Silvertongue

Chapter Three

I'm in a dreadfully awkward situation.

I don't know what to do with Gwin. Tell Mom and Dad? No way. Keep him in my room until I can get him back home? I'd rather not, but that looks like my only option.

I keep Gwin in my room all that day. Dustfinger fed him bread, so that's what I do. With the addition of some beef jerky. I'm not entirely sure what my parents think of me taking a bunch of slices of bread into my room as a "snack" but they don't say anything.

I need to make sure Gwin stays in my room. I need to keep him away from my cat. Although, I'm not sure who would win out if there was a fight.

Gwin actually seems to like me reasonably well. He just pokes around my room, looking at stuff.

"Not the books..." I warn him, even though I know he'll pay no heed.

Coincidence or not, he only nudges the books and doesn't cause any harm.

He does pee on one of the papers strewn haphazardly on the floor. Sadly, it's an already-graded math paper I no longer need.

After a while he curls up and takes a nap on my pillow.

And I hear my mom come home from work.

What to do with Gwin? I need to figure it out quickly, before Dad comes home and Mom shouts "Dinner!"

I'm pretty sure they won't accept the truth. They've both read Inkheart and we all agree that would be amazing to be able to read so wonderfully that you coax the characters off the page, but until now all of us had accepted that it could never happen.

Well, now it has happened, but only I know.

I wish my parents could know.

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Gwin wakes up with Dad slamming the back door closed. The marten looks around sleepily, kind of like the first time Dustfinger pulled him from his backpack. I know he won't bite right now.

Backpack...

I quickly grab my school backpack, empty its contents, and unceremoniously stuff the marten into it. He's awake now, for sure. I can hear him hissing and spitting as I zip the backpack up. I leave only a small hole from which he can breathe.

"Sorry, Gwin," I whisper through the hole, and feel his nose on mine trying to shove his way out. I feel horrible about this.

"Dinner!"

There it is.

I put the backpack on my bed and open my bedroom door.

Oh, great, our cat Jink is right there. We named him after Dustfunger's second marten, the one he picked up after ditching Gwin.

...But that hasn't happened yet.

I scoop up Jink and carry him downstairs to the kitchen with me. Like Jink in Inkspell, he's a lot friendlier than Gwin. He actually likes being cuddled and petted.

But when another animal threatens his "territory," he goes completely ballistic, throwing fits and attacking everything in sight, friend or foe.

Which is why I need to keep Gwin and Jink separate.

Dinner is spaghetti, and I manage to sneak a meatball and a few noodles into my napkin for Gwin. I only hope my parents don't notice that I'm acting "wierd."

I don't want to explain.

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It isn't till after dinner when I go back upstairs that I remember that when something comes out of the book, something else goes in.

Meggie's mother and cats went in in place of Dustfinger, Capricorn, and Basta.

The big predatory cat came out when Dustfinger went back in.

So what went into the book when I read Gwin out?

Once into room, I search for anything that's missing. Takes awhile, but I eventually realize it's a returned homework assignment, also not important anymore.

Dangit.

Wait, is it even possible for inanimate objects to replace living things?

I decide not to think too hard about that and focus on the task at hand.

I take out a blank sheet of notebook paper and pick up a pencil.

It's time to get Gwin home.