Not that the others seemed broken-hearted that I was doing something else. I kept trying to act normal around everyone, but knew that nothing I ever did would be “normal”, as far as they were concerned. With Seb there, I didn’t feel nearly as self-conscious about it now, at least. That prickling, too-aware feeling that I often used to get had faded away completely. It was a relief; I’d hated feeling so vulnerable and scrutinized.

Seb never said much when the others were around. If he did, it was always some mild comment that sounded innocent on the surface, but then you could see the person frowning as they thought about it, like, Wait – what did he mean by that?

It made me laugh, but it also exasperated me. I knew from his hand that Seb usually got along with people perfectly well; there was just this spark of mischief in him that couldn’t resist a situation like this – everyone being so suspicious of him when he hadn’t even done anything.

“Playing with their minds doesn’t actually help, you know.” We were out in the courtyard, where there was a battered picnic table; the Shadow stood parked near the back door. In the evenings, when the rest of the team was home, we usually ended up out here, or up on the balcony.

“I can’t help it,” said Seb seriously. “I say things without thinking, all the time – the words, they just fly right out of my mouth. It’s very unfortunate. I think there must be a medical name for it.”

“Really? Maybe we should donate you to science so they can study you.”

Seb’s mouth twitched. He was sitting up on the tabletop, wearing a cotton long-sleeved shirt with his Cinco de Mayo T-shirt over it. “Yes, maybe. But I’m the teacher, so you can’t. Come, querida, try again.”

I nodded, though it was getting pretty hard not to feel discouraged. I could change my aura’s colour for a few minutes at a time now, but only if Seb was right there, sort of bolstering it up. Whenever I attempted to shift it on my own, it collapsed right back, no matter how relaxed I thought I was. My dreamy state felt like a self-imposed con now – and it was like my aura knew it. With a mental sigh, I closed my eyes, gearing myself up for another bout.

“No, stop,” said Seb suddenly. “You’re all—” He laughed as I looked at him. “Like this,” he said, hunching his shoulders tensely. “It’s a gentle thing, like play. Look, forget about changing your aura tonight. Let’s try this.”

He jumped down off the table and went over to the back door; leaning inside, he flicked off the light that hung over the doorway. The courtyard plunged into dimness, still lit by the ambient glow of nearby street lights, but much more mysterious now – shadowy.