The sitting room is packed with people when Ben and I arrive.

Clove and the girls are whispering in front of the bay window, although Clove's voice is loud enough for everyone to get an earful. Bastian and Kitty are on the couch sharing caramels, probably listening to Clove. One of the bodyguard twins, maybe Duncan, is standing in the foyer with his arms crossed. And Miss K is sitting beneath the balcony tucked under her afghan, a pair of fuzzy, pink slippers on her feet. I have to sympathize with Della a little. I wouldn't want to face that crowd either.

Ben hustles over to Miss K and pats his pocket. "I've got the key. Just say the word and I'll snatch her for you."

Miss K raises her finger to shush him. "The girl just needs to be reminded about the meaning of respect." Her chest rises as she takes a deep breath and calls up, "We are still waiting to talk to you, Della. You have had plenty of time to think."

"How do you know how much time I need?" Della yells through the door.

"I know that most of us don't have the luxury of wasting it!" Miss K yells back. "The longer you refuse to speak to us, the harder you make it on yourself."

"I'd listen to Miss K, Della," Ben adds. "Don't wait until the evening meal to come down. Très awkward."

"I'm not hungry!"

Miss K's lips curl and she grabs a handful of afghan. "You'll come down here now, Della Ruth, or Ben is going to bring you down over his shoulder!"

Della Ruth?

Ben pulls the afghan out of Miss K's fist, flattening it across her lap, while I try to work out if I heard Miss K right. Is Della's middle name Ruth? My brain flashes back to Della sitting on the couch telling her tale of woe and scrutinizing me with those brilliant, blue eyes. Was it a black cloak wrapped inside that shoestring at her feet, a cloak with a hood that could hide the ugliness of a magic-stealing hag? A warm sensation fills my legs and travels to my head as if my magic has been restored. Have The Fates decided to dole out a bit more charity?

A faint click interrupts my revelation and Della appears in her doorway, dressed like a widow at a cocktail party. A black, full length dress hugs her hourglass figure, split on both sides so that her legs are the only things I see through the iron banisters. Her stiletto heels add a good four inches to her height, and she floats down the staircase in them like the quintessential vampire. Even her lips are painted blood red, which she curves into a smile as she passes us on her way to Miss K's bedroom. Except for the eyes, she doesn't look anything like the old hag from Bastian's airship. She doesn't even look like the woman who arrived two hours ago. But I can't rule her out. If she is my thief, the extra magic would explain her miraculous recovery.

Ben spins Miss K around and follows Della, while Kitty gathers her caramels and hurries after them. Duncan steps back outside, closing the front door. Then Bastian stands, nods to the room, and slips through the shutters, pulling them shut behind him.

"Well, if that doesn't prove my point, then nothing will." Clove drops onto the couch and gestures me over. "Get used to it, Ivy. No matter how special Miss K thinks you are, you'll never match up to Della." She picks up an empty caramel wrapper from the coffee table and holds it under her nose.

I'm beginning to see why Clove and Della butt heads. They both have hard ones. My desire to find out more about Della trumps all the other questions I have yet to ask, and I sit beside Clove, preparing to get nosy, when the shutters open again. Kitty sticks her face out, looking like she's lost a tooth inside a caramel.

"Ivy, Miss K wants you in here, pronto."

She vanishes back inside and Clove glares at me like I've taken her stash of candy corn. "Ho, ho. This is an interesting turn of events."

I try not to react to Clove's death stare or the raised eyebrows of the other girls. "What do you think she wants with me? Do you think Della told her to throw me out?"

Clove chuckles but it doesn't sound friendly. "I told you. If Miss K wanted to throw you out, she would have done it already. This is something else. Go on. Get it over with. But we want full details when you get back." She waves me away and I shuffle across the room, feeling the weight of everyone's judgments on my back.

The mood in Miss K's bedroom is no picnic, either. Della is reclining on the umbrella lounge chair, glaring at me with the same unnatural, blue eyes as the hag. Ben is sitting beside Miss K's bed waving a fan over her. Kitty is perched on the contraption in the corner, putting no energy into fanning. And Bastian is stretched out in a chair in the corner, his hat on his lap and his hands behind his head.

Miss K motions me toward a flowery cushion hidden between the paperbacks. It's resting on the seat of a wicker chair, which I never would have recognized as a chair if she hadn't pointed it out. "Make yourself comfortable, Ivy."

Like that's possible.

"I asked you to join us because I would like you to get to know everyone a little better." Miss K smiles but no one joins her. Yep, this is going to be a real picnic. "As I understand it, you were fortunate enough to have Bastian rescue you. I see, now, why you managed to keep your virtues intact." She flutters her hand at Bastian and he tips his head at me like we're just being introduced.

"I would probably be dead if it weren't for Captain Bastian," I say, nodding at him politely. He'd only been half a jerk.

"You can drop the 'captain'. It's just Bastian." He offers a crooked grin, forcing his scar into hiding behind the apple of his cheek. That's when I notice it. Maybe because the light from the half-exposed window is falling on the handsome side of his face, or maybe it's my brain finally unlocking a memory. The combination of his tanned skin, dark eyes, and mischievous smile makes him look like River, my first kiss. I let myself stare way too long, like a moth that flirts with a flame it has no business being around. Miss K clears her throat and I blink the room back into view, the one with everybody staring at me.

Great, Ivy. Embarrass yourself.

"Della dear, I would like to get the air cleared before we do anything else," Miss K says. "I'm sure we would all enjoy hearing the details of your great adventure, but I will make it easy for you. Just tell us how you found your way back to the outpost after failing to find your better life."

Della doesn't flinch as she looks Miss K in the eyes. "I thought I made that clear. I hitched a ride with scavengers."

"And what sort of scavengers were they?" Miss K asks. "I would hate to think you have brought something back with you. Everyone could be at risk."

"Don't worry. I kept my distance from them. All you have to do these days is cough a few times and you've cleared the place."

"Be that as it may," Miss K says. "I sense you have come back with more than you left with."

All eyes focus on Della and, suddenly, I'm back with my clan, reliving the lessons on how to hold an object's attention. Skillful casters use their eyes to manipulate stuff. Grandma Haddie could bend a copper wire just by looking at it. And things get even more interesting when the object is a human.

"I assure you, Miss K, all I brought back is a damaged ego. I hope you can forgive me." Della lowers her eyes, which seems to take some effort.

"It's not just me who deserves an apology. There are other people in your life who care about you. And sneaking off shows a blatant lack of respect on your part, whether or not you found true love."

Della sits up, smoothing her dress over her long legs. "I'm sorry everyone. Ben, I'm sorry I ditched you in the outpost. Kitty, I'm sorry I didn't leave you a note. Bastian, I'm sorry I don't love you." She slumps back in the chair, crosses her arms, and glares at me. "Ivy, I'm sorry you were in the right place at the right time."

What the hell does that mean?

As I try to decode Della's riddle, Miss K motions for me to stand. "Ivy, I think you and Della might have more in common than I suspected. Why don't you go sit beside her on that nice, big chaise?"

Sugar and shit.

My apprehension must be obvious because Bastian gestures me over with his hat, like his reassurances are going to make me feel better. My sympathy for Della has pretty much washed out to sea. Whether or not she's the old hag, I feel her hatred for me as I shuffle over. Was it that walk I took to the dressing room with Bastian? I glance at Ben and he offers me a dimpled smile, which is actually reassuring. I figure Della won't get away with any funny business as long as he's around.

Miss K nods as I take the hot seat. "Let's start with a simple question and answer session. Della, why don't you go first? Ask Ivy anything you would like to know about her. And Ivy, answer Della as honestly as you can."

Della assesses me like I'm her next meal. "Fine. Since 'the fever' is always such a big deal around here, I'd like to know where Ivy lived before she graced us with her presence."

Della's question earns her nasty stares from everyone, but she pays no attention to them. As for me, I'm trying not to panic. Miss K knows my last name, and Ben probably told her I'm from Utah, so she must have suspicions about me. An honest answer will bring it all out in the open. I grit my teeth and look at Miss K, since she's the only one who matters.

"I grew up in Five Points Canyon, in northern Utah. Only, now, it's under a mile of lava, along with the rest of my family."

Ben stops fanning and his lip starts to quiver. Is he going to burst into tears right here? Della rolls her eyes at him and he collects himself, getting the fan going again. Miss K pats his shoulder.

"It's a terrible shame about your family, Ivy." she says. "The living have such a burden to bear, don't they? Now, it's your turn to ask a question of Della."

I look down at my lap and realize Della's hands are resting mere inches from mine. I have an urge to snatch one, recite the incantation, and take back the magic she stole. Then again, if I'm wrong about her, I'll give myself away. I just need to come up with the right question to ask. It has to say, 'I know you're a thieving witch', without making me sound insane. I turn to Della, forcing myself to hold her unflinching stare as I throw caution to the four winds.

"Tell me, Della Ruth, how did those mollusks sit on your stomach?"

The words sound idiotic, and I wish I could take them back, but the wide-eyed look on Della's face reassures me that I've asked the right question, idiotic or not. And she isn't the only one to react. Bastian raises his eyebrows, and Ben and Miss K nod at each other. Hopefully, it's not because they're all agreeing that I need an escort to the asylum.

Della huffs and folds her arms, hiding her hands under them. "I have no idea what you're talking about, girl. How could you know what I've eaten? We've only just met."

"I agree that we've only just met," I say. "But we didn't meet here. We met on Bastian's airship."

"What is she talking about, Della?" Kitty hops off the bicycle fan and stands in front of us with her hands on her hips. "There's something fishy going on here. I can smell it."

Bastian leans forward in his chair. "I think what Ivy is saying is that Della pulled the wool over our eyes, Kitty. I was the scavenger who brought Della back on his airship, only I didn't know it was her. Isn't that right, Della?"

Della sweeps her hair off her shoulder and snarls, "That's ridiculous. You're all acting like lunatics. Ivy doesn't know her ass from Adam."

"Are you accusing me of the same?" Bastian twists the brim of his hat as he glares at her. "I will admit, your disguise almost had me fooled. You kept yourself hidden under that cloak. It was especially clever of you to reveal your magic right away. You knew I would welcome a caster on board, no questions asked. But you betrayed yourself at the vendor's tent in the outpost. Right after I said goodbye to Ivy, you glared at me, and I've become quite familiar with that glare."

"But how could you not know it was Della, Daddy?" Kitty asks. "How was she disguised?"

"She looked old and ugly."

Della leans toward him, unfolding her arms and clenching her fists. "Well, you would know what that feels like, wouldn't you?"

The fan drops from Ben's hand and Miss K sits up, narrowing her eyes at Della. "That is enough, Della. The words we speak leave their own ugly marks. You will do well to remember that."

Della grimaces and flops back in her chair, while Kitty climbs onto the bed, her lips sealed tight like she's taking her granny's advice. Bastian looks more satisfied than offended. Clearly, he's a sympathizer. Are the rest of them?

"Again, I am going to make it easy for you, Della, although I don't know why," Miss K says. "Drinking a powerful aging potion to hide from your lover is baffling on its own, and I won't even question you about your true intentions for running away, because I'll tell you straight out, I don't believe they were for love. Right now, we need to make a certain wrong right again. I want you to return what you stole from Ivy."

Miss K winks at me and I nearly slide off the umbrella chair. Is she talking about my gift? Have I really found another clan? How could she know I'm a caster if Della stole my magic? I glance at the faces in the room. Do they all have the gift? If Miss K does, so does Kitty, and so did Eve. But Ben and Bastian? And, if Bastian is a caster, why didn't he use magic to have his way with me on his airship?

Della snorts as she tries to skewer me with an 'I hate your guts' glare. "So, little witch, you want your measly magic back, do you? It didn't even undo the effects of the potion when I needed it to. You're just a two-bit caster. How do I know you won't try to take some of mine?"

"If you don't get on with it, Della, I will be the one to take yours." Miss K lifts her eyebrows, which doesn't even stretch the wrinkles around her eyes, but the threat does the trick.

Della grabs my hand and squeezes it into a fist, forcing my fingernails into my palms. "Fine. Take it back if you know how."

I manage to get command of my mind long enough to realize that I have never actually performed a magic transferring spell. I know the spell, of course, Mom used it a few times to give her magic to me. I glance up at Miss K, hoping she'll notice I need professional help, but she just waves her hand like she's sure I know what I'm doing. I ignore the pain of Della's death grip and recite the incantation.

"The magic bonds, the word binds. The body loses, the spirit finds. Claim and share, build and tear. Weave our magic, pure and rare."

A reassuring rush of warmth floods my fist, followed by an electric charge that tells me I managed to get the spell right. The magic travels through my arm and into my chest, where it spreads like a tree taking root. It tingles and sparkles, coating my skin with goose bumps. Just when I'm feeling like myself again, Della loosens her grip and the spreading stops.

"That's enough for a miserable witch like you," she says, as she pulls away.

Bastian pops out of his chair and stops her, forcing her hand back over mine. Then he takes my other hand and holds it. Although his touch is gentler, Bastian's magic hits me like a tidal wave. Hot sparks bounce between our palms as adrenaline pulses through my veins, filling my muscles like steroids. My body literally vibrates, inching closer to the edge of the chair until my butt starts slipping off. He doesn't notice me falling. He's locked in a wicked stare with Della. As I slide to the floor, he snaps out of it and pulls me to my feet.

"I think that will do it," Bastian says, as he walks me to his chair.

As I collapse into it, Della jumps up, snatches his shoulder, and whips him around.

"How dare you interfere! You self-centered bastard!" Her nostrils flare like a dragon preparing to incinerate its prey, and she raises her hand to slap him, stopping herself mid-swing. It's the first intelligent thing I've seen her do. He doesn't flinch as she turns on her stiletto heels, flings open the shuttered doors, and storms away, muttering something that sounds like 'asshole'.

Bastian rubs his palms on his jeans and smiles down at me. "That went well, don't you think?"

I nod dumbly as I look at my palms. They're fiery red and completely numb except for the stinging craters left by my fingernails.

Miss K peers over her bed. "How do you feel, Ivy?"

Like a frickin' lightning rod! Thanks for asking.

"Better, now that I got my magic back. I can't believe it was Della."

Miss K puts her finger to her lips and gestures toward the open door, where Adeline and Clove are standing with their backs to us, pretending to be uninterested in what's going on inside the room. Bastian's forehead creases under his bandana. Is he worried they've overheard something?

"I think your new friends are anxious to find out why Della left here like a bitch in heat," he says. "I hope you have learned the fine art of dancing around the truth."

He helps me up by the elbow and his touch sends another wave of tingles through me, but I feel them in different places. Without explanation, he nudges me toward the door like a general sending an injured soldier back to the front line. Why are they shoving me off so quickly? I turn to look at Miss K. Doesn't she want to talk about her clan and welcome me aboard? There are so many questions I want to ask.

"All your questions will be answered in time," Miss K says, reading my mind like a clan elder. "Just know that you are safe here with us, and that is all that matters...for now."

She gestures me away with a flutter and I walk to the door, feeling relieved that I got my magic back, but a little annoyed too. Am I supposed to pretend the crazy shit that just happened didn't happen? What the hell did Bastian do to my magic? He obviously has the gift, but why all the secrecy? Do they think the girls will turn them in for being casters and ruin everyone's privileged life? I wouldn't be surprised if some of them already know. And, now, I'm expected to keep up the lie. Sure, I'm used to hiding my talents, but I am not looking forward to dancing with Clove.

PLAYLIST SONG: Murder by David Gilmore