Duplicity (Spellbound #2) (6 page)

Gray rolled the drawer closed carefully.

Opening the front door quietly was a bit trickier. Gray left it open a crack.

She struck a match and lit the end of the cigarette. Gray tightened the belt around her robe. The fleece brushed against the porch railing as she looked out at the dark neighborhood, breath and smoke mingling in the cold air.

A cloaked figure stood in the shadow of a tree across the street. Gray took a puff on her cigarette, pretending not to notice. When her smoke cloud cleared, the figure was gone. Gray could brush it off as a trick of the eye, but the more likely scenario was that someone had been watching her.

Maybe she didn’t want to be hanging out alone in the dark being powerless and all. Gray rubbed her cigarette tip on the top cement step and then slipped back inside.

There was a tap at Charlene’s bedroom door shortly before seven a.m.

“Come in.”

Gray stretched and yawned as her mom walked in. She’d left a pile of tacks on Charlene’s dresser. The posters she’d removed from the walls were in a stack on the floor. “What day is it?”

“Friday.”

“Am I still me?”

Mom looked her over. “You’re still you.”

Good. Gray had saved Charlene’s corkboard for last. She unpinned a picture of her sister and Blake Foster. “What about Charlene?” Gray tried to ignore the dark circles under Mom’s eyes, undeniably caused by her reappearance. What she thought would cause joy was turning out to be another colossal screw-up.

“I haven’t figured it out yet. I don’t know what kinds of potions could do this. It would help if I were able to speak with Mr. Montez.”

“Right, and I’m sure Adrian would be happy to oblige.” Gray rolled her eyes. “Can we go out for breakfast? I’m allowed to eat, aren’t I? It’s, like, three in the afternoon in France and I’m starving.”

“Of course you’re allowed to eat. I’ll go change first.”

“Right,” Gray said. “I actually do have to change. No powers and all.”

Mom chewed on her lower lip. “That might be the safest thing right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“The other day, Lee’s powers started acting up on their own. It happened to Raj and his sister, too.”

Gray crossed her arms. “Any explanations?”

Mom shook her head. “The council’s looking into it.” She forced a smile. “The truth is you might be better off without magic for the time being.”

Doubtful. Gray snorted. “I’d rather have my powers back and take my chances.” She pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and met her mom in the hall five minutes later.

They ordered coffee at the diner down the road. Gray’s fingers curled around the mug handle. It kept them from twitching for a cigarette.

“What’s my cover?” Gray asked. “Why are we telling people I’m here?”

Mom twisted her lips sideways. “I told Daniel that you were overcome with grief and needed to be with family.”

Gray stared into her mug. “I don’t want people to know I’ve returned. I’m done with pretending to be Charlene.”

Mom reached forward and took her free hand. “Just be yourself. I’ll only call you Charlene when I have to, but I don’t expect you to be anyone other than yourself.”

And who exactly was she? A duplicate. A mistake.

Lee was waiting for them when they returned home. Her long legs dangled over the edge of the kitchen counter where she sat with arms folded. “Where have you two been?”

“Wait a minute,” Mom said. “Why aren’t you in school?”

“Is she…?” Lee left the question unfinished.

Gray didn’t appreciate the way Lee looked her up and down. “Gray,” Gray answered.

Lee looked to Mom for confirmation.

“It’s still Gray.”

“Like I said.” Gray huffed.

Mom set her purse on the counter. “Why aren’t you in school?”

“We’ve got problems. Aahana’s asleep—as in can’t wake up—again. I’m waiting to hear from Raj. They’re all headed to Gathering. Supposedly the inside of the building is a safe zone.”

“Well, that’s handy,” Gray said.

Lee glared at her. “If you call being imprisoned handy.”

Gray held her arms out, then quickly curled her fingers in when she saw her palms. “Hey, I’m not the one causing this.”

Lee’s stare told her she thought otherwise.

“You still have the nazar?” Mom asked.

Lee pulled a blue circular pendant out from under her top.

“What’s a nazar?” Gray asked.

“It protects me,” Lee said abruptly.

Gray lifted her gaze upwards. “Great,” she said under her breath.

Lee’s tone softened when she turned to Mom. “But you might want to stay in just to be on the safe side.”

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.”

“How is that any different from being ‘imprisoned,’ as you called it, at Gathering?” Gray asked. Why was Lee treating her this way? Shouldn’t they get along better than anyone in the world—be finishing each other’s sentences or something rather than snapping at one another?

Mom dug her cell phone out of her purse. “I’m calling Daniel.”

Lee jumped down. “What? Why?”

Mom already had the phone pressed to her ear. “Imagine how worried he’ll be if he finds out you’re not at school.”

“Mom…”

“Hi, Daniel, it’s me.” Mom walked out of the kitchen. “I just want you to know that Stacey is here. She’s fine.”

Lee glared at Gray.

“Again, not my fault,” Gray said. She was about to stare Lee down when a thick manila envelope caught her attention on the counter.
Graylee Perez
was written on the front. When she pulled it closer, she saw it had been opened. “Who opened this?”

“I did. It has my name on it.”

“No, it has
my
name.”

“I’m still Graylee Perez.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t look like it,” Gray said under her breath as she reached into the envelope. She pulled out the pendant with the silver-encased vial. Gray looked at Lee. She shrugged.

“There was no note, but it’s Adrian’s obviously. Raj and I still have ours.”

Gray suppressed a shudder. At least the mystery of her early morning stalker was solved, and now she was back in business. Gray took the pendant over to the sink, removed the cap, and turned the vial over. Nothing came out. She shook it over the drain. Nothing. Gray closed one eye and squinted into the small tube. “It’s empty,” she said.

Lee came closer and looked over her shoulder. “No blood?”

“No blood.”

“Maybe it dried up.”

“The vial is empty,” Gray repeated.

Lee shrugged.

Gray tried to ignore the faint traces of the M that had been carved into her right palm when she held it out to Lee. “I’ll take yours now.”

“Not a good idea,” Lee said. “You may get your powers back, but you won’t have control over them.”

Gray narrowed her eyes. “I’ll take my chances.”

“Sorry.”

“So that’s how it’s going to be? You’re going to block my powers the same way Charlene did? I never would have believed I’d do that to myself.”

Something flashed in Lee’s eyes. Her lips curled back and she threw her hands behind her head, freeing the pendant and thrusting it into Gray’s hand. “Fine! But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Thank you, Lee.” Several drops of blood emerged when Gray turned the vial upside down in the sink. “Now I need Raj’s.”

“He’s at Gathering.”

“So I’ll go to Gathering.”

“You can’t just walk in there out of the blue. It’ll raise too many questions.”

Unfortunately, Lee was right. If Gray had her powers she could have turned invisible before going in to find Raj, but that was the point of locating him in the first place. “Can you call him?”

Mom walked in, cell closed in her hand, and stuck the phone inside her purse. “Daniel’s coming over.”

Lee groaned.

“He’s bringing his laptop and your book bag. He said the two of you will work from here today.”

Lee slid open her phone. “I’ll call Raj before Mr. Morehouse gets here.”

Gray really did feel trapped. While the witches and warlocks of Kent were holed up at Gathering with full control of their powers, she was stuck at home without hers. Once Mr. Morehouse arrived, she was forced to see him seated across from Mom at the dining table as they worked at their laptops.

Gray joined Lee in the living room. She folded her legs under her on the couch. Lee was seated on the floor with a spiral notebook, pencil, and geometry book. “I hate math,” Gray said.

“Me, too.” Lee looked up and laughed. “I suppose that goes without saying.”

Gray picked at her cuticles. “Why do you think Adrian left the pendant?”

“I’m not sure. I guess he wants you to have your powers back. It tells us two things, though. He’s in town and he knows you’re here as Gray, not Charlene.”

“Does he know about you?”

Lee shook her head. “I don’t think so.” Lee pulled her hair into a ponytail and secured it with a hairband high atop her head.

They looked nothing alike and yet they shared the same memories and emotions. What did that make them? Mind twins?

Gray cleared her throat. “So, Mom and Mr. Morehouse?”

Lee rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder. “Yep. I thought it was a love spell, but apparently they really are in love.”

Gray sat up. “In love? Like they might get married?”

“Don’t go jumping to conclusions! They’ve only been dating for six months. Anyway, they make each other happy. I wouldn’t mind if they got hitched.”

“Of course
you
wouldn’t. Then you’d get to have Mom around all the time.”

Lee stretched. “Yeah, so?”

The doorbell chimed. Gray jumped up. “I’ll get it!”

When Gray opened the door, Raj was running his fingers over his brow. The thump of Gray’s heart was beyond her control. She smiled. Best of all, Raj returned her smile.

“Hi, Gray.”

“Hey.” Gray ordered herself not to blush. “You could tell it was me and not Charlene?”

“Lee texted. That’s great.” Raj dimpled. “I’m glad you’re you.”

“Thanks.” Gray glanced at Raj’s sneakers peeking from his long, dark jeans. “So, how have you been?”

“Good. I live with my mom and sister now.”

“That’s good.”

“How are you holding up?”

Gray shrugged. “Fine, I guess. I just don’t know what the point is.”

Raj leaned toward her. “What do you mean?”

“Raj!” Lee called out. “Come in.”

Mr. Morehouse turned in his chair as Raj stepped inside. “Don’t tell me you skipped school as well, Raj.”

“I wanted to make sure my sister was going to be okay. Once we saw that she was over the worst it was too late to go to school.”

“I’m happy to hear your sister is feeling better,” Mom said.

“Thank you, Ms. Perez.”

Lee had leapt to her feet and joined them in the entryway. She grabbed Raj’s arm and dragged him toward the living room. “We’re having a homework party. Come join us.”

Gray followed behind, feeling very much like the third wheel. Fine, she’d get her pendant and then she was out of there. At least the Beetle hadn’t been sold off like her furniture. She wasn’t sure where she’d go for the afternoon, but anywhere was better than here where she had no place in the whole Perez/Morehouse/McKenna scheme of things.

Once more, everyone had moved on without her—including herself.

At least she’d had Raj’s loyalty when she was stuck sharing Charlene’s body. Now that there were two of her, everyone had already chosen a side: Lee’s.

Raj settled in beside Lee on the floor and kissed her cheek. Usually it was on the lips, but whatever. It was a little hard with Gray staring at them.

Gray cleared her throat. “Mind handing over your pendant?”

Raj looked at Lee. She nodded. “I gave her mine. Adrian’s pendant showed up this afternoon in a manila envelope at the door. It was here when I arrived.”

“Adrian.” Raj’s jaw tightened.

“Afraid so.”

Raj waited till after he’d handed Gray his pendant to say, “You might be better off without your powers for the time being.”

Lee rolled her eyes. “I tried to warn her.”

“Thanks, Raj,” Gray said, ignoring Lee. “Be right back.”

Once she was gone, Raj put his hand over Lee’s. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. The nazar works like a charm. How are your mother and Aahana?”