The leftovers from dinner had been carefully wrapped in chip-shop paper and placed near the bottom of the larder, right at the perfect grabbing height. Unfortunately, none of them were labelled. Presumably, the kitchen staff who had packed it would still remember what everything was the next day when they broke it out for the servants’ breakfasts. Thoth pulled the first thing he saw off the shelf and unwrapped it eagerly, only to gag a moment later when he discovered it was leftover roast beef. Gross! The fat had dripped through the paper, leaving his hands feeling greasy and tainted, and the smell made him want to throw up. Holding his breath, he re-wrapped it as fast as possible and shoved it back onto the shelf, feeling ill.

A hand-washing was in order before he tried any of the other parcels. Before he had an opportunity to turn and locate the sink, the kitchen door crashed open and caused him to jump nearly out of his skin. He whipped around as the storm of flapping and swearing reached his ears, backing up slightly into the larder. The noise and the little crackle of electricity playing on the girl’s fingertips both dropped dramatically as the two young people made eye contact.

Thoth had a photographic memory and could recall large chunks of text or images in incredible detail, but he didn’t care enough about most people to make a mental log of their names and faces. This girl was familiar, but he couldn’t instantly place her. It was only when she called him that ridiculous name - flying wonder - that he remembered who she was. They’d met once before in Tristan’s bedroom, on that fateful day when Thoth had tried to fly for the first time. That nickname shouldn’t sting, but it did a little. He frowned.

The girl didn’t seem as reserved; her face split into a bright grin and she started chattering really fast and loudly. She didn’t seem hostile… but then, oftentimes many kids didn’t before they turned. Sometimes they appeared to him as friends, laughing and smiling and offering him kind words – and the next thing he knew, he was hanging upside from a tree or had had his trousers stolen. Interactions like these had made Thoth naturally suspicious of anyone, no matter how nice they seemed to be. He edged out of the larder and towards the sink, keeping an eye on her.

“Whatever,” he grunted, not in a position to deny her and not trusting enough to present a smile back.

The sink was facing the opposite wall; if he went to use it, he’d have his back to her. Thoth knew from experience that turning his back on other kids was never a good idea. He concentrated, his frown deepening. A whip of water shimmered into existence right in front of him, flowing as easily through the air as it would through a brook. Once the water had been generated, it was easy enough to bend around his hands, which he rubbed together furiously to remove all traces of the beef juice.

“What was your name again?” He asked cautiously and he focused on making the water dissipate back into non-existence. It was better to know, just in case.


MASTER OF THE ORBIS . MASTER OF THE WATER ELEMENT . SON OF AURA