by Kat Shepherd
“Got it,” Tanya said. “I hope it’s really … restorative.” She folded her hands in her lap. Why were they sitting here? “Well, I guess if there isn’t anything else, we should probably go find Kira.” Tanya stood up.
“Well, there is just one more thing,” Mrs. Fogelman said. Tanya sat back down. “It’s about Kira.” Tanya felt her shoulders tighten. “She hasn’t been herself the last few days. Very listless and sleepy, and she’s looking a bit … peaked.” She shifted in her seat, and Tanya noticed for the first time that the artist’s wrists were bare of the Bakelite bracelets she always wore. “I took her to the doctor, but there’s nothing physically wrong with her.”
“That’s a relief,” Tanya said.
Mrs. Fogelman ignored her, and her gaze turned to the window and the yard beyond. “She’s always been a moody child, but this seems different.” She turned back to Tanya, her eyes damp. “I’m worried she’s a bit homesick. You know, lonely.”
“Sure,” Tanya said.
“I was thinking we should do something to cheer her up, don’t you agree?”
“That’s a great idea,” Tanya answered.
“Excellent. I had a marvelous thought as I was putting the finishing touches on my sculpture. It came to me suddenly. Perhaps you girls could have a sleepover here at the house.” She picked up a datebook from the side table. “I believe next Monday is a school holiday, so how about Sunday night?”
Tanya looked at the others, who nodded. “Um, we’ll have to check with our parents, but that sounds like it could work.”
Mrs. Fogelman brushed her hands together. “Well, then. That’s settled.” She stood up and wavered on her feet for a moment, gripping the back of the chair for support.
“Are you all right?” Clio asked.
“Yes, just a bit light-headed. Not much sleep last night, I’m afraid.” She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. “There. Much better.” She popped her head into the hallway. “Kira, darling! I’m leaving for yoga. Come down and give your auntie Dot a kiss, will you?”
Tanya craned her neck to see the stairwell from her seat on the sofa. Kira padded slowly down the stairs, carrying Mary Rose in one hand. She rubbed her eyes as though she had just been napping. Her dog-print leggings and hot-pink sweater hung on her thin frame. She cuddled against her great-aunt, and Tanya saw a look of genuine affection between them before Kira’s eyes slipped back into blankness and she retreated up the stairs again. Frowning, Mrs. Fogelman watched her walk up the stairs for a moment and then turned to the girls again. “I hope you all have a lovely time together.” She walked out the front door, closing it behind her.
Once they saw her drive away, Clio pulled a bundle of dried sage out of her bag. “The silver box was too heavy to bring on our bikes, so Aunt Kawanna’s going to drive Ethan over with it, along with the salt.”
“It’s a lot of salt,” Rebecca said.
“But how are we going to get Mary Rose away from Kira?” Tanya asked.
“That’s where I come in,” Maggie said. She unzipped her backpack, and bright, sparkly fabrics came tumbling out. “Operation dress-up has commenced! I have a ton of sequined stuff, hot-pink tutus, and just about every hair care product known to man. There’s no way Kira can resist this amazingness. I’ll head upstairs now and see what she’s up to.”
“Okay, good,” Tanya said. She glanced outside and saw Kawanna’s turquoise Scout pulling into the driveway. A few moments later, Ethan heaved a tarnished silver box up the steps, and Kawanna followed behind hauling two canvas shopping bags.
“Where should we set up?” Kawanna asked.
“The backyard,” Tanya said. “That way the sage won’t set off the smoke detectors.”
“Good idea,” Rebecca agreed. The girls helped carry the supplies out back to the small patio behind the kitchen. A swirling mosaic pattern wove through the pavement, and Tanya wondered if Mrs. Fogelman had done it herself. Tanya rubbed her arms, thankful that it wasn’t raining. It had been unseasonably warm for winter, but it was still cold enough to chill her to the bones. Anemic sunlight filtered through the clouds and onto the pale stalks of the dead plants in the garden. Mrs. Fogelman’s sculptures, an odd mix of stone and old junk, were scattered throughout the yard. Tanya couldn’t decide if she liked them or not. She noticed the tarp was gone from the former fish pond. In its place was a lumpy mound wrapped in bulky blue blankets. She guessed that must be the new sculpture and was glad it was still covered up. She was in no mood for Mrs. Fogelman’s weird, unnerving Unburied Past.
Ethan set the silver chest on the pavement and lifted the lid. Every surface, both inside and outside, was intricately patterned. “Wow! It’s so beautiful,” Tanya said.
“Thanks,” Ethan answered. “It was Great-Grandma Moina’s.”
“Wow,” Tanya said. “What did she use it for?”
“Exorcisms, mainly,” he answered matter-of-factly. “Rebecca, do you have the salt?”
“Coming right up.” Rebecca handed him a heavy blue box of kosher salt and picked up a second one herself. The two of them emptied the boxes of salt into the chest until the bottom was completely covered. Rebecca handed him another box of salt, and they repeated the process.
“This reminds me of the time I visited you in Hollywood, and you took me to that spa in Koreatown,” Clio said to Kawanna. “We lay on those salt beds. Do you remember that?”
Her aunt smiled. “Of course I do! Korean spas are one of the few things I really miss about LA.” She glanced up at the cold sky. “Well, that and the weather.”
“So all we have to do is put the doll in this silver box, cover it in salt, and then wave burning sage over it?” Tanya asked.
“Yep, that’s about it,” Ethan answered.
“Are you sure there’s not something else we have to do?” Tanya asked again.
“Here. See for yourself.” Ethan passed her a yellowed sheet of paper. Tanya recognized the page from the text photo.
Tanya read through it again. Ethan was right, but she couldn’t help but feel like they were missing something. It just felt way too easy. “Where did you get this?”
Ethan shrugged. “I didn’t find it until yesterday. It was folded up and stuck between two pages of that book I lent you, Object Possession. It’s a lucky thing it popped up when it did.”
“Yeah. Lucky,” Tanya said. Something about the story made her uneasy.
Kawanna stood up. “I’ve got to get back to the shop. Everybody all right?”
“We’re good,” Clio said. “Thanks for your help.”
“Yeah, and thanks for the ride, too,” Ethan added.
Kawanna winked. “Anything for my favorite niece and her friends.”
“Auntie, I’m your only niece,” Clio shot back.
“Exactly.” Kawanna waved and disappeared back into the house.
“I’ll go check on Maggie and Kira,” Tanya suggested. “Hopefully Maggie’s got her distracted enough that we can grab Mary Rose.”
“I’ll come with you,” Rebecca answered. She stood up and dusted off the knees of her camo-print cargo pants, pausing to flick a wet leaf from the toe of her black studded high-tops. As they walked inside, Tanya was relieved to hear Maggie’s and Kira’s voices floating down from upstairs.
Maggie had managed to get Kira out of the doll room and back into her own room. The two girls stood at the mirror, Maggie chattering on while her chubby fingers deftly wove Kira’s lank hair into an elaborate French braid. Kira’s eyes still looked dull, but they tracked Maggie’s face in the mirror, and Tanya even caught a small smile forming on the little girl’s pale lips. Leave it to Maggie, Tanya thought. She always knew just the right way to lift someone’s spirits.
Tanya introduced Rebecca to Kira. “I like your sneakers,” Kira said.
“Thanks,” Rebecca answered. She pointed to Kira’s pink unicorn socks. “I like your socks.” Kira smiled shyly and looked down at her toes.
“How’s it going in her
e?” Tanya asked.
“Pretty good,” Maggie answered. “We’re starting with hair, and then we’ll move to makeup and costumes before we put on our show.”
“A show? That sounds cool,” Tanya said. “What are you going to do?”
“Well, I’m obviously going to sing,” Maggie said. “What about you, Kira?”
“I’m not sure,” Kira answered. “But I’ll probably either dance or sing.” She yawned. “Maybe I’ll just sing. I’m too tired to dance.” She pointed over to her bed. “Mary Rose is going to be in the show, too.” Tanya’s heart sank when she saw the china doll sitting on the bed. She was hoping Kira had left it in the doll room, where they could easily collect it without Kira noticing.
“Sounds great,” Tanya said. She shot Maggie a look, and Maggie gave a tiny shrug as if to say, What was I supposed to do?
“You know what?” Rebecca said suddenly. “If Mary Rose is going to be in the show, she should get a costume, too.” She walked over to the bed and picked up the doll.
Kira’s reaction was swift. “What are you doing?!” she cried. She ran over and snatched the doll out of Rebecca’s arms and put it back on the bed. “Don’t touch her! She’s mine!” She stood in front of the bed and spread her arms wide, blocking Mary Rose from the other girls. High spots of color appeared on both of her cheeks, and the dark circles under her eyes looked hollow. Rebecca looked back at Tanya.
“It’s okay, Kira,” Tanya said. “We’re not taking her forever. We’re just helping her get ready for your show, like Maggie’s helping you.”
“I don’t believe you.” Kira’s lips pulled back, baring her teeth in a feral snarl.
Tanya stood firm. “You can believe me or not, but we’re going to take Mary Rose into the other room to get her ready. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but being able to share is part of being a good person.”
Tanya leaned over and picked up Mary Rose. Kira screamed like she’d been burned. “Give her back! You’re going to ruin her!” She clawed at Tanya’s arms, forcing Tanya to hold the doll over her head.
“Kira, stop! I’m trying to hold her carefully, but if you keep attacking me I might drop her.” Tanya stepped away from the little girl. She held the doll tightly against her chest, wrapping her arms around it. “Look, Kira. Look. I’m not going to break her. We just need to borrow her for a few minutes.” Tanya could feel Mary Rose’s cold, porcelain cheek pressing against her collarbone, but the doll’s lumpy middle felt strangely hot against her chest, like there was a tiny furnace inside it.
Kira collapsed on the floor in a full-on tantrum, screaming and pounding the carpet with her bony fists. Maggie stood helplessly beside her, freckles stark against her blanched face. Tanya stood in the doorway, torn. She was Kira’s babysitter, and it felt wrong to leave her in such a state. She locked eyes with Maggie. “Just go,” Maggie said. “I’ll stay with Kira.”
Tanya and Rebecca ran down the stairs, with Tanya still clutching the doll to her chest. Mary Rose writhed in her arms like a bag of serpents, and Tanya felt a sting against her collarbone. “Ow!”
“What happened?” Rebecca asked.
Tanya gripped Mary Rose tighter and held her up. The doll hung limp and unmoving between her two hands. Its eyes stared vapidly forward, its cold, china face slack and expressionless. But a drop of blood hung from its lips and fell onto the yoke of its dress, staining it red. “I think it bit me.” Tanya felt bile rise in her throat. So burying the mirror hadn’t stopped Mary Rose at all. Tanya hoped their backup plan would work.
The two girls burst through the back door and ran over to the salt-filled box on the patio. Tanya pushed Mary Rose down beneath the white grains, and Clio and Ethan poured the rest of the salt over the doll until every scrap was covered. Rebecca slammed the lid shut, and Ethan turned the lock with a little silver key. The box shook violently. Tanya and Rebecca held it down. “Hurry,” Tanya said.
With trembling hands, Clio lit the bundle of sage and waved it over the box, thick clouds of fragrant smoke circling the air around their heads, and said:
“Chest of silver, salt, and sage
Free the spirit from its cage
Relinquish now the vessel’s helm
Return in glory to your realm.”
The struggling in the box slowed, then stopped. Tanya looked around at the others’ faces. “Is that it? Did we do it?”
“It seems like it.” Ethan swallowed. “What do you think?”
“Uh, yeah. I guess so.” Tanya looked down to consult her notebook, and then noticed for the first time that she didn’t have it in her hands. It lay open on the ground beside her, the mechanical pencil resting neatly atop a completely blank page. Had they followed all the steps in the right order? Had they forgotten anything? She realized she had no idea.
“Well, the box isn’t moving anymore, so that must be a good sign, right?” Clio said. “And we followed all the directions perfectly.”
Tanya bit her lip. Had they? Without her notes, how could they know? Ethan went to unlock the chest, and Tanya put her hand on his arm. “Don’t open it yet.” She picked up her notebook and started writing down everything she could remember, hoping she wasn’t leaving anything out. After a few moments, she nodded. “Okay. I think we’re good.”
Ethan lifted the lid, and Tanya dug through the salt until her hands found Mary Rose. She pulled the doll out and dusted the salt off its hair and dress. Did it look any different? Tanya wasn’t sure. Were the cheeks a little less pink, maybe? The eyes a little softer? She palpated the lumpy middle of the doll. It wasn’t hot like it had been before, but was it still a little warm? Well, it would be, Tanya thought. Fabric’s not a good conductor, so heat loss would hardly be instantaneous.
Tanya stood up, Mary Rose hanging limply over her arm. “I’ll go bring her back to Kira.”
Kira still lay on the floor of her room; Maggie sat next to her, softly stroking her hair. “I brought Mary Rose back,” Tanya said softly.
Kira lifted her tearstained face from the carpet. “You said you were going to change her outfit for the show, but you didn’t.” She started to cry again. “You took her for no reason!”
“Well, I thought it might be more fun for us to choose an outfit for her together,” Tanya said. She knelt down and held out her hand to Kira. “Should we go to the doll room and pick one out?”
Kira ignored her outstretched hand and instead yanked the doll from Tanya’s grasp. “What did you do to her?”
Tanya blinked. “Nothing.”
Kira pored over Mary Rose before clutching her close. “You’re a liar.” Tears squeezed out of the corners of her eyes. “She’s different.”
“What are you talking about?” Tanya asked. “Look at her. She’s exactly the same!”
Kira’s voice rose to a scream. “You ruined her! You stole her from me and ruined her, all because you were jealous!” She stood up and pushed Tanya’s shoulder, hard. “Get out of my room! I hate you! I hate all of you!”
Tanya and Maggie looked at each other, stunned.
They had managed to save Mary Rose. But had it been worth it?
CHAPTER
16
IT WAS ALREADY dark, and the full moon was obscured by clouds when Tanya and her friends arrived at Mrs. Fogelman’s for the sleepover. Kawanna waved to them from the car and gave a thumbs-up before driving away. The mid-winter heat wave was still going strong, and the girls held their jackets in their hands. Rebecca pushed up the sleeves of her navy cashmere sweater. “So, what do you guys think about tonight?”
“I don’t know, but I just hope it goes well,” Tanya answered. Kira had been sullen and unresponsive for the remainder of their last babysitting visit, and Tanya had been surprised that her great-aunt hadn’t called to cancel the slumber party. She had tried to tell Mrs. Fogelman about Kira’s tantrum, but the older woman had just waved it away. And now as the girls stood on the porch waiting for someone to answer the door, Tanya wondered if she should have called
the day before just to make sure they were still invited.
Mrs. Fogelman was beaming when she opened the door, and Tanya breathed an inward sigh of relief. The artist was obviously still expecting them, and a smile usually meant that Kira was having a good day. “Come on in, girls. Kira is so excited about tonight.” Tanya and her friends crowded into the living room and piled their sleeping bags and pillows on the floor.
Kira came barreling down the stairs already dressed in her unicorn nightgown. She still looked pale and thin, but her eyes were brighter. She bounced up and down at the foot of the stairs. “Guess what! Auntie Dot says we can order pizza and Chinese food if we want!”
Mrs. Fogelman held up two delivery menus. “That’s right, girls, live it up! The world is your oyster!” She put the menus down on the coffee table.
Tanya gestured to the pile of sleeping bags. “Where should we put our things?”
“Kira, dear, where would you like everyone to sleep? There’s room here in the living room, or perhaps you’d like everyone in your room instead?”
“The doll room,” Kira said.
Tanya blinked. Seriously, Kira? She fought a sudden wave of dizziness. Her smile was tight. “Great!” Her eyes slid over to Maggie, who shrugged one shoulder. Well, at least Mary Rose can’t bite anyone anymore. She’s just a regular creepy doll again.
Mrs. Fogelman drifted toward the kitchen. “I’d like to spend the evening tidying my studio, but I’m here if you need anything, and I’ll be back in before you go to bed.”
“Sounds good to me,” Tanya answered. The girls walked Mrs. Fogelman to the rear door and flicked on the outside lights that lit the walkway to the studio. The backyard sculptures were thrown into stark relief, and Tanya noticed that Unburied Past had finally been unwrapped. The area around it still looked mucky, but Tanya could see the pale patch where the fresh cement had been poured to hold it in place. Metal and bits of glass glinted in the weak light cast by the lamps that lined the ground along the path. Mrs. Fogelman gave one final wave before closing the bright blue door, and a moment later, the little square window beside it glowed bright yellow.
