01_-_The_Alchemyst

physically ill, and suddenly, the odors from the ice cream parlor didn’t smell
so sweet and enticing.
Thoroughly miserable, he walked to the corner and crossed at the lights
facing the post office, then turned left, heading toward the park.
The iPod had been a Christmas present from his parents. How was he
going to explain to them that he’d lost it? Plus there was close to another
thirty gigs of music on the little hard drive.
But worse than losing his iPod, his wallet or even his computer was
losing his phone. That was a total nightmare. All his friends’ numbers were
on it, and he knew he hadn’t written them down anywhere. Because their
parents traveled so much, the twins were rarely more than one or two
semesters at the same school. They made friends easily—especially Sophie
—and they were still in touch with friends they’d met years earlier in schools
scattered across America. Without those e-mail addresses and phone
numbers, how was he supposed to get in touch with them, how would he ever
find them again?
There was a water fountain in a little nook before the entrance to the
park, and he bent his head to drink. An ornamental metal lion’s head was set
into the wall over the fountain, and below it there was a small rectangular
plaque with the words Love is the water of life, drink deeply. He let the icy
water splash over his lips and straightened to look over at the shop,
wondering what was happening inside. He still loved his sister, but did she
love him? Could she love him, now that he was…ordinary?
Libbey Park was quiet. Josh could hear children racing around the
nearby playground, but their voices sounded high and very distant. A trio of
old men, identically dressed in sleeveless shirts, long shorts, white socks and
sandals, gathered on a shady bench. One of the men was feeding bread
crumbs to a quartet of fat and lazy pigeons. Josh sat down on the edge of the
low fountain and leaned over to trail his hand in the water. After the
oppressive heat, it felt deliciously cool, and he ran his wet fingers through
his hair, feeling water droplets roll down his neck.
What was he going to do?