Page 101 of Two's A Charm

‘Not darts,’ said Effie. ‘I don’t trust any of you not to put holes in the wall.’

‘Oh go on, Effie,’ said Kirsty, who had famously busted through the panelling in the upstairs hallway wall years back in an effort to string up Halloween decorations. ‘Would we do something like that?’

Everyone burst out laughing. Even Effie managed a small smile, although Bonnie could see that she was adding up the potential repair costs in her head.

‘First we eat, then we Twister,’ said Tessa.

‘I think that might be the wrong order,’ said Alana, grimacing. ‘Isn’t Twister better on an empty stomach?’

‘I thought you were a yoga instructor,’ pointed out Bobby.

Alana sighed. ‘Well, those are fighting words. Pizza me up, Theo.’

Crammed into the cosy kitchen, surrounded by cats and friends and laugher, Bonnie had never felt happier.

Life felt whole again: all the greens and purples and everything in between.

‘A shooting star!’ cried Kirsty, who’d been by the window keeping an eye out for the meteor shower that the student newspaper had been heavily reporting on (Cassandra was back in fine journalistic form, and had been collaborating closely with the astronomy department).

Grabbing pizza slices and wine glasses, the group hurried out to the front porch, watching as the sky sparkled with the lights of clustering stars, and taking turns peeking through the telescope that Effie had borrowed from the library. Kirsty gave the telescope a curious look, as though trying to pull up a long-forgotten memory, then shook her head.

‘Nerds,’ she said, disparagingly.

‘I wish Mom were here to see this,’ whispered Effie, squeezing Bonnie’s hand.

‘You know,’ said Bonnie, as a particularly bright meteor streaked across the sky, spinning a gold-hued trail behind it, ‘I think she is.’

Their wrists glowing, the two sisters leaned against the doorframe of the home that had housed so much love over the years, watching the sky put on a display for the ages – and cheering along with their friends as the meteors stitched streams of light behind the clouds. Neither sister would ever replace Mom, and nor should they. But Mom lived on through them in every action they took and every bit of good they put into the world.

Not to mention the brownies that Bonnie had baked this afternoon using Mom’s famous recipe. Well, a slightly illicit twist on Mom’s recipe. But Officer Brigsley didn’t need to know about that.

Bonnie ducked back inside to grab the platter, then passed them around, smiling at the chocolatey grins her friends threw her way. On went the memories, new and old, and those in between. She and Effie were stewards of them – and would do them proud. Because that was the magic of being one of the Chalmers girls.