When I got back the apartment was empty, apart from a purring Koshka, a note on the table reading, 'Gone out with William. Food is in the cupboards. Don't need to wait up.' in Katy's loopy handwriting.

I rolled my eyes, trudging into the kitchen to search the cupboards for the food that was meant to be in them. In one I found a basket with a couple of carrots in, in another a tin of spam. I pulled both out and set about locating a pan. I had no idea how to cook spam, but I figured it couldn't be that hard. Right?

Oh boy was I wrong.

»--«

Two hours later I was still waving smoke out of the apartment. The spam had decided to burn itself and now sat in a bowl of water, a charred, black lump of fake meat. Luckily I had decided to eat the carrots raw. Otherwise they would be gone too.

In the end I just poured myself a bowl of cereal, crunching a carrot in between mouthfuls of Cheerios™ and sat down on the doorstep feeling sorry for my smoky self.

And that's where Katy found me, her lipstick slightly smudged, when she came home at whatever time it was. She rolled her eyes, taking in my clothes which reeked of incinerated spam and the open door behind me still releasing whiffs of smoke every now and then.

'I leave you alone for what? Four hours? And you nearly burn the place down,' she shook her head, amused, 'What happened?'

'The spam burnt itself.'

She raised an eyebrow, 'It burnt itself or you left it alone for too long?'

My smile turned sheepish, 'Well, you see. It uh. Ummm. I left it and it burnt itself?'

Katy grinned and walked inside, only to get into a coughing fit.

'Dang Alina. How well cooked was this food?'

Only Koshka seemed unaffected by the smell that inhabited our apartment for the next few days, despite the many vases of strong smelling flowers placed in strategic positions.

»--«

William came again the next morning, in search of Katy and with a letter for me. He was disappointed to find her missing, but agreed that one of us had to have a stable job.

I remarked that my job's wage was often patchy.

Wisely, he didn't ask.

He hands me the sealed envelope, 'In here is the information about the Magick Division I've put together. Read it through then get rid of it. I don't want that information spreading.'

I grinned, 'Had problems before?'

He sighed, 'Just don't let it spread.'

William turned to leave, turning up his coat collar against the snow that was piling down on New York, the city substituting grey for white.

'Oh, and by the way, I leave for London next monday. The rest of the division is only expected to report to headquarters on the Second of January. You can travel with me or you can make your own arrangements.

I smiled, 'Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm going to spend Christmas here with Katy and her family.'

Holy Morgana. What the hell am I going to tell Katy?

I'm sure you'll think of something.

Helpful.

»--«

After William had left, I opened the envelope, flicking through the files on each of the Magicks joining me.

There was a note on the last one.

'You're welcome. None of the others are getting these.'

I grinned, of course William would want me to have a head start.

He probably just knows how long it takes you to learn names.

Shhh. Don't reveal all my secrets.

At the end of the sheath of files was sheet of information containing the location of 'Headquarters', lists of weapons we would be dealing with and an index of infamous Magicks we would be going up against.

Bottom of the list was a name that was achingly familiar.

Friderich Von Lübeck

I traced the name, only to shove the papers under a cushion when I heard a key turn in the lock and the front door open.

'Alina?'

Katy's voice.

'I'm in here,' I yelled, willing my voice not to crack.

She came in, her normally bubbly expression flat.

'What is it?'

'They were asking for volunteers at the hospital,' Her words came out in a big rush, 'The soldiers over in France are in desperate need of nurses and fresh supplies.'

'And?'

'I volunteered Alina. Honestly, I swear you're such an idiot sometimes.'

Huh. No need to tell her anything about my recruitment then.

Well, at least no lies.

'When do you ship out?'

'Week today, there's a supply ship heading out from Manhattan. And I'm so sorry Alina. I'll be ruining Christmas and everything.'

I shrugged, 'That's okay. I've always wanted to see London anyway.'

Katy stared at me, blinking slowly as she tried to decipher my meaning.

Then she threw her arms around me, ignoring my stiffening form, 'Thank you! I was so nervous about travelling on my own.'

I smiled softly, 'Never. It's your life. You can do whatever you want with it.'

She smiled back.

Aw how cute.

Way to ruin the moment dimwit.

»--«

I sent a telegram to William, informing him of the change in my plans and six days later I was all packed, she thinks, and waving goodbye to the disappearing skyline of New York.

Lady Liberty stared straight at me till we were out of sight.

I took it as a bad omen.

Yay.