Now You See Me

Nine: Trafalgar Square

"I think it would be, if you'd been inducted into a tribe as soon as you changed," Thea said. "But being on land does make it easier, I think."

I didn't know what to say to that, but was spared having to think of a response by Courtney's reappearance with Lorien on her heels. The elf, to my surprise, looked relatively normal, as far as his usual standards for 'normal' went. I'd thought his ears were going to be a problem, but he'd pulled his long hair into a ponytail and slotted a trilby over the pointed tips to conceal them. The rest of his outfit was nondescript, and unlikely to attract any attention.

He smiled at me, but didn't rush to shake my hand, hug me, or make any loud, random exclamations like he usually did. As his eyes darted several times to the door and back, I realised that Courtney had very much downplayed his hatred of stepping outside alone.

"Hey Lorien," I said, suddenly feeling bad about my reluctance to take him with me. I wanted to say something to make him feel better about it, but I wasn't exactly a fountain of inspiration this morning. I was only half-heartedly stepping out myself. "You ready to go?"

He nodded, and Courtney smiled, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek and brush a strand of hair behind his ear. He brushed the tip of his nose over her cheekbone, back down her jawline to her mouth, and they kissed briefly.

I looked away, eyes suddenly stinging, and the hand in my pocket smarted as I stabbed my palm with the corner of the photo nestled in it. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and glanced at Thea, who gave me an encouraging nod and a push towards the door ahead of Lorien, who dragged his feet to stand behind me.

"See you later, then," I said, letting us outside and stepping, blinking rapidly, into the sunshine. Lorien followed afterwards, closing the door behind us and joining me on the street. In the weak sun he was bleached even paler; outside, he seemed drawn, older, his cheeks hollowed out and a constant frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. The transformation was both startling and disturbing.

"You okay?" I asked, uncertain. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

He didn't respond; by way of an answer he started walking, checking halfway down the road that I was following.

"Where are we going?" he asked, when I caught up and we began to walk side by side.

"I was going to Trafalgar Square for a bit," I replied, looking around as if there was something interesting to be seen, but every house looked the same. "But if there's anywhere you want to go, tell me."

I waited for him to say something to that, but he never did. He just nodded and let me take the lead.

The mystery of his sudden change in attitude occupied me all the way to the station, until Lorien tapped me on the shoulder to stop me going through the barrier to the platforms.

"I need to get a ticket," he said quietly.

"Oh, sorry. Wasn't paying attention." I slipped my Oystercard back in my wallet and followed him to the ticket machine. While he paid, I looked around at the station. There was a familiarity about it that comforted me; dappled, dirty walls, attendants in garish orange jackets, and the newsagents that sold a strange selection of tabloids and tobacco. Even the people seemed like old friends, though I'd never seen any of them in my life – the businessmen, suited and staring straight ahead; the harassed looking parents who'd taken their children for a day in the capital and were sorely regretting it; the odd group of university students, all lit by the glow of phone screens, and the occasional, wide-eyed, dazed-looking straggler, carrying a shopping bag of all their worldly possessions and moving about with an air of not quite knowing what to do with themselves.