Despite his words, worry creased the skin around his eyes. He said nothing more. Just held her hand and rubbed small circles into her palm. When he let go of her hand to wipe the tears from his cheek, I averted my eyes. He didn’t look at me as he left the room.

  I picked up my sister’s hand where he’d left it and gave her fingers a soft squeeze. I wanted Mara to wake up, but I couldn’t bring myself to think or wish some kind of healing for her. Back when Mom went insane, I tried to help her. I wanted Mom—the mom I knew—back more than anything I’d ever wanted, but no matter how hard I’d tried, I couldn’t bring her out of the darkness where her mind was trapped. That’s why I’d been reluctant to try with Mara. Because if it didn’t work, then I’d lose hope. And losing hope was what terrified me the most.

  Taking a deep breath, I gathered my courage. “Look at you. Sloppy hospital gown, arm in a cast, hair a mess, not a speck of makeup on, and you still look gorgeous. I’d hate you, if I didn’t love you so much.”

  I brushed a strand of strawberry blonde hair away from her breathing tube. A line of stitching laced with dried blood ran in a curve from her temple toward the back of her head. I forced my eyes away from the shaved area around the stitches, concentrating instead on how perfect the rest of her hair was. Mara could easily part it to cover the shaved area. Even if she didn’t, I was sure she could pull the hairstyle off as a new trend. I’d always been jealous of her hair, always wished I had been blessed with the same shimmering blonde instead of my own deep red.

  I thought about what Emily had said. That it should have been me in the coma instead of Mara. Maybe it would have been better that way. Then Mara would be sitting where I was, worrying about me.

  “Remember that summer we spent at that lake house? And in the cabin next to ours was that incredibly annoying boy. What was his name again? Lester? Louis? Anyway, he was so mean, calling me names and always trying to stick worms down my shirt.

  “And then, on the last day, he attacked me with those water balloons filled with mud. So you called him a big, fat, diaper-wearing jerk.” I smiled and squeezed her hand. “So he chased us. We ran into the woods, and you seemed to know exactly where to go. You held my hand, so I wouldn’t get left behind. I was so scared, but you promised you wouldn’t let go. I never ran so fast in my life.”

  I laughed at the memory, half-expecting Mara to laugh with me. She didn’t. The smile left my face. “The doctors say you’re going to be fine. But if you’re not okay—especially if you’re not—I won’t leave you behind. I’ll guide you home, Mara. I promise not to let go.”

  I wiped away a tear and shook my head. “I just hope you didn’t do this because of Luke. I know you’re not that stupid.” I tugged at the sleeve of her hospital gown.

  That was when I noticed the small, white scar on the inside of her upper arm, just a few inches below her shoulder. Pushing up her sleeve, I found three more lines running parallel to the first. They looked too old to have been caused by the accident. I gasped, reached over Mara, and slid up her other sleeve. Two white scars marked her other arm, the evenness of the lines too perfect to be accidental.

  “Did you know about that?” someone said from the doorway. I turned, startled, to find a woman with smooth, ebony skin and wearing a pin-striped pantsuit. “By the look on your face, I guess it’s news to you.”

  “I … did Mara … who are you?”

  “I’m Dr. Klein, the resident psychiatrist.”

  No, no, no, Mara. Not like Mom. I won’t let you end up like Mom.

  Dr. Klein stepped into the room. “The doctors called me in when they saw the scars.”

  “Does my dad know?” I didn’t know where Dad was, so I kept my voice low.

  “I’ve talked to him, but he couldn’t think of any reason Mara might cut herself. He says he didn’t know about it, which isn’t unusual. Parents are usually the last to notice. Often times, close friends and siblings are the first.” She watched me carefully, maybe to see if I would flinch or something. I wished I had answers for her. But it suddenly felt like I didn’t know my sister at all.

  “This is the first time I’ve seen …” I was too overwhelmed to finish.

  Dr. Klein nodded. “I guess we’ll have to wait for Mara to tell us. I just hope she’s willing to talk about it then.”

  I shrugged, feeling as if Dr. Klein was trying to guilt me into divulging Mara’s secrets. With what I assumed was supposed to be a sympathetic smile, Dr. Klein turned and left the room. As I listened to her heels click down the hall, I let out a long breath and stared at my sister, shaking my head.

  “I really hope you’re better soon. And, Mara, when you wake up? Please talk to me.”

  Chapter Four

  I yawned into my locker. After we got home from the hospital, I couldn’t fall sleep. I’d tossed and turned so much that I thought my bed might fall apart. My brain couldn’t give up trying to figure out why Mara had cut herself. Or why she’d stepped in front of that bus. I hadn’t come up with any answers, except that her accident was feeling less and less like an accident.

  “I found the perfect place.” Naomi’s sudden appearance made me jump.

  I put a hand to my heart and swallowed. “Jeez, Naomi. A little warning?”

  “Sorry,” she said. She didn’t sound sorry.

  “You found the perfect place for what?” I felt like a zombie as we headed to first period. A zombie with a twenty-pound head.

  “For our double-date with Danny and Gavin.”

  I flicked her a glance. “You know it’s not a date, right?”

  “I know that’s what they might think. But as far as I’m concerned, it is a date.” She pulled her brunette bangs diagonally across her forehead.

  “Fine. Whatever you say. So where is it?”

  “A house up on Magnolia.”

  I frowned. “Isn’t that where, you know, the witch lady lives?”

  “Yeah, it’s near there.”

  “Spooky. How do you know about this place?”

  “My mom’s friend lives up there. She had some kind of muffin emergency yesterday, and my mom begged me to run a couple tins to her house. That’s when I saw it. Totally abandoned. Not too close to the other houses. It’s perfect.”

  I pondered the idea. “Are you sure we won’t get busted for breaking and entering?”

  “Well, maybe for entering. But believe me, it’s already broken beyond repair, so there’s no way we’d get blamed for that.”

  “Still sounds—” I yawned, “—risky. Why can’t we just do it in the cemetery?”

  “Because the cemetery is, like, the least romantic place in the world.”

  “Right. Sorry.” I covered my mouth as another yawn escaped.

  “Why are you walking around in your sleep?” Before I could answer, her eyes got wide. “Did you meet up with Gavin last night?”

  “Yes. That’s exactly what happened. We ran away to Vegas, got married, and now I’m carrying his triplets.”

  “I call godmother.”

  I dropped my books on my desk and slunk into my seat. “We went to see Mara last night.”

  “Oh, right.” Naomi sat down and leaned toward me. “How is she?”

  I didn’t have it in me to tell her the entire story. “The doctors seem hopeful they can bring her out of the coma soon. Maybe even by this weekend.”

  Naomi gaped at me. “Oh my God, that’s perfect!”

  “What?”

  “Don’t you see?” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “You do the fake spell, and then bam, Mara’s out of the coma. Gavin and Danny don’t need to know it was the doctors and not you.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “Seriously? That’s what you got out of what I just said?”

  Naomi’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, God, Zadie. I’m sorry. It’s awesome that Mara should be coming out of the coma. I’m so happy for you.”

  I rested my chin on my hand. “Thank you.”

  Without missing a beat, she continued. “But hear me out, okay?”

  “Um … okay?”

  “If we play this right, we could totally have the boys where we want them. And then we win!”

  I blinked. “What, exactly, do we win?”

  “That’s a good question. We should set up some rules and stuff. A grand prize.”

  I crossed my arms over my desk and let my head fall onto them. I pretty much tuned out Mrs. Teagler when class began, doodling spirals in my math notebook until the page was filled. My zombie mode carried over until second period, when Chase walked in wearing his signature trench coat. He got a lot of strange looks for wearing that coat. It was still warm for September, but I figured his body might run at a different temperature than the rest of us. Still, he kind of spooked me out a little, so I felt more alert when he was around.

  A substitute teacher came in to tell us Mr. Boyle was sick and we were allowed a free period, so the other students buddied up and started chatting. After playing around on my phone for a while, I got up the courage to turn around and face Chase. He wasn’t talking with anyone, probably because he was the new kid. Or because he was creepy. My brain must have reacted to lack of sleep in the same way it would to alcohol, because I leaned back and locked eyes with Chase.

  “So what’s your story?” I asked.

  He sat back and tapped a pencil against the desk, his trench coat hanging open off his tall, toned frame. Setting the pencil down, he stretched his arms above his head. As he did, the hem of his maroon t-shirt crept up to expose some skin. I forced myself to look away.

  “Which version would you like to hear?” he asked.

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you want the believable version, or do you want the truth?”

  “People usually want to hear the truth.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Why do you keep responding to me in questions?”

  “Do I?”

  I grunted and turned around in my seat, crossing my hands over my chest. After a moment, I faced him again, curiosity and boredom getting the best of me.

  “Okay, how about this,” I said. “Where did you move here from? And yes, I want the truth. Or did you live somewhere I wouldn’t believe? Like the moon.”

  “Germany.”

  “Really?”

  “I should have gone with the believable version.”

  “How long did you live in Germany?”

  “A couple years,” he said, scratching at one of his eyebrows.

  “So you went to a German school?”

  “They have international schools all over Europe.”

  “Ah.” I studied his face. His lashes were light brown, giving a soft outline to his intense, gray eyes. “And what brings you here?”

  “I came to live with my grandmother. Lilura Black?”

  I shook my head to indicate I didn’t know her.

  “She lives on Magnolia Street. I believe some naïve and inconsiderate kids refer to her as the witch lady.”

  I swallowed. Twice. Guilt rose to color my cheeks. I tried desperately to say something half-decent, but the bell rang and Chase stood. I grabbed my things, my mind racing for some way to salvage the encounter. He was at the door before I found my voice.

  “Wait,” I said.

  He turned and stared at me, waiting.

  “Um. I’m Zadie.”

  It was all I could think to say.

  Then, something miraculous happened. He smiled. “I know.”

  He disappeared into the hall.

  By the time lunch period rolled around, I felt more awake. The day was half over, and I had miraculously avoided Emily in the halls. I skipped the lunch line and plopped down in the seat across from Naomi.

  She nodded her head toward the door. “Look who just walked in.”

  Gavin and Danny strolled into the lunch room. Seeing Gavin was always the highlight of my day. I found myself admiring his self-assured gait. My attention shifted to his swinging pocket-watch chain. Heat scorched my cheeks when I realized how close the chain swung to a certain part of his body. I cleared my throat and looked away.

  “I love when Danny wears those baggy jeans,” Naomi said. “It’s like they could fall down at any moment.”

  I laughed and peeked at Gavin once more.

  Naomi crumpled up her lunch bag and stood. “Are you ready?” She had that look on her face she always got when she was about to do something impulsive. I panicked.

  “What? No. Where are we going?”

  “Full moon is Saturday. We found the perfect spot. Let’s set this thing up.” She winked at me and walked around the table.

  I groaned, my stomach suddenly churning, and followed her over to Gavin and Danny’s table. I prayed I wouldn’t do something stupid, like fall down or throw up.

  “Hey, guys.” Naomi sat in the chair next to Danny.

  Gavin looked up at me. I hesitated for a second, then pulled out the chair beside him and sat down.

  “Hi.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  “So about Saturday,” Naomi said, leaning into the table. “There’s an abandoned house up on Magnolia Street.”

  Danny glanced at Gavin, “Isn’t that where the old witch lady lives?”

  Naomi smirked at him. “You scared?” When Danny scoffed, she continued. “We can meet you on the playground at the bottom of the street at nine o’clock.”

  Gavin turned to look at me. I felt like I had to say something.

  “So, are we on?” I squeezed my hands together under the table and tried to keep my expression confident.

  “Sure,” Gavin said. Our eyes held for a moment more.

  “And we thought we’d make this interesting.” Naomi smirked as she said it. I cringed, wondering what was coming next. “What do you say we make a friendly wager?”

  “What kind of wager?” Danny leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

  “Well …” She scraped at her fingernails, a nervous habit she’d had since kindergarten. Bits of green polish flaked onto the table. “When Zadie pulls this off and her sister magically wakes up from her coma, you two have to take us on a double date.”

  I was sure my face had turned the same color as my natural hair. I wanted to slide under the table, use a cafeteria fork to dig a hole, and bury my head in embarrassment.

  “Deal.”

  My eyes shot to Gavin’s face. With that one word, he’d changed my mortification to exhilaration. I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

  Danny shook his head.

  Naomi narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”

  “Nothing,” Danny said, letting out a short, humorless laugh. “I forgot to get something out of my locker is all. I’ll, uh, see you in class, Gav.”

  “Bye, Danny,” Naomi called after him. Danny didn’t turn back, but lifted a hand in an unenthusiastic wave. Naomi leaned forward again, looking at Gavin. “What’s up with him?”

  “Oh, he’s just in a bad mood.” Gavin made a face, like it wasn’t a big deal.

  “Whatever. But he’s coming Saturday night, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah, sure.”

  “Excellent.” Naomi smiled, subtly wagging her brows at me. I could tell she was suppressing a giggle.

  “So …” Gavin said. He shifted in his chair, and for a second our knees touched. I crossed my arms over my stomach to stop the butterflies from dancing around. “No attack of the killer peas today?”

  I let out a small laugh, pushing my hair back from my face. “Nope. No tomatoes either.”

  “Awesome movie!” He turned even more in his chair, resting his arm on the back of it so he was facing me full on. His eyes lit up as he spoke, and I could feel my smile widen. “I just saw it a couple weeks ago at the Fairmont drive-in.”

  “No way! I love that place. My Dad used to take me and Mara there a lot.”

  “Yeah, they show a lot of great B-movie classics.”

  Naomi stood up and walked over to me. “Great. So, we’ve got to go.” She hauled me out of my seat and hooked her arm through mine. “See you later, Gavin. Don’t let Danny forget about Saturday.”

  I stumbled as she pulled me through the cafeteria doors. “Naomi! What did you do that for? We were connecting. Maybe he would have asked me to a movie.”

  She rolled her eyes, still dragging me along. “Weren’t you paying attention? I already got us dates for Saturday night. Besides, how romantic could a film about vegetables be?”

  I pursed my lips. “Where are we going, anyway?”

  “The one place where we can jump up and down and squeal without getting strange looks.”

  “Girls’ bathroom?”

  “Yep.”

  Chapter Five

  The sun’s last rays disappeared behind the silhouette of neighborhood trees. I sat on a swing, dragging my shoes in small circles through the dirt. Naomi stood on the ladder of the slide like a lookout on a pirate ship.

  “Where are they?” She scanned the street, stretching over the slide.

  “They still have, like, ten minutes. Calm down.”

  If I was honest, I was freaking out too. My heart pounded and my hands felt clammy. I pulled out my phone, checking it once again to make sure it was on. Dad said he would call if he heard anything from the hospital, but I hadn’t missed any calls. I tucked the phone away and blew out a restless breath, sweeping my hair out of my face with my fingers.

  “I see them!”

  Naomi scrabbled down the ladder and grabbed the huge canvas bag she had dropped in the sand. I stood from the swing and straightened the hem of my blouse under my jacket. I didn’t know if it was the cool night air or the fact that we were about to break into an abandoned house and perform fake magic that sent shivers rippling through me.

  “How do I look?” Naomi asked for the tenth time that hour.

  “Fine.”

  “Just fine?”

  “Fine. You look perfect.”

  “Perfectly fine?”

  “Oh, shut up already.” I laughed and pushed at her shoulder.

  We’d decided to wear dark clothing, for obvious reasons. My jacket even had a hood I could pull over my head—not that I would really need to do that since my hair was as dark as night anyway.