She smiled. “Maybe it’s not always pretend. Maybe sometimes it’s real.”
Just then, someone whistled nearby, and a second later, Eddie rolled up on a pair of sleek, silver roller skates. “Well?” he asked. “Any luck?”
They shook their heads, and he let out an annoyed grunt. “Well, shoot,” he said. “The boss lady is not going to be happy. Your erratic powers are staring to cause a chain reaction. I heard about a couple in France who fell into hate with each other instead of love! And our soul collection numbers are completely off for this time of year.”
“Then what do we do?” Marcus asked.
Eddie’s shoulders sagged. “I honestly don’t know. If this did not work, then…”
“We’re stuck like this,” Lena said, even though she knew they were all thinking it.
“Does that mean we’ll never be able to touch anyone again without worrying about hurting them?” Marcus asked.
“And that every time we mess up, even more people might get hurt?” Lena asked. Seeing Professor playing house with a squirrel was bad enough, not to mention everything that had happened with her dad and with Brent, but if people all over the world were starting to suffer because of her mistakes, that was too much to handle.
“I won’t give up, okay?” Eddie said, chewing on his lip. “There has to be something we haven’t tried yet.”
Lena could tell he was trying to be positive, but it all sounded hopeless.
Chapter 29
Marcus couldn’t remember the last time his family had all had breakfast together. Normally, his dad and Ann-Marie were at the track before dawn, practicing. And usually their kitchen table was covered in uniforms and protein bars and sports magazines. But this morning, Marcus and his family sat at the kitchen table, eating pancakes and talking about what Grandpa would have wanted for his funeral.
After Marcus had come home last night, he’d finally gotten up the courage to throw away the terrarium in his room. He didn’t need it to remind him of his turtle, not when he had years of memories to tap into. When his mom had seen what he’d done, she’d given him a sad smile and said, “Maybe we all need to declutter our lives a little.” Then she’d moved some of the junk out of the basement so that his dad could bring a few of the weight machines downstairs. Now the house was neater than it had been in years. Marcus had even spotted one of his own school pictures hanging on a wall that used to be hidden by a treadmill.
He also seemed to have a new pet in his life. All morning, he’d been hearing meowing. And now, as he sat at breakfast, he felt the ghost cat rubbing up against his leg. That was certainly going to take some getting used to.
“I’m going to cut a bunch of roses from my garden for the memorial service,” Ann-Marie announced when they were done eating. Marcus expected her to complain that her prized red roses were gone thanks to him, but she only added, “Grandpa always said the pink ones were his favorite.”
“That’s a lovely idea,” his mom said. “Do you want to help her, Marcus?”
“I have to go meet Lena for a little while, but I’ll help when I get back.”
“You really like this girl, don’t you?” his mom asked.
He stared down at his empty plate, sure that his ears were turning red.
“Aw, leave the boy alone,” his dad said. “He can have his secrets.”
Marcus practically fell out of his chair to hear his dad standing up for him. Maybe after everything that had happened yesterday, he’d gained a little respect for his son. Or, more likely, he was glad that Marcus was finally showing an interest in girls.
When breakfast was over, Marcus went to get ready. He was relieved to see that the bruises on his face had finally faded and that he looked like himself again. As he ran a comb through his hair, he heard meowing coming from outside his bedroom door. He opened the door, and a flicker of light came bounding into his room and hopped up on his bed.
Marcus watched as it curled up on his pillow and then lay motionless. A moment later, he thought he could hear faint purring. A ghost cat wasn’t exactly the kind of pet he’d always dreamed of, but the creature had had a tough life when it had been alive. Why not give it a good home while its soul was still here? At least he didn’t have to worry about remembering to feed it or his sister being allergic like she was to regular cats.
He grabbed Grandpa Joe’s dating book and slipped it into his pocket, desperate to have part of Grandpa with him today. Then he gave himself one more check in the mirror and headed out to the park to meet Lena.
A few minutes later, when Marcus got to the bench where he’d first seen Olivia, a shiver went through him. He still had that dangerous power inside him. If he messed up, someone else might get hurt. But he’d also used it to help others. He would have to remember that when he got too freaked out.
“You’re here!” Lena said, and he couldn’t help grinning as her face lit up. She was genuinely happy to see him, but when he lingered for a moment, thinking about leaning in for a kiss, she took a visible step backward.
Marcus felt a stab in his chest, but he tried to ignore it. He was starting to think Lena did like him, but maybe she wasn’t ready to admit it to herself yet. That was okay for now. He’d already been waiting since last spring. He could wait a little longer.
As they sat down on the bench together, he couldn’t help boasting, “I read the whole soul-collecting manual last night. It made everything sound a lot less scary.”
“See? I told you.”
“How’s your dad doing?” Marcus asked.
Lena sighed. “Marguerite’s blowing him off again. I tried to convince him that he should go over there to see her today, but I don’t think it worked. I know I shouldn’t zap them again, but…”
“Sometimes you have to let these things go.”
She sighed again. “I know. I guess I was hoping, now that he’s finally happy, he could stay that way.”
“Maybe she’s not the right match for him.”
“Maybe.” He could tell she didn’t like the idea, but he had to remind himself that she was new to this matchmaking thing. Eventually she’d understand that you couldn’t force people to fall in love. It was up to them.
“At least my dog is still happy,” Lena said. “He and the squirrel are building a nest right behind our house. My dad is even talking about doing a scientific study on unusual animal behavior.”
Marcus laughed. “I guess sometimes you do get a happy ending, even in real life.”
Just then, Lena’s phone started to ring. She frowned as she saw it was Abigail calling. “She’s supposed to be at Saturday play rehearsal.” She answered the phone and listened for a long time, her eyes getting rounder and rounder. “Okay, I’ll be right there!” she practically shrieked before hanging up the phone.
“What’s going on?”
“Two of the playing cards in the show got mono and had to drop out. Mr. Jackson’s holding emergency auditions this afternoon to replace them.”
“That’s great!” Marcus said. “Er, not about the mono. But this is your chance to rock your audition.” He smiled. “Isn’t mono called the kissing disease?” There was something kind of perfect about that.
But Lena wasn’t smiling. “What if I mess up again? What if—”
“You’ll be fine. I’ll be there the whole time. Okay?”
She nodded. “But we have to hurry. The audition starts in an hour.” She jumped to her feet and practically ran out of the park, Marcus hurrying after her.
Chapter 30
“Are there more kids coming?” Lena asked Abigail, surprised at how few people were in the auditorium.
Abigail shook her head. “Mr. Jackson only invited a few people back to audition, the ones who were really close to making it in the first time. He wanted to call you, but I begged him to let me do it. I knew you’d freak out!”
Lena looked at Mr. Jackson across the room. He flashed her a reassuring smile, like he believed she deserved to be there. She had to show him that he was right to give her another chance.
Abigail gave Marcus a wave. “Are you auditioning too?”
He laughed. “No way. The last time I auditioned for anything, I peed my pants.” His cheeks went pink. “I was, um, in kindergarten.”
Lena cringed and explained, “He’s here for moral support.” No doubt Abigail would go back to making fun of Marcus behind his back after this.
She was surprised though, when Abigail laughed and said to Marcus, “Don’t tell anyone, but the first time I had to talk in front of the whole class in first grade, I was so nervous that I cried in the bathroom beforehand.”
Marcus smiled his bright, infectious smile. “Well, it looks like you’ve gotten a little better at the whole public speaking thing. I heard you’re awesome in the play.”
Abigail shrugged at the compliment, but Lena could tell she was flattered.
“If you need to go cry in the bathroom on opening night though, we’ll cover for you,” Marcus added.
Abigail laughed and flashed Lena a look that she could only describe as “approving.” Finally, her friend was getting a glimpse of the nonweirdo Marcus that Lena had gotten to know.
Just then, she spotted Brent Adamson on the other side of the auditorium, lugging in some sets for the play. Oh no. Before she could duck out of the way, Brent’s eyes met hers. Lena waited for him to drop his end of the set and go running off to the bathroom. Instead, he stopped and cringed. His face looked a little pale, but it wasn’t green. Then he shook his head and went back to pulling the set piece.
“Did you see that?” Lena whispered to Marcus.
He nodded. “I think it’s finally fading.”
“Thank goodness!” Lena said. “I was starting to think I’d have to wear a mask all the time or something.”
“All right, folks,” Mr. Jackson called. “Let’s begin! Those of you auditioning, go wait in the wings.”
“Break a leg,” Abigail whispered as she walked by.
Even though Marcus wasn’t technically allowed to, Lena had him follow her up onto the stage. She read over the monologue, the same one she’d used for the first audition. The one she’d royally messed up. Suddenly, her whole body started shaking, like there was a tiny earthquake going on inside of her. What if she messed up even worse this time? That would prove that she didn’t have what it took to be a real actress one day.
When they found a spot in the dimly lit wings, she turned to Marcus and said in a panicked whisper, “What if you’re right and I am some kind of robot? Maybe that’s why I didn’t get in the first time. You and Mr. Jackson both said I was stiff. Maybe I can’t act at all!”
Marcus shook his head. “You can do this. Ever since all this stuff happened to us, you’ve been so different. So much more you. Just be that way onstage.”
Lena closed her eyes. He was right. Ever since their powers had swapped, she’d been struggling to push down all the emotions swirling inside of her. But she’d been failing, as if all those feelings were leaking out of her no matter how much she tried to hold them in. She’d even cried at the hospital yesterday! Lena couldn’t remember the last time she’d lost control like that. Maybe that’s what Marcus meant when he said she’d become more like herself.
She’d told him that he needed to stop running, but the truth was, she’d been running too. From her feelings. From the possibility of getting hurt or losing control. But actresses had to embrace all of those things or they’d never be any good.
“Thanks,” she said. And then she did something she would have never expected. She leaned forward and kissed Marcus right there in the wings, in front of everyone.
The minute their lips touched, energy zinged through her from the top of her skull all the way to the bottoms of her heels.
“Wow,” they both whispered. Then Lena’s eyes popped open, and she gasped as she realized that the air around them was glowing.
“Did you feel that?” Marcus asked.
Lena nodded. She glanced down and thought she even saw a wisp of smoke coming out of her shoes. Could this mean…? Was it possible…?
“Lena Perris!” Mr. Jackson. “You’re next!”
She staggered back, her entire body thrumming with electricity.
“Lena? Are you there?”
“I’m-I’m coming!” she called, stumbling onto the stage. She could barely think, barely breathe. She felt electric. She tried to calm herself down, tried to push the giddiness away so she could focus on her audition piece. But then it hit her. Why should she push it away? Why shouldn’t she use it? After all, it was what she was feeling.
As she stood in the middle of the stage, she didn’t only say the words. She became Alice. Scared, excited, overwhelmed Alice. She let herself feel every line, every word, until it seemed like they were part of her.
And then, finally, it was over.
“Great job, Lena!” Mr. Jackson called from the front row while the other kids clapped. “Tremendous improvement!”
Lena felt her face glowing with excitement. When she went into the wings, she saw Marcus waiting for her with that same glow on his face.
“You were amazing,” he whispered.
“It worked, didn’t it?” she said. “We’re back to normal!”
He smiled. “I think so.”
Together, they snuck out the side stage door and into the hallway. Then, when they were sure no one was looking, they called up their energy.
Marcus’s was a bright red. Lena’s was a deep purple. Exactly like they were supposed to be.
“It worked!” Lena threw her arms around Marcus and squeezed him until her muscles ached.
“But how?” Marcus asked. “What did we do differently?”
“I don’t know.” Lena’s whole body was still dancing with energy. “It had to be something that we missed at the party.”
“We did everything the same way.”
Lena frowned. “Maybe that was the problem. We let Connie push us into that closet, just like the first time. And we let Eddie do it too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you always saying that you can’t force love? Well, maybe we couldn’t force our powers to swap back. We had to kiss because we wanted to, not because someone was making us.”
And then it hit her. She’d kissed Marcus because she’d wanted to. She hadn’t been scared of feeling something for him, of being a weak, mushy girl. Because being with Marcus didn’t make her feel that way. It made her feel more like herself. She’d been jealous of her dad having Marguerite to laugh with and talk to, but the truth was, Lena already had those things with Marcus. She’d just been too scared to admit it to herself until now.
“I can’t believe it’s really over,” Marcus said. “Do you feel all back to normal?”
“No, I feel better. Like I could do anything.”
They heard Mr. Jackson through the auditorium door asking everyone to gather around.
“Sounds like he’s going to announce his decision,” Marcus said.
“Wish me luck,” she said. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the auditorium.
“Ah, Lena, there you are,” Mr. Jackson said. “I was about to announce that you, young lady, are one of our new playing cards!”
Lena whooped with joy. This was the moment she’d been dreaming of for years. Being onstage. Being an actress. It was finally happening. And it was only the beginning.
Chapter 31
Lena was still beaming on her way home. Her happiness dimmed though, when she thought about what her returning powers might mean for Mrs. Katz. Was the old woman’s extra time finally up?
She pulled to a stop across the street from the old woman’s house and was surprised to fin
d Mrs. Katz and the mailman outside in the garden, happily pulling weeds. As she watched them laughing together, the air around Mrs. Katz shifted, and Lena caught a glimpse of her soul. It was faint and wispy, barely clinging to the old woman’s body. It wouldn’t hold on for much longer. Mrs. Katz probably had a day, maybe two, left.
Should she warn Mrs. Katz how short her time was? As Lena watched the woman tuck a flower behind the mailman’s ear, she decided not to. Even if Mrs. Katz only had a couple of days left, they would be happy ones that she never would have had if this whole power-swapping mess hadn’t happened. Let her enjoy the time she had left without worrying about what came next.
Lena gave Mrs. Katz one last look, knowing she’d probably be visiting her again soon, and headed for home.
She found her dad slumped on the couch, watching some boring show about rocks. She didn’t need Marcus’s powers to tell her that the gray cloud of loneliness was back.
“Dad, are you okay?”
“Sure, Lena. I’m great.” She couldn’t help noticing that he’d stopped calling her Chipmunk again.
“Dad,” she said, sitting down next to him. “I’m worried about you.”
“About me? Why?”
“Because you keep pretending you’re fine, but you’re not. I thought having Marguerite around would help, but now you’re miserable again.”
“Lena, you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll figure things out.”
“But I can’t help worrying. And if you pretend you’re fine when you’re not, then what’s to keep me from doing it? Then we’ll just be lying to each other.” She sighed. “In fact, I think we’ve already been doing that. Ever since Mom left, we’ve barely talked about it. And we’ve both been taking all our sadness and putting it into these little boxes, hoping it’ll go away. We can’t do that anymore. I won’t.”
Her dad looked at her for a long while. “I thought you were doing all right.”
“So did I,” she said. “But that’s why I couldn’t get into the play, because I forgot what it was like to actually feel things. I was pretending, and so are you.”
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