message.”
“What now?”
“There’s not much we can do at this point. I think it’d be best if you got a good night’s rest and were refreshed for tomorrow. At least it’s the weekend.”
Gray turned off the TV. “Mom? How’d I die?”
Her mom pressed her lips together and took a seat in the chair across from Gray. She folded her hands in her lap, breathed in and out. Her lashes fluttered and for a moment Gray thought she might cry, but her mom’s voice was steady. “The doctors think it was sudden unexpected death syndrome.”
“Which is what exactly? I mean besides sudden and unexpected.”
“Not much is known about SUDS.”
“SUDS, huh?” Gray forced a chuckle. “Sounds like a warm bubble bath—not unexpected DEATH!”
“I had Mr. Holloway look into it personally. He ruled out any kind of magical foul play.”
“I can’t imagine anyone wanting me dead.”
“Neither could I,” Mom said. “But I had to be sure.”
Gray pushed herself off the couch. “So that’s it? I died suddenly and unexpectedly in my sleep. That’s the grand finale for Graylee Perez?”
Mom took a step forward. “No, it’s not.” She reached out and put a hand on each of Gray’s shoulders. She pulled her into a hug and squeezed her tight. “You came back and I’m never letting you go.”
Gray extended her arms around her mom. She breathed in her scent. She’d never considered that she might not see her mom again. Maybe she was back, but for how long? Who was to say she wouldn’t die all over again? If there was one thing Gray remembered from lectures it was this: You can’t cheat death.
Chapter Eleven
Gray woke up with a start. She lifted her head a couple inches off the pillow and saw the two bedposts on either side of her—Charlene’s bed. Gray threw back the covers. She was wearing a red and black silk, lace babydoll.
Not again.
Oh, god. What if her life was turning into the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day ? At least in Bill Murray’s version he got to be himself every day.
Gray snapped into her cotton pajama pants and a tank top. She peeked inside her mother’s room. It was empty. Gray sniffed the air. It smelled like cinnamon raisin bread. Her heart surged with happiness when she heard noises below. Gray flew down the stairs.
Mom turned from where she stood in front of the stove and smiled. “Morning, hon. Would you like some oatmeal and raisin bread?”
“Yes, please.”
“Did you sleep well?” Mom asked as she dished Gray up. “Do you want all the toppings on your oatmeal?”
“Um, yeah.” Gray buttered her toast while Mom sprinkled berries, walnuts, and brown sugar on top of her oatmeal. Gray glanced at her mom. “I woke up in Charlene’s bed again.”
Mom didn’t meet her eyes when she handed her the bowl of oatmeal. “I can explain that.”
“Thank goodness.” Gray took a seat on a barstool at the counter and scooped a bite of oatmeal with all the goodies onto her spoon.
“The good news is I didn’t accidentally purge Charlene from existence.”
“And the bad news?” ’Cause of course there was bad news—probably horrible news. This was a resurrection spell, for freak’s sake, and Charlene wasn’t present.
Mom released the breath she’d been holding. “There’s just no easy way to say this. At the moment you and Charlene are sharing the same body.”
Gray dropped her spoon. “What?!”
Mom extended an arm toward Gray. “At the moment there’s only this one body—Charlene’s—and both of you are using it.”
“Like multiple personality disorder?”
“No, like fifty/fifty split. After you went to sleep Friday night, Charlene woke up Saturday morning in your bed.”
Gray got off the stool. She couldn’t sit any longer. “What’s today?”
“Sunday.”
“So you’re saying tomorrow I’ll be Charlene?”
Mom nodded.
“And on Tuesday I’ll be me again?”
A pot clanked inside the kitchen sink as Mom started putting in the
“What now?”
“There’s not much we can do at this point. I think it’d be best if you got a good night’s rest and were refreshed for tomorrow. At least it’s the weekend.”
Gray turned off the TV. “Mom? How’d I die?”
Her mom pressed her lips together and took a seat in the chair across from Gray. She folded her hands in her lap, breathed in and out. Her lashes fluttered and for a moment Gray thought she might cry, but her mom’s voice was steady. “The doctors think it was sudden unexpected death syndrome.”
“Which is what exactly? I mean besides sudden and unexpected.”
“Not much is known about SUDS.”
“SUDS, huh?” Gray forced a chuckle. “Sounds like a warm bubble bath—not unexpected DEATH!”
“I had Mr. Holloway look into it personally. He ruled out any kind of magical foul play.”
“I can’t imagine anyone wanting me dead.”
“Neither could I,” Mom said. “But I had to be sure.”
Gray pushed herself off the couch. “So that’s it? I died suddenly and unexpectedly in my sleep. That’s the grand finale for Graylee Perez?”
Mom took a step forward. “No, it’s not.” She reached out and put a hand on each of Gray’s shoulders. She pulled her into a hug and squeezed her tight. “You came back and I’m never letting you go.”
Gray extended her arms around her mom. She breathed in her scent. She’d never considered that she might not see her mom again. Maybe she was back, but for how long? Who was to say she wouldn’t die all over again? If there was one thing Gray remembered from lectures it was this: You can’t cheat death.
Chapter Eleven
Gray woke up with a start. She lifted her head a couple inches off the pillow and saw the two bedposts on either side of her—Charlene’s bed. Gray threw back the covers. She was wearing a red and black silk, lace babydoll.
Not again.
Oh, god. What if her life was turning into the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day ? At least in Bill Murray’s version he got to be himself every day.
Gray snapped into her cotton pajama pants and a tank top. She peeked inside her mother’s room. It was empty. Gray sniffed the air. It smelled like cinnamon raisin bread. Her heart surged with happiness when she heard noises below. Gray flew down the stairs.
Mom turned from where she stood in front of the stove and smiled. “Morning, hon. Would you like some oatmeal and raisin bread?”
“Yes, please.”
“Did you sleep well?” Mom asked as she dished Gray up. “Do you want all the toppings on your oatmeal?”
“Um, yeah.” Gray buttered her toast while Mom sprinkled berries, walnuts, and brown sugar on top of her oatmeal. Gray glanced at her mom. “I woke up in Charlene’s bed again.”
Mom didn’t meet her eyes when she handed her the bowl of oatmeal. “I can explain that.”
“Thank goodness.” Gray took a seat on a barstool at the counter and scooped a bite of oatmeal with all the goodies onto her spoon.
“The good news is I didn’t accidentally purge Charlene from existence.”
“And the bad news?” ’Cause of course there was bad news—probably horrible news. This was a resurrection spell, for freak’s sake, and Charlene wasn’t present.
Mom released the breath she’d been holding. “There’s just no easy way to say this. At the moment you and Charlene are sharing the same body.”
Gray dropped her spoon. “What?!”
Mom extended an arm toward Gray. “At the moment there’s only this one body—Charlene’s—and both of you are using it.”
“Like multiple personality disorder?”
“No, like fifty/fifty split. After you went to sleep Friday night, Charlene woke up Saturday morning in your bed.”
Gray got off the stool. She couldn’t sit any longer. “What’s today?”
“Sunday.”
“So you’re saying tomorrow I’ll be Charlene?”
Mom nodded.
“And on Tuesday I’ll be me again?”
A pot clanked inside the kitchen sink as Mom started putting in the
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