Chloë rolled over in bed and squinted. “Already? It’s…” “Four thirty in the morning. I know, way too early. Get up and get dressed, wear your warmer skirt and blouse. I have a light jacket I can throw you. The morning air has quite a chill to it.” Chloë stared at Heather in disbelief. Was this the same hyper, bouncy, giddy girl she had known for so many weeks? As she fought the sleep from her eyes, she got a good square look at her. Yep, same girl. Same grin in fact. “Are you enjoying this?” That grin spread across her face. “Sneak across the border being pursued by malicious kidnapers or spend a day looking for a new teacher to apprentice under. Hmm… let me think.” “You can’t be that upset about looking for a job. This is serious!” Heather laughed softly. “No, I’m not that put out about getting a job. But I am seriously put out that these jerks won’t leave you alone! Greedy, evil and probably have mange for all I know.” She laughed again, a little louder this time. “Dad says the best way to prevent evil from spreading is to take care of it early and often. Time to do my share of culling the forest.”
