I held the lion close, worrying my lower lip between my teeth as I watched Eddie. I wondered if maybe I should have gotten him something from the mall, something like what everyone else seemed to be getting for each other, but nothing had really felt like it was the right thing. Not until the cactus.

"Is it stupid?" I asked. I knew Eddie would never say it was, even if he didn't like it, but I thought I would be able to tell if he was lying or not. I felt as if we knew each other very well by now, certainly I knew him better than I knew anyone else in Darrow, and while I knew he wouldn't want to hurt my feelings, I did want to know whether or not he liked the gift.

"I thought you could put it by the window," I said and for a moment I was worried I might start to ramble. Eddie was still the only person who could make that happen. "Hopefully no one else tries to touch it."