Penny said as she closed the door behind her. She tried to ignore the narrowed eyes and impatient tapping of Erasmus’s cane in the dirt. “Sorry.” “No trouble,” Bowen said. “I was filling Zoe in on my story.” Penny turned to Zoe, eyebrows raised. Zoe shook her head in silent bewilderment. Katie sat with her eyes closed, not sleeping but clearly wishing she were. Ellen yawned loudly. “Let’s get on with it,” Erasmus said. “The short one needs her sleep.” “Sit and spin,” Penny advised. “That was quite rude,” Erasmus said, but gave her a nod and a smile, as if he approved. Bowen coughed. “Well, you are the Phoenix Girls.” Bowen spread his arms to encompass them all. “But you don’t even know who the Phoenix was... do you?” “No,” Penny, Zoe, and Ellen said. Katie forced her eyes open and gave her head an apathetic shake. “Then your first history lesson will be the legend of the Death of the Phoenix.” “Sounds exciting,” Zoe said. Penny liked a good story as much as anyone, but at a quarter past midnight she was going to withhold judgment.
