“That’s strange. I was sure…but if she’s not, then how did she…I don’t understand.” With a heavy sigh she morphed back into her normal cloud shape with a deflated pop. “Although this study was informal and the results aren’t yet conclusive, I can’t deny the magic isn’t exactly a match, so I may have been too hasty in assuming you were the Weaver everyone’s been searching for.”
My heart lifted. “I told you I wasn’t a suspect.”
Stardust avoided my eyes. “I suppose it did seem too good to be true for me to have solved an unsolvable case so easily, especially considering the Investigations Team hasn’t yet managed to do so.”
“Since I’m obviously innocent, can I have my jar back?”
Once again Stardust darted several feet into the air and out of reach. “Not so fast. Just because you aren’t that Weaver doesn’t mean you’re not connected to the crime that occurred fourteen minutes and forty-three seconds ago. Besides, there’s still the matter of this mysterious jar you claim is empty.”
“It is empty.”
“I highly doubt that.” A wicked glint filled her eyes. “But if that’s really true, you wouldn’t be opposed to me opening it…” With a mischievous grin, she started to twist off the cork.
I leapt forward. “Don’t!”
She smirked. “I knew it. So it is something special after all. Are you ready to confess?”
I remained silent.
She smiled sweetly. “Have it your way, but I’ll eventually discover the truth, with or without your cooperation. Until I figure out what this evidence is, I’m keeping it.” She tucked the jar into the frothy folds of her cloud body, which absorbed it until it disappeared. Just like that, it was gone.
I gritted my teeth. After I’d worked so hard to finally capture a dream, she’d taken it without remorse, and now I’d never get it back. I’d endured more than enough of this creature. I spun around and stomped away.
“Wait, where are you going?” Stardust called after me.
“Home.”
She darted in front of me and blocked my way. “But I haven’t finished investigating you.”
“Why would I stay after you stole from me?”
“Don’t turn me into a criminal; I’m not one of your kind. It’s a detective’s job to gather evidence. I merely borrowed the clue for further study with no intention in the foreseeable future of giving it back.”
“I have no idea where you’re from, but here on Earth, we call that stealing.” I tried to march around her but she hooked herself onto my legs, jerking me to a stop. “Let go.” I tried to shake her off but she clung on.
“You can’t leave until I finish with you.”
I trudged through the meadow towards home, dragging her behind while she jabbered.
“You don’t understand, I need to be the one to solve this mysterious burst of magic. Magic of such quantity—more than the amount used in a standard Weaving—is unheard of on Earth. I need to figure out not only who used it but why. It’s the only way I can convince the Investigations Team to let me join. You’re not only my key witness but also my only suspect, so you can’t leave until I interview you further.”
My legs burned from the effort of tugging her. Panting, I paused. “How long are you going to keep this up?”
She peeked between my legs and batted her eyes. “Until I’ve finished my investigation, however long that takes.”
There probably wasn’t any harm in letting her poke around for a bit longer—other than the definite possibility I’d get a headache before the day ended. I doubted she’d connect me to the dream shattering, plus I needed to get my dream back.
I sighed. There didn’t seem to be any other option. “I have nothing to hide, so if I let you finish investigating me, will you return my jar and leave me alone?”
She thought about it for a moment. “Deal, but only if I learn it’s completely unrelated to the case.”
For now, it was the best I could hope for.
Chapter 4
I peeked through the slit in the curtains of the kitchen window. Mother stood over the hearth, stirring a pot of oatmeal. Stardust squashed against my shoulder. “Is that your mother?”
“Shh.” I rapidly withdrew from view. “You mustn’t let Mother see or hear you.”
“I’ve already told you: only those with magic can see adorable clouds such as myself.”
I bit my lip. That was the problem. Mother abhorred even the mere mention of magic, but ever since using the strange dust I’d stolen from her pendant, I now knew she also possessed some form of power, an idea I couldn’t even begin to fathom. Until I better understood the ramifications of my discovery, I needed to remain cautious.
I stole another glance into the kitchen. “How will we sneak past her? Morph into something small enough so she won’t notice you.”
Stardust frowned. “You’re worried she’ll see me, which means she does have magic. I should have suspected you weren’t the only one. She’s probably your magic tutor.”
“I’ve practiced on my own,” I said. “The only help I’ve received from her was taking some of her magic dust.”
Stardust immediately morphed back into her notebook and scribbled excitedly. “My prime suspect reveals she stole her feeble powers from her own mother, who appears to be the second mysterious possessor of magic living on Earth…one I have a suspicion about. Investigate reports of other unexplainable traces of magic found in this area and determine if there’s a possible link.”
“It doesn’t seem very secretive to have your suspect hear the conclusions you’re drawing about her, as false as they are,” I said.
Stardust morphed back into herself with a cheerful pop. “I’m not scared of you. Now let’s go.”
“Not until you morph into something smaller.”
Stardust sighed. “Fine, but I’m not staying hidden forever.” She cycled through several options—a butterfly, a bird, a ladybug—until she finally settled on a dragonfly.
“Not a sound,” I warned. “Stay small until we’re inside my bedroom, don’t
