“Then I am using my condom,” said Wheeler, reaching into his pocket.
“I don’t carry a purse,” said Sin. “What am I supposed to do, tuck it behind my ear?” She handed the tampon back to Laurette.
“You don’t carry a spare just in case?” asked Laurette.
“I’m never early and I’m not afraid of a little blood anyway,” said Sin.
“Are you afraid of a little vomit?” asked Hal. “Because this is making me sick.”
“Welcome to girlville,” said Pat. “But since you’re never going to have a girlfriend or a wife, it won’t matter if you’re squeamish.”
“What if I’m rummaging in my purse for something else and I brush against it?” asked Xena, looking doubtfully at the tampon she was holding. “And should I unwrap it?”
Danny took it out of her hand.
“He’s touching one,” said Hal.
“Girl cooties,” said Wheeler.
Danny studied the thing. Squeezed it. Pushed his finger against the end. “Just give me a second,” he said.
He made a really tiny gate completely inside the end of the tampon. He tossed the tampon around on his hand and nothing happened. But when he pushed his finger into the end, he jumped through the gate-this time only a few inches away. But it still made him lose his balance.
“Oh, a three-inch gate,” said Pat. “That’ll show ’em. ‘Better be nice to me or I’ll move another three inches!’”
“I’m just testing,” said Danny. “You have to push your finger into the end before the gate will work.”
“What happens if you forget which one is the gate and you use it?” asked Hal.
“I thought you didn’t like talking about messy girl stuff,” said Laurette.
“I can’t help what pops into my head,” said Hal.
“Please tell me you’re not picturing me using it,” said Pat.
“Well now I am and thanks so much,” said Hal.
“I don’t have anything that isn’t hard and shiny,” said Sin.
“Your lip gloss,” said Pat.
Sin pulled a tiny canister out of her pocket. “It’s hard and shiny,” she said.
“The stuff inside is black and squishy,” said Pat.
“I can put the gate down inside,” said Danny.
“If you hide a gate in here I can’t use it and my lips will get pink,” said Sin.
Laurette pulled a stub of black licorice out of her purse. “Here, it’s black. And it’s squishy.”
Sin took the licorice and studied it. “What century was this made in?”
“It’s old, it’s black, and it’s gross,” said Laurette. “Nobody will be surprised that you have it in your pocket. Or does your mother wash your jeans?”
Sin gave a disdainful toss of her head. “Washing is so bourgeois.”
Ten minutes later, they all had something flexible with a tiny gatemouth inside it. Three tampons, a licorice stub, a condom package, and a lion-shaped eraser that Hal had in his pocket.
“Why a lion?” asked Sin.
Hal shrugged. “Got it as a prize at the dentist one time.”
“And you carry it with you,” said Sin.
“Lost a tooth, got a lion,” said Hal.
“It’s Aslan,” said Wheeler.
Hal looked really angry.
“Stop it,” said Danny. “Have some loyalty, Wheeler.”
“He told about my condom,” said Wheeler.
“So if one of us pisses off another one of us, then suddenly we’re all about getting even?” asked Pat. “Oh, that’ll work.”
“We don’t tell each other’s secrets,” said Laurette. “And we don’t make fun of each other.”
“Does that mean I can’t mention your cleavage, ever?” asked Danny.
“We don’t make fun of things that matter,” said Laurette. “Making fun of my cleavage is just another way of telling me that it’s working.”
“I think that’s a good rule,” said Danny.
“We all make fun of how Laurette shows her boobs?” asked Xena.
“We don’t make each other feel bad,” said Danny. “We don’t tell each other’s secrets to outsiders.”
The others agreed.
“All of your gates,” said Danny, “they’ll take you here. But there’s a chance one of the Families will find out about this place, so when you get here, if it’s an emergency, just reach out to this tree.” Danny showed them the one. “And here under this branch, there’ll be another gate. Can you all reach it?”
They all proved that they could, even Xena, whose arms weren’t all that long.
“Where will that gate take us?” asked Pat.
“Someplace far away. Someplace where I’ll put a stash of money and a weapon. You’ll never have to use it, but it’ll be there, in case somebody’s following you through the gate.”
“So you don’t have any idea yet where it’ll go,” said Pat.
“I’m thinking Disney World,” said Danny.
“A weapon in the Magic Kingdom?” asked Sin. “That’s just wrong.”
“I’ll find someplace safe, where I can stash a weapon and nobody will find it,” said Danny. “For now, though, I’ll make it lead to a place in DC. And then I’ll make another gate there and show you all where it is, so you can get back to Buena Vista but in a different place.”
“So we can try it out? It’ll just be sitting there and if we want to go to DC we can use it?” asked Wheeler.
Everybody looked at him. “Once,” said Danny. “You can try it once, to show that you know how to use it. But if you do it any other time, somebody might see you and then they’d know. It only works as an emergency escape if nobody knows, and that means you never use it. If you want to go to DC I’ll send you there.”
Wheeler laughed nervously. “This is really, like, serious and all.”
“I thought you already understood that,” said Danny. “If you stay friends with me, if you help me, you’re going to be in real danger. And you’ll need a real escape route. But if you want to beg off, then do it now. Let’s not go any farther. I can leave this school any time. Without me here, you’re safe. You haven’t been seen doing anything yet.”
“No,” said Xena.
“We’ll be good,” said Hal.
Only Wheeler said nothing.
They all waited.
“I feel like I’ve already totally screwed up and you won’t ever trust me no matter what I say,” said Wheeler miserably.
“I’ll trust you until you do something that shows me I shouldn’t,” said Danny.
“But I’m an idiot,” said Wheeler.
“I told you he knew it,” said Sin to Pat.
“I mean, I forget stuff. I blab stuff without thinking.”
“Well, don’t,” said Danny. “That’s all.”
Wheeler nodded miserably. Then he suddenly disappeared and there he was over by the tree. He put his finger up where the next gate was going to be.
“Wheeler,” said Danny. “You can’t get away from me that way. Every gate I make is a part of me. I know where they go, and I know when people go through them. I also haven’t put a gate in that tree yet.”
“I just wanted to see if you had taken away my gate,” said Wheeler.
“If I ever do,” said Danny, “I’ll tell you. Or I’ll take away the condom.” At the thought, he made a small gate that swallowed the condom even though it was in Wheeler’s hand. He made it plop onto the ground in the middle of the group.
“Wow,” said Wheeler. “You can take it right out of my hand?”
“No, I did that,” said Xena.
“Really?” asked Wheeler.
“He really is an idiot,” said Pat.
“Wheeler, I trust you,” said Danny. “Now trust me, too.” But in his heart, Danny knew that he would never really trust Wheeler. Would never send him out to deliver a message or run an errand more serious than buying sodas or picking up pizzas. Because his first instinct had been to use his gate carelessly. To test Danny. He doesn’t know how to keep a promise.
They’re all young. Maybe none of them do.
But he was in high school. These were the friends he had.
And it was cool that he could attach a gate to an object. I’ve made enchanted amulets, even if they are just tampons, licorice, a condom and a little-kid’s eraser. No magic writing on them, nothing but a tiny gate embedded in them. It made him feel clever and powerful.