by Marilyn Kaye
Finally the money was collected and Emily said she’d go to the florist and see what kind of flowers they could buy. The second she finished speaking, Ken put his hand up, and Madame nodded to him.
‘There’s something I want to tell the class about,’ he said. ‘Last Friday night I went to a seance.’
‘What’s a seance?’ Martin asked.
Madame answered for Ken. ‘It’s a ritual where people try to contact friends and family who have passed on.’ She frowned.‘What were you doing there, Ken?’
‘I just thought it would be interesting,’ he said. ‘To meet people who do what I do.’
Now Madame looked seriously concerned. ‘Did you participate in the seance, Ken? Did you let people know about your gift?’
‘No, no, nothing like that,’ he assured her. ‘I was just listening. Anyway, there was this kid—’
He was interrupted before he could get any further. ‘Are you nuts?’ Jenna asked. ‘Those things are scams.’
‘You don’t know if that’s true,’ he declared. ‘Hey, if I can talk to the dead, there must be other people who can do it.’
But Madame was shaking her head. ‘That’s not necessarily true, Ken. Your gift may be unique.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Ken argued. ‘This medium, Cassandra, she wants to help people. She doesn’t even charge money for coming to the seance.’
Madame didn’t look convinced. ‘I’m sorry, Ken, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to attend meetings like that. You’ll be urged to join in. You may feel compelled to share your gift.’
Ken scowled. ‘I can control myself, Madame.’
‘That’s not true,’ Jenna interjected. ‘You’re always saying how you can’t control your gift.’
Ken glared at her. ‘I meant, I know how to keep my mouth shut.’
‘I’m sure you do,’ Madame said smoothly. ‘But Ken, you’ll encounter temptations. Perhaps a participant in the seance will be desperate to contact a deceased loved one and you’ll actually receive a message from that person who’s passed on. You’ll want to relay the message.’
She had a point, and Ken found it extremely annoying. It was as if she didn’t trust him to behave properly. And his classmates weren’t sympathetic either.
‘Do you understand what we’re saying, Ken?’ Madame asked.
He shrugged. ‘Whatever.’
But that evening he told his parents he was going to the library. Instead he went back to Cassandra’s apartment.
He got there early, but he wasn’t the first to arrive. Dahlia was already there, having an intense conversation with Cassandra.
‘I knew Cleopatra very well, you see. I was one of her handmaidens. And I told her over and over again, “Cleo, Mark Antony is worth a dozen Caesars.” But would she ever listen to me? That woman had a mind of her own. She could be so stubborn.’
He really didn’t want to get caught up in this conversation, and he was relieved when Stevie arrived next.
‘Hey, how ’s it going?’ he asked the younger boy .
Stevie didn’t look any more cheerful than he’d looked at the last seance.
‘OK, I guess,’ he said.‘Mom took Dad’s old clothes to a second-hand shop and sold them. We didn’t get much though.’ He smiled sadly. ‘It’s not like he wore designer clothes.’
Ken nodded sympathetically, and Stevie continued.
‘I’ve been trying to get a job delivering newspapers, but you have to be twelve and I’m only eleven.’ He looked at Ken hopefully. ‘Do you know anyone who would hire me? I’m very mature for my age. I could run errands, mow lawns, carry groceries …’
‘I’ll ask my mother,’ Ken promised him. ‘Listen, I get a pretty decent allowance. I could give you a few bucks …’
Stevie shook his head violently. ‘I won’t take charity,’ he stated firmly. Ken could see that he was trying to look older than his eleven years. It made Ken hurt inside. He wished the medium would pay more attention to the boy and less to the lady with the past lives. Dahlia just wanted to say hi to old friends but Stevie was in serious need of help.
Another woman walked in, and it took Ken a minute to realize she was Margaret. She looked completely different tonight. Her hair was shorter, she wore jeans, and she was – well, kind of pretty! He was amazed. Had that brief message from her mother completely changed her life?
Cassandra seemed very surprised to see her too. She ushered them all to the table, but she kept looking at Margaret with a puzzled expression.
They joined hands and the medium began. ‘Oh spirits, hear our fervent plea. We are in great need of your presence. Please speak with us tonight.’
The group was silent, and Ken concentrated very hard. Maybe something would happen for Stevie tonight.
‘A spirit is approaching,’ the medium said. ‘I am getting a message.’
Ken held his breath. Oh please, he thought, let it be Stevie’s father.
After a moment she added, ‘It’s a man,’ and his heart leapt. Come on, Mr Fisher, Stevie needs you.
Then Cassandra said,‘He’s carrying red roses,’ and Dahlia let out a squeal.
‘It’s Vladimir!’ she cried out. ‘He always brought me red roses.’
Ken opened his eyes. ‘Who’s Vladimir?’
‘My lover, in Russia,’ Dahlia said. ‘Before the Revolution. Does he have a message for me?’
‘Yes,’ Cassandra said. ‘He wants you to know he waits for you in eternity.’
‘Oh, how lovely,’ Dahlia said happily. ‘I have such wonderful memories of my time with Vladimir. I’m so happy to know he still thinks of me.’
Ken couldn’t help rolling his eyes, and then he realized Margaret was looking straight at him. And she was smiling! He was so surprised, he couldn’t even smile back at her. He closed his eyes.
The medium had more words from Vladimir for Dahlia – mushy stuff that almost made Ken blush. Finally Vladimir made an exit, and Cassandra was available to hear from another spirit.
‘Margaret, your mother is here.’
‘Oh, yeah?’
‘She wants to know if you’ve been taking your vitamins.’
‘Uh, sure.’
‘She wants you to know she’s watching you, Margaret.’
‘OK.’
‘And thinking about you.’
‘Great,’ Margaret said.‘Tell her I’m thinking about her too.’
Ken opened his eyes again. There was no sign of a tear on Margaret’s face. He noticed that, above the veils, the medium’s eyes were open too. Ken didn’t blame her. This was a completely different Margaret from the one they’d seen the previous Friday .
‘Well,’ Cassandra said finally, ‘your mother is very pleased to see you’re feeling better. She wants to say goodbye now.’
‘Bye, Mom,’ Margaret said.
The medium noticed that Ken’s eyes were open, and she frowned. Obediently, he closed them.
‘Someone else is coming,’ Cassandra said. ‘I think it may be Cleopatra, Dahlia.’
Ken uttered a silent groan. Where was Stevie’s father? Didn’t the man realize how desperately Stevie needed to talk to him?
He made a decision. As soon as the seance was over he was going to have a private conversation with the medium. Despite Madame’s warning, he was going to tell her about his gift.
Because together, if they joined forces, they just might be able to help Stevie.
Hey, man, what’s up?
Jack, not now! I’m in the middle of a seance. I ’m trying to concentrate!
But did you talk to Lucy? Did you tell her not to go out with Simon?
Yeah, I told her.
Thanks, pal. Look, could you do something else for me? You’ve still got my iPod, right? I left it at your place a couple of days before I died, remember?
I think so. Why?
Could you give it to Lucy for me? And tell her it’s from me?
OK, OK. Jack, listen, I gotta go. I really want to concentrate on
this seance.
Sure, man. See ya.
Ken opened his eyes for a minute, and realized that Cassandra’s eyes were open too. And she was looking straight at him. Maybe she’d sensed he hadn’t been paying attention. Obediently, he closed his eyes and thought about Stevie’s father.
But Cleopatra was the last dead person to speak to them that night.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AMANDA WAS RELIEVED WHEN the medium turned her attention to Dahlia. It wasn’t easy, pretending to talk to Margaret’s dead mother. Especially when she knew Margaret’s mother wasn’t dead at all.
What was Margaret up to anyway? She’d been in Margaret’s body for almost three days now, and she was no closer to an answer. But she wasn’t letting the question drive her crazy. She was having too much fun for that.
Bored with the conversation between Dahlia and Cleopatra, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift back, to remember and relive the very interesting weekend she’d just enjoyed …
Once she recovered from the shock of learning that Margaret wasn’t a drab, depressed woman with a dead mother, she explored the apartment to learn who she really was. Unfortunately, Margaret didn’t keep a diary – at least, Amanda couldn’t find one. There were photos – more of Margaret on the tropical beach, plus pictures of her at what looked like a party. She didn’t see any pictures of her alone with a guy, so she assumed Margaret didn’t have a current boyfriend. She was glad – it might be hard to fool a boyfriend into believing she was really Margaret. In fact, she decided it would be best to spend the next few days on her own, and try not to encounter any of Margaret’s close friends. After seeing the credit cards in the wallet, she knew she could have a very nice time all by herself.
After a good night’s sleep in Margaret’s comfy bed, Amanda woke feeling refreshed and ready to begin her new life as a twenty-five-year-old adult. Having watched a great many television series about young single women, she had some good ideas as to how she could spend the weekend.
From Margaret’s closet, she selected leggings, a tunic top and a pair of stilettos. It was the very first time she’d worn heels this high, and she felt positively glamorous. Once outside, she walked to the closest bus stop. She would have preferred to take a taxi, but she’d already made a dent in Margaret’s cash resources. There was a cash card in the wallet, but she didn’t know Margaret’s PIN code, so she would have to be careful with the money. It was a good thing she had the two credit cards.
A very good thing. Because her first stop was the Mall.
There were many shops she liked, but Unique Boutique was her favourite. It had the trendiest clothes in town, and a notice in the window assured her that Margaret’s credit cards would be accepted. She spent a few minutes just looking at the window displays, revelling in the knowledge she could have anything she wanted.
Did Margaret ever go to this store? she wondered. She doubted it – she hadn’t seen anything in her closet with the labels carried here. Unique Boutique was probably too expensive for Margaret. But that was what credit cards were for – to buy things you couldn’t afford, right?
It was funny – people thought Amanda’s family was rich and that she could have anything she wanted. This wasn’t exactly true. Maybe her parents were rich, but they didn’t spend all their money on her. And contrary to popular opinion, she wasn’t spoiled – at least, she didn’t consider herself spoiled. Her parents didn’t give her everything she wanted, like her own credit cards. She had to ask for stuff, and sometimes they said no. And she didn’t have many items from Unique Boutique.
But there was no one to say no to her today. She didn’t have to get anyone’s permission to buy anything. She could have it all.
Like that unbelievably cute slinky red party dress with the wide black belt … She could just hear her mother saying, ‘Amanda, you do not need another party dress.’ Amanda smiled happily and went into the store. She found the dress in her size, didn’t even look at the price tag, and headed to the dressing room.
There, she encountered an unusual problem. The dress didn’t fit. She couldn’t even do the zip up. What was going on here? She didn’t think she’d gained any weight …
Then it hit her and she groaned. Of course the dress wouldn’t fit her. She’d chosen the size that Amanda Beeson wore. Margaret was taller, wider in the hips and much bigger on top.
Well, it wasn’t such a terrible problem.All she had to do was change back into her clothes, return to the rack and pick out some larger sizes to take back to the dressing room to try on. But then something else occurred to her. Amanda Beeson wouldn’t be emerging from this spending spree with a new wardrobe, Margaret Robinson would.
It wasn’t like Amanda was going to be Margaret forever. She didn’t know how long she’d be in this body – she’d been in Tracey for two whole weeks, after all – but now, after three big bodysnatching experiences, she was pretty sure she’d be able to get back into herself when she wanted to get out of Margaret. All it seemed to take was a little physical shake-up. Just last month, a slip on a freshly waxed floor had got her out of Sarah. She planned to stay in Margaret until the other-Amanda got out of the hospital and recovered, and Margaret’s life stopped being interesting.
But the realization that Margaret would be keeping the fabulous clothes she bought had taken much of the joy out of her plans for the day. Maybe she could buy the clothes in her own size and figure out a way to take them with her when she returned to her own body. But that would be sort of like stealing …
In the end, she half-heartedly bought the slinky dress and a cashmere sweater. After another hour of wandering around the Mall, her feet hurt and she was forced to buy a pair of sneakers in Margaret’s size. Stilettos were not meant for shopping, she decided.
The day improved considerably when she decided to indulge in expensive treats that she could enjoy while she was in Margaret’s body. She went to an expensive salon and got a few more blonde streaks added to brighten Margaret’s hair. She treated herself to lunch at a chic café, and then went to her mother’s favourite day spa for a facial, a massage and a manicure. From there she went to the cosmetic counter at a major department store and had a complete makeover.
Then it was happy hour – at least according to those single-girl TV shows she watched. Changing into the slinky dress, she put the stilettos back on and went to a bar she’d read about in a magazine. The article said it was the hippest place in town.
She liked the look of the bar – all black and silver and glass. It was elegant and stylish. The customers looked nice too, well-dressed and good-looking. There were little pedestal tables with high stools alongside them, and behind the bar, a very handsome man was mixing drinks.
Amanda went to the bar and sat on a stool. The bartender smiled at her and asked, ‘What can I get you?’
She hadn’t even considered what she’d drink. She’d look like an idiot if she ordered a Coke or orange juice or something like that in this kind of place. They might not even have drinks like that here.
Back home, her parents sometimes had a glass of wine with dinner, and her father had let her taste his wine a couple of times. She’d never really liked the taste – sort of like grape juice, but sour. Maybe now that she was in an adult’s body she might like it.
‘I’d like a glass of wine, please,’ she said.
‘Sure, what kind? A white wine? We’ve got a fruity Chardonnay, and a nice crisp Chablis. Or a Pinot Grigio, if you like that. It’s very dry.’
Amanda just stared at him blankly.
‘Would you prefer a red?’ he asked. ‘We have an excellent Merlot, and a hearty Burgundy.’
This was way too complicated. Amanda thought frantically. What did her father order in restaurants, before the meal?
‘Um, I changed my mind. I’d like a Martini, please. Very dry.’
‘Coming up,’ the bartender said.
Amanda looked around. A man sitting alone at one of the high tables caught her eye. To her surpri
se, he grinned and winked at her. It made her distinctly uncomfortable. He was old – at least thirty. What was he doing, winking at a fourteen-year-old?
He doesn’t know you’re fourteen years old, she reminded herself. Quickly, she looked away. The bartender set a frosted glass with a long stem in front of her.
‘One very dry Martini,’ he announced. ‘I threw in two olives. No extra charge.’ Then he winked at her. All this winking was giving her the creeps. And she hated olives. When the bartender wasn’t looking, she fished them out with her fingers. Then she held the drink to her lips and took a tentative sip.
It was disgusting. How did adults drink these things? It was all she could do not to gag.
Suddenly, she realized that the man who had winked at her earlier had come to the bar. There were several empty places, but he took the stool right next to her.
‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Good to see you again.’
Oh no! It was somebody who knew Margaret. She should never have gone to a bar so near Margaret’s apartment.
‘Um, nice to see you too,’ she murmured.
His eyebrows went up and he seemed pleased. ‘Yeah? The way you blew me off last time, I didn’t think you’d be so happy to see me.’
He whistled to the bartender and indicated Amanda’s Martini. ‘I’ll have one of these,’ he said. ‘And put them both on my tab.’
Amanda’s brow furrowed. ‘You don’t have to pay for my drink. I’ve got my own money.’
‘My treat,’ the man said. ‘Now, let’s get to know each other.’
Amanda fumbled in Margaret’s bag, and took out what she hoped would be a large enough banknote.
‘No, thank you,’ she said quickly, putting it on the bar. ‘I have to go.’
‘You just got here!’The man’s protests rang in her ears as she fled the bar. OK, maybe she wasn’t ready for this kind of adult life.
But she still had the credit cards, and she’d found another card in Margaret’s wallet – a video-club membership. She could still be an adult, in a different way. She used the credit card to buy food she normally never ate – fried chicken wings, French fries and sugar-packed soft drinks. Microwave popcorn with butter. And real ice cream, not that reduced-fat stuff they always had at home. For once in her life she didn’t have to worry about gaining weight – these calories weren’t going into her body!