7
I’m going to kill him , Noel screamed at Clara. Once Clara had taken control of Noel’s body, she’d sped off in Noel’s car and had come straight to Woodlines. Now they were in the stockroom with Henry, the manager of the restaurant. The one who’d been calling her nonstop for days regarding Drew’s birthday party.
The spirit who had taken over Noel’s body laughed. “Henry, my dear, Noel isn’t too pleased with you. I guess she didn’t like that you shared your magic with me so that I could come back to you.”
You guess? Noel raged at her. You two stole my body. Took me away from my husband and kids! Noel was so angry she thought she could rip them both apart with her bare hands if that were even a remote possibility.
“That’s not news,” the manager of Woodlines said. “I’ve been dealing with her terrible attitude for weeks now. But don’t worry, darling. After we’re done with our mission tonight, you won’t be subjected to her for much longer. Once we get what we need, we can expel her altogether, just like I did to the poor soul who used to occupy this body five years ago.”
Mission? What mission? And how exactly are they planning to expel me? Noel thought. Had she heard him right? He’d done this to someone else? What had happened to him? Was his poor soul haunting the place where they’d left him? Oh gods. Does that mean if they expel me somewhere other than the farmhouse that I can’t even watch my girls grow up?
The urge to strangle Clara and Henry was enough to drive Noel mad. She desperately wanted to beat at the walls of whatever prison she’d been regulated to. But she didn’t have control of her limbs, her will, or even her power. There was nothing to do other than yell into the darkness that was Clara’s sticky consciousness. You can’t expel me from my own body , Noel said as pure rage took over every molecule of her pathetic existence. Not when she wasn’t willing to go, anyway.
“Oh, you’ll want to go,” Clara said, her tone light and airy as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Trust me on that one.”
Henry slipped his arm around Clara and pulled her in close, clutching her to his thin but muscular body. “I can’t believe we finally did it, my love. After a hundred years apart, I finally get to hold you again.”
Noel was so sick she wanted to vomit.
Clara pulled away from Henry and pressed her hand to her abdomen as bile rose up from the back of her throat.
“Darling? What’s wrong?” Henry asked, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Clara bolted around him and retched right there in the stockroom.
“Clara, control yourself,” Henry ordered her, his tone full of disapproval. “I told you if you didn’t lock that soul away we’d have problems.”
Clara turned to look at him. Tension filled her body, and Noel thought she might strike him. Instead, Clara glared at him and, with venom in her voice, said, “Don’t you dare talk to me like that, Henry Thurston III. It’s not the early 1900s anymore. Women have rights now. You’d do well to remember that. Treat me with respect or?—”
“Or what, Clara?” His voice was dangerously low as he stepped in closer, cornering Clara. “May I remind you that the only reason you’re here now is because I rescued you from that tiny little brothel in Storyville? I don’t care what century it is. I own you and always will. You are magically bound to me. Or did you forget?”
“Or nothing,” she said, lowering her gaze to the floor as a trickle of her fear ran through Noel’s body.
“That’s my girl,” Henry said, pressing his palm to her cheek and caressing gently as if he hadn’t just treated her like human garbage.
He’s dangerous , Noel said, wondering if Henry could hear her, too. If they were connected, he might be able to.
He can’t , Clara said in her mind.
You can hear not just what I say, but my thoughts, too? Noel gasped out. She didn’t know why she was surprised. She shouldn’t have been. They were sharing the same mind, body, and soul.
Of course I can , Clara said with a mental sigh. It’s exhausting if you must know the truth.
I hope you aren’t looking for an apology, Noel shot back. You are the one who invaded me after all.
Clara ignored her and went to clean up the vomit while Henry fumed about the smell.
You’ll be miserable being attached to him for eternity, Noel said, trying anything to stop whatever they planned to do to expel her from her body.
It’ll be better than haunting the farmhouse of the most boring, domestic people I’ve ever seen.
I don’t believe you , Noel said mildly, knowing she was getting under Clara’s skin.
He’s not usually like that . Clara finished cleaning up and replaced the mop and the cleaning supplies. Just as she was turning around, Henry appeared and then inspected the mop. At first Noel thought he was just going to use it, but then he moved it about a half inch to the left in the supply cabinet. Then he turned his attention to the cleaning supplies. After an intense scrutiny, he twisted a bottle that Clara hadn’t even used so that it was perfectly in line with the rest of the bottles.
“Did you see that, Clara?” Henry asked with one judgmental eyebrow raised. “That’s how to put things away. Understand?”
“Yes,” she said, sounding obedient. But Noel felt her rage like it was her own. Clara very much didn’t like Henry’s controlling ways.
You should do something about him , Noel whispered to Clara.
Shut up , she snapped as they both watched Henry disappear into the front of the restaurant.
I doubt that’s going to happen , Noel mused. I don’t have anything else to do.
Clara let out a huff of frustration before pulling a cigarette out of her skirt pocket and heading out the back door. As she lit it, Noel cried, No!
Clara ignored her and took a long drag that immediately resulted in a horrific coughing fit. It was the kind that made one’s eyes water and feel as if they were drowning.
“Have you never smoked before?” Clara wheezed, pounding on her chest.
No. I actually care about my body, Noel said dryly.
“That was your choice, but not anymore,” Clara said, rolling the cigarette back and forth between her thumb and forefinger. “I’ve been waiting a very long time for this. Stop yapping and let me enjoy it.”
Noel was about to protest again, but she was overwhelmed by the intake of smoke and had to retreat into the corner of her mind to escape it. Once there, all she could do was think about her girls and Drew and pray that her husband found a way to figure out what had happened to her.