“Is that Wren?”
A woman appeared from the room beyond the kitchen, a tall woman with full lips and sharp cheekbones, like Eva’s. Her hair stood out in a beautiful natural halo all around her face.
“Yeah, Mama, this is Wren. Wren, this is my mom, Maricela.”
“You can call me Mari. Everyone does,” she said, holding out a hand for me to shake.
“It’s really nice to meet you,” I told her, taking her hand. It was warm, and her handshake was firm.
“I told Eva you could use my workshop for the pageant costumes,” Mari said. “And I told her I could help with the sewing, if there’s any to do.”
“I’m happy to hear that, because I don’t know how to sew at all,” I admitted. “I was kind of hoping we’d be able to do all of this with a glue gun and duct tape.”
Mari’s smile widened. “Well, if that turns out not to be the case, you girls can give me a shout. I know no one in the Conclave will say as much, but I’m glad you’re trying to overhaul this pageant. It’s been sad and tired for decades.”
“It has not!” came Xiomara’s voice from the room beyond the kitchen. “You just don’t know how to appreciate tradition!”
Mari rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be communing?” she called.
“Yes. The ancestors told me to pass that on,” Xiomara called back.
“Ay, Dios mio, mama.No, they did not!” Mari grumbled.
“You young people and your need to shake everything up.Hasta el ultimo pelo.” Xiomara went on.
“What do you mean, communing?” I asked.
“Oh, she’s been unsettled like the rest of us with… well, I surely don’t need to explain it to you, do I?” Mari said, with a knowing look. “So she’s been trying to commune with the ancestors, to get some insight into what’s happening.”
My face must have been full of confusion, because she clarified.
“My mother has that gift—to communicate with the deceased. She uses that gift sometimes to seek guidance.”
I nodded slowly, even as my mind spun. Rhi had told me that Xiomara was a powerful spirit witch, but seeking guidance from our deceased relatives? Was that something witches could do? Could I? And moreover, was that why I’d seen Asteria twice now? Was she trying to give me guidance, and I was just too unskilled to receive it?
“Wren? You ready?” Eva asked, frowning a little at me.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Let’s get to work,” I said. “Nice to meet you, Mari.”
“You, too, Wren. We’re glad you and your mom are back in Sedgwick Cove, where you belong,” Mari replied.
“I… me, too,” I said, and quickly turned to follow Eva up the stairs.
“Shh,” Eva said, as soon as we’d reached the top of the stairs. “Come to my room first, I need to talk to you.”
I followed Eva down a short hallway and into her bedroom. Her mom had clearly given her free rein to decorate how she wanted —the walls were the color of the Caribbean, and she had drawn and written all over them: song lyrics, poetry, quotes, and doodles, blossoming across the walls like living, growing things. Her bed in the corner was draped in mosquito netting hung with tiny, white fairy lights. She had an altar on a shelf over the bed; and her bookshelves, bedside table, and desk were piled with seashells, driftwood, little bowls of sand, and jar after jar of...
“Is that water?” I asked, approaching the shelves so that I could examine the jars more closely. They were all labeled in a hand so rushed and crowded, it was barely decipherable.
“Yeah, I collect it for spell work; rainwater, moon water, stormwater, ocean water, they all have their uses,” she said.
I must have been staring because she smiled. “We’ve never really talked about affinities before, have we? At least, not mine. I’m a water witch.”
“Really? I had no idea,” I said. “What exactly does that… mean?” I asked.
“It just means I’m drawn to the water. My magic works best when I’m working with water, or near water. Lucky for me, really, that we live right by the ocean,” she said with a smile that quickly faded. “Now what’s going on? I overheard my mom andabuelatalking about Persi and Bernadette. What happened, do you know?”
I sat down on the edge of her bed, and sighed. “You should have popped some popcorn for this one.” And for the second time in an hour, I told the whole story of the Cleansing. Then I explained my visit to the Manor.
