“You’re over sixty-five, right? Sorry, Gramps! And how do you plan to stop her? Run her down with your wheelchair?”
He walked toward me, calm and collected, until he stopped a few inches away. “The world is changing as we speak, and you’re cracking jokes.”
“Or truth. Either you way you look at it, the truth sucks.”
“Tell me about the fire you mentioned.”
“You know how Spider-Man slings webs? I can do the same thing with fire.”
“Intriguing!” He gave that some thought. “Perhaps we can burn Lorraine alive.”
“Yeah, I’ll bring the chocolate. You get the marshmallows and Grams crackers.” But the stab at lighthearted humor made me cry inside. I just didn’t know how to handle losing her.
Darius couldn’t stave off a partial grin.
Obviously, he didn’t feel the same sense of loss that I did. “Oh, he does have a sense of humor. Good to know. So I have to believe you were kidding when you considered murdering my grandmother!”
“We must consider all options.”
“But killing Grams isn’t one of them. Can Zephora perform magic in Grams’s body?”
“Yes. Once she fuses with it.”
“And after that, she’s virtually unstoppable?”
He nodded. “Perhaps now you can grasp why I suggested death by fire.”
“I can’t burn Grams’s body! I just…can’t.”
“All right. Have you discovered your other abilities?”
“I can astral project, which is basically like being invisible. So yeah, great ‘gift!’”
He stared at me, nonplussed. “That is a big deal. In fact, it’s unprecedented.”
I shrugged, feeling like I’d been saddled with a second-hand superpower.
“But you can be anyplace, at any time. You’re basically omnipotent.”
“So I can watch as people pluck their nose hairs or floss? Look out Batman: there’s a new superhero in Gotham!”
“You can oversee what Zephora plans to do…and try to stop her.”
“But I can only astral project when I’m asleep. What do you expect me to do: sleep my life away? Besides, we can’t stop her.”
A bell dinged as the door opened, revealing Kendall as she led Brandon into the shop. “Nirvana changed the musical landscape. They ushered in Grunge. Guns N’ Roses didn’t change music.”
“Are you kidding me?” asked Brandon, irritated. “The Gunners brought rock back from hair metal. They wore T-shirts and jeans, not spandex and make-up. Rock music is about attitude. It’s about fighting against uniformity. Nirvana had both, I’ll give you that, but rock stars put on a show. The Gunners did that. Nirvana? Are you kidding me? Kurt Cobain stared at the floor and screamed into the microphone. That’s not putting on a show. That’s not fun. That’s depressing. Just like their music.”
“Kurt Cobain was brilliant. He wrote poetry and—”
“I’m not denying that. And I’m okay with the band recording some depressing songs. There’s a place for that in rock n’ roll, but I want to lift people up. I want them to forget their troubles. I want them to have fun. That’s what metal is all about.”
Kendall was about to respond but caught sight of me and Darius and stopped short, extracting a hand and holding it out like a tollgate, stopping Brandon behind her.
“It’s all right,” I said, “Darius was boring me with his interpretation of the history of witchcraft.”
Kendall, raising her eyebrows, glowered as though she’d just walked in on a lecture of the history of the world. “We should go.”
“No!” I said, leaving Darius behind. “We need your help.”
“Told you,” said Brandon, walking past Kendall and heading down an aisle. “Does Grams ever make any sales?” He picked up a silver platter and checked out his hair in its reflection. “This has been here since we met.” He blew on the plate and a puff of dust blew into the air, causing him to draw back.
I hadn’t told either Brandon or Kendall about Grams’s debilitated state, mostly because I didn’t want them to worry, but also because I knew they’d want to talk about it, and I already spent enough time worrying about her. Of course, she hadn’t truly left me, but the Alzheimer’s had so deteriorated her mental faculties that the grandmother I knew and loved had already moved on.
As much as I hated to admit it, I had only recently passed the stage of denial and had slipped into a phase of anger that came as quickly as it disappeared. Over the past couple months, I felt so ashamed and embarrassed by these irrational feelings that I had isolated myself from my two best friends.
“So,” Brandon said, approaching Darius. “You’re pale, sure, but other than that, I don’t get a vampire vibe from him.”
Darius quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve met other vampires?”
“Well, no, because they don’t exist.”
“Of course.” A glimmer of a smile tugged on his lip before it disappeared a moment later.
“Are you a master vampire? Been around for hundreds of years?”
Darius nodded.
“You can probably kill a fly with chopsticks and stuff?”
Darius didn’t respond.
“Mr. Miyagi? The Karate Kid?” With nothing forthcoming, Brandon shook his head, incredulous. “Aw, come on. The original is a 80s classic. How about The Lost Boys? Kiefer Sutherland as a kickass vampire: you must’ve seen that one, right?”
Unblinking, Darius just stared at the young man standing opposite him.
“Wait, that’s not your badass expression, is it? Because, if it is, dude, Kiefer Sutherland’s character would kick your ass in a—”
A gust of air hit Brandon’s face, and he wavered for a moment before glancing on either side of him. “Where did he go?” He whirled around, saw Darius standing behind him, and jerked back, shocked. He put a hand to his chest. “Whoa!”
Darius extended his arm to reveal a wallet in his palm.
“That’s so sad.” Brandon accepted his wallet. “You have super strength and super speed, you can hook up with every hot chick on the planet, and you’ve dedicated your life to becoming a…pickpocket?”
Exasperated, Darius shook his head.
“Lofty career goal,” Brandon said. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s a noble calling…when you could be bleeding people dry.” He shrugged. “I just didn’t expect you to be bleeding them of their cash. But I guess even vampires have to pay the mortgage.”
“Correction: I’m vampiric.”
“Dude, you’re a vampire. Deal with it!”
“I’ve scoured the globe for vampires, and from every indication, I’m the last one. But even then…one is too much.”
“Ah, so you’re a suicidal vampire? Kind of redundant, isn’t it? I mean, you’re already dead.” He cleared his throat. “Darius,” he said in the typical voiceover tone heard during 30-second movie trailers. “He’s slain thousands, and he’s back in…Dead and Deader. And next year, don’t miss him in the conclusion to the saga: Deader and…Deadest!”
“You fancy yourself quite the comedian. How painstaking for those of us with a sense of humor.”
“Whoa!” Brandon chuckled. “I get it: pain...staking!” He lifted a hand for a high-five.
“Only I’m very much alive. And I plan on doing my job.” Darius’s gaze found mine. “Protecting Serena’s grandmother.”
“Is she in danger?” asked Kendall.
With a glance, Darius deferred to me on that one. I appreciated the respect; since Kendall and Brandon had regarded Grams as a pseudo-grandmother, they would have disliked a stranger explaining that he couldn’t have prevented what had happened to Grams.
“Is that a yes?” Kendall asked.
I told them about the seriousness of Grams’s disease and how another witch had pushed aside Grams’s spirit and had taken control of her body. Through it all, I spoke in a distant tone, trying to push my emotions aside. If I let myself feel the anger that I’d shoved to the outskirts of my mind, I’d la
sh out at all three of them. And what good would that do?
“Unbelievable,” said Kendall.
“I know,” I admitted.
“No,” she said. “I meant that’s why you’ve been so secretive lately.” She turned to Brandon and set her gaze on mine again. “We thought it was because you were finishing school. You know: finals and all that. But you’ve been keeping this from us?”
“I’m sorry.” Regret crept into my heart. “I should’ve told you—”
“Are you okay?” asked Kendall, walking up and embracing me.
Expecting an angry outburst, but instead receiving lips that quivered with sadness, I appreciated that Kendall set aside her irritation and supported me when I needed it most.
Brandon, who usually gave way to reticence rather than sensitivity due to his abusive upbringing, sauntered over and wrapped an arm around both of our shoulders, locking the three of us in a tight embrace.
“Wow,” I said, shocked that Brandon would give way to sentimentality. Deep down, he had a kind heart, but he often circumvented that trait by relying on humor to conceal his emotions, not unlike me.
“Hey, I have feelings, too, you know.” He stood silent for a couple seconds. “Besides, this increases my chances for a threesome tonight, right?”
I immediately broke away from them with a big smile. I loved Brandon like a brother, and he regarded me as the sibling he never had, but since he’d always been quick to hug me or throw an arm around me, Kendall’s suspicious mind told me that she always wondered if he masked a secret crush on me…because he never treated her with that type of affection. If she looked deeper, however, she would have noticed that our easy-going relationship was built on a buddy-type foundation rather than a romantic one. His threesome comment, however, didn’t help matters.
Case in point: Kendall glanced back and forth between me and Brandon.
During her freshman year of college, she made me promise not to tell Brandon about her feelings, and since then she’d become a master at hiding the truth, which had always wrecked other potential relationships because no man could live up to the man of her dreams.
Nevertheless, we’d never engaged in a group hug. Their warmhearted display sliced deep, reaching sentimentality that, until now, I’d refused to acknowledge. It triggered a thought that I’d lost Grams forever, regardless of whether or not Zephora abandoned her host.
Unable to disregard my fear that Grams’s absence would result in a solitary life, my legs wobbled as the strength inside me vanished. Still, I wouldn’t allow tears to surface. As much as I welcomed my friends’ support, it made me accept the truth: I’d soon lose the only family member I’d ever had, at least until I’d learned of my…other family.
Instead of thinking about my birth mother and my sister, I focused on my niece. I’d grown up with an affectionate and attentive grandmother, whereas Celestina had been raised by a cold, calculating grandmother and an alcoholic mother. She needed the support that I’d received as a child. She needed someone who cared about her and loved her.
Since we shared an immediate connection based on fondness and trust, I wanted to protect Celestina so she wouldn’t succumb to the cynicism and loneliness that had removed the humanity from the women who cared for her. Our budding relationship reminded me of the way Grams had related to me: honest and respectful, tough but nurturing, all the while providing guidance, steadfast loyalty, and trust.
What better way to honor Grams’s dedication and devotion than to treat Celestina that same way? Although I’d only seen her twice, I knew that she was starved for kindness and attention, and I wanted her to know what it felt like when someone loved her. Having come to that conclusion, not to mention acknowledging how much I feared losing Grams and knowing how much it would hurt when she finally left, I found that the tears in my eyes had dried because fully opening up myself to the weight of loss was too unwieldy.
“Okay,” said Brandon, stepping away from us. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” He turned to me. “So we’ve got witches and vampires. Any other creatures or monsters out there we need to know about?”
I smiled at Kendall to express my gratitude for her understanding and sympathy then turned to Darius, only to find him looking at Brandon with a quizzical expression. The slightest movement tugged his upper lip in disgust.
“What’s wrong?” I asked Darius, drawn in by his aversion to Brandon.
“Nothing.” The other end of his mouth turned up in distaste before flattening. “Nothing at all.”
I now saw curiosity and…uncertainty in his eyes. I didn’t know what to make of it, but I also knew that he wouldn’t explain whatever disturbed him.
“So how do we help Grams?” asked Kendall.
“I don’t think we can,” I said, wishing I didn’t have to utter those words. “When she appeared last night, she seemed to think that all hope was lost because of the Alzheimer’s.”
“But we can’t just give up,” said Brandon. “We can’t just let Zephora take over.”
I also hated the idea of letting that vicious witch remain inside Grams’s body, of giving others the impression that Grams made future decisions of her own volition. But how could I stop her?
“You could kill her,” said Darius.
“This again? You’re supposed to help and protect her.”
“She’s not your grandmother. She’s not the person who visited you last night. Do you think she’d want another person to walk around in her body?”
I rushed over and shoved him. Darius didn’t even reel on the balls of his feet from the blow, so I pounded a fist against his chest. But even that hadn’t affected him, although it felt like I’d slammed my fist into iron. “How dare you?”
“She’d want this,” said Darius, reaching out and taking hold of my arms. “Look deep inside yourself. Would she be happy with a mind and body that’s no longer recognizable?”
I struggled to escape his grasp, escape his words, and escape from the truth, but his vice-like grip made that impossible.
“She cares for you too much to suggest it,” he said.
The jingle above the shop door dinged, drawing my attention to…Zephora, who led Delphine, Alexis, and Celestina into the shop. My heart lurched at the sight of what should have been Grams, followed by a mother who respected my power but distrusted me, a sister who would enjoy killing me, and a niece that…reminded me of myself at an earlier age.
“Well, hello, darling,” said Zephora with a sunny smile as she and my immediate family stood opposite my friends and I. “You have something I treasure, and I shall not take leave until I possess it!”
CHAPTER TEN
“What do you want?” I asked, glancing from Delphine to Celestina and back again to Zephora, who had inhabited my grandmother’s body. I didn’t trust any of them, and since I couldn’t offer even a respectable fight against their powers, I tensed my arms and thighs to prevent them from quaking and giving away the knowledge that I had no idea how to deal with my family.
Zephora seemed to grasp my uneasiness; her grin became bolder, more arrogant. She set her gaze on Darius. “Well, hello.”
He tried but failed to ignore her gaze. He nodded.
“It has been quite some time, has it not?”
Darius nodded again, this time managing to look elsewhere.
“You look well. Do you…feel well?”
He nodded again, refusing to meet her eye.
“I cannot blame you for attempting to disregard my words, although I do suspect you would think otherwise, given a good enough reason.” She sighed, disappointed, then she looked at me. “We seek The Book of Souls.”
“Well go ‘seek’ it somewhere else. I’m busy.”
A patronizing expression took shape on her face. “If you hand over the item in question, we shall take leave, and you shall never again lay eyes upon me.”
“I told you; I don’t know anything about—”
Delphine broke ranks and walked down an aisle, ch
ecking out the items on either row.
I doubted that my mother was interested in anything on our shelving units. More likely, she strolled down the aisle to distract me and increase my anxiety. Even though she couldn’t harm me, her strategy worked better than she’d ever know.
“If you do not retrieve it,” Zephora said, “You will leave me no choice but to resort to…less than docile endeavors.” A pleasant smile lit her features. “I prefer not to engage in matters that would put me in direct conflict with my beliefs.”
Alexis chuckled.
Zephora issued a glare that made my sister direct her sarcasm and gaze elsewhere. “Karma is impossible to outrun.” She looked at me again as though prepared to disclose a secret. “I subscribe to Buddhist beliefs.”
“And I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly.” I didn’t trust her claim that she’d rather not get violent. “So where does that leave us?”
Although I had to watch Zephora, I also had to keep an eye on my sister, considering that she’d have no internal conflict jabbing a knife into my heart. When I looked her way, I found her giving Brandon a flirtatious smile. One quick glance at my bandmate revealed that he allowed what hung below his waist to think for him. And judging by the snarl on Kendall’s face, she didn’t appreciate the competition.
I did not need this potential romantic triangle to unfold right now. “Hey,” I said to Brandon, trying to snap him out of his state of mind. “She can read your mind.”
Brandon grinned and turned his head toward me, but his eyes didn’t follow. They remained on Alexis. “Yeah? What am I thinking right now?”
“Ooh,” Alexis said with a seductive smile on her lips. “You’re a naughty boy, aren’t you? But can you back that up?”
“You know I can.”
“But what would your old lady think?” Alexis turned her gaze on Kendall. “Oh, too bad! She doesn’t approve of me.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” said Brandon, neglecting Kendall. “We’re just friends.” Then after a second, he appeared to have momentarily lost his confidence and added, “Best friends, right?” he asked her.
The animosity on Kendall’s face vanished. “Of course.”
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