Oops. I need to get better at telling them apart.
"It looks just like an ordinary kitten," he says in awe.
"What else is it going to look like?" What a confusing thing for him to say. I don't understand what else he thinks the kitten could look like. Maybe this is just a weird guy thing? That's the only explanation I can come up with.
"I don't know. What every other magically created animal does."
"There are other creatures like my kittens?" Why aren't we looking at them? Surely they have some of the answers we need?
"Not that I know about. A lot of people have tried over the years, but none succeeded until you."
"Nobody has succeeded even me," I point out. "I don't know what I'm doing or how I'm doing it. If I wanted to create a kitten on purpose, I wouldn't know how to go about it." And I think that's the worst thing about all of this. There's something very fun about it, and yet I have no control at all.
Thomas sets Aspen down on the bed, where she takes a few wobbly steps before sitting down and looking around with big forlorn eyes.
Rhubarb doesn't seem to like her response, as he climbs straight over to her and sits close by. I can hear the two of them mewling to each other, but without any idea what the sounds mean, I can't know if it's good or bad. So far, all of my kittens get along, and I hope it stays that way. I don't want to have to deal with two of them being at war.
"I got more of an imprint from your magic that time," Thomas says.
"You did?" All thoughts of warring kittens vanish from me within seconds. "What about it?"
"There are two signatures to it. One feels very similar to your own."
I frown. That doesn't make any sense. The only people who'd have a magical signature like mine would be family members, and I don't see any reason why any of them will have set up a curse on me. I've never done anything to hurt any of them, that's for sure.
"How similar?"
"It's impossible to tell without having experienced some of your parents' magic. Did either of them come here?" he asks.
"Both. They met in their first year." But they've never really told me anything other than that. Now I think about it, that's kind of odd. Unless they were particularly into the party scene and spent the whole time drinking.
"The spell I found in the secret library doesn't feel like either of the magical signatures around you right now, though."
"Is one of them just the caster, perhaps?" I can't help thinking about Daphne's theory about the spell that cursed me being based on the one we found, but for some reason, I don't want to say it out loud.
"Hmm."
"Let's guess, a theory?" I say, remembering how cryptic Daphne was being about them too.
"Just something to look into, but I don't think I can say anything for sure. We can keep working on things, if you want?" He seems unsure of himself.
"Of course. I want this sorted as quickly as possible." And yet, a little part of me doesn't. Even though conjuring kittens is a pain, it's meant I got to see him and spend time with him. I don't want to lose that just because my magic is fixed.
"Good. There's still the option of the spells in these books." He taps the two he brought with him, and I have to gulp back my fear of what that means.
I'm saved from answering by my door swinging open.
"Mona?" Caspian asks.
Uh-oh. How am I going to explain this one?
Chapter Seven
"I'll see you later." Thomas waves and hurries out of the room, clearly not wanting to be part of the awkward conversation I now need to have with Caspian. Great.
The incriminating books he'd brought still sit on my bed, staring at me with judgy eyes.
"You've left..." I trail off, hearing the front door slam too. Knowing him, he's probably left them behind on purpose. "Do you want a cup of tea?" I ask Caspian, using the same tactic I had with Thomas to put off any slightly awkward intro bits. Hopefully, he'll let me escape and try and work out what's going on here. At least, that's the theory.