CALLAHAN, Juanita T.On active status243 E. Clinton Avenue HempsteadNY 11575 (516) 379-6786 Assignment location: 38 Tiana Beach Road Southampton NY 11829 (516) 667-9084Nita sighed, for this morning the status note had said, like Tom's, "Vaca-tioning/emergencies only." The book updated itself all over that way—pages changing sometimes second to second, reporting the status of worldgates in |he area, what spells were working where, the cost of powdered newt at your '°cal Advisory. Whatever's come up, Nita thought, we're expected to be able to handle it.Uf course, last time out they expected us to save the world, too. . . . "Neets!" . A ne jumped, then tossed her book out the window to Kit and began climb-'"gout. "Sssh!" Shhh yourself, mouth. They're asleep. C'mon."nce over the dune, the hiss and rumble of the midnight sea made talking A – You on active status too?" Kit said. 'U P– Let's find the dolphin and see what's up."174 SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WIZARDThey ran for the breakers. Kit was in bathing suit and windbreaker as Nib was, with sneakers slung over his shoulder by the laces. "Okay," he said "watch this." He said something in the Speech, a long liquid-sounding sen' tence with a curious even-uneven rhyme in it, all of which told the night and the wind and the water what Kit wanted of them. And without pause Kit ran right up to the water, which was retreating at that particular moment—and then onto it. Under his weight it bucked and sloshed the way a waterbed will when you stand on it; but Kit didn't sink. He ran four or five paces out onto the silver-slicked surface—then lost his balance and fell over sideways. Nita started laughing, then hurriedly shut herself up for fear the whole beach should hear. Kit was lying on the water, his head propped up on one hand; the water bobbed him up and down while he looked at her with a sour expression. "It's not funny. I did it all last night and it never happened once."
