painting,” said Clio. “And it looks like they did.”
“Yes, the workmen left a couple of hours ago,” said Petra, opening the door. “How was your day? Did you feel safe?”
“Yeah,” I said, mounting the steps to the back door. “Until the snake welcoming party when we got home.”
“Snake?” Petra looked more amused than alarmed. I dumped my backpack and purse on the kitchen floor. Ouida was sitting at the table, and she smiled and waved a muffin in greeting.
“A copperhead, in the alley.” Clio motioned outside with her head, already taking a bite of muffin.
“They’re everywhere,” said Ouida. “You always hear about people finding them on their car engines or under the fridges.”
“What?” I asked in alarm. I looked at our fridge, humming away in the corner.
Petra smiled again. “They like warm places. So they coil up on top of your car engine or under your refrigerator, where the motor is. To be warm.”
I didn’t know whether to feel relieved that Petra obviously wasn’t worried the snake had been another attack on me and Clio or freaked out about the idea that meeting up with snakes was an everyday thing around here. “So, you definitely don’t think this was someone trying to go after us again?” I asked, just to be sure.
Petra pursed her lips, thinking. “It’s possible, of course, but very unlikely. Since nothing else has happened lately, I would say this was regular old luck that you met that snake.”
“Well, either way, can we put an anti-snake charm around the house?” Clio asked. “I hated running into that thing.”
“Snakes can be useful,” Petra said. “Keeping down the mice and rats.”
I sank weakly into a chair. “We have mice and rats now?”
Ouida and Petra both laughed.
“Welcome to New Orleans,” Clio said. She looked at me. “Come on, we might as well do our homework upstairs.”
I realized she wanted to talk to me alone, so I nodded and grabbed my stuff. My mind was reeling. I had done a spell, without thinking, out in the alley. It had almost worked. Now I wanted to know what a dark twin was. Plus, we had snakes and rats and mice, apparently. Ugh.
In Clio’s room, she got out of her sundress and put on high-cut jean shorts and a tight red T-shirt with a silhouette of Bob Marley on it.
“Okay, so what the heck is a ‘dark twin’?” I stretched out across her bed.
“I don’t know. Ordinarily I’d ask Ouida or Melysa, but I think Nan doesn’t want us to know about it.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and suddenly looked more like me—simpler, less like glamorous Clio. “We should go to the library and check it out or use a computer at Botanika or Café de la Rue.”
“Why can’t anything be simple?” I groaned. “It seems like I just get used to one thing, and then nine other weird things take its place.”
Clio smiled. “Believe it or not, my life was much simpler before all this too.” She looked up. “Someone’s coming.”
My first thought was Luc, but it would be crazy for him to come here. He was lying low lately—I hadn’t seen or heard about him since Récolte.
The doorbell rang, and Clio went to stand at her open door, listening. We heard Petra walk to the front door and open it.
“Marcel!” she exclaimed, and Clio looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“That’s one of the Treize,” she whispered. “One that Daedalus got here with his spell of forceful summoning.”
“Which one was Marcel?” I came to stand by her. Downstairs we heard murmuring and voices. Petra and Ouida both sounded glad.
Clio frowned, thinking. “Uh—which ones aren’t accounted for? He wasn’t another slave, was he?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Wait. No.” Clio’s face cleared as she remembered. “Oh—Marcel was Cerise’s lover, the father of her baby. Cerise wouldn’t marry him.” She looked solemn.
“Hm. Well, let’s go meet him.”
We went downstairs—everyone was still in the front room. A young,
“Yes, the workmen left a couple of hours ago,” said Petra, opening the door. “How was your day? Did you feel safe?”
“Yeah,” I said, mounting the steps to the back door. “Until the snake welcoming party when we got home.”
“Snake?” Petra looked more amused than alarmed. I dumped my backpack and purse on the kitchen floor. Ouida was sitting at the table, and she smiled and waved a muffin in greeting.
“A copperhead, in the alley.” Clio motioned outside with her head, already taking a bite of muffin.
“They’re everywhere,” said Ouida. “You always hear about people finding them on their car engines or under the fridges.”
“What?” I asked in alarm. I looked at our fridge, humming away in the corner.
Petra smiled again. “They like warm places. So they coil up on top of your car engine or under your refrigerator, where the motor is. To be warm.”
I didn’t know whether to feel relieved that Petra obviously wasn’t worried the snake had been another attack on me and Clio or freaked out about the idea that meeting up with snakes was an everyday thing around here. “So, you definitely don’t think this was someone trying to go after us again?” I asked, just to be sure.
Petra pursed her lips, thinking. “It’s possible, of course, but very unlikely. Since nothing else has happened lately, I would say this was regular old luck that you met that snake.”
“Well, either way, can we put an anti-snake charm around the house?” Clio asked. “I hated running into that thing.”
“Snakes can be useful,” Petra said. “Keeping down the mice and rats.”
I sank weakly into a chair. “We have mice and rats now?”
Ouida and Petra both laughed.
“Welcome to New Orleans,” Clio said. She looked at me. “Come on, we might as well do our homework upstairs.”
I realized she wanted to talk to me alone, so I nodded and grabbed my stuff. My mind was reeling. I had done a spell, without thinking, out in the alley. It had almost worked. Now I wanted to know what a dark twin was. Plus, we had snakes and rats and mice, apparently. Ugh.
In Clio’s room, she got out of her sundress and put on high-cut jean shorts and a tight red T-shirt with a silhouette of Bob Marley on it.
“Okay, so what the heck is a ‘dark twin’?” I stretched out across her bed.
“I don’t know. Ordinarily I’d ask Ouida or Melysa, but I think Nan doesn’t want us to know about it.” She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and suddenly looked more like me—simpler, less like glamorous Clio. “We should go to the library and check it out or use a computer at Botanika or Café de la Rue.”
“Why can’t anything be simple?” I groaned. “It seems like I just get used to one thing, and then nine other weird things take its place.”
Clio smiled. “Believe it or not, my life was much simpler before all this too.” She looked up. “Someone’s coming.”
My first thought was Luc, but it would be crazy for him to come here. He was lying low lately—I hadn’t seen or heard about him since Récolte.
The doorbell rang, and Clio went to stand at her open door, listening. We heard Petra walk to the front door and open it.
“Marcel!” she exclaimed, and Clio looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“That’s one of the Treize,” she whispered. “One that Daedalus got here with his spell of forceful summoning.”
“Which one was Marcel?” I came to stand by her. Downstairs we heard murmuring and voices. Petra and Ouida both sounded glad.
Clio frowned, thinking. “Uh—which ones aren’t accounted for? He wasn’t another slave, was he?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Wait. No.” Clio’s face cleared as she remembered. “Oh—Marcel was Cerise’s lover, the father of her baby. Cerise wouldn’t marry him.” She looked solemn.
“Hm. Well, let’s go meet him.”
We went downstairs—everyone was still in the front room. A young,
Similar Books
