“Mom,” I said.
No answer.
I decided to raise my voice. “Mom!”
She didn’t move. I reached for her arm to shake her awake, but my hand sliced right through her. What in Hecate’s name?
I tried again with the same results. Shock tore through me. Why was I incorporeal? Was this a stress dream? It wouldn’t surprise me, given recent events. A worse idea hit me.
Was I dead?
I rushed from the bedroom and called for Alice. If I were dead, she’d still be able to communicate with me. She’d be the only one in the house who could.
“Alice,” I shouted again.
“Eden?” The ghost materialized out of thin air, as ghosts were wont to do. Her eyes narrowed as she took in my appearance. “Are you unwell? You seem a little…flimsy.”
“I think I’m a ghost,” I said, panic bubbling to the surface. “I think I’m dead, like really dead.”
Alice regarded me for a moment. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not? I’m incorporeal. I tried to touch my mother’s arm and my hand went right through her.”
“But I saw you asleep upstairs not long ago,” Alice said. “You were fine. Sleeping soundly.”
“Go check again.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean go to the attic and check again.”
Alice’s form dissipated but only for a moment. She returned quickly, her eyes round with fear. “You just woke up.”
“No, I woke up next to…”
The sound of footsteps startled me. I turned to see…me. Demon Me. My doppelgänger went straight into the kitchen the way I usually do. She didn’t seem to notice us.
“Why can’t the demon see us?” I asked.
“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because you’re more than the sum of your parts,” Alice replied.
“In English, please.”
“Your body alone isn’t what makes you a fury,” Alice said. “It’s all of you. In other words, Demon You is missing crucial bits.”
“In that case, doesn’t that mean I am the sum of my parts?”
Her expression turned puzzled. “Well, never mind that. Let’s focus on the priorities.”
“You mean priorities like what in the hell happened?” I asked. “Why didn’t you stop the spores? How did they get in?”
Alice’s brow creased with regret. “I’m so sorry. I heard music coming from outside and went to investigate. It was such an odd hour for Taylor Swift and I was worried that there was some kind of invasion on the way.
“And they were playing Shake It Off to announce their arrival? They’re not a high school marching band, Alice. They’re pod demons.”
“It turned out to be Michael, the new neighbor,” Alice said. “His car was running and the song was on the radio. I noticed his golf clubs in the back, so he must have an early tee time and ran back into the house for something.”
I wasn’t much of a crier, but phantom tears welled in my phantom eyes.
Alice hung her head in shame. “It must have happened while I was gone. It wasn’t very long.”
“Long enough,” I said. “You didn’t see me leave my body?”
“No.”
I heard a cabinet open and close and went to the kitchen to see what Demon Me was doing. She filled a bowl with Cheerios, but instead of using milk, she added water from the tap.
“Yuck. That’s disgusting,” I said. “I would never eat that.” At least if my mother or Aunt Thora saw what I was doing, they’d know it wasn’t me.
“They must need a lot of water,” Alice said. “They grow from plants, after all.”
“This is a nightmare,” I said.
“I don’t think it is,” Alice countered. “How would I be experiencing it with you?”
I heaved a sigh. “I don’t mean an actual nightmare.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I don’t think you’re dead,” Alice said.
“Why not?”
“Because it sounds like you didn’t experience any of the death hoops or you’d have mentioned them by now.”
“Death hoops?” I repeated. “What? Are there literal flaming hoops I need to jump through to reach…the next place?”
Alice tapped her foot impatiently. “If I’d reached the next place, I wouldn’t be here now, would I?”
“About that…” I began, but this wasn’t really the time to discuss Alice’s earthbound spirit.
“Let me ask you this—did you see a white light?” Alice asked.
“No.”
“See any loved ones who’d already passed on?”
“No, but I saw one who passed gas. My hand went right through her arm, though.”
Alice cringed. “Yes, it’s an unfortunate byproduct of being invisible. You see and hear a lot more than you’d like. You really don’t want to know what your mother gets up to, even when she’s alone.”
I held up a hand. “I really don’t.” I wracked my brain to come up with an answer. “So if I’m not dead, what am I? In purgatory?”
“I think you’ll have to ask someone with more knowledge of these things.”
“That someone will have to be able to see and hear me,” I said. “Kind of a problem right now.” Still, I had no choice but to try and communicate. “When you disappear, how do you do it? Do you just wish to be in another place and you get transported there?”
“Do these look like ruby red slippers to you?” She clicked the heels of her old-fashioned black boots.
“Hey, when did you watch The Wizard of Oz?”
“You said it’s a classic. When I saw it was on, I took advantage of the opportunity.” She shivered. “Those flying monkeys are the stuff of nightmares.”
I cut a quick glance at Demon Me as she took a sip of tea and her lip curled. She set the cup on the counter and proceeded to dump two more spoonfuls of sugar into the mug.
“If I don’t get my body back soon, I’ll end up with diabetes.”
In the distance, I heard a toilet flush and I waited to see whether my mother or Aunt Thora would realize that I’d been taken over.
My mother padded into the kitchen first. “You’re up early. Must be all the excitement for the Day of Darkness.” My mother shivered. “I can’t wait to soak up all that magical energy.”
“I’m happy if you’re happy,” Demon Me said.
“That’s sweet,” my mother replied.
I flung out my hand. “Oh come on! I would never say that, Mom. You know I don’t care if you’re happy!”
“Maybe after wrongfully killing you, she’s decided to exercise more caution,” Alice suggested.
Aunt Thora must’ve slipped into the backyard unnoticed because she entered the house through the back door with a basket of lemons in her hand. “My lemons must know it’s a special day. Their color seems more vibrant than usual.” She lifted one to her nose and inhaled its scent. “It’s like a citrus drug.”
“I can’t wait for you to put on your dress,” my mother told Demon Me. “You’re going to love it.”
“What about Esther?” Aunt Thora asked. “Are we going to…wake her?”
My mother chewed her lip. “I’m not sure what to do about that. We need her for the photos.”
“Are you kidding me?” I yelled. “You do not need to de-ice Grandma for the sake of photos.” This took ‘keeping up appearances’ to a new level.
“I think we should include her,” Demon Me said.
Aunt Thora shot the demon a quizzical look. “You do?”
“It’s a family photo on one of the most special days of the year,” Demon Me said. “It won’t be the same without her.”
Ugh. Liar!
“Eden, honey. Why don’t you go and get dressed?” my mother asked. “That way if we need to make any adjustments to your outfit, we have plenty of time. First ritual starts in two hours.”
“Sure. I’m finished eating now.”
My mother wrinkled her nose
. “You ate food on a morning like this? Well, I suppose I can’t expect miracles. Just suck in if you have to.”
Demon Me retreated to the attic to change.
“They didn’t notice,” I said, more to myself.
“You’ve lived away for years now,” Alice said. “They’re not as used to you as they are to each other.”
“I’m her child,” I said. “Wouldn’t you notice if your child had been commandeered by a demon?”
“I don’t know,” Alice said quietly. “I never had children.”
My tightly wound phantom body relaxed at the sight of Alice’s pained expression. One of these days, I’d get her whole story.
I turned and followed my doppelgänger upstairs. She moved mechanically, as though she were still getting accustomed to having limbs.
“Are you wearing the outfit?” my mother called a few minutes later.
“Yes, Mom,” Demon Me called from the attic. “I’ll be there as soon as I brush my hair.”
Alice and I observed Demon Me as she stood in front of the mirror, not quite able to believe I was about to be photographed in that dress. The neckline was provocatively low and the deep black fabric washed out my pale skin. Although I’d said no lace, apparently my mother had overruled me because the edges were trimmed in lace, including the neckline. Photographs last forever. If I let them capture that image of me, my family would lord it over me for the rest of my eternal life. Not a comforting thought.
“She looks like an old-timey prostitute at a funeral,” I said.
Alice inclined her head. “Eden, your clothes.”
“I know. I thought that’s what were just criticizing.”
“No, the ones you had on,” Alice said. “They’ve changed to match the demon’s.”
I glanced down at my outfit. Sure enough, I was no longer in my blue T-shirt with the image of a cat eating tacos.
“So I have to wear whatever my demon counterpart is wearing?” Sweet gods above, I hope she didn’t buy me a new wardrobe. Or worse, raid my mother’s closet.
“If it makes you feel any better, I think you look alluring and mysterious,” Alice said.
“That demon doesn’t know how I part my hair,” I said. “She’s gone too far to the side.” I touched my head and, sure enough, my part had shifted. That was going to bug me all day.
“She missed a button on the bodice, too,” Alice said.
Ugh. The ghost was right. The tops of my boobs were peeking out. “I can’t let me out in public like that.”
“I think you have bigger priorities at the moment,” Alice said.
“Can’t I combine my priorities?” I asked. “If I get rid of the demons before I have to leave the house, then maybe I can avoid being seen in public in that outfit.”
Alice observed Demon Me with interest. “Why do you think she can’t hear me? She’s still you.”
“She’s not all of me, though, not if this” —I waved my hands in front of me— “is walking around out here.”
“So you took your powers with you?” Alice asked. “Seems unlikely.”
“I don’t think I took them because Demon Corinne still had access to magic,” I said. “I think it’s because they’re generally simple creatures. Their main goals are to multiply and survive. My powers might be too complex for this demon to access.”
“And Demon Corinne only used magic when they felt it was necessary to protect the species’ goals,” Alice said, seeming to understand.
“Magic and powers don’t hold any interest for them unless they serve as the means to an end,” I said. “They really are single-minded.”
Demon Me headed for the stairs and I trailed behind, careful not to move too quickly and stir up a breeze.
“Eden,” my mother said, as I entered the kitchen. Her gaze traveled over me. “You look surprisingly sexy. I didn’t think it was possible. A little more makeup wouldn’t do any harm.”
“Which colors do you suggest?” Demon Me asked.
“Why don’t you let me do it?” my mother asked. “Smoky eyes would look amazing on you. Not as amazing as my eyes, of course, but still worth doing.”
“I’m in your capable hands,” Demon Me said.
I couldn’t listen to another word. My own mother failed to recognize that wasn’t me. The same mother who killed me for being too nice. What a world.
I started to walk away.
“Eden,” Alice called. “Where are you going?”
I craned my neck to look at her. “To get help,” I said. “If there’s even a ghost of a chance that Neville can see me, I have to try.”
Chapter Seventeen
I made it as far as the driveway, debating the options. I couldn’t drive a car if my hands and feet couldn’t make contact with the steering wheel and pedals. What other mode of transport…?
Right. Problem solved.
Large black wings fanned out behind me. They were the fury trait I’d inherited after accidentally using my siphoning power in San Francisco. I tended to keep them under cloak and key, but now seemed like the perfect time to make use of them. I launched into the air and headed for the office. Knowing Neville, he was already there, diligently trying to find a solution to our pod problem.
The town looked so peaceful from the vantage point of the sky above. In the distance, the lighthouse stood head and shoulders above the other buildings. People were driving to work and to school, but it wasn’t a mad dash. More of a leisurely pace. Chipping Cheddar was rarely congested. That level of busy mostly occurred at the height of summer when the tourists swarmed the town to enjoy the waterfront lifestyle. My heart seized as I thought of the visitors that might get caught in the crossfire if the town had to be decimated. So many lives were at stake, all because of Bruce Fendall’s greed and his ignorance of the supernatural.
I zeroed in on the office and lowered myself straight into the building through the roof, landing near the back table where Neville liked to tinker with inventions. As anticipated, Neville was already hunched over his desk, typing away on the keyboard. I tucked away my wings and went to see if he’d unearthed any valuable intel.
I leaned over his shoulder and read the article headline—Ten Spells Every Wizard Must Learn Before Age 30. “How about the spell that allows you to see and hear whatever I am?” I asked.
Neville slipped out of his chair and fell on the floor. “Agent Fury! Where did you come from?”
My phantom heart thumped wildly. “Neville, you can hear me?”
He twisted to peer up at me from his spot on the floor. “Why wouldn’t I be able to hear you?”
“Because I’m a ghost?” I demonstrated my apparitional skills by slicing my hand through the back of his chair.
He blinked rapidly. “You’re not a ghost.”
“That’s what Alice thinks, too, but when I woke up, I wasn’t in my body. The demon was.”
The wizard staggered to his feet, still fixated on me. “Why are you dressed like you’re attending a Spanish Inquisition?”
“Because it’s the Day of Darkness and Demon Me is following my mother’s sartorial orders like some kind of witchy soldier.”
“You didn’t wake up in this dress?” His eyes drifted to the exposed part of my chest and I snapped my fingers.
“Eyes up here, Rover.”
Neville’s head snapped back to eye level. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“I woke up in the clothes I slept in, but when the demon changed her clothes, my appearance changed, too.”
“That’s helpful,” Neville said. He seemed to have recovered from the shock. “I believe you’re an astral projection.”
“That’s an out-of-body experience, right?”
“More or less,” Neville said. “You’ve projected your ‘self,’ or your consciousness, from your physical form, except you’re still attached to your physical body. The cord hasn’t been severed yet.”
Yet.
“How did this happen?” I asked.
“I suspect
when the demon took over your body, your consciousness reacted by vacating the premises,” he explained. “It’s probably a benefit to be able to have your consciousness walking around outside your body. It might stave off the effects of the demon’s inhabitance.”
“Well, that’s good for me, but it doesn’t help everyone else.”
“No, but the fact that you can still retain agency…” Neville nodded, more to himself. “This is a plus.”
“Speak for yourself,” I said. “You’re still in solid form.”
“Have you never used astral projection before?” Neville asked. “No dream walking?”
A memory came to me. I was eleven. I was with a group of friends in the woods, playing hide-and-seek. I’d squeezed inside the base of tree to hide. It was such a good spot that no one could find me. Eventually, darkness settled over the forest and I got scared. I remembered going in search of my friends to see if anyone was looking for me. I found them in a clearing as they split up to hunt for me. I jumped up and down and called to them, but no one noticed me. I followed one of them as he sniffed his way to the tree I’d hidden in—he was a werewolf.
“Found you,” he’d said, and my eyes had opened to peer at him in the darkness. I was back in the base of the tree. I’d assumed that I’d grown so bored waiting to be found that I’d fallen asleep.
“I thought it was a dream,” I murmured.
“Why do I have to wear the same clothes as Demon Me?” I asked. I really wanted out of this dress. It itched and it wasn’t even real.
“It makes sense,” he said. “You’re a projection of yourself, after all.”
“I guess it doesn’t work the other way around,” I said. “When I sprouted wings, I doubt Demon Me felt the pinch.”
“It’s unlikely the demon feels much of anything at all,” Neville said. “Even if it does, it might not understand the implication.”
“Let’s hope not.”
“We’ll have to add this to your list of abilities,” Neville said.
On the bright side, it wasn’t a new power. It was one I simply didn’t realize I possessed because I’d suppressed it.
“Let’s wait until I’m back to normal before updating my list,” I said. “Speaking of normal, why can you see me?” That didn’t seem normal to me.
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