I shrug and look down again. “Nothing could be done. Her gift is to be unseen. Invisible. I’ve hired a private investigator—”
“Why would you waste your money like that?” Amá yelps.
I sigh and bury my face in my hands, willing the tears back in. I’ve been crying too much lately. When I lift my head, I take one big breath. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want everyone to know how messed up I was, okay?” I turn to Amá. “And I wasn’t pure for my marriage, Amá Sonya. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t. Because I was with an abusive dickwad who made me do things I wasn’t ready for and didn’t want to do! And I didn’t tell you about that, either, because I didn’t want it to be yet another thing you all would know was wrong with me, okay?” The tears have returned. And this time, the weather matches me—all gray and gloomy. “Not that there’s anything wrong with having sex outside of marriage.”
“Tell that to Jesus,” Amá retorts, but her tone doesn’t have the sting it usually does, and her eyes keep roaming over my body like she’s looking for some kind of injury.
Our server appears and the next five minutes are dedicated to getting everyone their meals, and devouring our first bites, because everyone’s gotten extra hungry during this absurdly long conversation.
“So what do we do now?” Sage asks. “How do we get Teal’s soul back to her?”
Nadia smiles. “Cora thinks she outsmarted us. But she set up a trap of her own making.” She looks right at me. “She has your soul. Which means there is a connection between the two of you. We find your soul piece, we find Cora. She cannot stay hidden, so long as she has stolen from you.”
“That…sounds ominous,” Sky says.
“We just have to wait until the next full moon,” Nadia declares. She glances at her phone. “Which is in…oh, two and a half days. Sage, Sky. Clear your schedules.”
“I’m participating, too,” Amá Sonya declares before demolishing a sweet potato fry.
“Then you can also clear your schedule. Postpone your HOA meeting or Gucci Bingo Night—”
“What’s Gucci Bingo Night?” Amá asks, because of course she is interested in whatever the hell that would even be.
“Okay!” I say, holding up my hand. “What are we doing in two and a half days’ time? Where are we going to meet? Do I need to prepare anything, or—”
“I’ll get all the supplies. I’ll text you the rest once I figure it out,” Nadia responds, in a tone that indicates that is all the information we’re going to get from her at present time.
I turn to Amá. “Do you know what she’s up to?”
Amá shrugs. “You know Nadia. It could be anything from dancing naked in the woods to doing despicable things with broomsticks.” You’d think she were talking about fucking abroomstick, by the tone of her voice, but no. She waves her arm across the sky, mimicking flight.
Sage, Tenn, and Carter laugh at her, but Sky and I exchange a questioning look. I think of her words to Nadia only minutes ago.This is what you get for trying to teach her the old ways. Going out into the forests to find the footprints of the old ones. Going on, how do you say, soul travels!
It’s clear we’ve only gotten half the story with regard to our gifts. And that’s bullshit.
28
My phone vibrates with atext. It’s Sky.Meet me outside before you and Carter leave.
I’m nearly in the car when it pings, and I groan. It takes me too damn long to get in and out of this vehicle, thanks to my ankle. “Hold on,” I say to Carter. “I’ve got to see Sky about something.”
“Want me to come?” he asks as he leans down to help lift me back up again. Even with everything rolling around in my head that I’ve learned in the last hour—the fact that Mom took my mother-flippingsoulfrom me, which, I agree with Amá, thatbitch…to the idea that not only can I be fixed, but Nadia alsoalready knows how to do it…to the fact that Sky wasn’t a virgin when she fell? Who the hell was she fucking back then? It couldn’t have been with her boyfriend at the time, whose name I can’t even recall right now, because that boy practically lived at the church and blushed anytime someone said the wordscrew, even with regard to the Home Depot hardware department. It honestly soundslike she had more game than me and I was four years older than her and had way more boyfriends.
Back to my point. Even with all the crap in my head, Istillget goose bumps when Carter’s hands are on my arms. I still lean in a little, to smell that sweet salty note on him that makes me so crazy, I keep thinking dumb thoughts likeI want our marriage to be real.
“No, I think she wants to chat alone for a few minutes. Maybe give me some encouragement or something.”
Carter gives me a warm smile. “I’ll be right here.”
“I know.” I smile back at him.
“Teal! Stop hitting on your husband and get your butt over here!” Sky’s voice rings out and I laugh, turning to her.
“Okay, okay,” I say, stumbling to the side of the parking lot that is lined with tall, pointy evergreen trees. “What’s going on?”
She’s standing with Sage, and they’re both staring at me with equally weird looks on their faces.
I frown. “What is it?” I glance at Sage’s belly. “Is the baby okay?”
