In the darkness behind my eyelids I heard a voice, one that was not just commanding but seductive, alluring . . . s.e.xual. s.e.xual.
"Calliope Reaper-Jones, don"t be frightened. Open your eyes to the astral plane."
I instantly did what the voice said, only to find myself shivering as I stood naked on the edge of a lapis lazuli-colored ocean, my bare feet tucked deeply into its sandy beach for warmth. As I dug my toes into the kernels of sand, luxuriating in the scratchy feel of sand on skin, I was suddenly compelled to look down at my feet.
I almost screamed.
Wherever Calliope Reaper-Jones was, I was still still not in her body. I was someone else entirely all over again. not in her body. I was someone else entirely all over again.
I looked down, taking in the shape of my new ankles-thin-and the curve of my calf and thighs-ripe and s.e.xy and feminine. Okay, whoever"s body I now inhabited had, like, Okay, whoever"s body I now inhabited had, like, amazing amazing legs. That was a given. I also noticed that my host had a tiny little legs. That was a given. I also noticed that my host had a tiny little star tattoo star tattoo just below the talus bone of her right ankle. It seemed strangely familiar to me, like I knew someone in my own life who had gotten that just below the talus bone of her right ankle. It seemed strangely familiar to me, like I knew someone in my own life who had gotten that exact exact tattoo. But as much as I strained my memory, I couldn"t remember who the h.e.l.l it was. tattoo. But as much as I strained my memory, I couldn"t remember who the h.e.l.l it was.
Oh, what I wouldn"t have done for a mirror. I could only imagine imagine the face that belonged to a pair of legs like that, and the face that belonged to a pair of legs like that, and hot hot probably didn"t do it justice. probably didn"t do it justice.
As almost a second thought, I held up my hand, the one that Kali had squeezed the life out of, but I could see no signs of rupture, no flecks of dried blood. There were just long fingers, a dainty palm, and unpolished, naturally gorgeous nails.
"Look to the water."
There was that s.e.xy voice again. At first, I thought it was a man speaking. Then after I heard it again, I found myself horribly confused . . . Then I found myself leaning ever so slightly toward the voice belonging to someone of the female persuasion. There was kind of a RuPaul quality to it that I hadn"t noticed in the beginning, a smoothness to the timbre that almost-but not quite-concealed a gravelly purr underneath. It was this purr purr that totally threw me. that totally threw me.
I felt an unearthly compulsion to do exactly what the voice said. It was one of those moments your mother warns you about: the one where she says, "Would you jump off the Empire State Building if your friends told you to?"
All I can say is yes, if the voice had told me to jump off the Empire State Building, that was what I would"ve done.
"Look to the water, Calliope Reaper-Jones. And remember what you see . . ."
I couldn"t see anything at first except the horizon, which seemed to stretch on and on into forever as it sat astride its lover, the Indigo Sea. Air and Water were so intimately enmeshed that I had a hard time telling where pale peach and purple-bruised Sky finished and deep blue Sea began.
I stood, enthralled by the majesty of my surroundings. I had never seen a place like this beach before, neither in reality nor in a book. It was magical, like it had existed since the beginning of time, and would last long after Man and all its creations had been beaten into dust.
"Look," the voice said. the voice said.
That was when I saw it: the demon Vritra, its long, snakelike body skewering through the lonely ocean. It had the head of dragon-large, pulsating nostrils; a scaly head and throat; wide, almond-shaped eyes-and the body of a serpent. It had to be at least fifty feet long, I judged, as it piloted its way through the water, toward dry land.
I wasn"t sure how I knew the demon"s name. All I could figure was that the body I was borrowing must have had an intimate knowledge of the creature, and I was picking up on it. I wasn"t scared of the demon. In fact, it was quite the opposite: I welcomed it.
It rose with the waves, until it finally beached itself in front of me. I didn"t move toward it, or even acknowledge that it was there at all. It crawled toward me on its great belly, until it was only a few feet from me, and stopped, its giant almond eyes glittering in the twilight. I found myself alone in the half-light with only the demon for company.
"You are here."
When it spoke, its voice was like a hiss hiss, and I felt the skin on my arms and legs p.r.i.c.kle with goose b.u.mps as the last of the daylight strove not to fade away.
I did not speak, only waited for Vritra to continue.
"She comes. I cannot prevent it. She is smarter than you had me believe."
I nodded, and my head felt heavy on my neck, like there was more than one person in my brain.
"But we will conquer them all," Vritra added, and I saw a hint of its forked tongue in the semidarkness-which was totally creepy.
The demon closed its almond eyes in pleasure as I reached out and laid my hand on its b.u.mpy head, rubbing the swollen flesh with the tips of my fingers. The monster was complacent under my hand, and I could feel the thrum of its thoughts vibrating against my palm. They were dark dark thoughts, evil even. The person whose body I was trapped inside of was frightened by those thoughts-even though said person worked very hard to still that fear. thoughts, evil even. The person whose body I was trapped inside of was frightened by those thoughts-even though said person worked very hard to still that fear.
And that was the freakiest thing of all.
Finally, the demon shuddered and opened its eyes again. Without a word, it turned around and slid back into the Sea. I watched its tail disappear into the murky water, then I walked toward the surf, my hand outstretched.
I let the water rush across my hand, and when I lifted it into the air, the water sluiced out between my fingers, leaving only a soapy residue waiting patiently inside my cupped hand.
Sea Foam.
Kali"s voice slammed into my head with the force of a ball-peen hammer, making my head ring with pain.
"Remember, white girl, you only have one more day to complete your task, so you"d better get your b.u.t.t in gear."
The ringing didn"t die away with her voice like I"d expected; instead it slowly began to increase until the pain was so intense that I blacked out.
i came back to consciousness with a whimper-not figuratively, but literally. A whimper, and if I have to be completely honest here . . . there was a lick, too.
My head was on fire as I cracked open a very gritty eye to find Runt staring at me, her face not even half an inch from mine. When she realized I was out of Dream-land, she pushed her wet nose into my cheek and licked me right on the mouth.
"Gross," I tried to mumble, but my mouth felt like it was full of marbles. I tried to mumble, but my mouth felt like it was full of marbles. Double gross, Double gross, I thought to myself. I thought to myself. Marbles Marbles and and dog saliva, aren"t I the lucky one? dog saliva, aren"t I the lucky one?
"Are you okay, Cal?" I heard Clio say as she dropped down into my line of view. Her face was awash with a slew of emotions, the primary ones being: fear, anger, and worry. She reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes, before impulsively leaning forward and giving me a hug.
"I"m fine," I said, but I sure as h.e.l.l didn"t feel fine. I felt like someone was still hammering away at my brainpan but taking breaks every fifteen seconds or so to breathe fire all over my cerebral cortex.
I looked around at my surroundings for the first time since I"d regained consciousness, realizing with a sigh of happiness that we were no longer in Indra"s world. Somehow, we had been magically transported back to Clio"s messy bedroom at Sea Verge. It was funny to think that before Father had been kidnapped, I had been more than happy never to set foot in Sea Verge again, but here I was, less than forty-eight hours later, counting my blessings to be back in the family fold for, like, the fourth fourth time since all the craziness started. time since all the craziness started.
"Look at your hand, Cal," Clio said, her hawk eyes fixed on my fist, which was glowing a strange blue green color. I looked down and instantly felt a strange wetness creeping across the flesh of my palm. I let my fingers open like a blossoming flower, and Clio gasped. The inside of my hand was coated with a bubbly, greenish blue substance that shimmered as it caught the light.
Sea Foam.
My whole experience with Vritra, and the stranger whose body I"d inhabited on the beach, came back to me in vivid detail, and I shivered, remembering how totally creeped out I"d been by the exchange. Still, I was dying to know whose body I"d been in. There was something distinctly familiar about the tattoo I"d seen on her ankle, but for the life of me, I still couldn"t place it.
And the thing that was even more more curious than that was . . . curious than that was . . . who who in the h.e.l.l had been talking to me while I was waiting for Vritra on the beach? I realized that in the h.e.l.l had been talking to me while I was waiting for Vritra on the beach? I realized that whoever whoever it was must"ve been the one who"d arranged for me to get the Sea Foam- it was must"ve been the one who"d arranged for me to get the Sea Foam-because Indra, the liar, had never had it to give!
I was distracted from trying to figure any of it out by a gentle gurgling-kind of like the sound you hear when you let the water out of a full bathtub.
"What the-" I began, but didn"t finish because Clio and I were both transfixed by the Sea Foam as it magically started to soak into my skin. The gurgle got quieter, then stopped altogether, when there was only a trace of the Sea Foam left, represented by a shiny residue that coated my palm. Immediately, I could feel the essence of the magical stuff swimming inside my veins, melding with my blood, making me feel strangely invincible.
I gave Clio a long look.
"Well, that was weird . . ." Clio said, her voice trailing off as she indicated my palm. "I wonder what it means?"
I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could muster-considering the situation-but inside, my brain was completely reeling. Clio was right . . . The whole thing was was major weird, and what major weird, and what really really freaked me out was how in the dark I was about everything. I mean, I didn"t even know if it was freaked me out was how in the dark I was about everything. I mean, I didn"t even know if it was okay okay that the Sea Foam was taking up residence in my bloodstream. And a.s.suming that the Sea Foam was taking up residence in my bloodstream. And a.s.suming that that part was cool, how the heck was I supposed to show the Board that I had part was cool, how the heck was I supposed to show the Board that I had possession possession of the stupid stuff if it was trapped inside me? It wasn"t like I could just trot it out like I would Runt-thank G.o.d, at least of the stupid stuff if it was trapped inside me? It wasn"t like I could just trot it out like I would Runt-thank G.o.d, at least she she was on a leash. was on a leash.
The whole thing was way way more than enough to give me a headache-not that my brain wasn"t already throbbing from all the memory hopping Kali had forced me into. And speaking of the only wily Hindu G.o.ddess on my s.h.i.t list . . . boy, was more than enough to give me a headache-not that my brain wasn"t already throbbing from all the memory hopping Kali had forced me into. And speaking of the only wily Hindu G.o.ddess on my s.h.i.t list . . . boy, was I I gonna let it rip the next time I saw Kali. I didn"t care gonna let it rip the next time I saw Kali. I didn"t care how how big a favor I owed her. big a favor I owed her.
"Callie?" Clio said tentatively. "Uhm, someone that we both know just magicked my door off its hinges."
"Huh?" I answered, still too caught up in my anger at Kali to notice the tension in my sister"s voice. It was only when Runt started barking like a maniac that I looked up to see Clio pointing at the gaping hole where her bedroom door had once been. Instead of a nice, white, solid core door with a Velvet Underground poster on the back of it . . . there was nothing but an intact white doorframe-with three dead-bolt halves and a half a piece of chain lock dangling from it.
Standing in the doorway were my mother and our lawyer, Father McGee, neither of whom looked very happy to see me.
"Hi, Mother," I said, giving her the biggest, fakest smile I could manage. "Fancy meeting you here."
She glared at me, and I was reminded for, like, the three millionth time in my life just how tough she really was. She may have looked all sweet and dainty, but she was married to Death, for G.o.d"s sake, so you had to infer something something from that. from that.
"Calliope Reaper-Jones," she said through clenched, perfectly shaped white teeth, "what have you done with your father and sister?"
"Me?" I said, rising to my feet-and feeling kind of woozy for it. "I"m out there busting my b.u.t.t to complete these stupid tasks and you have the b.a.l.l.s b.a.l.l.s to accuse me of being the bad guy? You know what I think? I think you suck." to accuse me of being the bad guy? You know what I think? I think you suck."
"Calliope," Father McGee chimed in, his face pinched with anger, "that"s more than enough from you."
"Excuse me? But the last time I checked, I wasn"t five anymore, so don"t talk to me like I"m a child. And that goes for both of you," I added, giving my mother the most meaningful look I could muster.
I couldn"t believe they were treating me so badly. Here I was totally putting aside my own life to help them them, and this was how they treated me? No wonder I put a Forgetting Charm on myself . . . I had known how cruddy being Death"s Daughter really really was. was.
"The detective from the Psychical Bureau of Investigations told us everything," my mother said finally. "And I can"t say that it doesn"t doesn"t make sense, Calliope. You make sense, Calliope. You have have always wanted to be a mortal, so I understand you taking the chance-" always wanted to be a mortal, so I understand you taking the chance-"
"What?" I interrupted. "You have to be kidding me. You think I planned this whole thing so I could be a stupid human being?"
"We know about the money," Father McGee said, and even though I didn"t want to admit it to myself, I could see how painful this was for him. He really didn"t want to believe I had anything to do with my father"s kidnapping, but someone had obviously shown him-and my mother-some very very compelling evidence. compelling evidence.
"What money?" Clio said, chiming in for the first time. She had ahold of Runt"s leash and was keeping the little midnight-colored puppy from attacking Mother and Father McGee.
"The Devil paid Calliope ten million dollars to kidnap your father and sister in a bid to install his protege as the new head of Death, Inc. We found the money in her bank account."
Well, that"s news to me, I thought. I thought. Oh, what shopping damage I could do with a h.o.a.rd of cash like that. Thank G.o.d the Devil hadn"t really approached me with his offer. I might have been Oh, what shopping damage I could do with a h.o.a.rd of cash like that. Thank G.o.d the Devil hadn"t really approached me with his offer. I might have been way way too tempted to take him up on it. too tempted to take him up on it.
My mother lowered her eyes as she finished speaking, and the shame she felt at my "alleged" plot to unseat our family from their immortality was palpable. I hadn"t even done done anything and I still felt like a jerk about the whole thing. It was weird how guilt-even implied guilt like in this situation-was hard to escape once it had been levied at you. anything and I still felt like a jerk about the whole thing. It was weird how guilt-even implied guilt like in this situation-was hard to escape once it had been levied at you.
"Callie . . . ?" Clio said, her voice strained with incredulity. "Tell them it"s not true."
I swallowed hard. I didn"t know if I should be angry and defensive and deny everything, or if I should laugh it off like it was a big joke at their expense. But when I opened my mouth, I found the only thing I was capable of was meekly stammering: "It"s not true."
I should have done something, said something that would gloss over the false accusations, but I couldn"t make myself open my mouth again after that.
"Callie . . . ?" she whispered, begging me to explain myself.
Still, I said nothing. It was like my mouth was glued shut.
"Cal . . . ?"
I watched as one lonely tear fell from Clio"s eye and slid down her cheek.
"Why . . . ?" she whispered, my heart breaking as I realized that Clio saw only betrayal in my lack of words.
Yet, I still couldn"t say anything. It didn"t really matter anyway. I didn"t have the heart to defend myself after that. If the one person in my family who had staunchly believed in me from the beginning thought I was a bad apple, too, well, then . . . I just didn"t care anymore.
"Give yourself up, Calliope, and tell us where you"ve hidden your father, sister, and the rest of the company"s Executives. If you cooperate now, I"m sure we can apply for a lesser punishment," Father McGee said.
I stared at my feet, not sure what to do next. Even if I did did let them take me in to the Psychical Bureau of Investigations, there was still no way I was gonna be able to show them where my father and sister were being held. I mean, c"mon, it"s not like you can tell someone something you don"t know, right? let them take me in to the Psychical Bureau of Investigations, there was still no way I was gonna be able to show them where my father and sister were being held. I mean, c"mon, it"s not like you can tell someone something you don"t know, right?
I was between a rock and a hard place, and I didn"t know what to do. I was pretty much screwed. I found myself wishing desperately for Jarvis, the amazing little faun who knew exactly what to do in a pinch. He would"ve figured out a way to convince everyone I was innocent of the charges. I tried to look over at Clio-for help, support . . . anything-but she kept her eyes averted from mine, and I saw that her hands were so tightly wound around Runt"s leash that the flesh was bloodless.
I was on my own for the first time since I"d begun this whole adventure, and it was terrifying. I sighed, resigning myself to my fate.
"I"m sorry. I wish there was some way to-Ow!"
I looked down to see Runt attached to my ankle like an oversized, black leg warmer. Her tiny puppy teeth ground into my flesh, making my ankle throb like a son of a b.i.t.c.h-I didn"t know what it was that attracted pain to my Achilles tendon area, but whatever it was, it spared me no pity.
"Stop it, Runt!" I heard Clio saying as the pain ratcheted up my leg. "Leave Callie alone!"
But Runt hung on with every ounce of her strength, jaws clamped to my lower leg in a death grip that seemed unbreakable.
Suddenly, I felt a strange lightness race through my being, followed by a pleasant tingling sensation that took over the leg that Runt had been chewing on. Without warning, the feeling spread to the rest of my extremities until it was finally injected into my brain, numbing me. The feeling was so intoxicating that I let it consume me. All I could think about were unicorns and b.u.t.terflies and how much I would love to take a ride on one, or both, of these magical creatures.
Weirdness.
Then an acute case of vertigo hit me with such gut-wrenching suddenness that I was yanked out of my happy unicorn/b.u.t.terfly reverie. Clio"s room began to swirl around me, faster and faster, until I had to close my eyes, or risk throwing up.
I decided to go with option number one-I hate hate throwing up. throwing up.
So, with nothing left to lose now but my breakfast, I closed my eyes and let everything disappear.
twenty.
When I opened my eyes again, Clio"s room and the nausea were gone, and I was sitting alone, a vast desert stretching before me like it was the foyer to the end of time. I looked down at my leg and saw that while there was was a lot of dog saliva on my pants, there was no blood to be found anywhere on the fabric. I gingerly rolled up the offending pant leg, tentatively poking at the bruised-looking flesh that was revealed underneath the cloth. Runt had been kind enough to restrict the damage to heavy bruising, so I decided my ankle was just gonna be majorly sore the next day, not gangrenous like I"d feared. a lot of dog saliva on my pants, there was no blood to be found anywhere on the fabric. I gingerly rolled up the offending pant leg, tentatively poking at the bruised-looking flesh that was revealed underneath the cloth. Runt had been kind enough to restrict the damage to heavy bruising, so I decided my ankle was just gonna be majorly sore the next day, not gangrenous like I"d feared.
Ignoring my leg now that I knew my wounds weren"t life threatening, I turned to look at my surroundings. I couldn"t put my finger on what it was, but there was something about the place that made my gut twist, bringing the return of the nausea I thought I"d left back at Sea Verge. Then, to my utter amazement, I suddenly began to shiver, my skin breaking out in gooseflesh- which was very very odd given that the temperature was hot enough to fry an egg on my shoe. odd given that the temperature was hot enough to fry an egg on my shoe.
I had no idea why my body was reacting so strangely to this new place until it dawned on me that I had been there before. Of course, once I realized where I was, I knew why my body was getting all p.i.s.sed off-it did not not approve of being returned to a place it disliked without having given its prior consent first. approve of being returned to a place it disliked without having given its prior consent first.
I guess my body was just weird like that.
And then, like a bolt of lightning illuminating the darkness, the ident.i.ty of who had saved me from my family suddenly struck me. I realized there was only one logical explanation to the question since I I couldn"t have opened a wormhole in the fabric of time to save my life-I meant that literally-and Jarvis was stuck in the clink, and everyone couldn"t have opened a wormhole in the fabric of time to save my life-I meant that literally-and Jarvis was stuck in the clink, and everyone else else I knew thought I was a complete family sellout. I knew thought I was a complete family sellout.