do. Only red.”
My heart pounded so hard, it kicked the air out of my lungs. She was like me? How was that even possible? I jumped up and ran to my bathroom. I cranked open the drawer. Of course my mirror wasn’t there. Never where I needed it.
“Mandy?” Georgia hollered from the other room.
“Coming.” How could she be like me? “Ahh, found it.”
I stood straight and glanced at myself in the wall mirror. Damp strands of hair flopped onto my chest, but surprisingly, the rest of me wasn’t soaking wet like I would have thought. So I’d gone through an ice cocoon-thing twice? And now Georgia?
I zoomed out of the bathroom. Georgia cuddled up on the couch with a blanket around her. “Here. Take a look.”
She took the mirror and sat up. “Oh, my gosh.”
“I like it.”
“How—” Georgia shook her head. “My mom’s going to freak. I know it. Oh, and she’ll blame you, too.”
“Me?”
“She’s always told me you were wild. A bad influence.”
“You never told me.”
“Didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” She glanced in the mirror and picked at her red locks. A smile curled her lips. “Does look pretty cool, actually.”
I sat on the couch next to her.
“I walked in on you frozen? I didn’t dream that, did I?”
I shook my head. “Welcome to my nightmare.”
“You had ice all over your body. Ice , Mandy.”
“I know. And you had heat.”
“Please tell me what’s going on.”
The doorknob jiggled as I was about to tell her the great news—I knew nothing. I leapt off the couch, ran to the door, and yanked it open.
“Whoa. Mandy, what’s going on?” Scott stumbled through the doorway, key still in the lock. “Why is the door unlocked?”
I tugged him into the living room. “Where the hell is your cell phone?”
“What? What happened? Are you—?”
“I did that ice-thing again.”
Scott skidded to a stop, and his eyes bulged.
“Hi.” Georgia waved from the couch.
“Hey.” He shot a glare my direction.
“Don’t worry, she knows. She’s the one who found me. I tried dialing your cell, but my frozen fingers clicked her number by accident.”
Georgia nodded.
“There. You’re up to speed. Now help us figure this out.” I sat next to Georgia.
Scott stepped to the chair opposite the couch. “Georgia. I’m sorry you had to see that. Are you okay? You look…different.”
“Didn’t get to the good part yet, did I?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I better sit down.”
“Good idea,” Georgia said. “I’m sitting, but my head is still spinning.”
“She came in, grabbed my hand, it stuck. I think I iced it to mine. She couldn’t let go. Then it happened to her.”
“It?”
“She went nuclear. Totally hot. Burning up. She actually melted the casing of ice around me. Our hands wouldn’t separate. It was like we were welded together.”
“And I got a manicure and hair style out of it.”
“How is that possible?” Scott tugged his hair.
“No clue.” I hated not knowing. I felt like such an idiot.
Four years I’d been in the dark. But now Georgia was a part of it. Dragged into this shit because of me. That changed things.
“I don’t even understand what happened. Can you please tell me what’s going on?” Georgia asked.
“I’m not sure how you fit into this, but my mom had the whole ice-thing going on. It evidently got passed to me. I found out four years ago.”
“Um… what ?” Georgia’s body stiffened next to mine.
“Like I said, welcome to my nightmare.”
“You hid this from me?”
I glanced at Scott, then nodded. “Had to.”
“But I’m your best friend. You should have told me. You’ve been lying all this time?”
“I know. But this is big, wouldn’t you say? I didn’t want to put you in danger.”
“Danger?”
“The more people who know, the more chance we’ll be found out,” I said. “And that’s never a good thing.”
“Your mom could do this? How?”
“No idea. Neither of us knew
My heart pounded so hard, it kicked the air out of my lungs. She was like me? How was that even possible? I jumped up and ran to my bathroom. I cranked open the drawer. Of course my mirror wasn’t there. Never where I needed it.
“Mandy?” Georgia hollered from the other room.
“Coming.” How could she be like me? “Ahh, found it.”
I stood straight and glanced at myself in the wall mirror. Damp strands of hair flopped onto my chest, but surprisingly, the rest of me wasn’t soaking wet like I would have thought. So I’d gone through an ice cocoon-thing twice? And now Georgia?
I zoomed out of the bathroom. Georgia cuddled up on the couch with a blanket around her. “Here. Take a look.”
She took the mirror and sat up. “Oh, my gosh.”
“I like it.”
“How—” Georgia shook her head. “My mom’s going to freak. I know it. Oh, and she’ll blame you, too.”
“Me?”
“She’s always told me you were wild. A bad influence.”
“You never told me.”
“Didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” She glanced in the mirror and picked at her red locks. A smile curled her lips. “Does look pretty cool, actually.”
I sat on the couch next to her.
“I walked in on you frozen? I didn’t dream that, did I?”
I shook my head. “Welcome to my nightmare.”
“You had ice all over your body. Ice , Mandy.”
“I know. And you had heat.”
“Please tell me what’s going on.”
The doorknob jiggled as I was about to tell her the great news—I knew nothing. I leapt off the couch, ran to the door, and yanked it open.
“Whoa. Mandy, what’s going on?” Scott stumbled through the doorway, key still in the lock. “Why is the door unlocked?”
I tugged him into the living room. “Where the hell is your cell phone?”
“What? What happened? Are you—?”
“I did that ice-thing again.”
Scott skidded to a stop, and his eyes bulged.
“Hi.” Georgia waved from the couch.
“Hey.” He shot a glare my direction.
“Don’t worry, she knows. She’s the one who found me. I tried dialing your cell, but my frozen fingers clicked her number by accident.”
Georgia nodded.
“There. You’re up to speed. Now help us figure this out.” I sat next to Georgia.
Scott stepped to the chair opposite the couch. “Georgia. I’m sorry you had to see that. Are you okay? You look…different.”
“Didn’t get to the good part yet, did I?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I better sit down.”
“Good idea,” Georgia said. “I’m sitting, but my head is still spinning.”
“She came in, grabbed my hand, it stuck. I think I iced it to mine. She couldn’t let go. Then it happened to her.”
“It?”
“She went nuclear. Totally hot. Burning up. She actually melted the casing of ice around me. Our hands wouldn’t separate. It was like we were welded together.”
“And I got a manicure and hair style out of it.”
“How is that possible?” Scott tugged his hair.
“No clue.” I hated not knowing. I felt like such an idiot.
Four years I’d been in the dark. But now Georgia was a part of it. Dragged into this shit because of me. That changed things.
“I don’t even understand what happened. Can you please tell me what’s going on?” Georgia asked.
“I’m not sure how you fit into this, but my mom had the whole ice-thing going on. It evidently got passed to me. I found out four years ago.”
“Um… what ?” Georgia’s body stiffened next to mine.
“Like I said, welcome to my nightmare.”
“You hid this from me?”
I glanced at Scott, then nodded. “Had to.”
“But I’m your best friend. You should have told me. You’ve been lying all this time?”
“I know. But this is big, wouldn’t you say? I didn’t want to put you in danger.”
“Danger?”
“The more people who know, the more chance we’ll be found out,” I said. “And that’s never a good thing.”
“Your mom could do this? How?”
“No idea. Neither of us knew
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