Read Tattoo #1: Tattoo for Free Online Page A

having trouble following her, which freaked me out, since I considered myself com- pletely fluent (or close to it) in Annabelle--gestures, big words, and all. "A mental power," Annabelle explained as her fingers flew over the keys. "I can use my mind to read the minds of other people. Bailey, you can use your mind to start fires, and Delia can use hers to change colors and " Annabelle glanced at Zo with an apologetic smile. "I'm sure your mind does something," she told Zo. I bit back a smile. Zo picked up the pillow Delia had tossed at her and with artistlike precision, sent it flying into the side of Annabelle's head. Annabelle rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it that way," she said. "You don't have to be so sensitive" Zo? Sensitive? "Yeah, right," Zo said, and then she wrinkled her forehead and continued speaking. "I'm sorry, cousin," she said in a muted voice. "That was inappropriate and uncalled for" Zo looked down at her shoes, and Delia, Annabelle, and I all stopped what we were doing and stared at her. "Inappropriate?" I asked. Since when had anything been inappropriate in the world of Zo? "Cousin?" Delia squeaked. "Since when do you call Annabelle cousin?" "I so did not just say that," Zo said. "Why in the world would I say that?" "You even had a little Annabelle tone to your voice," Delia said. "Totally weird" As soon as the words left Delia's mouth, silence fell over the room. Zo had spoken with Annabelle's quiet, understated tones. "You!" Zo said, pointing a finger at her cousin. "You put those words in my mouth, didn't you? How did you do that?" Zo glared at Annabelle. "I knew I'd never call you cousin on my own" "I didn't mean to," Annabelle said meekly. "Honestly, Zo, I didn't. I didn't even know I could" "It's okay," Zo said, softening her tone at the look on her cousin's face. "You didn't mean to, and I did overreact a tad bit" I stared first at Annabelle and then at Zo. "Tad bit?" "Damn it, A-belle," Zo yelled, somewhere between reluctantly amused and thoroughly exasperated. "Stay out of my head" Annabelle sat there for a few seconds, saying nothing. "I'm not sure I can," she said finally. "But I'll try" I looked at Annabelle, and a silent communication passed between us. I hadn't meant to set Alexan- dra's shoe on fire. Annabelle hadn't meant to put her words in Zo's mouth, just like she didn't mean to eavesdrop on every conversation I had with myself inside my head. To fight, to live

We two of three bestow this gift... ��� "Two of what three?" I muttered out loud, trying to forget the words I couldn't help but remember. No answer. Meanwhile, Delia was having a great time with her newfound power. "Do I want to wear mocha or pearl?" she mused under her breath. With a swipe of her hand, her fashionable white shirt darkened to a creamy light brown. Delia brought her hand back down, and the shirt turned white again, with just a bit of shine. Back and forth her hand went as she debated. "Mocha or pearl? Mocha or pearl?" " `Transmogrification,' " Annabelle said out loud, reading the word off my computer screen. " `The ability to transform one type of matter into another type of matter.' " She paused. "If I'm reading this right," she said, wrinkling her forehead, "if Delia has transmogrification, then she should be able to change surface characteristics, like color, but she should also be able to change the form itself" "Turn one thing into another?" Zo asked. She stared morosely down at her foot. "Stupid foot tat- too," she muttered. "Delia can change stuff, and I've got a whole lot of nothing" "Hold on for just one second," Delia instructed. "Are you telling me that I could just wave my hands over, I don't know, a piece of paper and turn it into a Coach purse?" "There's a chance that your power is limited simply to color," Annabelle said, still totally in aca- demic, chart-making mode, "but I haven't come across any such--" Delia cut her off. "This is officially the best day of my life," she said. Without