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a socialite.
    Tonio flipped switches, the lights blinked, the curtain (one very large marshmallow cloud in Day-Glo pink) rose, and we were off.
    By the time we were done we’d survived a minor electrical fire and one broken mike, but those were the only stumbling blocks. Everything else went exactly as planned. Puppets walked, suns rose, even the silly fountain in act 2 sprayed water where and when it was supposed to. And the applause—oh, fury, the applause was loud and long and more than I’d ever heard for an Outlaw opening night.
    When the audience was gone, when the houselights were up, when we all looked at one another with pleased expressions—that was when Max swung his arm around Lucia’s shoulder and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Brilliant, kiddo. An Outlaw home.” He fanned out the night’s takings. “Good people. Good money.”
    Then he grabbed Tonio. “And to you—good call. You listened. You acted. You overcame. I love you.”
    Lucia grinned and bumped shoulders with Floss. I, emboldened by the night’s events, leaned over and kissed Nicholas on the ear. He looked confused, then swept me into a Bastardly embrace and squeezed. Happy Outlaws. The world seemed to be a perfect place.
    Â 
    Three nights after the opening Nicholas skidded backstage and said, “The reporter from Nighttimes is here. Front row.” He looked like he’d arranged the appearance personally.
    Tonio stopped moving. “Major is here?”
    â€œI don’t know Major,” Nicholas said, “but I know it’s Nighttimes . I’ve seen him around before, always atnew shows. It’s been awhile. But I know he’s from Nighttimes ,” he added fairly, “because his bag has the logo on the side.”
    â€œMaybe he won the bag. Maybe it’s a fund-raising promo. Maybe he likes seeing new shows,” Max said, but he sounded a little desperate.
    â€œAnd maybe it’s Major,” Tonio said, his voice flat.
    Nicholas can pick up vibes like a champion. “This was supposed to be good news, you know?”
    But Floss shook her head. “Pretty much the exact opposite, I’d say.”
    I watched everyone. Lucia shrugged, Nicholas seemed confused, but Floss, Tonio, and Max looked like the hounds of hell were chomping on their heels.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” I asked.
    â€œMajor is what’s going on,” said Tonio. His voice was dark and weary. “Major’s not a friend of mine.”
    â€œI thought he was gone,” Max said. “Didn’t you say he was gone?”
    â€œI did. I just never mentioned that he came back.” Tonio sighed. “I was hoping he’d turn out to be something we wouldn’t have to deal with.”
    â€œYou knew?” Max sounded incredulous. Tonio shrugged, a bone-tired gesture.
    â€œMajor,” Floss said. The word seemed bitter in her mouth. “He used to follow me like an acolyte, asking questions about magic, about Faerie. He even tried to follow me home once. To my Faerie home.” She stopped and her shoulders shivered. “Almost made it, too. Very scary. Mortals should not be able to just waltz into Faerie.”
    â€œThat was his flirtatious side. And if he was trying to get into Faerie he couldn’t have been waltzing. He was probably running like hell.” Tonio almost smiled at what must have been a mental picture of Major doing that run.
    Floss snarled.
    â€œHe had that huge, galloping crush on you. He was trying to show appreciation and admiration.” Now Tonio sounded like he was making a halfway effort to be conciliatory, but the effort didn’t work. Floss glared at him and inhaled heavily.
    â€œI know,” he said, and he shrugged. “I never said it was a good thing.”
    â€œMajor,” Max repeated. “There was also that little incident when he tried to have me arrested for running a pixie dust