“I told you, I suck at this. It's like any time I try to do a spell, it goes all big and scary and explodey...”

“I'm sorry!" I blurted out. "I told you, I suck at this. It's like any time I try to do a spell, it goes all big and scary and explodey,and-"Dad rubbed his forehead. "No,Sophie, it's all right. That's what I'd hoped you would do.""You hoped I'd commit mirrorcide?"He laughed, but it sounded a little breathless. "No,I'd hoped to see just how powerful you really are." His eyes were bright, and there was something that might have been pride in them. "You exceeded my expectations.""Well,yay," I said. "So glad my skill at blowing crap up impresses you, Dad.""Your sarcasm is-""I know,I know, 'an unattractive quality in a young lady.'"But Dad grinned and suddenly looked much younger and less like a guy who ironed his ties. "Actually, I was going to say it's something you must've gotten from me. Grace always hated sarcastic comments.""Oh,I know," I replied without thinking. "I spent most of the seventh grade grounded because of it."He snorted. "She once put me out by the side of the road in Scotland because I made a completely harmless joke about her map-reaking skills.""Really?""Mm-hmm.Had to walk nearly five bloody kilometers before she stopped to let me back in.""Dude.Mom is hard-core."For a moment we smiled at each other. Then Dad cleared his throat and looked away. "Anyway,your powers are definitely impressive, but what you lack is control.""Yeah, I kind of picked up on that.”

“It's going to be okay," I told her, even though I was pretty sure we were all going to be skewered on L'Occhio silver daggers any minute now.”

“So hologram means--" I finally said."It means non-corporeal, yeah. Which sucks seeing as how there are a lot of very corporeal things I'd like to do with you right now.”

“You're handling someone's life energy, so it's intense, yeah, but there's like this charge from it.""I'm not sure how I feel about you 'handling my life energy,' Cal."He grinned, and I was taken aback by how different it made him look. Cal spent so much time being stoic and solemn that it was easy to forget he even had teeth. "I'll buy you dinner first next time, I promise."Okay,the grin was one thing, but that had definitely been flirting. Then, like I wasn't thrown enough, Cal leaned down and picked up a potted African violet on the low table next to the sofa and brought it over to me. For a second,I wondered if this was his socially awkward way of trying to give me flowers, but he said, "Any Prodigium can do it,really.Not on the same level I can, but still.You just have to be patient." He pushed the plant toward me,and I noticed a few brown spots on its velvety petals. "Wanna try?"I looked at the droopy violet and snorted. "Thanks,but that poor little flower looks like it's suffered enough." Wiggling my fingers, I added, "I'm way better at the blowing-stuff-up part of magic.”

“It's okay,baby!" he shouted after her. "I don't need eyes to see you! I see you with the eyes of my heart, Felicia! My HEART!"Great. Not only was my spell too strong, it was also lame.”

“I stared at them. Had that been their sales pitch? Look!We're really scary! Come be scary too!”