5.

Morning found Tillie in a diner in Utah. She sat back in her booth, staring out the window at the street outside, deep in thoughts of her immediate future. Where should she go next? The world was her oyster – on the half shell, in a light champagne dressing, topped with caviar.

So she was on the run. No point in dwelling on the past or even the uncertain present, when there was such a bright future ahead of her, full of possibilities.

She wondered what Trevor was up to. Would he worry about her? She’d told him not to worry, but he probably would. Definitely would. But there was nothing he could do for her anyway, and hopefully this would blow over and she’d be able to go home soon, and she’d make up something about an impromptu vacation and he’d be annoyed with her for a while, but he’d get over it, and everything would be dandy again.

She absently took her first sip of coffee, then choked. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the mug in front of her and added three scoops of sugar from the crock on the table. Dipping the spoon into the cup, she paused and regarded it for a moment.

With a small smile, she leaned back again and muttered an incantation. The spoon began to move on its own, stirring the sugar into the coffee.

A gasp from her right caught her attention, and she turned her head to see a small boy staring at her as he waited for his parents to finish paying their bill. Her grin widened, and she threw caution to the wind.

She began to make cutting motions in the air atop the table. As she did so, the air seemed to grow thicker. She frowned in concentration, completing the gesture, and then fell back in her seat.

There was a small popping sound, and the saltshaker in the middle of the chrome table blinked out of existence, blinking back in a moment later two feet to the left, right at the table’s edge.

The child ran after his parents, out onto the dusty sidewalk, and Tillie’s smile faded, her face now drawn with exhaustion. Stitching was even more difficult for her than spelling, and she didn’t have a lot of practice with it yet.

Turning her focus inward, she looked into her own future and found herself another ride, north this time. It looked safe enough.

She returned to the present moment. Glancing at her watch, she decided she still had time for breakfast first. She needed to fuel up after expending so much energy on her small stitch.