“So the spark between him and that woman hasn’t faded?” Marcus had figured a match that hadn’t been an actual assignment would probably fizzle out after a day or two.
“Well, it did,” Lena said slowly. “So I recharged it a little.”
“You what?” Marcus cried. Then he looked around, realizing kids were staring at them. He ducked his head and whispered, “Why would you do that?”
“You should have seen how sad my dad was when Marguerite started ignoring him. I had to do something.”
“But rezapping could make things worse! If it turns out they’re not a love match, when the spark fades, your dad will come crashing down and be even more miserable.”
Lena’s face paled. “See, this is why I need your help! Then I can stop doing dumb things like making my dog fall in love with a squirrel.”
Marcus let out a startled laugh. “Your dog did what?”
Lena shook her head. “Don’t ask. It’s so embarrassing. I saw him gathering nuts this morning.” He laughed again, which finally made her smile a little. “I guess it is kind of funny. But I can’t keep doing stuff like that. So will you meet me after school today or not?”
“All right, I’ll help you,” Marcus said. Who knew how much she’d want to hang out with him after Eddie found a way to swap their powers back? She might kiss him one more time at the party tomorrow night and then—zap—never speak to him again.
The thought stabbed at him. Before he and Lena had started spending so much time together, he’d been consumed with getting her to notice him. But now that they were friends, his feelings felt like more than just a crush. The truth was, now that Grandpa Joe was sick, she was the only person he could really talk to.
“Okay. Meet me in the back field after school,” Lena said. Then she gave him another smile and hurried down the hall.
Marcus’s heart lifted. He didn’t need to consult Grandpa’s book to know what had just happened. He and Lena had finally planned their first date.
Chapter 23
The back field wasn’t even really a field. It was more of a swamp on which kids sometimes had to play soccer during gym class. As Lena waited for Marcus to meet her for the second day in a row, she spotted Brent Adamson and a couple of his friends cutting across the field on their way home.
As Brent turned his head toward her, Lena could tell the exact moment when he caught sight of her. He froze in his tracks, leaned over, and threw up all over the grass. His friends jumped away from him as if he’d turned radioactive.
Lena quickly ducked behind the bleachers so he wouldn’t see her anymore. She kept hoping that the spell on Brent would fade, but until then, she’d have to keep trying to stay out of sight.
Funnily enough, even if everything got reversed at Connie’s party tonight and Lena could start focusing on her coming-of-age checklist again, she had to admit that she had no interest in kissing Brent or going on a date with him anymore. Not when she’d seen so much disgusting stuff coming out of his plump lips.
In fact, she was starting to wonder if kissing Brent would have been nearly as nice as kissing Marcus had been. Even if that kiss in Connie Reynolds’s closet had been the first step to a whole disastrous roller coaster, it had been pretty nice. Despite all the crazy stuff that had happened the past few days, she was glad she’d gotten to know Marcus better. There was a lot more to him than the shy, awkward guy she’d known since elementary school.
Her cheeks started to burn as she spotted Marcus coming toward her across the field. Would he be able to tell by the look on her face that she’d been thinking about him?
Just in case, she grabbed the large plastic bag she’d brought and shoved it at him. “I made this for you. Or really, for your grandpa. I figured it might be cold at the nursing home.” After he’d finally told her about his grandpa being sick yesterday after school, Lena had been desperate to do something to help. Finally, she’d started working on a blue-and-white quilt with an intricate pattern that made her think of constellations.
“Wow, thanks. You made this in one night?” he asked.
Lena shrugged. “If I’d done it by hand, it would have taken longer, but with a sewing machine, it’s not so bad.”
“You’re really good at this quilting stuff, huh?” he said.
She shrugged and plucked a blade of grass. “My mom taught me when I was little. We used to make them together. I guess I’m just in the habit now.”
“Do you ever get to see your mom?” he asked.
“She comes to visit around Christmas, but that usually makes things worse. It always makes my dad depressed.” Lena wound the grass around her finger. “Maybe this year, if my dad and Marguerite are still together, it won’t be so bad. I’ve been meaning to ask you. How often would I have to zap my dad to keep him happy?”
Marcus gawked at her. “You’re going to do it again? I told you that it could make everything worse.”
“I’m not saying I will do it,” she said, casting the piece of grass aside. “But I want to know, in case I have to.” She couldn’t let her dad’s gray aura come back dark and thick like it had been. Now that she knew it was there, she couldn’t pretend it wasn’t, not even after her powers went back to normal.
Marcus sighed and pulled a book out of his bag. “Here’s the matchmaking manual. It should explain everything. Basically, if the spark is still strong in one of the people, then sometimes if they spend more time together, you don’t have to do anything. But if the spark goes out in both of them, you’re pretty much starting from scratch.” His forehead wrinkled. “Are you sure your dad and this woman are meant to be together?”
“Like soul mates?” Lena snorted. Then she saw the hurt look on Marcus’s face. “Sorry. They’re both scientists, they like the same kind of food, and they even watch the same boring old TV shows. That has to mean they’re a good match, right?”
“It depends. Common interests are good, but then there’s the whole ‘opposites attract’ theory. You never really know what makes people click.”
She sighed. “I guess I’ll try to make them spend a lot of time together and hopefully they’ll grow on each other. Okay, your turn.”
“My turn?” Marcus looked at her in alarm.
“Yeah, what do you want to know about soul collecting? Did you read the manual I gave you?”
“Um, not yet. To be honest, I’ve been kind of distracted. I still keep hearing a cat meowing.”
Lena frowned. “Really? Do you hear it now?”
Marcus sat down on the grass and seemed to listen for a moment. “There!” he said finally, pointing to some bushes near the bleachers. “It’s like it’s haunting me!”
For a second, Lena thought she could hear a faint sound too. Then it faded away. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully. “I guess it’s possible,” she said slowly. “Tell me again what happened when you took its soul.”
He sighed and started going over the details again. When he got to the part about realizing his fingers were glowing, Lena held up her hand. “Wait,” she said. “So your energy didn’t disappear into the cat, right? Your fingers were still glowing after it ran into the bushes?”
“Um, I guess so. I don’t really remember.”
“That explains it! You didn’t totally release its soul. You only gave it a little nudge. Maybe that means it’s still alive. But it was so sick when you found it, it probably didn’t have long anyway.” Lena gasped as she suddenly noticed the ground next to him. “Um, Marcus?”
He glanced down and yelped at the sight of a perfect circle of dead grass that had formed around him. Meanwhile, the rest of the field was still bright green.
“This is crazy!” he said, jumping to his feet. “I can’t go around killings things.”
“Marcus,” Lena said, reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t touch me!” he cried. “Do yo
u want me to hurt you too?”
“Whoa.” Lena held up her hands in surrender. Obviously, he wanted to be left alone. So she wandered away and slowly approached the bushes near the bleachers where Marcus had heard meowing. She bent down and made little clicking noises with her tongue, holding her hand out like she was offering the creature a treat.
She held her breath as the bushes seemed to rustle a little. And then, something emerged from them. It wasn’t a cat. It wasn’t even really a thing. It was more like a glimmer of light shimmering through the air. She could tell by Marcus’s wide eyes that he could see it too.
Chapter 24
Marcus stared at the glowing ghost cat. Then he suddenly found himself laughing with relief. He’d been so worried that he’d accidentally killed the creature, it hadn’t occurred to him that its soul might still be around. Lena was right. The cat wouldn’t have lived long after he’d found it. He’d tried to help it and he’d failed, but maybe he was being given a second chance now.
“Come here, kitty,” he said softly, making clicking sounds like he’d heard Lena do. The little ball of light seemed to take a couple of hesitant steps toward him.
Then Marcus’s phone started to ring, and the flicker of light disappeared back into the shrubbery.
Marcus sighed and pulled the phone out of his bag. He plugged up his nose so he wouldn’t smell the Cajun spices and answered it.
“Eddie, I was just thinking I should call you,” he said through his nose. “What can you tell me about ghost animals? I’m pretty sure I have a ghost cat following me around. How do I help it?”
“A ghost cat?” Eddie chuckled. “That is not something you hear every day. Well, animal souls are different from human souls. They don’t need someone to send them to the After. The cat’s soul will stay around until it gets bored, and then it will curl up somewhere and move on. Easy as that.”
“Really?” Marcus’s chest lightened. He hadn’t doomed the cat to an eternity of wandering the world as a ghost.
“But listen, kid,” Eddie said, his voice growing oddly quiet. “Have you got a minute?”
“Um, sure,” Marcus said. He held his phone away for a second so he could suck in a breath of nonspicy air.
“You okay? You sound funny.”
“Yup!”
“So look,” Eddie said, his words slow and careful. “I have an assignment for you today. A soul collection.”
“What? But you said I wouldn’t have to do any of those.”
“I know, kid, but the boss lady is losing patience. I’ll send you the details, but…” He cleared his throat. “Look, I am sorry about this. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.” Then, before Marcus could say anything else, he hung up the phone.
“Eddie!” Marcus called, his hand falling away from his nose. Instantly, the spicy smell shot up his nostrils, and he started to cough.
“What happened?” Lena asked.
“Eddie said”—cough!—“I have to”—cough!—“do a collection.” Cough! After he’d shoved the phone in his pocket, the coughing attack finally faded. “He said he was sorry, but I don’t care how sorry he is. I’m not going to do it!”
“If it’s a sleeper, it might not be that bad,” Lena said. “The person doesn’t even know what’s happening.”
Just then, Marcus’s phone beeped, and he glanced at it, keeping it as far away from his face as possible. He expected it to be a message from Eddie, but it was one from his mom: Grandpa is in the hospital. Can you get here right away?
Marcus gasped.
“What is it?” Lena asked.
He couldn’t speak. Instead, he showed her the message, his hands shaking. He’d known this moment was coming—dreaded it—but that hadn’t prepared him for how much it hurt.
His phone beeped again. This time it was a message from Eddie with the information about his new assignment.
The address of the hospital flashed across the screen. And then a name, one Marcus knew all too well. Joseph Marcus Fierro.
Grandpa Joe.
Chapter 25
Marcus was still in a daze as he and Lena made a quick stop at his house before heading to the hospital. His parents had wanted him to come right away, but he’d had to pick up the moon ship first. He’d finally finished the model last night, deciding to take a piece from one of his other ones to complete it. Almost as if he’d known that he was running out of time. He also slipped Grandpa’s book into his pocket, knowing its presence would make him feel better.
As they hurried toward the hospital, he glanced at the time and sucked in a breath. It had been more than a half hour since his mom’s message. He hoped Grandpa was still…
Marcus shook his head. No. He’d get to the hospital and see that Grandpa was fine and that the message Eddie had sent him was some kind of mistake.
He was so consumed by his thoughts that he barely noticed they were passing by Caspar Brown’s house. Then he heard that unmistakable ape voice.
“Hey, Dumpus!”
Lena started to turn around, but Marcus shook his head. “Keep walking,” he said.
“Hey, where are you going?” Caspar called after them.
“Ignore him,” Marcus muttered, but he couldn’t help the sinking feeling inside him. Why had he gotten careless? If they’d gone a different way, they could have avoided this.
“You can’t run from Caspar forever, you know,” Lena said.
That was easy for her to say, but what was he supposed to do?
It seemed like they were finally safe when Marcus felt someone grab his jacket from behind. Caspar yanked him backward and spun him around. “Why are you ignoring me?” he asked. “I was just trying to talk to you.”
“Well, he doesn’t want to talk to you,” Lena said.
Caspar laughed. “You’re having your girlfriend stand up for you now? Does she go digging around in the trash with the rest of your family?”
“Shut up,” Marcus said, but Caspar only laughed again. Then his eyes lit up.
“What’s that in your pocket?” He snatched Grandpa Joe’s book before Marcus could stop him.
“No!” Marcus cried.
“What kind of crappy book is this?” Caspar asked, leafing through it. “It’s like a million years old.”
“Be careful with that. It’s an antique,” Lena said.
Caspar’s grin widened. Then he took a step toward the pond, and Marcus knew what was going to happen. His book was going to wind up at the bottom like his phone had, and no amount of spicy rice would ever make it okay again.
“No,” Marcus said, his body suddenly pulsing with anger. No one was going to ruin Grandpa’s book, no matter how enormous he was. He took a step forward onto the grass and then another. “Give that back now.”
Caspar’s grin only grew bigger. “Or what?”
Suddenly, Marcus heard a strange crackling sound coming from his feet. He glanced down to see that all the grass around him, every single blade, had shriveled up and died.
Caspar’s smile vanished. “How did you do that?”
“I-I didn’t,” Marcus stammered, but it was too late to deny it. His secret—at least part of it—was out. Marcus’s first instinct was to make a run for it. Maybe if he got far enough away, Caspar would think he’d imagined the whole thing. But one look at Caspar’s face told him that the bully would never let him forget this.
“I knew you were some kind of freak,’” Caspar said, his gaze still on the dead grass around Marcus’s feet.
Then something rustled in the bushes, and Marcus heard a pitiful meow. A second later, a ball of light darted out of the bushes and rushed at Caspar. The boy didn’t see it coming, but as it collided with his leg, he howled as if he’d been zapped with electricity.
“What was that?” Caspar asked, jumping back. Then he whirled around, clearly trying to find his atta
cker.
Lena and Marcus exchanged looks as the cat turned back for another pass.
“If you keep messing with me,” Marcus said, his voice sounding stronger in his ears than it ever had before, “you’ll find out. Now give me the book back.”
Caspar’s eyes doubled in size, and he let the book drop to the ground. Lena scrambled to grab it off the concrete. Thanks to its new quilted cover, the book looked unharmed.
“You…you’re such a…” But for once, Caspar couldn’t seem to come up with an insult. And when the cat let out another yowl, Caspar yelped in fear and scurried back toward his house.
“Good kitty,” Marcus whispered as he watched the bully’s front door slam shut behind him.
At that moment, his phone started buzzing in his pocket, telling Marcus he was running out of time before his assignment. He swallowed the sick feeling in his throat and turned to Lena. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time to stop running.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Chapter 26
Lena stopped in the hospital lobby and glanced over to find Marcus frozen in front of the elevator. He’d been eerily quiet since their encounter with Caspar, but now he suddenly looked like a panicked animal.
“It’ll be okay,” she told him, pressing the elevator button.
“I can’t do this!” he erupted. “I thought I could stop running from stuff, but this… It’s too much, Lena. I can’t!”
When the elevator door opened, Lena went inside, but Marcus didn’t move. “You have to at least go see him, don’t you?” she asked.
Marcus’s shoulders drooped, but he followed after her. They came out on the fifth floor, directly in front of a room with the words “O. Monroe” written on a whiteboard by the door.
“Hey, look,” Lena whispered. “Do you think that could be Olivia?”
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