Page 85 of The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland
Well, hell.
If what Astrid had just said was true, if she’d separated Beatrice from her sister in order to keep them safe, that was almost… understandable.
It might even explain why Astrid had been such a bitch since Beatrice had arrived.
“Why didn’t you just tell us that?”
In a similar tone, Cordelia growled, “Not once in the last forty-five years did you think to mention this to me, Mom?”
Astrid’s lower lip trembled. “I thought I’d done enough to protect you. To protect all of us.”
“Well,” said Cordelia, “you didn’t. And now we’re together, and apparently, we’re stronger this way, so what do we do now? I’m assuming we’re canceling the Un-alive party tomorrow night?”
Beatrice stared. “The what now?”
“Shoot.” Cordelia touched her forehead. “I keep meaning to tell you about it. It’s a party where we celebrate all the dead things.”
“Seriously?” A dead-anything party was probably something best avoided by a person with an imminent death sentence.
“It’s the anniversary of not only Minna’s dad’s death, but Scarlett’s, too. Same day, eleven years apart. We usually hold a little memorial gathering. Everyone comes to honor their un-alive things, their people, their pets. This year, though—”
Astrid clapped her hands. “This year, of course, it’s more important than ever. We will present a united front, and invite our friends into our home. Then we will honor the dead and insist they stay that way. And now?Nowwe will invoke the blood ward upon us.”
That sounded unhygienic. Beatrice said, “Look, what are we trying to prevent here? I’m still not getting it.”
Astrid’s jaw was tense. “If the Velamens manage to get one of us to join them, then they’ll be able to cross back to this plane.”
Clutching her tiny needle like a dagger, Cordelia demanded, “What do you mean by one of us joining them?”
“By choosing to cross to them on the other side of the veil.”
Cordelia said, “Why would we do that, though?”
Before Astrid could answer, Beatrice said, “So your plan was to abandon one of your daughters, leaving her alone, without a clue about any of this? With no defense?” Astrid was many annoying things, but Beatrice hadn’t thought she was stupid until this moment.
Astrid’s eyes narrowed to angry slits. “If you weren’t activated, they wouldn’t find you. Nor would they have any reason to look. And without one of us joining them, without taking our power, their own leftover power isn’t strong enough to make the leap.”
“Leap? What does that even mean? Into what kind of body?”
“I don’t… know.”
Astrid didn’tknow? “Oh, my god.”
“Reanimation is complicated, but no, they wouldn’t use their actual cast-off bodies, if that’s what you mean.”
Beatrice didn’t actually know what she meant. “What do theywant?”
Astrid shrugged. “What does anyone want?”
Minna ventured, “Netflix? Ben and Jerry’s?”
Astrid’s frown deepened. “They want power. Control.”
Beatrice was so confused. “And by one of us, crossing over to them—do you mean as in, choosing to die and go to them? So, since that’s ridiculous, it shouldn’t be an issue, right?”
“Our families have been linked a very long time, and the Velamens have many wiles. If one is in enough pain, one might agree to anything.”
Trying not to lose what little composure she had left, Beatrice said, “Them wanting power tells me nothing. What do they actually want todo?”
