school, would be going to her prom when she was a senior. ‘I’m meeting up with Shanna and Elisa. We’re seeing that dying-girl movie.’ She pulled a mini-pack of Kleenex decorated with hearts out of her purse. ‘I’m prepared.’
‘I want to see that too. You have to tell me what it’s like,’ Eve said.
‘Will do. And you two’ – she pointed from Luke to Seth – ‘on Monday I expect you to report in on whether football, basketball, or shopping is more gruelling.’ She waved and started back across the street.
‘On the subject of shopping, how do you all feel about making a quick stop in East Hampton?’ Jess asked. ‘When I was taking a shower, I remembered that I’d seen this gorgeous dress in the window of the Cynthia Rowley boutique. I need to look at it again, so I can compare and contrast.’
‘Fine by me,’ Seth answered.
‘Me too,’ Luke put in. ‘Do you think we need to stretch first?’ he asked Seth. ‘We don’t want to pull a muscle.’
‘You know how girls always say that one of the things they look for in a guy is a sense of humour?’ Eve asked. When Luke nodded, grinning, she continued, ‘That’s not my thing.’ He just grinned wider.
‘So East Hampton it is,’ Jess said.
‘Absolutely. If you don’t look at the dress now, it’ll get more and more gorgeous in your mind, and you won’t like anything else we see,’ Eve answered. ‘But then when you go look at it later, it could actually not be especially gorgeous at all.’
‘Exactly!’ Jess smiled at her.
‘And that’s why we’re taking pics of all the possibilities,’ Eve reminded her.
‘Want to cut through the woods?’ Seth asked. ‘It’s not a bad walk to East Hampton. We can be there in about fifteen minutes.’
Eve and Luke exchanged a glance. She knew he was thinking about the missing animals. So was she. But the portal was closed, and if somehow something nasty had gotten into the woods, she could handle it. Before she met Jess that morning, she’d made a quick stop at the power plant. The energy was still churning inside her, and it would love to get out. Not that she wanted anything bad to happen, of course. It was just nice to feel powerful and prepared.
‘I’m up for a walk in the woods,’ Eve said. Why not check things out? she thought. Jess and Luke agreed, and a few minutes later they were entering the cool darkness of the trees. Eve hadn’t been there since she, Jess and Luke had battled the wargs. That night, she’d seen a dead body for the first time, the body of Willem Payne, the Order member who had battled the demons alongside them. The memory made her shiver.
She told herself not to think about that night, not now. ‘So, Seth, I heard that you’ve given Jess full control of picking your tux. Smart move.’
‘Oh, I forgot to tell you,’ Seth said, turning to Jess. ‘My dad still has the tux he wore to his prom. He said I could borrow it.’
Jess rolled her eyes. ‘That was when, the early eighties?’ she asked.
‘Something like that.’ Seth shrugged.
‘I’m picturing a pastel suit. I’m picturing a gigantic floppy bow tie and a shiny matching cummerbund. What I’m not picturing is going to the prom with a guy dressed like that. Ewww! ’ Jess squealed.
‘Relax. I was just kidding,’ Seth told her.
Jess didn’t respond. She was staring down at the ground. Slowly she lifted her foot. A gasp escaped from Eve’s throat. The bottom of Jess’s loafer was smeared with gore. ‘Oh, God. I stepped on a dead squirrel,’ Jess cried. She began frantically scraping her shoe against a tree trunk, trying to wipe off the blood.
‘Here. Give it to me.’ Seth held out his hand for the shoe. Once Jess gave it to him, he used some leaves to clean it for her, then put it back on her foot, all Prince Charming.
Luke crouched down and studied the body of the small animal. He frowned and shot a worried look at Eve. She forced herself to study the squirrel more closely.
‘I want to see that too. You have to tell me what it’s like,’ Eve said.
‘Will do. And you two’ – she pointed from Luke to Seth – ‘on Monday I expect you to report in on whether football, basketball, or shopping is more gruelling.’ She waved and started back across the street.
‘On the subject of shopping, how do you all feel about making a quick stop in East Hampton?’ Jess asked. ‘When I was taking a shower, I remembered that I’d seen this gorgeous dress in the window of the Cynthia Rowley boutique. I need to look at it again, so I can compare and contrast.’
‘Fine by me,’ Seth answered.
‘Me too,’ Luke put in. ‘Do you think we need to stretch first?’ he asked Seth. ‘We don’t want to pull a muscle.’
‘You know how girls always say that one of the things they look for in a guy is a sense of humour?’ Eve asked. When Luke nodded, grinning, she continued, ‘That’s not my thing.’ He just grinned wider.
‘So East Hampton it is,’ Jess said.
‘Absolutely. If you don’t look at the dress now, it’ll get more and more gorgeous in your mind, and you won’t like anything else we see,’ Eve answered. ‘But then when you go look at it later, it could actually not be especially gorgeous at all.’
‘Exactly!’ Jess smiled at her.
‘And that’s why we’re taking pics of all the possibilities,’ Eve reminded her.
‘Want to cut through the woods?’ Seth asked. ‘It’s not a bad walk to East Hampton. We can be there in about fifteen minutes.’
Eve and Luke exchanged a glance. She knew he was thinking about the missing animals. So was she. But the portal was closed, and if somehow something nasty had gotten into the woods, she could handle it. Before she met Jess that morning, she’d made a quick stop at the power plant. The energy was still churning inside her, and it would love to get out. Not that she wanted anything bad to happen, of course. It was just nice to feel powerful and prepared.
‘I’m up for a walk in the woods,’ Eve said. Why not check things out? she thought. Jess and Luke agreed, and a few minutes later they were entering the cool darkness of the trees. Eve hadn’t been there since she, Jess and Luke had battled the wargs. That night, she’d seen a dead body for the first time, the body of Willem Payne, the Order member who had battled the demons alongside them. The memory made her shiver.
She told herself not to think about that night, not now. ‘So, Seth, I heard that you’ve given Jess full control of picking your tux. Smart move.’
‘Oh, I forgot to tell you,’ Seth said, turning to Jess. ‘My dad still has the tux he wore to his prom. He said I could borrow it.’
Jess rolled her eyes. ‘That was when, the early eighties?’ she asked.
‘Something like that.’ Seth shrugged.
‘I’m picturing a pastel suit. I’m picturing a gigantic floppy bow tie and a shiny matching cummerbund. What I’m not picturing is going to the prom with a guy dressed like that. Ewww! ’ Jess squealed.
‘Relax. I was just kidding,’ Seth told her.
Jess didn’t respond. She was staring down at the ground. Slowly she lifted her foot. A gasp escaped from Eve’s throat. The bottom of Jess’s loafer was smeared with gore. ‘Oh, God. I stepped on a dead squirrel,’ Jess cried. She began frantically scraping her shoe against a tree trunk, trying to wipe off the blood.
‘Here. Give it to me.’ Seth held out his hand for the shoe. Once Jess gave it to him, he used some leaves to clean it for her, then put it back on her foot, all Prince Charming.
Luke crouched down and studied the body of the small animal. He frowned and shot a worried look at Eve. She forced herself to study the squirrel more closely.
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