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Corny looked at her incredulously. "Halloween is in two days."
"I know," Kaye said. "But it's not like I have to do anything. I just have to yell and scream and pretend to be human for a while."
"What if they get pissed that they were tricked?"
Kaye shrugged. "I don't know. It's not my problem, right? All I have to do is be a good victim."
"Yeah, hopefully not too good a victim."
"Spike and Lutie wouldn't ever put me in any real danger."
"Yeah, okay. Well, that's good."
"You think they would?"
"I think it sounds dangerous. I think we haven't seen too much so far that is part of Faery and isn't dangerous."
"True," Kaye said.
"Oh," Corny said. "Jimmy saw me when I went by the house. He said that if you want that job, you can start tonight at six. It's the shift before mine, so I guess I'm not fired after all."
She smiled. "So I guess I'll see you tonight. I'm glad you're okay."
"I would be even better if I was still there," Corny said, and all her worry returned in a flood.
"Corny…"
He smiled, that weird distant smile that he'd gotten under the hill, and she wanted to shake him by the shoulders. Something had to snap him out of it.
"See you tonight," he said, slipping on his jacket. He flinched as the lining brushed his arms, and, uncharitable as it was, she hoped that it was because the scratches hurt.
As Corny left, she looked at the pink sticky notes posted on the back of her door. They were the messages that her mother had taken for her. One was from Jimmy—probably about the job—and the others were all from Kenny.
Kaye settled on the mattress on the floor, picked up the phone, and dialed the number on Kenny's first note. She could leave a message for him about where she was working tonight. It was a public place. If he came to visit her there, she could take off the enchantment, and then everything with Janet could go back to normal.
"Hey," a male voice answered. There was a vaguely metallic whirring and grating in the background.
"Oh. Hi," she stammered. "I thought you'd be at school."
"You called my cell phone," Kenny said. "I'm in shop."
"This is Kaye." She felt stupid again, as though a few words from him were some kind of benediction of which she was unworthy.
"I know. Teacher is about to have a hernia, so we got to talk fast. I want to see you. Tonight."
"I have to work. You could come by—"
"What time?" he said, interrupting her. She felt awkward, hyperaware of each word she spoke, waiting for him to start teasing her and absurdly grateful when he did not.
"Six."
"Meet me after school. You know which one my car is?"
"No. Why don't you just come by my job?" She tried to wrest back control of the conversation.
"By the entrance, then. The big one. I have to see you."
She hesitated, but she had no real reason not to meet him there. After all, removing the enchantment would only take a moment. What happened after, well, maybe it would be better if she was somewhere she could leave. "Okay."
