Dear Risa,

  Ok.

  I'm being calm.

  I'm very calm right now.

  Tomorrow we’re going to head out of this tiny town after breakfast and find a beach Echo deems good. And then we’ll spend all day playing in the water.

  It is time for me to put that bikini to work.

  Risaaaaa I can't wait!

  Ok, right, staying calm.

  I spent an hour figuring out how to do my hair tomorrow so it doesn't wrap around my throat and strangle me in the water, which I think is a very reasonable use of time. Although this inn has one bathroom for all the rooms, and after a while Cali knocked and asked if I needed a laxative or something.

  I almost died, but I didn't.

  So yeah, now I'm here, writing to you instead of making sure I look perfect for tomorrow, because I’m not completely vain. I can think of things other than my looks.

  I wish you were here. We’d be having so much fun. I should have kidnapped you when we stayed at your house. Alas.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Anyhow, today Echo discovered that Cali is terrified of bugs. There was a really cool-looking beetle on the road when everyone got out to run around the wagon for exercise (which yes, they still do, and I still don't join them). Echo picked it up and showed it to Cali, thinking she’d like it. Since my cousin is a friend to all animals and whatnot.

  Nope.

  She jumped straight back into the wagon and hid under her carpet until we assured her the scary bug thing was gone.

  Cali is a Beastmaster. Meaning she has a Skill that lets her talk to animals. She says bugs feel… wrong. Like she should be able to communicate with them, but for some unknown reason she can't. She’s described bees as eldritch entities, which I would laugh about if she wasn't poofed out and hissing every time one passes by.

  Echo mentioned the pranking possibilities of a fake tarantula, which only confirms that she’s perfect for Maki, but sadly Cali can tell if something is fake or not. And she’s not afraid of fake bugs. Or dead bugs, for that matter. It’s like she can sense the minds of insects, and they’re all evil to her.

  Magic is weird.

  It’s like, remember when I told you I wake up at dawn every day because I can hear the sun? And then I go back to sleep because I’m not a morning person. Youuu didn't believe me, so I woke you up every morning for a week at exactly dawn until you threatened to make me homeless. Fun times. But I mean, magic does feel alive, and it does affect our minds.

  I should have gone into psychology. It’d be fun to send out questionnaires and stuff to people, asking how they perceive the world as it relates to their magic specialty. Luke says water 100% feels alive to him. And fire absolutely feels alive to me. But then we’ve got shadow magic and poison magic, which are not the same at all. My dad has shadow magic, I should ask him what it feels like.

  Aaanyhow, I need my beauty sleep for tomorrow.

  Beautiful Regards,

  Maeve Zee