Chapter 42
Forty-Two
Elodie
It’s easy enough to find a pair of black leggings in Other Elodie’s massive wardrobe. A suitable dark and casual shirt takes longer. I don’t want ruffles, laces, or ruching getting in the way of my movements.
Finally, I unearth a simple black long-sleeved tee mixed in with a drawer of workout clothes. It has a big white logo on the front, so I simply turn it inside out before pulling it on.
I assess myself in the mirror and smile with a twisted sense of satisfaction. I look almost like I’m outfitted for one of my missions for Uncle Nik.
While I’m in this reality, I’ll never have to carry out another of his operations. Never activate my glim and all the carnage that comes with it. That’s one small relief.
Now I just have to survive long enough to appreciate the reprieve.
I’m gathering my hair with an elastic when someone raps on my bedroom door. Aunt Daphne’s voice follows a moment later. “Elodie—can I come in?”
My pulse hiccups. If she sees me dressed like this, she’ll definitely have questions. I want her to believe I’ve gone to bed in the next half hour.
I snatch a satin dressing gown and throw it on over my stealth clothes, wrapping it tight so it covers me up to my neck. Then I hustle out and flop onto the sofa near the picture window as if I’ve been up to nothing but a little lounging before bedtime.
“Sure,” I call, hoping I sound reasonably relaxed.
Daphne eases inside and walks across the room when she sees me, halting several feet away. I do my best impression of someone who definitely doesn’t have any secret schemes up her sleeve.
What I’m planning tonight could give my aunt the closure she wants, but I don’t think she’d approve of me sticking my neck out quite this far. She might be a lunatic, but if what she said before is true… she was hoping I’d be happy here, not end up as dead as my double.
Daphne hesitates and then takes another step forward, as if debating how much personal space she should give me. She looks down at her hands, skinny fingers twined awkwardly together, and then back at me.
“I wanted to apologize, properly. When I made the decision I did the night Ellie died… I didn’t consider all the consequences. I tried to make sure I wouldn’t be disrupting a life you wanted to keep, but of course every life matters to the person living it.”
The apology doesn’t give me back what I lost or soften the pain of my grief, but a little new warmth forms in my chest at her words. She’s not a total lunatic.
Before I can figure out how to respond, my aunt presses onward in a more urgent tone.
“I’ve spent the past few days looking through all the records and reports I can access on transportational magic and multi-universe theory, hoping I missed something that could make this right…
I wanted to bring you better news. If I do stumble on a solution, I swear I’ll tell you right away. ”
My throat constricts. She’s found nothing so far, then.
I grope for the right words to express my feelings, with consideration to the fact that I do have to live with this woman for at least a little while longer.
“I wish you’d realized it wasn’t necessarily a great idea before you kidnapped me.
But I can understand that you weren’t thinking straight.
And that you weren’t trying to hurt me. I guess we just have to go forward with how things are now. ”
“Yes.” Daphne smiles so bright that I brace against a cringe at whatever she might say next.
It turns out I don’t have to.
She takes another step closer, her hands loosening in front of her. “You deserve to have your own life. I hope we can find the person who attacked you and my Elodie, but beyond that… She’s gone. I know that. You can make this life into whatever works best for you.”
I blink at her. Does she even know what she’s offering?
“My… tastes are a lot different from hers,” I venture.
“And they have a right to be.” Her smile returns, gentler this time. “I can still see in you the parts of Ellie that I admired most. I’m looking forward to watching you spread your wings and making the changes you feel are right.”
She reaches out to graze her fingers over my purple-streaked hair. “And I’ll be the only one who knows that this butterfly flew from a totally different dimension. Your dad will love you the same no matter what path you go down. We’ll take care of you. I can promise that much.”
All at once, I’m choked up. The pang of homesickness that rises up tangles with a deeper jab of grief for the parent I lost well before my current situation.
If Mom had any idea where I’d end up…
She’d tell me to keep moving forward too, wouldn’t she? To make the best of what I have.
She always seemed to believe I could do anything, no matter what the rest of the world threw at us. I don’t see why that’d be any different now.
“Thank you,” I say to Daphne, and mean it more than I’d have thought I could an hour ago.
My aunt dips her head. “That’s all I wanted to say. I thought I should say it sooner than later. Don’t keep yourself up too late—you still need plenty of rest.”
“I know. Good night.”
As she goes, a flutter of sympathy passes through my veins.
How long will she be mourning her real niece, the one she didn’t watch over carefully enough to save her? As long as I’m here, she can’t show her grief, can’t lean on anyone else, can’t honor Other Elodie’s life with a funeral.
Her brash decision came with consequences for her too.
I shake off the mess of emotions that’ve congealed inside me and push to my feet. I will get my rest… after I’ve taken care of my problems in a way no one else can.
I putter around the bedroom for several minutes longer, tying back my hair, stuffing a club-friendly outfit into a small backpack, and limbering up my muscles for the possible fight ahead.
After I’ve switched off my bedroom light as if I’ve turned in for the night, I cross my legs on the sofa.
My breaths slow into a meditative rhythm, settling down my whirling thoughts.
Dad’s footsteps pause outside my door, but he must see the darkness beyond the gap and decide not to disturb me. They creak down the hall to his own bedroom. The shine that seeped in from the hall vanishes.
After a few more minutes, I go to my window. Pulling in ephemera to dampen any sounds, I pop the screen from the frame. It’s wide enough for me to clamber through to the ledge without banging my shoulders.
I collect a larger swath of energy and condense it on the ground beneath me. Then I jump, positioning myself to best absorb the impact.
The magical cushion swallows the thump of my fall as well. My bones shudder, but I stand up steadily enough.
All the training Nik put me through was good for something—something I can use instead of being used this time.
Staying quiet, I slip around the house and step onto the sidewalk beyond. The ephemera I’ve carried with me mutes the rasp of my sneakers against the concrete, but I don’t conceal my appearance at all.
I don’t know when to expect a possible attack. Any member of The Eclipse would know where I live, from the dinners and other gatherings Dad will have hosted or from the parties Other Elodie threw that I got glimpses of on her phone.
If the killer noticed my bait and took it, will they think it’s smartest to come after me close to home, before I have time to meet up with anyone? Or to watch for me near Groove Garden where they can blend into the crowd?
Time to find out.
I set off on the route that’ll serve me best if I have to defend myself here. If I don’t see any sign of a threat soon, I’ll book a ride and get the rest of the way to the dance club that way.
As I leave my house behind, I cast ephemera in every direction. The gathered energy stretches out around me until it forms a thin but sensitive layer about thirty feet in diameter with me at the center, like the skirt of an immense ballgown.
Little tingles shoot through the magical construct when it brushes up against security enchantments embedded in fences and gates. It’ll alert me to any magic that touches it.
I’ve only walked four blocks when a thicker wobble ripples through my net. A condensed patch of magical energy has just crept up to the edge of my woven ephemera, almost directly behind me.
It follows me down the street, wavering a little across the sidewalk but always staying behind me, within the outer rings of my net. I can’t hear any footsteps, don’t see anyone behind me when I duck down briefly as if to remove a pebble from my shoe and peek beneath my arm.
Someone’s cloaked themselves in magic like I’ve done in the past for my own purposes. Too bad I can’t trust this person to have similarly good intentions.
I grip the strap of my backpack, channeling more ephemera into its mass. It’ll make a handy weapon if I need one.
My paring knife presses against my forearm where I’ve tucked it into my sleeve, ready to spring into my hand on call.
Just to be sure of my suspicions, I make a couple of random turns. The cloaked presence stays on my trail without hesitation.
Definitely not a coincidence; definitely following me.
My heart thuds faster, but my strides lengthen with confidence.
This is good. We can get the worst part over with quickly.
My follower will probably hesitate to attack me right outside any of the stately mansions in this neighborhood. I can give them a better setting.
They won’t realize it’s better for me too.
I take another turn and head toward the river valley. It’s not long before the silhouettes of treetops blot out the lights of the buildings on the other side of the massive park.
Without missing a beat, I head down the nearest path.
There’s no need to silence my footsteps now that I’m far from home. I wrap that energy around my legs and fists instead, to bolster my reaction time.
Professor Kwong would be proud… if I could ever tell him about this confrontation.
In the isolation of the park, my follower pulls nearer, closing maybe half the distance. They continue to hang back there, biding their time.
Impatience twitches through my nerves. When a narrower dirt path appears in the dim glow of the distant streetlamps, I veer down it.
My sneakers squelch through patches of mud. Chilly drops of pooled rain sprinkle my hair from the damp leaves overhead.
The park turns into an actual forest for a stretch here—with maybe too many obstacles for an ideal ambush. Just up ahead, though…
As the trees thin again, the warble of the rushing river fills my ears. I catch glimpses of it between the trunks across the span of grass that leads to its bank. Moonlight glints off the frothing currents.
It’s fat and furious with today’s rainfall. That’s a vibe I can get behind.
Before I leave the forest completely, the presence behind me picks up its pace. I gather myself, contracting my net of magic for other uses. Every nerve quivers with alertness.
With a waft of air, my follower lunges at my back.
I whip to the side, heaving a wave of energy at the figure at the same time to deflect any blow. A form stutters into view, dark hoodie over dark jeans, feet stumbling with my shove. A knife glints in one hand.
The figure spins to face me, and I find myself staring into Kenneth Hearst’s pale face.
I considered so many possibilities, but he was never one of them. My mind jars against the shock. The image flashes behind my eyes of those long-ago articles, the photos of him side by side with Asher’s, joint victims of some other murderer.
What— How—?
My confusion muddles my reflexes. When Kenneth hurls himself toward me again, I don’t flinch fast enough.
His hand snatches at my wrist while the other lifts his knife with the blade aimed right at my heart.