Entangled

by Nikki Jefford

  “Don’t go assuming something!” Ryan yelled after her.

  But it was far too late for that.

  Gray had only one theory, and her name was Charlene.

  * * *

  Green, Gray thought.

  Green. Green. Green.

  The lights changed on cue all the way to Valley Medical Hospital. Man oh man, she loved being a witch. Gray didn’t have any time to waste. Not that Stacey Morehouse was going anywhere. She just had to see how she was doing for herself.

  “Hello, I’m here to see Stacey Morehouse,” Gray said, approaching the front desk of the critical care unit.

  A large African-American woman, who looked even darker in her white uniform, regarded Gray over her horn-rimmed glasses. “Are you a relative?”

  “I’m a friend.”

  “Sorry, sweetie, only family allowed.”

  “Thanks,” Gray said grudgingly.

  No matter. Once she’d rounded the corner and checked that the hallway was deserted, Gray went invisible and turned right back around. It would have helped if she’d known which room Stacey was in. Gray had never been very good at locator spells. If the stationed nurse would go away for a second, Gray could try looking Stacey up on the computer, but the woman was firmly planted in her seat.

  Okay, feet, take me to Stacey Morehouse.

  Gray walked swiftly down the hall and slipped through a partially open door. An elderly woman emerged from her bathroom. The flush of the toilet still sloshed behind her. Gray was about to mutter an apology, then remembered she was invisible.

  She’d just have to look in every room until she found Stacey.

  Hospital odors always made her nose twitch. If only invisibility could erase her sense of smell. At least Gray hadn’t died inside a hospital. Dying peacefully in her sleep was at the top of Gray’s list as far as death scenarios went—just not at seventeen!

  Gray was surprised by how much it affected her to see Stacey Morehouse lying comatose on top of her hospital bed. She’d never been fond of Stacey, but they shared a bond now: the bond of death and the brink of death. Two seventeen-year-old girls knocked down in their prime.

  The difference was Stacey shouldn’t be lying on her back, breathing through a ventilator, shut off to the world. Gray sent out a silent apology for her sister—if it was, indeed, Charlene. That was what she had to find out.

  The windows in Stacey’s room overlooked the hospital’s green patch of lawn below.

  It looked like an interior designer had been hired to personalize Stacey’s hospital room. Whoever it was had done a noble job of making it feel more homey. Several framed Monet art prints hung from the wall, and there was a fresh floral bouquet on a side table.

  A beautiful patchwork quilt had been spread over Stacey’s standard-issue hospital bedspread.

  Gray walked tentatively to Stacey’s bedside. Why did it feel like she was approaching an open casket?

  Stacey’s hair was fluffed gently around the pillow on either side of her face as though it had recently been combed. Her brows were perfectly plucked and even her cheeks had a healthy glow to them.

  She looked like Sleeping Beauty.

  “What did Charlene do to you?” Gray whispered.

  Chapter Twenty

  Death and accidents were beginning to feel like a morbid obsession with Gray. Her eyes raced down the article she’d pulled up on the computer inside her room.

  McKinley Teen in Critical Condition after Collision

  Sunday, February 13

  Stacey Lee Morehouse, 17, is in critical condition at Valley Medical Hospital after driving headfirst into a street lamp Friday evening.

  Morehouse is the only daughter of local attorney Daniel Morehouse.

  This tragedy falls two days after McKinley High junior Graylee Perez, 17, was found dead in her family home the morning of the 9th. Coroners have yet to determine the cause of death. Perez was in the same grade as Morehouse at McKinley High School.

  Morehouse crashed into a light pole off Stanton and Third shortly after leaving her boyfriend’s house at 9:40 p.m. Friday night. Paramedics performed CPR on the young woman after they arrived on the scene. They said she was found unconscious.

  Police have yet to make a statement, but say alcohol was not a factor.

  The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.

  Oh, for freak’s sake—were they kidding her? What was it with their paper and follow through?

  Maybe teenage deaths and accidents were just too common an occurrence in Kent these days.

  Gray headed toward the stairs to find her mom and grill her, then stopped short. She recalled the dark circles she’d seen under her mom’s eyes that morning. Even when Gray had returned from the hospital Mom had been holding her head at the dining room table, ancient texts spread open before her. That was why Gray had greeted then quickly bypassed her in favor of online research before she began firing away questions about Stacey Morehouse’s accident.

  Mom was worried. She’d already complained of a headache that wouldn’t go away. Must be a migraine if Mom couldn’t cast it off. Gray had put together a calming potion. Just before heading up to her room she’d seen her mom drinking the warm brew in delicate sips. Gray wasn’t about to go upset that calm now.

  She took a step backwards, returned to her room, and closed the door.

  Gray dialed the number Raj had given her. This was no time to text. Raj had barely answered when Gray fired her first question at him. “What do you know about Stacey Morehouse?”

  “The coma girl?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That she’s in a coma.”

  Gray released an impatient sigh. “Was there ever an investigation into the cause of the crash?”

  “Yeah, a big one. Her dad’s some sort of hotshot attorney.”

  “So? What did they find?”

  “Faulty brakes. Mr. Morehouse sued the car manufacturer.”

  “And what caused the faulty brakes?”

  Gray began tapping her foot as the silence dragged on. Finally Raj said, “I wasn’t part of the investigation, you know? Why are you interested in Stacey Morehouse anyway?”

  “I think Charlene might have had something to do with her accident.”

  Another pause followed. Gray felt herself holding her breath. She squeezed her phone. It was one thing to have a sister who was manipulative, vain, selfish, and mentally unstable . . . but murderous?

  “What makes you think that?”

  Gray momentarily forgot her sister. Raj’s voice deepened when it turned serious. Each word was like a sweet husk of corn being peeled back. His voice felt seductive so close to her ear. Gray reminded herself that she was mad at Raj for blabbing her secret to Shay Baxter.

  “Before I died, Blake dumped Charlene for Stacey. She actually threatened to kill Stacey. My mom put a protection spell on Stacey, but I think it was only protection against magic. Good old-fashioned foul play might have been up for grabs.”

  Raj cleared his throat. “Have you asked your mother about this?”

  Gray glanced at the door. She uttered a feeble, “No,” then continued a little louder, “She’s so wrapped up in finding a way to fix this resurrection spell. I haven’t been able to bring myself to confront her, but I will. I’ll ask her the moment we get off the phone.”

  “No!” Raj’s reply startled her. “Don’t worry her even more right now. Let her concentrate on getting you back inside your body and even more importantly, conscious every day—not this split shift. Stacey isn’t going anywhere.”

  “Raj?”

  “Yeah?”

  Gray pressed her toe into the carpet. “Do you think you could come with me to the hospital—see if you might be able to get inside her mind and find out what happened the night of the crash?”

  Raj hesitated. “It’s an extremely intrusive spell, Gray.”

  “I need answers. I need to know if Charlene is dangerous.”

  “Fine, I’ll meet you in front o
f the hospital in twenty minutes.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Raj snapped his lighter open and closed faster than usual. Afternoon had turned to early evening and though spring had only just begun, the overcast sky was like the last flickers of a dying wick inside a room of shadows. The light on the Zippo sparked. Raj left it open and stared directly into the flame. It began to flicker and dance.

  Beyond the pinprick of light he could see Gray approaching. She wore shorts over black tights, her clogs, and a mesh purple sweater over a black tank top. Gray walked up to him. “Should you be messing around with that thing in front of a hospital?”

  Raj snapped the Zippo shut.

  “What’s with the lighter, anyway? You don’t smoke.”

  “It’s a keepsake.” Raj held the lighter in front of his face between his pointer and thumb. “A reminder that even the people who are supposed to look out for you are capable of letting you down and that the only person you can count on is yourself.”

  “You got all that from a lighter?”

  Raj stuffed it inside his pocket. “Yeah.”

  Gray was still frowning when Raj looked at her again. At least she looked more like herself in her own clothes.

  “Why did you tell Shay Baxter I was alive? I thought you were going to keep your mouth shut.”

  Raj tried to hide the flinch her tone caused. “Sorry, but she pretty much figured it out herself.”

  “Of course she did,” Gray grumbled. “Shay knows everything.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? Shay said she was going to help you in French. Didn’t she?”

  Gray folded her arms over her chest. “Oh, Shay helped, all right. She told me where to sit and what to say. She practically told me what to think, being inside my mind and all. She’s heaps of help!”

  Raj’s mouth fell open. Gray looked really angry. He thought she would have appreciated Shay’s help. “I’m sorry. I can tell her to back off if you like.”

  “Don’t you dare! I don’t want you discussing me with Shay Baxter any more.” Gray kicked at the pavement.

  “Should we go inside?”

  “Yeah, let’s hope you’re as good at getting inside people’s heads as Shay Baxter.” Gray stormed ahead.

  Raj’s shoulders slumped as he followed Gray past the sliding doors. He walked behind her like a lackey to the elevators. It wasn’t until the doors closed that Gray acknowledged him again. “They only allow family inside so I’m going to need to make us both invisible.”

  “Or you could teach me how to make myself invisible.”

  “Not right now.”

  Most likely never. Gray would dangle the damn spell like a carrot over his head, thinking that was the key to getting his help when being around her was reward enough. The elevator doors opened and Gray stepped out. Raj followed her down a hallway. As they approached a corner, Gray disappeared and then Raj disappeared after her.

  This time it wasn’t just his fingers missing. He couldn’t see his arms or legs. He couldn’t see any part of himself. Raj nearly tripped. His hand shot out and smacked into Gray’s arm. The moment it did, he grasped her as though steadying himself.

  “You’re invisible, not blind, McKenna!”

  Raj let go of her abruptly. He came to a stop in the middle of the hallway, blending into the white sterile surroundings. For a moment he truly felt as though he didn’t exist. He had no idea if Gray waited for him or not until he heard her voice further down the hall. “Raj? Raj, where are you?” she whispered.

  Raj pressed his lips into a tight frown. Not that she’d see it. If he listened close he could hear her footsteps coming back down the hallway. “Raj? Raj!” she said more insistently.

  “Here.” His voice sounded rough and deep when he was angry. Gray must have recognized it because he heard her footsteps stop abruptly.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “You sounded like your sister just a moment ago. I came here to help you, remember?”

  Silence followed by more silence. Then suddenly she took his hand. Raj didn’t know how she’d found it, but somehow she grasped his fingers on the first try. Maybe he’d missed her filling his hand in temporarily. He stopped wondering when she gave his hand a gentle squeeze and pulled gently to lead him down the hall.

  “I forgot how uncanny it can be the first time,” she said. “It’s kinda a wild sensation, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” Raj swallowed. Gray still had hold of his hand.

  He might have been the one who was invisible, but in those moments Gray held his hand in hers it was as though the walls and people around him disappeared. Before Raj knew it, they’d slipped inside a patient’s room. Gray closed the door behind them and let go of Raj’s hand. She appeared in front of him then looked back and remembered he was still invisible. “Whoops.”

  The first thing Raj saw was his shoulders. He began to fill in, the spell working its way down to his toes. Raj held his arms in front of him in wonder and looked at Gray, but she was beside the hospital bed staring down. “Do you think you can reach her?”

  Raj approached the girl. He hadn’t known Stacey Morehouse well at all. They didn’t exactly run in the same circle.

  Raj took in a breath. It felt more like it had been stolen from him by an unseen force.

  Stacey’s aura was white. A white aura was more like a noise than a color. It indicated serious health problems in a person. It was also the color preceding death.

  “We shouldn’t be here,” Raj said.

  “Don’t chicken out on me now, McKenna.”

  He shot Gray a look.

  “I’ll teach you the invisibility spell.”

  “This doesn’t feel right.”

  Gray walked over to Raj’s side. “What if she’s trapped in there just waiting for the chance to communicate with someone?”

  Raj looked down at Stacey. His fingers twitched at his side. That was exactly what he was afraid of.

  “Fine,” he said finally. “I’ll try. I’m not making any promises, but I’ll try.”

  Gray smiled. “That’s all I’m asking.”

  Raj positioned himself beside Stacey’s head. He was so close to the bedside his thighs brushed the blankets. He looked down. Even comatose, Stacey Morehouse was a beautiful girl, but looks weren’t everything. In fact, they meant nothing if the person inside wasn’t nice. Still, it was a shame to see someone so young and, in all appearances, physically healthy, laid low. And if Gray’s sister had caused this . . .

  Raj took in a sharp breath.

  No more stalling, he told himself.

  He looked down at Stacey. His gaze moved from her nose to her head. Gray moved to the opposite side of the bed across from Raj. Her jaw dropped when Stacey’s forehead opened. So he was being a bit of a showoff. He had to impress a girl who could turn invisible somehow.

  White light nearly blinding to the eye radiated out of Stacey’s head. Gray squinted and turned away. This was nothing like Mrs. Court. This was nothing like Raj had ever seen before.

  He stared straight into the brightness, transfixed. It consumed him and threatened to suck him in.

  Raj pushed away from the bed and staggered back as though he’d been shoved.

  Gray’s eyes were wide as saucers. “That was incredible! What happened? Did you reach her? What did she say?”

  Raj ran his hands over his face, holding his cheeks in his hands. Abruptly, he dropped them. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing there.”

  Gray’s face dropped. “There has to be. As long as she’s still alive she has to be in there somewhere.”

  Raj shook his head. “She’s gone, Gray.”

  Gray looked like she was about to argue then thought better of it. “We should go,” she said. She walked out before Raj.

  He glanced back one last time, half expecting to see Stacey’s face twisted in an angry plea, but she remained serene.

  Raj had lied. Stacey Morehouse was in there, all right, but she had nothing to say about h
er accident. There was no reason to burden Gray with what she had really said. A sentence she’d repeated over and over like a scratchy, broken record and then when Raj made no answer, screamed it one last time: “Let me go!”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Gray waited by the elevator for Raj. They rode down in silence. Gray stole a sideways glance at him. Raj looked like he’d seen a ghost even though Gray was the one who should have been blown away.

  She would never forget the way the layers of Stacey’s forehead had peeled back and light poured out of her head. She had no idea Raj was such a powerful warlock. Even if he hadn’t gotten any information, she was amazed.

  They walked side by side out the front door and into the parking lot.

  “Can you come over?” Gray asked. “I want to teach you the invisibility spell.”

  Raj sighed. “It’s been a long day.”

  Was Gray hearing correctly? “A promise is a promise. Follow me home.”

  Raj nodded. Like he was going to say no to that.

  Gray kept glancing at him in her rearview mirror. By now it was getting darker and Raj looked like a silhouette behind his wheel.

  Poor Stacey Morehouse, Gray thought, followed by, I’m a terrible person, a moment later. Terrible because she wasn’t really thinking about Stacey at all. Her mind was on Raj. Raj’s hand in hers—the electricity she had felt when their fingers had intertwined.

  “Mom, Raj is going to hang out a little bit with me,” Gray called out once she’d led him inside.

  Mom appeared in the hallway before Gray had a chance to make it to the stairs. Her mom’s eyes went straight to Raj. “Hello, Raj,” she said.

  “Hi, Mrs. Perez.”

  “Would you guys like something to eat?”

  Raj’s lips lifted.

  “Maybe later,” Gray said quickly. “We have stuff to do.”

  Mom’s forehead creased. “What kind of stuff?”

  “Don’t worry, it’s kosher. Come on, Raj.” Gray charged up the stairs. She didn’t look back until she’d reached the upstairs hallway. She was happy to see Raj right behind her. “I’ll teach you in my room.” She led him inside and shut the door behind them.