The Dolls(35)

But when I yank open the front door and see Peregrine and Chloe, my jaw falls. I’m not ready for this yet.

“Why hello, Eveny!” Peregrine trills. She’s still wearing her Pointe Laveau uniform, which she has paired with black, thigh-high perforated leather boots and blood-red lipstick. Her smooth black stone with the jagged edge hangs just above the ornate hook and eye of a black fur capelet. She’s carrying a huge quilted leather Chanel bag. “We certainly hope we didn’t wake you. We were concerned when we didn’t see you in school!”

“You were?” I ask skeptically.

“Of course, sweetie!” Chloe chimes in. She’s dressed nearly as outrageously in platform ankle boots and a long sable coat that I swear I saw in Vogue this month. Her black stone necklace shines against her smooth, tan skin. “Are you all right? Do you need anything?”

I’m not surprised to see that their smiles don’t reach their eyes.

“So?” Peregrine prompts after a moment. “Why did you miss school?”

I debate what to say but settle on the truth. “I saw you last night, in the cemetery.”

The color drains from Chloe’s face, and Peregrine’s expression hardens.

“What is it you think you saw, exactly?” Peregrine asks carefully.

“I saw you practicing zandara,” I tell her.

Their mouths open into identical o’s of surprise.

“You know what zandara is?” Chloe asks. “We figured your aunt hadn’t told you yet.”

“She hadn’t,” I say. “Until this morning.”

They look at each other and then back at me. “Remarkable,” Peregrine breathes. Then she shoots me a dazzling smile. “What I mean to say is, perfect. Chloe and I have been studying for years, so there’s no one better to learn from than us.

“But first things first,” she adds, leaning forward. “Now that you know the truth, let’s go have some fun.”





UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

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12


Five minutes later, I’m folded uncomfortably into the back of Peregrine’s cherry-red Aston Martin DB Mark III hatchback, after she has sworn up and down that she’s left her creepy snake at home. She guns the engine and roars down the hill toward the center of town while Chloe turns around in the passenger seat and stares at me.

“What?” I finally ask.

“It’s just amazing, that’s all,” she says. “To grow up with no idea about any of this. I can’t even imagine what you must be thinking!”

“I don’t know what to think.”

“Well, I’m sure you have questions,” she says excitedly. “Ask us anything!”

“Okay.” I hesitate. “How do we cast spells, for example?”

Peregrine rolls her eyes at me in the rearview mirror. “They’re not spells, Eveny. You are not a character in Bewitched. They’re called charms.”

“Ignore her,” Chloe says. “There are a few things to know: First, all charms have to start with asking Eloi Oke to open the gate so that we can talk to the spirits. Second, they all have to involve herbs or flowers, because we channel our power from them. Third, they always have to be specific. Like you can’t say, ‘Make all the boys fall in love with me.’ Instead you’d have to ask for your own beauty enhancements, or ask for the love of a specific guy. Or both.”

“Assuming you’re completely lame and believe the best use of your immense power is to make boys love you,” Peregrine says with a snort.

Chloe turns red. “Peregrine thinks that only losers fall in love,” she tells me.

“No, I believe that only losers use their powers for something so entirely pointless.” Peregrine glances at me in the rearview mirror again. “But while we’re on the topic of losers and powers, Eveny, why don’t we have you do a little charm with us today? Our strength is much greater when there are three of us, so really, this should be no big deal. It’s just to open the gates of Carrefour for one teeny, tiny night so that we can have a fraternity party.”

It’s the charm I overheard them trying to cast in the cemetery, the one Pascal thought didn’t work. “Look, I’m all for the idea of bringing a bunch of hot college guys to town, but are you sure we should be opening the gates if a bunch of magic-haters are out to kill us?”

“I told you she’d be a nerd about this,” Peregrine singsongs. “Maybe a better question is why Main de Lumière is after us in the first place. Or didn’t your aunt tell you that?”