“Well, no, I think it’s best to just ask whatever you’re about to eat or drink for permission, or thank it. I mean, jeez, it’s polite.” Mrs. Frank tucked her slender legs under her. Emily, her aunt, and a handful of the adults from the court were sitting in lawn chairs in the grassy space between Janice’s trailer and the next. They were trying to put together a rough guidebook for Emily, but there seemed to be no end to differing opinions.
Lying on her back, smoking, Emily wished Becky were there. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly from her nose. “Are you only talking about food in the wild, or are we including things on dinner tables now, Mrs. Frank?”
The woman shifted uncomfortably. “I mean, if it’s on a plate—”
“So, overall, we are agreed that bodies of water should be asked before drinking from and ditto anything from trees.” There was a round of nods and Emily dutifully wrote it down, bracing the spiral notebook against her drawn up knee. “It’s not like I’m going to hunt, so I’ll avoid the whole living creature bit right there.”
Janice swung her foot lazily and asked, “What about names?” Emily sat up, interested. “The girl has only got the one, and it’s entered in the books thanks to the ceremony. Is that going to be a problem?”
Mr. Jacks perked up. “Is it going to be used to hold power against her, you mean?” Emily wrinkled her nose as her aunt nodded. “From my experience, just because something is entered in public record doesn’t mean it’s known all over. But you’re right, that could prove a problem, because for damned sure the Folk involved will look it up.”
“Aw crap, so what—they can aim spells or whatever at me? Play me like a marionette?” Emily stubbed her cigarette into the grass.
“That’s a way of putting it, yes.” Mr. Jacks plucked absently at the crease in his trousers. “Most, um, people just have the name they’re given, but the Folk of, ah, of the Sidhe, have a use name…”
“And a true name, right.” Rolling her eyes, Emily lay back onto the grass. “They’ve all got my name and it’s not like I’ve got anybody’s, so I guess I’ll just have to deal then.”
Janice kicked at her niece’s outstretched foot. “It’s a significant worry, Amelia.” She smiled when Emily nervously met her glance. “Just like me using your full name means you’re in the shit, and you respond to that, only a thousand times more so.” There was an uncomfortable silence.
“Is there a charm, or a ward?” Mrs. Frank played restlessly with her permed curls.
“Not like we could make one, anyway, Susan.” Stepping around the side of the trailer, Becky still wore her uniform smock from the salon. “Luckily, Emily doesn’t have to worry about that. Her parents officially named her before” —she waved her hand—“everything. Amelia is just her use name.”
“Yay!” Still lying down, Emily raised her hand for a high five from her aunt, who was levelling a stare at Becky.
“So she has a true name of her own. And do any of us know it? Do you?”
Awkwardly, Emily lowered her hand. Becky walked over and casually slapped her five, keeping her eyes on Janice as she stooped to do so.
“Nope. In the Sidhe, with my books, I could find it. I only know they named her because that’s what I do, Jan. Once we’re back, we’ll find it. Until then, she’ll be safer than anything we could have hoped for. Nobody who’ll be against her has the ability to figure it out, nor would they think to.”
With grace, she lowered herself down to sit on the grass and took a cigarette from the pack lying next to Emily. “We’ve got what, three days before midsummer?” She lit up and glanced at the scribble-filled notebook. “Let’s figure out what else she needs to know.”
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