Page 148 of Bewitched By the Sea Monster
“You know Alistair?” I asked.
“The big, green Loch Ness Monster, who’s the star attraction of the isle Ilive on?” Marvin slow-blinked again. “Never heard of him.” He drooledsarcasm as he slathered up his foot and went back in for another round of face cleaning.
“There’s no need to be rude,” I chided. “You knew what I meant. Can you…can youhearhim?”
“No. None of us can. That’s by design, of course.”
“What?”
“Butyoucan.” He dropped his paws and tucked his tail around them, as though trying to keep them warm. “Are you aware you’re a Sensitive?”
“A what?”
“A Sensitive,” he repeated slowly. “You can hear Alistair, and I’d wager you can also feel the energies of others, yes? Their emotions and such.”
My heart stuttered. Almost stopped.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Marvin’s ear twitched.
“I-I mean…I’m sensitive, sure. But I’m not?—”
“It’s rare, what you are,” he continued. “A Sorcerer without the ability to wield magic?—”
“I amnota Sorcerer.”
“Not fully. No. But someone in your family was. A grandparent, perhaps great grandparent. Gave you enough good blood to sense magic, but not enough to wield it. Alistair would’ve known this too…shouldhave known it, if he remembered. I’m not sure how many patches he has in his memory now, since I haven’t been able to talk to him.”
I stared, thoroughly bamboozled.
“So hedoesn’tremember,” Marvin sighed. “Or he didn’t want to burden you with it. But I’m surprised he didn’t…because Iknowhe hasn’t forgotten?—”
Marvin’s ear flicked and he bit himself off with a hiss. Frustration poured off him.
“I’m limited as to what I can say,” he spat.
“I…You…Ugh!” I angled my head to the bedroom.
“He’s still sleeping,” Marvin told me.
“Maybe we should take this outside?”
“It’s damp.” He kneaded his claws into the suitcase.
“Isn’t italwaysdamp here?”
“Yesssss,” he hissed. “It’s a—beingstuckhere…I can’t explain much. That’s the rub. But you’ve heard the history we tell? About the Scottish island and the curse?”
“I…Yeah.”
“It’s hogwash. A story we spin for tourists.”
Ice tumbled into my belly. “You’re not reincarnations of people from 500 years ago?”
“Nope.”
“Then—”
“If I say anymore, I’ll activate the rune that compels menotto say more. And that is a pain to rival the worstmigraine a human has ever gotten. So I would rather not say more.You’ll need to fill in the gaps.”
