The UPS man had very bright teeth and grew hair right on top of his face nearly over his mouth, hair that was longer than the hair on Ronan’s head and nearly as long as the hair on Opal’s legs. She had been allowed to run out to greet him as long as she remembered to pretend that her name was my little cousin from Syracuse and also to never forget to wear the clumsy, tall boots Ronan had made her. Her only recent punishment had been because of the UPS man.

Mostly it was all right, though, and Opal could do what she wanted around the Barns.

She was to remember that she was a secret. She was to only tell the truth because Ronan always told the truth, but she felt this was the most unfair rule of all because Ronan could dream himself a new truth if he liked and she had to stick with the one she was currently living. She was not to run in the road or try to return to the ley line without someone with her, which was a silly rule, because the ley line felt like a dream and under no circumstance would she willingly return to one of those. Dead things were not to be eaten on the porch, which was a hard rule, because living things were also not to be eaten on the porch. Hiding objects from other people counted as stealing, unless the objects were presents, which you hid but then laughed about later. She did not have to take a bath or otherwise wash herself unless she wanted to come in the house, and she could not lie about having washed herself if she wanted to be allowed on a couch because God, Opal, your legs smell like wet dog. She was allowed to climb on nearly anything except for the cars because hooves were not good for metal and also her hands were always very grubby.

She was not supposed to call Ronan Kerah because he had a name and she was perfectly capable of forming any word she liked, unlike Chainsaw, who only had a beak. She was not to eat anything that was inside the house unless it was given to her, even if it was something that sounded good while she chewed it, like cardboard boxes or plastic serving utensils, and in particular she was not to eat anything of Adam’s or from Aurora’s bedroom and if she did, she would be punished. Some visitors could see her, if Ronan said it was all right, and some visitors could not see her, if Ronan told her to make herself scarce, and no visitors were allowed to see her hooves.

Opal the raven cycle