In an instant, Marshall’s hand lights up a brilliant shade of blue and I watch as the electrifying hue pours into Chloe’s frame, lighting up her hair, her face, her limbs, all the way to her sharpened toenails.
“Enter.” His voice echoes through the room like a steel drum struck with a heavy blow, and slowly I make my way toward Chloe, close, so close until I step right inside.
A horrific vacuuming sound erupts as my spirit twists and turns, and soon I’m looking out at the room through Chloe Bishop’s eyes.
The room grows black for a moment, and a vision flashes through my mind—a skeleton lying on the floor, bones so white, a dark background is behind them. The skeleton stands. Muscles and tendons and flesh quickly appear, revealing a man. He bends over and pulls on some clothes, and then just as quickly as the vision came, it’s gone and the room blinks back to life.
“Did you do that, Chloe?” I ask. “Were you thinking it?”
No, she says.But I saw it. That was a vision, wasn’t it?
“It was indeed, Ms. Bishop,” Marshall says the words softly as if singing a lullaby. “And yes, I can hear your thoughts. Typically, I cannot, but Ms. Messenger is proving to be quite the conduit. I saw the vision as well.”
Bones,Chloe muses.
“They came to life,” I whisper. “Just like the dry bones from the Bible.” A horrific pain rips through my stomach, and I double over, clutching at Chloe’s waist—my new waist.
I remember that chapter. God said to tell those bones to rise. It was a command, Skyla,she says.And then He breathed life into them. But we have to speak the command. I think I get it. We have power, Skyla. There’s a reason that vision was showed to the both of us. We must speak life.
A horrible wave of nausea pulses through me, and every muscle in this new body turns to stone. My bowels constrict, my anus spasms painfully, and heaven help me, how I hate the fact I’m painfully aware of Chloe’s anus.
“Ms. Messenger?” Marshall does his best to navigate me to the sofa, but I resist his efforts.
Another horrific groan emits from me. “Marshall.” I take his hand and place it over my forehead until those feel-good vibratronics of his are pulsing through me. “Oh, yes, yes. That’s better.” Another hard groan rips from my throat. “Chloe, what the hell is wrong? Did you somehow manage to poison yourself just as I stepped into your body? Was it a bad burrito? This is truly awful.” My body—thisbody seizes, my every limb grows as heavy and hard as concrete.
I fall to the couch and roll around in agony.
“Please tell me this isn’t how you live, Chloe. How do you stand it?Whydo you stand it?”
Dudley,Chloe snips.You said we’d both feel the body, good or bad. I feel just fine. What the hell is Messenger moaning about?
“Not to worry, either of you. Ms. Messenger simply needs to get used to the atmosphere. Every body has its own temperament. And right now, she is doing her best to adapt to yours.”
“Oh, Chloe,” her name quivers from my lips. “I always said you were a miserable witch. I just never knew how stunningly accurate that was.”
Shut up, Skyla. You’re a guest in my home. I won’t tolerate you belittling me from the get-go. Now buck up. We’re not wasting a single minute. You’ve already made me regret my choices, no thanks to your little hissy fit. Do what you need to do to get back in that stretched out vagina of yours.
“Personally, I’m shocked you let me do it.” I struggle to sit up as Marshall comes to me with a glass of cold water. “Thank you,” I say, taking a careful sip.
I’m no fool, Skyla. You didn’t pull one over on me. I’m well aware you need a body. I’m also well aware your mother isn’t about to let your wench of a sister marry Logan Oliver in your place. Who knew there would be someone in your family I could possibly dislike more than you? What should we do to the little bitch first? I’m thinking a knife in the gut. I’m trained to stab a person seven times without hitting a vital organ. It allows all the delight of watching them try to kick the bucket with none of the actual bucket kicking.
“Sounds wonderful. But it’s a hard no. That would be my body you’d be stabbing.”
That’s the point.
“Funny.” I set the water down just as Brody and Brielle’s sister, Brookelynn, come stumbling down the hall half-dressed, their hair askew, and they both happen to have a noticeable spring in their step. They disappear into the kitchen without so much as a hello.
Marshall dematerializes back into his ghostly state, and it’s seemingly just Chloe in the living room again.
Tell him now, Skyla. I don’t want my brother thinking I’ve lost my mind. He’s my person.
I shake my head.Not until he’s alone,I tell her.We need to be strategic about who we tell and when. Relax. I’m not setting up camp in your vagina, Chloe. Everything will be done strategically and God-willing quickly too.
“Brody?” I say, standing up and trying my best to get steady on my feet. “I’ll be stepping out for a while. Don’t wait up for me.”I’ll be backnever, I want to say, but unfortunately, I might be back time and time again.
Brody steps out of the kitchen, looking every bit like his sister in male skin. Same dark hair, same dark almond-shaped eyes, dark olive skin. Brookelynn crops up next to him with her vanilla-colored hair in a messy bun, her slightly upturned nose and pouty lips on full display as she gives me the stink eye.
Brody frowns over at me. “What do you mean you’re going out? It’s pouring rain.”
