Effie had never tasted anything like them. They were little round filled meringues in every possible color, including some not seen in the Realworld for many years, and each one was sprinkled with edible gold and rose petals. Effie chose a yellow one. When she bit into it she found it tasted a bit like banana and custard, and the white cream filling tasted of chocolate and vanilla. The most delicious things Effie had ever eaten had been in the Otherworld, but this was the nicest of them all. She immediately ate another one, and then another.

“Save room for some lunch,” giggled Clothilde.

As usual in the Otherworld, they didn’t pay. Effie noticed how happy the waitress looked when Clothilde thanked her and complimented her on the food and the service. Effie realized that even Otherworld waitresses were very different from the ones at home. This young woman was wearing a pristine white linen apron over a soft black velvet playsuit and her hair was in perfect blond ringlets. Effie noticed that she had a single blue flower growing out of one of her eyebrows. She had the air of someone doing her dream job.

“I always love meeting other elysians,” said Clothilde. “It’s just so nice to get out, don’t you think? I love meeting new people. Oh, it’s all so exciting! I’m so glad we came, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” said Effie, trying her best to ignore the fact that her headache had begun to develop again. It wouldn’t be long before they were back, and she’d be able to go home and recharge. Maybe she just needed more food? Effie ate another macaron and told herself everything would be all right.

After rugby practice, Wolf went straight to Leonard Levar’s Antiquarian Bookshop. He didn’t exactly think of it as his bookshop yet, even though he held the only set of keys. At some point he would need to call a meeting with his friends and tell them about how he’d been using it. But no one had asked, and so it wasn’t as if he’d lied. He just hadn’t said anything.

He’d been hoping to keep it a secret from the entire world, but that was difficult given that the bookshop was on one of the main streets in the Old Town. The blinds were down most of the time, and he’d tried to disguise his comings and goings, but it wasn’t long before the neighbors began asking what was happening. Or, to be more specific, one neighbor in particular.