She poured something from a brown bottle into a small paper cup. She handed it to Coop and smiled. Then her smile turned into a frown and she took it back. “Wait. You’re like alive and stuff, aren’t you?” she said in the kind of hard-core Valley Girl accent he hadn’t heard in twenty years.

“Yeah, currently alive. And I’d like to stay that way,” he said.

She shook her head and set the cup on the cart. “Then this is definitely not for you.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

She poured something from another bottle and passed it to him. “Try this,” she said in a way that kick-started Coop’s reptile brain. It wasn’t even a fight-or-flight choice. His brain went straight into flee mode. But he stayed put. Jinx Town had fucked with him enough. Without thinking any more about it, he took the cup and gulped the drink down. A flush passed through his body and his brain thanked him immediately. Coop’s heart jumped a little and he instantly felt warmer. Suddenly, he was inspired to do math, take a nap, and maybe learn to tap-dance. Everything was fascinating, him most of all.

Giselle came running over. “What are you doing? Do you know what that stuff is?”

Kristen smiled at Giselle. “Don’t worry. I’m not about to waste good blood on tourists. He just had some Vin Mariani.”

Coop held out his cup to Giselle. “You really need to try this. It’s like driving the Indy Five Hundred in a bathtub full of warm Jell-O.”

“I bet it is,” said Giselle. “Vin Mariani is wine and cocaine. You’re lucky it isn’t drug-test season at work.”

“Fuck the DOPS. Fuck this whole day. This is why I came to Jinx Town.”

“No. Staying out of jail is why you’re here. And let’s keep you out, shall we? Come on. We have work to do.”

Coop held up a finger. “One second.” He looked at Kristen and pulled out his cash. “I’ll take a case of the stuff.”

“No, you won’t,” said Giselle.

“You’re right. I can’t carry a case. Just one bottle.”

“Goddammit, Coop.”

Kristen took some of his money and handed him an unopened bottle. She leaned forward and said in a stage whisper, “Your mom is pissed.”

Coop put a finger to his lips. “Shh.”

Giselle took his arm and pulled him away from the stand. Coop tucked the bottle under his arm and went with her.

“You need to take this situation seriously,” she said.

“I am taking it seriously.”

“More seriously.”

“Listen. I’ve wanted out of Narnia since we walked in. This stuff made me feel like I could stay. Plus I’m kind of high. That’s what I call a win-win.”