Free Through the Looking Glass by Kay Hooper

born?"
    "In Virginia. An only child of two extremely practical and logical people. They didn't quite know what to make of me. Mother still doesn't. Dad was killed ten years ago."
    "I'm sorry. An accident?"
    She smiled suddenly, and Gideon felt his heart stop. There it was, that fey smile that was peculiarly wise and tolerant and a little bit mad, as if she knew secret things the rest of the world hadn't begun to discover.
    "You could say that. My wonderfully practical and logical parent decided to take up hang gliding. He wasn't very good at it, I'm afraid. But he did enjoy himself, even Mother admitted that. And to be killed while you're having fun isn't the worst way to go."
    Gideon decided not to ask. "You—have a unique way of looking at things."
    She sent him a glance that was a bit mischievous. "Not so unique in my family."
    "I thought you said your mother didn't understand you."
    "No, but then, Mother's the unusual one among all my relatives. The rest... Well, put it this way. If I owned Wonderland and they found out, everyone would want to join."
    "You're kidding."
    "Not at all. To say that my family is eccentric would be a considerable understatement."
    "What am I getting myself into?"
    "Oh, you don't have to worry. We don't see much of each other, really. The usual family gatherings is all. Other people seem to get nervous when we're all together." She looked at him again, tranquil innocence in her face. "I can't imagine why."
    "The hell you can't." This time, Gideon felt on reasonably solid ground. "I may not have figured you out completely, but one thing I do know is that you're a long way from dumb."
    Maggie smiled slightly, but didn't comment. "The point I wanted to make is that even though I wasn't born carny, this is my world. I made it mine when I came here. And I'm quite comfortable here. I don't like being logical and practical; it's so uninteresting."
    "So you go a little mad whenever you're surrounded by lunatics?"
    She chuckled softly. "You are worried about that, aren't you?"
    He had the grace to look a bit sheepish. "If you mean I need to be reassured as to the state of your sanity—you're right. Just tell me you aren't dangerously insane."
    "Well, if I were , I'd hardly admit it, would I?"
    "Maggie."
    She sighed. "Gideon, I hold three university degrees. I've earned a grandmaster rating at chess, a gourmet rating as a cook, and I'm licensed to fly a small plane—though I have been known to buzz people on the ground. When I was nineteen, I climbed Mount Everest; at twenty I sailed the South China Sea in a very small boat; and at twenty-one I participated in a hot-air-balloon race across Europe—which I won.
    "I talk to plants and animals. I generally know why people do or say the things they do even if they don't know why. I'm great with crossword puzzles, trivia on most subjects, and, with only a bobby pin or a rubber band I can fix just about any machine. I hate cheating in any form, shortcuts that miss great scenery, the designated hitter, and asparagus." Shrugging, she finished, "Among my family and in my world, none of that makes me unusual. What does it make me in your world?"
    Softly, he said, "Exceptional."
    Maggie shook her head and said, "But does it make me sane? You can't prove sanity, not really. We all believe we're sane—or hope so. All I can tell you is that I've never had a problem functioning in your world or mine; no one's ever threatened to lock me up; and that I believe I'm no more insane than the average person. And that will have to be good enough."
    "It is. More than enough."
    "I'm glad to hear it. How about you?"
    "What about me?"
    She gave him a solemn look. "From my point of view, you know, you aren't exactly the norm."
    "I always thought I was sane. Since yesterday, I'm not so sure."
    "What happened yesterday?"
    Gideon shook his head, smiling. "I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it might later be used against me. Speaking of which, why are we on the ground?"
    "I