closed my eyes for a moment, and just like that, words came to me. I breathed them out. “Sister snake, leave us now. Return home to your young. Our place is here. Return and be healthy. Va-zhee, va, let, monche. ” I didn’t know what those last words were, but the snake paused as if it heard me.
It pulled back, as if it were going to leave, but suddenly it swung around. Clio backed up quickly, pushing me behind her, but the snake twisted toward us. Suddenly I remembered my nightmare, the one where the snake was coiled around my neck, choking me.
Clio repeated the spell I’d just said, with the same words at the end. At the last words, she drew two signs in the air, ones I didn’t recognize.
Again the snake paused, and again it swiveled back toward us. “Our magick’s affecting it, but it’s fighting us,” Clio said.
I couldn’t take the tension anymore. I slid my purse strap off my shoulder and hummed the purse right over Clio’s shoulder at the snake. Clio shrieked almost soundlessly and pulled back. My purse hit the snake, and I mentally said, Sorry, sorry.
But it did seem to break the snake’s concentration. With a last look at us, it turned and slithered under our neighbor’s fence so quickly that it was gone in a flash.
I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until I let it out with a whoosh.
Clio turned to me. “A snake in our alley.”
“Does that ever happen normally?”
She paused, considering. “Well, copperheads are all over the place, but not usually uptown. They stay closer to water.”
“We’re only three blocks from the river,” I pointed out. I paused, shivering despite the heat. “Or do you think it was magick?”
“I don’t know,” Clio said. “I mean, was this an attack?”
She headed toward the back again, and I picked up my purse carefully, looking all around in case the snake came back. I’d lived in Welsford, Connecticut, for seventeen years, and the only dangerous thing that had happened to me had been stepping on a dead bee. Since I’d come to New Orleans, I’d been living in mortal peril, like, every day.
We were almost at the back of the house when we heard Petra’s voice and someone else murmuring back to her. The side windows were open over our heads since the house was raised up on brick pilings.
“Are you still worried that she’s a dark twin?”
It was Ouida. Once again Clio and I stopped dead. She turned to me, her finger to her lips. Dark twin? I thought. What are they talking about?
“I’m thinking—” Petra began, but then she stopped. “Are the girls home?”
My eyes widened, and Clio pushed me back down the alley, fast and silently.
“She felt us,” she whispered.
“What the heck is a dark twin?” I whispered back.
Clio shrugged, looking clueless. “Your guess is as good as mine.” Turning around again, she strode toward the backyard, making sure her feet made noise on the pavement. I followed, still keeping a wary eye out for the snake.
“Yeah, and so I’ve got to reread that whole section in chemistry,” Clio said, pitching her voice just a shade louder than normal. “And I’m so bummed because I already answered all those questions.”
I wasn’t nearly as good at subterfuge as Clio was. “Yeah,” I said, my mind spinning. “Um, I’ve got lots of homework too. So did they finish painting back here or what?”
Now we were entering the backyard. We walked past the little laundry shed and then “saw” that the back door was open. Inside, Petra was looking out the screen door.
“Hey,” I said, waving, hoping my face wasn’t too transparent. We hadn’t been deliberately eavesdropping, but clearly Petra hadn’t wanted us to hear about the dark twin thing. My life was one circle of secrets within another—I was losing count of who knew what and who thought what and who I could maybe trust.
“Hi, girls,” said Petra. “Why didn’t you come in the front?”
“We wanted to see if they’d finished
It pulled back, as if it were going to leave, but suddenly it swung around. Clio backed up quickly, pushing me behind her, but the snake twisted toward us. Suddenly I remembered my nightmare, the one where the snake was coiled around my neck, choking me.
Clio repeated the spell I’d just said, with the same words at the end. At the last words, she drew two signs in the air, ones I didn’t recognize.
Again the snake paused, and again it swiveled back toward us. “Our magick’s affecting it, but it’s fighting us,” Clio said.
I couldn’t take the tension anymore. I slid my purse strap off my shoulder and hummed the purse right over Clio’s shoulder at the snake. Clio shrieked almost soundlessly and pulled back. My purse hit the snake, and I mentally said, Sorry, sorry.
But it did seem to break the snake’s concentration. With a last look at us, it turned and slithered under our neighbor’s fence so quickly that it was gone in a flash.
I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until I let it out with a whoosh.
Clio turned to me. “A snake in our alley.”
“Does that ever happen normally?”
She paused, considering. “Well, copperheads are all over the place, but not usually uptown. They stay closer to water.”
“We’re only three blocks from the river,” I pointed out. I paused, shivering despite the heat. “Or do you think it was magick?”
“I don’t know,” Clio said. “I mean, was this an attack?”
She headed toward the back again, and I picked up my purse carefully, looking all around in case the snake came back. I’d lived in Welsford, Connecticut, for seventeen years, and the only dangerous thing that had happened to me had been stepping on a dead bee. Since I’d come to New Orleans, I’d been living in mortal peril, like, every day.
We were almost at the back of the house when we heard Petra’s voice and someone else murmuring back to her. The side windows were open over our heads since the house was raised up on brick pilings.
“Are you still worried that she’s a dark twin?”
It was Ouida. Once again Clio and I stopped dead. She turned to me, her finger to her lips. Dark twin? I thought. What are they talking about?
“I’m thinking—” Petra began, but then she stopped. “Are the girls home?”
My eyes widened, and Clio pushed me back down the alley, fast and silently.
“She felt us,” she whispered.
“What the heck is a dark twin?” I whispered back.
Clio shrugged, looking clueless. “Your guess is as good as mine.” Turning around again, she strode toward the backyard, making sure her feet made noise on the pavement. I followed, still keeping a wary eye out for the snake.
“Yeah, and so I’ve got to reread that whole section in chemistry,” Clio said, pitching her voice just a shade louder than normal. “And I’m so bummed because I already answered all those questions.”
I wasn’t nearly as good at subterfuge as Clio was. “Yeah,” I said, my mind spinning. “Um, I’ve got lots of homework too. So did they finish painting back here or what?”
Now we were entering the backyard. We walked past the little laundry shed and then “saw” that the back door was open. Inside, Petra was looking out the screen door.
“Hey,” I said, waving, hoping my face wasn’t too transparent. We hadn’t been deliberately eavesdropping, but clearly Petra hadn’t wanted us to hear about the dark twin thing. My life was one circle of secrets within another—I was losing count of who knew what and who thought what and who I could maybe trust.
“Hi, girls,” said Petra. “Why didn’t you come in the front?”
“We wanted to see if they’d finished
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