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to leave Atlanta, she needed some clothes.
    A few people noticed her, but none of them posed a threat. One girl about her own age gave her a thumbs up and called out, ‘Wicked!’ Riley grinned. She’d never been one of the cool kids in school, not with both parents being teachers.
    As she strolled down through the bins of used clothes, she spied a grey hoody with a cool winged design on the front. She checked the price – two dollars – and held it up against her to test the size. That works. A few bins later she found a black backpack. She loved her messenger bag, but it wasn’t doing the trick as everything ended up in a jumble at the bottom of the thing. That was annoying if she was hunting for her lip gloss. It was dangerous when she was fumbling for a Holy Water sphere to lob at a demon, especially when every second counted. Like I’ll ever be able to trap again. She pushed that gloomy thought aside.
    Riley checked her wallet and bartered the price down to five bucks for both items. Once outside the shop there was no sign of Peter, so she moved her belongings from one pack to the other, including her father’s research into the history of Holy Water. As she held the sheaf of papers, it made her smile. No matter if he was reanimate or not, Paul Blackthorne would always be an academic.
    At the bottom of her messenger bag she found the chamois pouch her witch friend Ayden had given her. She’d forgotten about that. Ayden had said she should put items into it that mattered to her. Right now it only held a little dirt from her father’s grave. Once everything was transferred to the new backpack, she folded up the messenger bag and crammed it inside. When she left Atlanta, she’d need both to carry her stuff.
    Riley scanned the street again. There were no hunter vans, but now Peter King sat on a brick wall near a tattoo parlour, studying something on his cellphone. She crossed the street and sat about ten feet away from him. He shot her a quick look and went back to texting someone on his phone.
    If her best friend didn’t recognize her, this whole magic thing might work.
    Peter looked different too, scruffier and less nerdy, though nothing as dramatic as her transformation, and he wasn’t wearing his glasses, which suggested he’d finally got a pair of contacts. His brown hair was spikier now, something his mother never would have let him get away with. She’d moved out of the house and back to Illinois, leaving Peter’s dad in charge, and that seemed to have been a catalyst for a few changes.
    Though she was eager to talk to him, Riley scouted the area again. Once she was reasonably sure her friend hadn’t been followed, she moved closer to him. Peter gave her a longer look this time and frowned. It had to be because of all her body jewellery.
    ‘Hi,’ she said, lowering her voice below what was normal for her. It made her sound like she had a cold.
    ‘Hi,’ he replied, then returned to his phone.
    Score one for Mort.
    ‘Peter?’ she said in her usual voice. His eyes whipped back to her. ‘What do you think of the new Riley?’ she asked, teasingly.
    His eyebrows shot up. ‘Whoa! Get out of here. Have you seen yourself in a mirror?’
    She stuck out her tongue, knowing what he’d do next.
    ‘Oh, God,’ he said, grimacing. ‘You know I hate tongue studs. I can’t believe you got one. And your hair is awful.’
    Riley laughed and moved closer to him. ‘It’s all magic. I have this bracelet that does it. I take it off and I’m me again.’
    ‘You’re joking, right? No, you’re not. So where have you been hiding?’
    She leaned over and whispered the location in his ear.
    ‘He’s the necro who helped you with the magic?’ She nodded. ‘Well, it works.’ Peter frowned. ‘Is that a tattoo of a vampire bat on your neck?’
    ‘Yup. Admit it – it’s cool.’
    ‘Yeah, it is,’ he said grudgingly.
    She did a quick look around. ‘I found my dad. He’s at Mort’s.’
    ‘Go you!’ Peter