing grumble. She flushed a deep magenta and muttered, "We'd better get lunch."

She got up and strode into the kitchen. Upon looking in the cupboards and finding only a half-eaten box of wheat crackers, she sighed, and turned to tell Squee that she would have to go out to get something substantial.

She started. On the small dining table in front of her was a steaming pile of pancakes, complete with chocolate sauce and strawberries on top. Squee was sitting in front of them, knife and fork in hand.

"I'm pretty sure that's thievery," Felicity said contemplatively. "and extremely unhealthy."

She thought about it for a second longer, and dug in.

That evening, she had changed into her nightclothes, and was putting on her sleeping mask, when a creature the size of a large bird flew in, whizzed around the room and proceeded to scorch her gauzy curtains with flames coming out of its nose.

She shrieked and ran out of the room, straight downstairs. She stormed into the sitting room and found Squee snoring softly on the chair.

"WHEN I SAID BRING YOUR LUGGAGE IN, I DIDN'T MEAN BRING A FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON INTO MY HOUSE!"

The other girl sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"You mean Tikka? He doesn't mean any harm, he's just -"

"I don't care what it's doing, just get it out!"

Squee smiled. "I'm guessing you're not an animal person."