"I ... " Keelie started to tell her that she hadn't done anything different, but Laurie cut her off.

"This is the coolest town, ever. I mean, L.A. is so full of concrete and unnatural. I mean, you can juice all you want and take colonics, but I swear just stepping off this train, I'm, like, breathing pure air. They should bottle the air, like they bottle water, and sell it in L.A."

Had she always been such a chatterbox? "Laurie ... "

"Oh, and do you want to know what else? I'm dying to hit the little stores in this town. I bet it's full of darling shops. Is there a Starbucks here?"

"I don't know. This is my first time here." Keelie wasn't ready to admit that the place was a dud. On the other hand, Laurie'd see it for herself soon enough. "Dad and I went straight to the Faire when we drove through here." Coffee would be good, though. Keelie's blood sang at the thought of caffeine pumping through it. She was going to need it if she was going to keep up with her friend. "Let's look for one." And hope there aren't, like, geriatric hikers and scout troops hanging out in it.

"h.e.l.lo? What about my luggage?" Laurie rolled her eyes toward the huge stack of designer bags. "Where's your car?"

"It's a few blocks away." Keelie's heart sank as she thought of how Laurie's expensive things would look in the back of the old Jeep.

"What are you driving? Daddy bought me a Prius, not the snazziest, but it's so eco-friendly, you know? And all the kids are driving them. Mine was silver, but I had it redone in light blue, because it goes with my eyes. Where are you going?"

Keelie flagged down a railway employee. "Excuse me, can we stash this luggage here until later?"

The man tugged at his chin as he looked at the pile. "There are lockers inside the ticket office, but none of them are big enough to put all of this in."

"I'll stay with the gear. Just get the car and come back here, Keelie. Geez. You're going all New York all of a sudden."

The man gave Laurie a sour look and walked away.

"Great idea, Laurie, but I don't have a driver's license."

Her friend's eyes widened. "What? Did you flunk the test? It's, like, the easiest test in the world."

"I haven't even learned how to drive yet. My dad hasn't had time to teach me," Keelie said through clenched teeth. And just shut up about it. And just shut up about it.

"Oh." Laurie looked embarra.s.sed. "I'm sorry." She gazed helplessly at her suitcases. "I brought a lot of stuff, huh?"

"A lot," Keelie agreed.

"Well, how did you get here? You're acting like you took a bus!" Laurie said "bus" the way most people said "sewage."

"No, a friend of my dad's drove me here. Sir Davey. He's at one of the stores."

Laurie perked up. "Sir? He's British? That is so cool! I've never met a real knight."

"And you won't meet one now." Keelie laughed. "I think he's just called Sir Davey because of the Renaissance Faire. It's like a character he plays. His real name is Jadwyn Morgan, but n.o.body calls him that."

Well, her grandmother did. That was n.o.body, right?

Laurie's delighted expression didn't change. Obviously, to her, a Ren Faire knight was as good as the real thing. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and flounced after the railway employee, who was at the other end of the platform.

For a second, she'd looked just like Elia. A human, friendly version of Elia. Keelie grinned. Wait until the two of them met. Laurie could be just as mean, but for a good cause. Life was about to be much more interesting.

Laurie tipped the ticket seller to store her baggage in his office, and the two girls browsed their way to the end of the street, giggling at the hopeless, dusty-windowed shops until they came to one that looked like a piece of a castle that suddenly landed in upstate New York.

The shop's front was covered in stone, and above the wide doorway swung a wooden sign that read "The Canooga Crystal Shoppe." A little stone gargoyle leered down at them from the top of the sign. Keelie rolled her eyes. She thought the pseudo-medieval decor was limited to the Renaissance Faire, but apparently it had spread to the town, just like a virus.

Laurie stared at the building's facade. "Totally cheesy."

"Yeah. Let's go inside." Keelie reached for the painted metal door. A strong buzz traveled from her fingertips up her arm. She pulled back and stared at the door.

Laurie pushed through the doorway, unaffected. Keelie followed, after hesitantly touching one of the rocks that protruded from the wall. It was real. The buzzing hum tickled her fingers through the stone, but it didn't talk to her the way wood did. She shrugged. Maybe it was just bad wiring, because if rocks started talking to her, there wouldn't be any place safe for her on this planet.

The Canooga Crystal Shoppe's interior had purple walls decorated with hand-painted murals of mermaids, unicorns, dragons, and other fantastical creatures, which gave the place an ethereal, fairy-tale feel. The humming grew louder and more focused.

Wooden shelves lined the store, some holding baskets full of small rocks, others holding stones as big as her head. Geodes filled one shelf, split open and gleaming. The quiet was soothing, and Keelie realized that it was because, in here, the trees were a faraway whisper.

Even Laurie seemed to sense the heavy pull of Earth magic. She'd stopped talking and was walking silently through the shop, taking everything in.

The buzzing shot through Keelie again. It wasn't like insects. It was as if her blood had suddenly become sand-papery, and she was filled with the raspy throb as it moved through her veins. She followed the sound.

"Do you feel that?" she asked Laurie. "That buzzing?"

"What buzzer?" Laurie was examining a display of crystal sculptures.

"I don't think it's a buzzer, but it sure is annoying." Keelie walked over to Laurie. The humming lessened. She looked at the ceiling, but didn't see anything that would generate the sound.

"I don't hear anything." Laurie walked toward the rock displays, and Keelie trailed after her. The sound became louder. This was like playing a game of Marco Polo.

Laurie picked up a spray of amethyst crystals. "This place is cool. It's a lot like this store where I hang out, the Dolphin Cottage? It's a beach cottage that was turned into a feng shui shop. Mom loves to buy love stuff there." Laurie threw an arm over Keelie's shoulder, laughing. "Last thing she bought there was a book of love spells. I think she might have the hots for the cabana boy at the club, not that she thinks it's true love. Permanent relationships should be based on cold green cash, not warm feelings, at least according to her."

"So, what does she need love spells for?" Keelie wondered if Laurie's mom had always been like this. She hadn't really seen it. Had her own mom seen it? But after hearing about the Wizards and Witches a.s.sociation and witnessing Dad work his "charm" on the EPA agent, a love-spell book seemed like a harmless toy.

"She thinks she's losing her looks, and love spells are cheaper than plastic surgery." Laurie's voice was matter-of-fact.

The humming had turned into a ringing that echoed in Keelie's head. She covered her ears, shrugged out of Laurie's arm, and looked around wildly for the cause. Laurie was sorting through a basket of rocks as if nothing was wrong.

Keelie stopped in front of a counter filled with gla.s.s-like rocks. She reached a hand toward it and the ringing escalated into a shrill whine, like the fire alarm at school. One of these rocks was the cause of the noise, and she was ready to heave it through a window. She backed away, then turned around and walked quickly to the back of the store, anxious to put distance between her and the noise. With every step the sound lessened, and the tension between her shoulder blades eased.

Back here, the decor was totally different. Cool, almost heavy, air filled the dark room. Keelie turned around to make sure she hadn't stumbled into another store. The wide airy room behind her glowed with blues and greens like the inside of an aquarium.

The buzzing called to her from the counter where Laurie still stood, staring at her. Keelie walked back slowly. Laurie didn't sense it, so it must be something magical.

It seemed to be coming from a glossy black stone, the size of a walnut and shaped a little like a jagged snail. This rock must be special; it was on top of a square of thick red felt in the center of the gla.s.s counter. Now that she was closer, Keelie's hands grew cold. The buzzing sounded like a warning. Maybe it was dangerous.

"Oh, you are so totally cute!" Laurie's declaration was followed by her laugh, and then Keelie heard Sir Davey and the man behind the counter laughing, too. She shook her head. Laurie and Sir Davey sounded like old friends.

She looked down at the sharp-edged rock, her fingertips inches away, and slowly withdrew her hand. Maybe she was learning something after all. She was not going to touch the thing until Sir Davey told her it was okay.

Sir Davey strolled over to her, stroking his beard. "Seems like you've found your rock, Keelie."

"Can you hear it, too? What is it?"

"Tekt.i.te. How interesting that it called you." He stared at the rock.

"What's a tekt.i.te?" Laurie touched the rock with a fingertip. The store didn't blow up.

Sir Davey arched an eyebrow. "Don't schools teach geology any more?"

"They might have." Laurie looked embarra.s.sed.

Sir Davey turned to Keelie.

She shook her head. "Some kind of mineral?"

"Tekt.i.te is a natural gla.s.s object, usually found in meteorite impact areas."

"No fair. If it's from outer s.p.a.ce, then it's not technically Earth science. It's a star rock, and a really ugly one." Laurie looked down at the tekt.i.te with distaste. Ugly was never a plus in Laurie's world.

"What does it do? Except make me crazy?" Keelie figured it had to do something, or else Davey wouldn't be so excited.

"Girl, if you think this rock is making you crazy, then don't blame the rock." Laurie laughed.

"It is used metaphysically..." Sir Davey winked at Keelie. " ... to stop certain types of transmitted ailments and to strengthen the energy of whoever carries it."

Keelie frowned at the chunk of tekt.i.te. "I thought my rock would be something more earthy. As in, from the Earth."

"We're all made of stardust, aren't we?" He pointed to the mythical creatures on the wall, stopping at a unicorn. "Some of us have more stardust in us than others."

Stardust. Maybe that was what made the unicorn glow, unless it was just a metaphor. Maybe Sir Davey was following up his Earth science lesson with a little bit of poetry.

"How much is it?" Keelie asked, but she knew whatever the price was, she couldn't buy it. Besides, why would she want it? It would drive her nuts.

"I'd buy it. I totally need some cosmic stardust at my house." Laurie glanced over at another counter. "Check out those killer earrings." She abandoned the tekt.i.te to look at a display of silver jewelry.

"Keelie." Sir Davey's voice was low. "Your father told me to let you buy what you needed, and you need the tekt.i.te. Can't you hear it calling you?"

"Is that what it's doing? I don't need anything that makes my eyeb.a.l.l.s vibrate and my fingernails itch."

Davey laughed. "Then you haven't touched it."

Keelie stared at the gla.s.sy rock. "Are you sure it won't hurt me?"

"Positive."

Her fingers hovered over the rock. The buzzing made her shiver. She lowered a fingertip and let it rest on one of the jagged edges. The vibrating noise stopped, as if she'd suddenly gone a block away. Peace filled her, as if she were floating in the ocean. "Whoa." She picked up the rock. No buzzing.

Davey smiled at her expression. "See? You need it."

"Is it expensive? It's out here like it's really special."

"It's special to you. But I think Ben just put it out because it's different."

"So this will help me with the Dread?" Keelie put the tekt.i.te into Sir Davey's hand.

He winked at her. "It will. It'll help you in many ways."

"Thanks."

"You are most welcome." He bowed. "And if you'll allow me to keep it, I'll etch runes on it to strengthen and focus its power."

"Sure." She didn't doubt anything Sir Davey said.

He handed her a basket holding a folded green velvet bag. "Now let's do something to help your father." He pointed to the wall holding baskets of tumbled stones. A painted dragon hovered on the wall next to them, looking a little like Finch.

"I want you to create a medicine pouch using the stones in those baskets. Whatever stone calls to you goes into the bag to help protect your father from illness."

"Keelie, come over here." Laurie was jumping excitedly by the jewelry counter. "You've got to come over here and look at these earrings. You're going to want to buy several pairs."

"Be there in a bit." Keelie went to stand in front of the baskets filled with healing stones. It was like a candy store, every basket holding a different color and identified by a little calligraphic card. Keelie went from basket to basket, choosing stones for the properties identified on their cards. When she had room for one more, she hesitated.

The seventh basket on the third shelf was full of smooth brown and white rocks, with rings banding them like tree rings. Keelie looked at the rectangular card. Petrified wood. Should've known. She picked one up and sensed the faraway echo of an alien forest. She quickly put it into the bag.

The card said that it was a grounding stone that provided strength during ill health. Perfect for dear old Dad.

She drew the drawstring closed on the full bag and joined Laurie at the jewelry counter. Sir Davey was sitting on a tall stool at the end of the counter talking to Ben, the proprietor. She handed the bag to him. He hefted it and smiled. "Feels rock solid."

"Ha, ha. Rock solid, very funny. I hope they work."

"They should." Sir Davey nodded to Ben, who rang up their purchases.

Laurie looked at the lumpy sack. "Maybe I should get some of those."

"Next time, girls. We have to return to the Faire."

"And pick up my luggage, too."

Keelie grinned at Sir Davey. She couldn't wait to see his face when he caught sight of the stack of suitcases.

"You're not getting any earrings?" Laurie dangled her silver b.u.t.terflies, crescent moons, and hearts.

"No. I don't need any." Keelie yearned for a pair, but every time she thought about earrings, she saw the pair of boots she'd ordered. But she was pleased with her tekt.i.te and her bag of healing rocks for Dad, even if he'd paid for them himself.

"Well, duh. I don't need need any either." She put the silver moons into her ears and admired her reflection in the countertop mirror. "I just any either." She put the silver moons into her ears and admired her reflection in the countertop mirror. "I just had had to have these." to have these."

Keelie shook her head. "Dad is into this less-is-more philosophy. I've got lots of earrings. I just haven't unpacked all of my jewelry yet."

Laurie's eyes met Keelie's. "I don't know if I could live with the less-is-more thing, but then, sometimes I wonder if shopping is just a way of trying to find the right thing to make me happy. You know. Once the thrill of the purchase is gone, I'm onto the next thing that might make me happy."

"I'm learning that."

At the checkout counter, Keelie's eyes immediately zeroed in on a tiny oak-leaf navel ring in a display of silver body jewelry. It was perfect for her, even though she didn't have a pierced navel. Maybe this was a sign that she should finally get hers pierced.