Free So You Want to Be a Wizard, New Millennium Edition by Diane Duane

too.”
    “That’s exactly why you go for the shortcuts sometimes,” Kit said. “The spells that just use words take it out of you way worse than the ones with physical components.”
    “Tell me about it. I feel like I did three gym classes in a row. Hope it doesn’t take too long for our magical muscles to bulk up…”
    “Well, we won’t have to bulk up too much for what we have to do first. Tomorrow morning Fred’ll help us put Operation Frustrated Bully into operation as soon as we see Joanne… yeah, buddy?”
    Absolutely, said Fred from where he was perched on the upper corner of the manual Nita had braced in front of her against her knees. You get her to produce this ‘pen’ thing, and I’ll do the rest.
    “Great,” Nita said, and sighed.
    “What?” Kit said. “It’s not going to be a big deal.”
    “No, it’s not that as such,” Nita said. “I just keep thinking about this Naming of Lights thing. And I don’t even know why. I keep getting this feeling I read something about it in the manual, and can’t remember what…”
    “It doesn’t matter,” Kit said. “Fred’s Advisories’ll know what do to about it when we find them…”
    “Yeah, about that—”
    “Nita?” said a voice from outside the covers.
    Nita froze. Then, very carefully, she closed the manual and put her head out from under the blankets. “Yeah?”
    “Who’re you talking to, sweetie?”
    Nita gulped. “Uh, somebody I met.”
    “’Somebody’?” her mother said. “Care to be a little more precise?”
    “Uh, a kid. A friend. From school.”
    Her mother sighed as she came in, a long-suffering sound that Nita suspected of concealing the thought, At least she’s got a friend. “Sweetheart, you know the rules about phone calls after lights out…”
    Nita heaved a very long-suffering sigh, reached out from under her blanket and handed her mother her phone.
    Her mom stood there by the bed and let out a sigh of her own. “And while we’re on the subject of lights…”
    The light under the blanket went out, and Nita silently handed her mother a flashlight.
    “Thanks, Nita,” her mother said. “Now try to get some sleep!”
    “Okay, Mom,” Nita said.
    The door closed, and the room went dark.
    Then, very very softly, the snickering began.
    “Was that perfect?”
    “Yes!”
    “Did I tell you?”
    “Yes!”
    A pause. Is it all right now?
    “Yeah, Fred. It’s okay, dial it back up. She thinks I’ve been disarmed.” Nita was having to struggle to keep the giggling under control.
    And that was all right?
    “Absolutely.”
    “We’re gonna get you a part-time job as a security light,” Kit said from inside the manual, sounding a little muffled until Nita opened the book’s covers again.
    “I don’t know, I think he makes a really good nightlight…”
    “Well, don’t think you’re gonna hog him all the time! I get him tomorrow.”
    “Right, I heard you the last time…”
    It’s so nice to be in demand, Fred said, sounding very pleased.
    They both chuckled at him. “So let’s go over the plan one more time,” Nita said. “And then before you go, let me show you Dairine snooping around in here before. I had the manual on record when I went to dinner. Wait’ll you see her face…!”
    *
    The next morning they were at the schoolyard early, in order to make sure they wouldn’t miss Joanne and her crew. Nita and Kit sat on the curb by the front door to the school, staring across at the packed dirt and dull grass of the athletic field next to the building. Kit leafed through his wizards’ manual, while Fred hung over his shoulder and looked around with mild interest at everything. Will it be long? he said, his light flickering slightly.
    “No,” Nita said. She was shaking. God, after the other day I want nothing to do with her. But if I’m going to get my pen back, I’ve got no choice about this… “Look, it’ll be all right,” Kit said, paging through his manual. “Just do it the way we