Page 147 of Switch!

She grimaces. “I know how that must seem, but believe me, if you could see that instrument through my eyes…” Her shoulders slump. “I guess that’s never going to happen.”

“Don’t say that. There’s still hope.”

She raises an eyebrow, most likely because she’s reached the same conclusion that I did.

“Unless it’s because we’re both purple people,” I admit. “We could try again.”

“I think we should,” she says, nodding across the parking lot. In front of the next apartment building, a woman is buckling a child into the backseat of a car.

“I’m not feeling motivated right now,” I reply. Mostly because I don’t want Trixie to be upset when I confirm what we both suspect.

“Do it for me then,” she says. “Part of me still wonders if you had a mental block that the emergency forced you to get over.”

“If it’ll put your mind at ease…” I say, passing control over to Jesse before leaving my body.

The woman is a swirl of red and yellow as I approach her. Possessing her takes no more effort than anyone else. I’m able to tune into her thoughts just as easily as she gets into the car.

The last thing I need is to drag my child to court with me, but I can’t afford to pay the fine, so the judge will have to deal with—

I assert control, knowing that Trixie will want full confirmation. I have the woman grip the steering wheel while taking a few deep breaths and think about how important it is to drive safely. Then I leave her body and have no trouble locating Trixie. She’s ablaze with ultraviolet light. I approach, place a hand on her shoulder, and when I try to slip inside, I experience the same torturous burning. I move instead to Jesse, who is a mellow cyan figure standing next to her.

“It worked,” I say once I’ve repossessed him and am given control. “No trouble at all.”

“With her,” Trixie says, rubbing her shoulder as if it’s sore.

“Oh. You felt that?”

She nods and rolls her eyes, but at the situation instead of me. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be a downer. This is great news! Think of the possibilities. You’ll be able to sneak into women’s locker rooms from now on. That’s gotta be high on your list of priorities.”

“Not while I’m in this body,” I say with a grin. “And on that note, she would need to be attracted to other women.”

“We’ll find you a nice lesbian with pervy inclinations,” Trixie says.

This makes me laugh, but it ends in a sigh. “I’m sorry I couldn’t—”

“It’s fine,” Trixie says, pushing down on luggage so she can shut the trunk. “I mean, I feel like the only kid who’s not allowed into Disneyland, but I have my own superpower, so who am I to complain?”

“Gismoda seemed to think there was more to what you can do. Maybe you’ll learn how to hear the future or something amazing like that.”

Trixie snorts and shakes her head, but I can tell she’s feeling better. “Are you nervous?” she asks, nodding to the car.

“A little,” I admit. “I wish I’d been able to get hold of my mom.”

I tried again today with similar results. She didn’t answer at home, and she wasn’t working at the diner when I called. Even if she isn’t feeling well or isn’t in the mood to talk, why didn’t Caleb answer? He still lives there. I think. Or what about Raymond? Something is off.

“I’m sure she’s okay.” Trixie says.

“That’s a lie. But I appreciate it.”

She leans against me affectionately, our shoulders touching. “You’ll be there soon enough and see for yourself. Whatever the situation is, we’ll face it together. I promise.”

“Thanks. Are you ready?”

“To meet your original body and the monster that’s trapped inside?” A wild smile breaks out across her face. “Hell yeah! Let’s get this show on the road!”

Thirty-two ↔ Chapter

We cruise into Cheyenne a little before eight in the evening. Jesse is letting me steer, both the car and his body, which is generous. Especially considering that—in the space of a single day—Trixie and I have nearly gotten him arrested, made frequent use of his credit card, and separated him from his boyfriend by asking him to make this trip. Colin was nice enough to drive us to the airport. He’s been texting us updates ever since.