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Cam studies. He studies madly. The next week elapses with him having very little sense of individual days. He doesn't want anyone to know anything special is up, so he goes to a movie with Renée and to a friend's house after school to play Nintendo games and Charlie gets his weekly phone call and he shows up to his classes and gets his homework adequately done. But other than that he studies. He wants to be fluent in this thing inside three months if possible. It's easier than Spanish, he's motivated, he can use it in everyday conversations as he asks passing animals and convenient plants how smart they are (dogs: smarter than goats; squirrels: about goat level; his friend's hamster: dumb as a rock; shrubs: way dumber than trees; indoor potted rosemary: just a step above grass) and chats with Grace, he's basically dropping himself in an immersion course with some inconvenient English here and there so he can interact with humans. He thinks three months is ambitious but reasonable.
He's not actually doing that many spells. He does wheedle tofu into tastiness on a nightly basis, and when he feels a cold coming on he looks up a spell about that, but he wants to know what he's doing before he gets going on what he most wants to be doing, because he wants to be doing big things. He swore to oppose death. He meant that.
Today he is preparing to oppose death in his backyard. It's threatening rain and he doesn't want to be all the way down the street with Leafy if the clouds open up. The jerk tree doesn't talk to him if he doesn't talk to it and it's perfectly serviceable as something to sit under, anyway.
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lifes_sake
lifes_sake
"Goodness only knows how long ago," remarks Renée, but she doesn't actually ask. "May I have your mother's phone number, Matilda?"
"Sure," she says, and pulls a pen and small notebook out of thin air, and writes it down and hands it over and puts the pen and notebook back into the thin air from whence they came.
lifes_sake
"Where'd you get those? I got disappointing results on conjuring stuff out of thin air, when I asked," Cam says. "Do you have them tucked away somewhere or did you make them?"
Renée, meanwhile, crosses the room to the phone and dials.
Renée, meanwhile, crosses the room to the phone and dials.
"I have them tucked away," says Matilda. "It's just a space pocket. It's convenient not to have to keep stuff physically with me all the time, especially pens and things."
lifes_sake
"I want one," says Cam.
Renée is listening to the phone ring.
Renée is listening to the phone ring.
Matilda starts in on the spell specifications.
Someone answers the phone.
"Hello?" says the someone.
Someone answers the phone.
"Hello?" says the someone.
lifes_sake
"Hello, is this Matilda's mother?" inquires Renée.
Grace helps Cam with the technical translation. He mutters a space pocket into existence.
Grace helps Cam with the technical translation. He mutters a space pocket into existence.
"...I guess you could say that," says Jenny. "Who's calling, please?"
lifes_sake
"My name is Renée, and your daughter and her friend who I'm told is called Jellybean are sitting in my kitchen; my son invited them over."
"I hope they're having a good time," Jenny says brightly.
lifes_sake
"I've offered them cookies," Renée said. "Anyway, I just wanted to call to check in with you. They say they've told you that they're wizards?"
"They have," says Jenny. "I'm now wondering why they've told you that they're wizards. They usually don't."
lifes_sake
"Well, my son is one too," says Renée. "He's talking about leaving school, which I gather Matilda and Jellybean have already done."
"Oh, yes," says Jenny. "Well, Matilda doesn't need it and no one in this or any world is ever going to convince Jellybean to do something he doesn't feel like doing, so it made sense. If your son wants to leave school and go off wizarding instead, I advise you to let him."
lifes_sake
"He's talking about taking the GED to test out of high school," says Renée. "I have mixed feelings about it, but apparently you're an educator yourself."
"Mmhmm," says Jenny. "It's a good way to reassure you. I'm glad he thought of it."
"Jenny," says Jenny.
lifes_sake
"It's nice to meet you. At any rate, that's about all I have to say. From the way Cam and the others are talking I imagine you'll have a chance to meet him eventually."
"I probably will," Jenny agrees cheerfully.
"Sure," she says agreeably.
lifes_sake
Renée recites it, and with the obligatory pleasantries gets off the phone. "She seems to think it's a good idea to let you out of school," she tells Cam.
"She's right," says Cam.
"She's right," says Cam.
Jellybean giggles.
lifes_sake
"I'll have to explain it to Charlie, though," Renée points out. "I doubt you're planning to explain magic to him any time soon."
"Yeah, I don't think he'd take it that well. I'll take the test, we can tell Charlie I tested out and I'm doing independent study, he'll like that I have more flexibility to visit him whenever, won't he?" Cam says.
"I suppose he will," says Renée. "Well, you can just have the flu for the next week or so, I'll look into the GED for you. If Matilda and Jellybean need a place to stay while they're in town we have a guest room and a couch."
"Yeah, I don't think he'd take it that well. I'll take the test, we can tell Charlie I tested out and I'm doing independent study, he'll like that I have more flexibility to visit him whenever, won't he?" Cam says.
"I suppose he will," says Renée. "Well, you can just have the flu for the next week or so, I'll look into the GED for you. If Matilda and Jellybean need a place to stay while they're in town we have a guest room and a couch."