I turned to May. “Tell me or I’m going to be angry.”
May scoffed. “What makes you think that matters to me?”
“Because I’m petulant when I’m angry.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked for a place to sit. The only option was a fallen log, so I took it. “If you don’t tell me what you’re hiding I’ll sit here forever.” I corrected myself quickly. “Or until Declan and Bogdan come calling.”
Mom made a protesting sound. May growled. But I held my ground.
“Fine,” May said after glaring into my eyes. “We were thinking a bit ago that we might be able to cross back over if we had a strong enough door. None of the doors here are strong. Some are fading. If one is charged by people coming over … .”
“You could go back,” I finished. “You could both go back.” This time when I looked at my mother it was with a bit of wonder.
“That can’t be the aim,” Mom said. “You’re the priority.”
I pressed my lips together. “There can be multiple priorities.”
“I believe the word ‘priority’ suggests things have to be organized from least important to most important, so that’s not true. Only one thing can be at the top of the list.”
I frowned. “Yeah, I’ve never been one for rules.” I flicked my eyes to May. “How do we charge the door?”
“Don’t answer that,” Mom ordered.
May proved that we really did have a lot in common. “We need more magical beings to come through the door.”
I leaned back, forgetting I wasn’t on a chair, and almost toppled off the log.
“Don’t put her in this position,” Mom raged. “I asked for one thing from you. I want my daughter to be kept safe.”
“I did what you asked,” May fired back. “I told her to stay away. She didn’t, so now our situation haschanged.”
“We have to get her back home.” Mom sounded as if she was about to cry. “Wehaveto.”
“Emma, calm yourself.” May chided. “I understand that you’re upset.”
“Upset? Upset?” Mom clearly had my flair for the theatrical as her voice ratcheted up a notch. “I couldn’t be there for her in life. Not for a single thing. I will make sure I’m not there in her death. How can you not understand that?”
May looked exasperated. “It’s not as if you willingly abandoned her.”
“That doesn’t matter. She was alone.”
“Not alone,” I countered, drawing her attention to me. Her shoulders jolted as if she’d forgotten I was there. “I was never alone. I had Dad, and even though he was a bit bumbling at times, his heart was in the right place.”
“You’re not dying here, Hadley,” Mom growled. “I will not stand for it.”
“I have no intention of dying here,” I assured her. “Galen would be really angry. I’m not leaving you two here either.” I glanced at the green river. “Besides, Bogdan and Declan are a problem. We have to deal with them.”
“I don’t understand why they started in the first place,” May complained. “They had their own thing going here. Why did they fixate on you?”
Mom looked distinctly uncomfortable but didn’t respond. She was debating if she should tell me. I took the decision out of her hands.
“Clive told them about me.”
Mom’s face, even as a ghost, was expressive. May had once told me that ghosts hold on to all of their human characteristics. Apparently that was true of Mom. I’d imagined how she might react to some of the stuff I’d done as a kid. Now I could see it and even though we were in a pickle, I was ridiculously grateful.
May let loose a vile curse and turned her back to me, her ghostlyhands clenched into fists. “Of course. It makes sense. Clive came here, ran his mouth, and when he got into trouble he served you up to them.”
“How?” Mom asked. “I had very little interaction with him when he was here — I recognized him from home and that made me curious — but he didn’t mention Hadley.”
“Did he mention a witch who ruined his plans and her merry band of paranormal misfits?” I asked.
