Page 26 of The Bleak Beginning

I clutch the envelope closer to my chest. “Just peachy. They won’t take this stupid thing because of the stamp.”

Alfie’s eyes lit up. “I might be able to help with that! Watch this…”

Before I have time to protest, he plucks the envelope from my hands. With a flourish, he tossed it high into the air, attempting to catch it behind his back. Instead of grabbing it, it clatters to the floor, creasing the edges.

“Ta-da!” he says excitedly.

“Amazing,” I deadpan, scooping up my item and heading over to one of the chairs in the small room.

“Sorry about that,” Alfie says sheepishly, following me as he rubs the back of his neck. “I thought I’d mastered that trick.”

I snort, carefully smoothing out the now crumpled envelope. “Maybe stick to pickpocketing instead of magic tricks,” I mutter.

Why was he still here?

“So, um, what’s in the envelope?” Alfie asks, leaning closer to peer at my handiwork.

I sigh, not looking up from my task as I carefully pull the stamp off and shift its location. “Nothing that concerns you.”

“Right, right. Of course.” He drums his fingers on his knee, the sound echoing in the cramped mail room.

I grunted in response, carefully pushing the stamp into the correct corner. The last thing I need is some wannabe magician ruining my chances of getting this letter to my sister.

“Who’s Clara?” Alfie asked, leaning in to peek at the address. “Family, friend?” He waggles his brows provocatively. “Girlfriend?”

I shoot him a glare, hoping he’ll take the hint and leave me alone. No such luck.

“Oh, come on,” he prods, a grin spreading across his overly freckled face. “You can’t possibly be mailing something boring if you held up the line like that. What’s the story?”

I hold up the envelope, examining it to make sure there’s nothing else the student at the front desk could possibly complain about and jump back in line. Alfie right on my heels.

“I know I messed up earlier, but you want to see another trick?” he asks. “Come on, let me redeem myself.”

This kid could not take a freakin’ hint.

I shuffle forward in the line, clutching the letter tightly. I can hear Alfie chattering away behind me, his cheerful voice rising above the general murmur of the post office.

“And for my next trick,” he announces dramatically, “I shall make this coin disappear and then reappear!”

A few people in line turn to look, but I keep my eyes fixed ahead.

“Give that back, freak,” a student exclaims from somewhere behind me. “I didn’t give you permission to go through my purse!”

I released a heavy sigh and resist the urge to look back. My sister needed this letter, and I wasn’t about to let some magician distract me from my mission. The line moved forward again, and thankfully I was next in line.

Alfie rubs at his forehead beside me and despite my irritation, curiosity gets the better of me. “What exactly were you trying to do back there?”

Alfie’s face lit up. “I made the object disappear and…”

My nose creases. “No, I mean with my letter.”

“Oh! Well, I was attempting to make the stamp disappear and reappear. You know, real magic.”

I snorted, finally glancing at him. His freckles seemed to dance across his nose as he grins sheepishly. “Real magic?” I question.

“It exists, you know.”

Okaaay, so the guy had a screw or two lose inside his brain, and I was encouraging him. Smart, Alex.

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