Jess seemed to understand though, judging by the smile that played on her lips. “I’ve managed to avoid that particular pitfall so far. When I’m Walking, I’m still tied to my body. Though it appears lifeless, the body of a true Walker enters a state of stasis—like someone has hit a pause button. The body doesn’t breathe or move, but neither does it begin to decay. It simply is, frozen in time, until the Walker returns.”
“And so when Wren found your body—” Nova began.
“She understandably thought she had stumbled upon a corpse. Actually not the first time that’s happened to me, believe it or not.” For some reason she had to smother a grin, and her cheeks flushed slightly, like she was remembering something embarrassing, before clearing herthroat and focusing on me again. “It was, however, the first time I was scooped up and thrown in a body bag.”
It was my turn to flush a little now. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. But how could I have known?”
“You couldn’t,” Jess said with a shrug. “And anyway, you rescued me. Let’s call it square.”
I smiled. “Fair enough.”
“So what were you able to find out?” Nova urged. “I mean, about the uh… Playhouse?”
“Not much, actually,” Jess said ruefully. “Besides the guards, there seemed to be some magical protections set up as well. There were invisible barriers I couldn’t cross, and before I’d had much time to examine or test them, I heard the sirens. Then I had to abandon my investigation, and focus on getting my body back as priority number one.”
I swallowed the urge to apologize again. She’d already agreed we were forgiven.
“So, I’ve already told you more than I should,” Jess said with a sigh. “Now comes the point where I ask you for some honesty in return, and maybe a bit of help.”
Nova and I looked at each other.
“Help with what?” I asked.
Jess crossed her arms. “I need to know what’s under that Playhouse. And I need you to help me get in there.”
14
“Did… did you hear what I said?” Jess asked.
It was a fair question, considering the fact that Nova and I were just staring at her as though both of our brains had stopped functioning simultaneously. I turned my gaze on Nova, and saw the same panic staring back out at me from her eyes that I could feel pumping through my veins.
“You… want us to take you under the Playhouse?” Nova repeated.
“Yeah,” Jess said. “I can’t very well know what we’re dealing with if I can’t even get in there to see it.”
“I… don’t really think that’s going to be possible,” I said.
“I’ll do you one better. I know for a fact it’s not going to be possible,” Nova added.
Jess narrowed her eyes. “Why not?”
“It’s… complicated,” Nova hedged.
“I can keep up,” Jess replied.
Nova looked at me again, silently asking me to jump in.
“See, the thing is, Jess… that place, under the Playhouse? It’s sort of… off limits.”
Jess rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I kind of sorted that out from allthe security and the magical protections? Hence why I even tried something as extreme as Walking to get in there.”
“Yeah, well that security is constant. We’re talking twenty-four seven. And we’re definitely not allowed in there,” I said.
Jess raised one eyebrow. “I am speaking to the girls who just broke into a morgue and stole a body at the behest of a spirit, right? Or did those girls get impatient and fuck off while I was in the shower?”
“No, we’re… it’s not that we don’t want to help you,” I said quickly. “It’s just, I don’t think we can.”
“We definitely can’t,” Nova added.
