After breakfast, Millie gestured outside. “Let’s go. I want to wander around the city for a while, show you the sights and see about getting some money.”

“Los Angeles?”

“Nah, Anaheim.” She shrugged. “Got some checking to do. See if anyone needs some help they’d be willing to pay for.”

Dara nodded. “Okay. Um, we’re taking the car?”

Millie rolled her eyes. “Yes, the car that you haven’t died in once. Seriously, what is it with you and my driving?”

“It’s fast. And everyone else is driving fast and—“

“Fine, I understand. Okay, Kid. How about this? Since you probably don’t need to be tied to me at the hip all the time, I’ll show you how to use the bus.”

“The bus?” Dara paused. “Oh, you mean like the carriage service!”

“Yep. Given how high gas prices are right now, it can be a cheaper alternative than the car.”

“How do we get on it?” Dara asked.

Millie thrust a small card into her hand. “Weekly pass. I just recharged it last night.”

“It’s magic?”

“No, the computer keeps track of the money in it, and—you know what, good enough, it’s magic.” Millie gestured. “Let’s go.”

Dara nodded. At least she was wearing a skirt. Seriously, what is it about this world and pants? They’re uncomfortable and… She shook her head. Right now, that didn’t matter.

“Right,” Dara said. “Let’s go.”

The street was quiet, most of the people having already left for school or work. Millie and Dara stepped to the right to avoid a woman walking a tiny dog that pulled at its leash and snarled at them as they passed.

I wonder if its bite could even break my skin? Dara wondered. The main street was a little busier, cars and trucks zipping back and forth. Millie walked up to a shaded bench.

Just like the carriage service back home. Dara shook her head in bemusement.

“Now we wait.” Millie pulled out her phone and stared at it. “Five minutes.”

“Maybe I need a phone,” Dara said.

“Well, once we get our money problems solved, we’ll get you a phone.”

“After the house is paid for,” Dara said.

“Right, after the house is paid for,” Millie said. “Buses go pretty much anywhere you want in Anaheim or LA, but that’s not the case everywhere.” She gestured at the road. “So don’t think you can avoid my car all the time.”

“Lovely,” Dara said. “Maybe I could learn how to drive?”

“Yeah, learning’s not the hard part. The hard part is getting an ID. Now, I heard from… some guys that there are ways to get fake IDs, but they won’t hold up if you’re walking into the DMV—they’re gonna want more information and will check it with their own database.”

“Database?”

“Big computer file set up where it has everyone’s data. They’ll also want documents that you don’t have, and if anyone gets curious, well it might get bad.” Millie glanced at Dara. “Trust me, there are places that will sell fake IDs, and most of ‘em are crap. And none of them will hold up if you get the cops interested in you. You're literally better off saying you forgot it and looking really innocent and cute.”

“Cute.”

“You say you can’t pull off innocent?” Millie asked. “But yeah, cute. You’ve got that cute blue hair, you’re shorter than most teens, and you can make really big, brown, soulful eyes at people if you have to.”

Dara raised one eyebrow. “Really.”

“Hey, you think library time is funtime. Just channel that and you’ll be fine.” Millie shook her head, and suddenly her voice changed. “But I’m not kidding, Dara. You need to be careful, because if the cops get interested in you, things could go bad—especially when they find out you don’t exist as far as the system is concerned.”

Dara frowned. I can see her point, but I can’t just hide…

“And here’s our bus,” Millie said, pointing down the street to a blue and white behemoth was heading for them. “Get your card ready and I’ll show you how to use it.”

Getting onto the bus didn’t take much time, and Millie and Dara found themselves sitting towards the back of the bus. A group of of giggling children were sitting in front of them, their harassed looking mother shushing them now and then.

“So, and now we’re off to the wilds of Anaheim, by the happiest place on earth.”

“You have a happiest place on earth?” Dara asked.

“That’s what the advertising says.”

Dara tried not to roll her eyes and just looked out the window.

Maybe it was the size or maybe it was just the fact that the bus driver didn’t seem as interested in racing as Millie had been, but the ride wasn’t terrifying. In fact, Dara found it a little relaxing. Finally, the bus pulled over to a stop and Millie gestured for Dara to get out.

“All off for the shopping trip!”

Dara looked around. “What are we shopping for?”

“First of all, to see what we can sell. I know some antique stores in this part of town. Second of all, to consider what kind of clothing you need.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re wearing my old clothes. You can do better.”

Dara rolled her eyes. “After the rent is paid.”

“Fine,” Millie said. “A teenager who doesn’t want new clothes—what is the world coming to?”

But Dara found the walk interesting. She was still a little intimidated by how many people where were around, and how here and there you saw mighty buildings stabbing up into the sky, although none as great as those she’d seen in Los Angeles. A few people glanced at her hair, one girl giving her a thumbs up.

“Great dye job!” the girl called before she darted away to catch up with her group.

“Dye job?”

“People around here don’t have blue hair, at least not naturally.” Millie gestured at Dara’s hair. “Not everyone gets to live in anime heaven.”

Dara blinked and looked around. “Anime… heaven?”

“Yeah, you know, where your hair is all the colors of the rainbow.

“I didn’t really think about it. You mean we’re just not in a part of the world where most people’s hair is drab? That nobody has natural hair like mine?”

“Nope, all dye jobs.”

“I wonder why.” Could it be the magic? Maybe our exposure to magic changes hair color… somehow? Dara remembered some books that claimed that your hair color could help determine what your magic affinity was, but everyone knew that those were just scams.

Except, maybe they weren’t.

If I get back, Jessana is going to be so stuck up—

No.

When I get back, Jessana is going to be so stuck up that she was right…

“Here we are,” Millie said, and gestured at a storefront.

“Antonio’s… Antiques and Collectibles,” Dara read the sign on the mirror. “And this will help us?”

“Well, Sheila’s his kid, and she might give me some ideas about what is selling and I can try to get it.” With that, Millie pushed the door open, and Dara followed her inside.

The interior of the ship was dark, with only a few lights competing with the sunlight streaming through the front window. There were wooden shelves and the gleam of bronze fittings.

It felt like home.

“You’d be surprised at how much money you can make selling antiques,” Millie said. “Or finding stuff someone else needs.”

“Millie!” An older woman came around the corner, her glasses gleaming in the light. “It’s been an age!”

“Well, I have had some stuff going on.” Millie looked around. “So, have you heard what happened in Hancock Park?”

“I should say everyone has,” she said, running a hand over her graying red hair. “Not a single person coming in here has failed to mention it. I believe the current theory, well, other than a botched terrorist attack, is a buried alien starship that came to life and has returned to its people.”

“Alien ship, eh.” Millie shook her head. “This is Dara. She’s sticking with me for a while.”

“Ah, one of your new friends. Hello dear, I’m Sheila.”

“Dara,” Dara said, bowing slightly.

“And polite. So, Millie, what brings you here?”

“Eh, well, in addition to trying to get a read on what people think about what happened, I was wondering, if you have any one wanting anything I might be able to find?”

“Well, what do you have, Millie?” Sheila glanced around the room. “You’ve found some unusual items, and if you have anything unique, I can put it on consignment, but you now as well as I do, sales here aren’t always reliable. Why? Are you needing some money?”

“A little… okay, a lot. I need about three thousand dollars by the end of the month.”

Sheila’s eyes went wide. “Oh… Oh dear. Millie, unless you happen to have a diamond necklace or similar treasure, the chance of finding anything that you can give me, for that sum of money is…”

“What about glass sculpture?” Dara asked.

“To sell for anything like the money Millie needs, it would have to be something unique.” Shiela walked over to a shelf of glass figurines. “I sell these, but look at the price. Ten dollars, a hundred dollars—most of them are sold online. I mean, I could put something up, but you would…” She sighed. “Millie, you’ve had luck finding things that sold well, but that was luck, dear.”

“Eh, I think I can find some other things,” Millie said. “Just give me a heads up on what people want.”

Dara drifted away from the conversation, looking at the rest of the stock. There were paper containers holding something called records.

Records? Data of some kind? She shook her head. Evidently something else where she had the name, but not the context. Next to it were books. Now that is impressive. How can books be that cheap? Back home, a big library was a sign of someone who was wealthy or who needed them. Here… She glanced down at another pile of… flimsy pamphlets, with some kind of artwork on them. Color artwork. Dara opened one up and blinked. Instead of text, the interiors were pictures, tiny little pictures… telling a story?

The pictures serve as the description and the text is for the speech. How interesting. Dara stared at the cover, then her eyes widened. It was someone holding a staff of some kind, clad in dark clothes with a cloak over them. Her face was partially obscured by a mask and hood, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Dara read the title. “Adventures of the Cowled Crusader?” You know, if I can’t be seen as myself… And I could modify my college uniform… “Sheila?” Dara asked. “How much is this?”

“Oh, that comic?” Sheila shrugged. “If you want it, you can have it. I’m afraid that the big comic con has many people who show up thinking their new book will be the thing that takes America by storm… and it doesn’t.”

“Comic?” Dara asked. “This is a comic?”

“Don’t, ah, mind Dara, Sheila, she’s from the boonies,” Millie said. “I’ll see if I can get something for you.”

“I’ll do my best to find a buyer for whatever you can find,” Sheila said.

Dara frowned. Sheila didn’t sound that hopeful.

“Right,” Millie said. “Now we need to check some of my other friends to see what they have to offer…”

As the day wore on, Dara came to a conclusion.

Millie had no idea how she was going to get the money she needed. Some of the people they met were dismissive, some were sympathetic, but none had anything that Millie could do or sell that would help her. At most, one man asked for her help to read over a contract, unofficially, for a few hundred dollars.

“Millie,” Dara said. “We need to get back home. I can make glass art better than anything I saw.”

“You sure? A kiln isn’t exactly cheap.”

“I don’t need a kiln, just some bricks. Do you have them?”

“Sure, I was going to make a little garden outback, but stuff happened. I think they’re in the garage.”

“Let’s go. I think this is more important than shopping for some clothes.”

“Got some more people to check.”

Dara folded her arms. “Do you think any of them are going to pay you?”

“Won’t know until we try.” Millie paused. “But do you think you can do this?”

“I don’t think I can do this. I know I can do it.”

“Fine. Let’s head back home.” Millie sighed. “You know, living this way is a lot different than it was when I was pulling down forty bucks an hour.”

“How long has it been since you were earning that much?”

“About two years. I probably should have stretched my savings out a little more. Hey, live and learn. Let’s get to the bus stop. We miss this one, and we’ll be stuck here for another hour.”

“Right.” She took you in when she didn’t have to. But Dara was starting to have some very serious doubts about whether or not Millie could take care of Dara—or herself—in the long term.