Page 77 of Persephone's Curse
“This coldness, it’s sort of localized to the house. Once we get another block or so away, you’ll see what I mean.”
“Things are coming out of it?”
“Look,” she said, pointing. We were only two blocks away from the brownstone. The sky was a dark gray, and the black tear stood out among the clouds as a dark, smeary shadow. I watched as something—a darker shadow—emerged from the tear, pushing its way through, into our world. It dissipated almost instantly, blending in with the clouds around the tear, becoming mist.
“Well Ireallydon’t like that…”
“I know,” Clara said. “Come on; we have a walk signal.”
I let Clara drag me across the street, but I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off the tear in the sky.
“What was it?”
“I don’t know,” Clara said. “I’m not an expert on interuniverse travel.”
“You don’t think it’s, like…”
“Zombies? I don’t know, Winnie. I really don’t know.”
“Is that why it’s so gray? Is that why it’s so cold?”
“Again, I don’t know, but I thinkyesandyes.”
“Fuck.”
“Also yes.”
“Are we all going to die?”
“Ideally, no. And you really need to calm down. Take some deep breaths. People are looking. We’re going to figure everything out. We’re going to get Henry back up here, and he’s going to convince Evelyn not to be such a dramatic idiot and he’s going to know what to do about the tear in the sky. Okay?”
“Wait—is this like when you know something? Do you know this? Do youknowit’s going to be all right? Do you know it, Clara? Clara? Do you know it?”
We had reached Dark Magic and we paused outside it, Clara’s hand on the doorknob, her face expressionless, her tone light.
“Yes,” she said.
A lie so transparent you could call it glass.
I followed her into the store.
Maybe looked somewhat happy to see me (wishful thinking?) and even happier to see Clara.
“One of the infamous three sisters?” she asked.
“Hi,” Clara said, nodding. “I’m Clara.”
“Maybe. Although I’m sure you already know that; Jon is an oversharer.”
“Will you do it, then?” I asked. “Will you be our medium?”
“We were thinking tomorrow night,” Clara added.
“I can do tomorrow night. You live around here?”
“Yes!” Clara grabbed a pen and sticky note and wrote down our address.
Maybe took it and nodded. “Not far from my grandma. I’ll be there at eleven.”
