Page 25 of Haunting the Deep

“Possibly,” I say. “What if we not only pushed spirits away, butdrewsome to us? There was that book that appeared right after the spell finished, and Alice thinks a spirit left her that key.”

“Hmmm.” Alice leans back in her armchair.

“Also, I brought a spoon back from my dream this morning.”

Mary pops up.“What?”

“You wait until now to tell us this?” Alice says.

I push my hair behind my ear and rest my elbows on my knees. “I fell asleep and dreamt I was on theTitanicagain, only it wasn’t like the other dream. It didn’t have that dreamlike shifting quality to it. Everything seemed clear. But the weird thing was that no one could see me. I was an observer. I got pissed and tried to move things on one of the fancy lunch tables. I grabbed a spoon. When I woke up, it was still in my hand.”

Alice and Susannah share a look. “That’s not a dream,” Susannah says. “I don’t know what that was. But it definitely wasn’t a dream.”

“But I was sleeping.”

Mary’s eyes widen. “Wait, are we now saying that not all dreams are dreams? That’s so not gonna work for me.”

Alice taps her fingers on the armchair. “We only did that spell last night. Yet I woke up to a key with some strange letters on it, and Sam had a nondream where she took a spoon. Redd says the course we’re on will bring death, and so far this all makes not one ounce of sense.”

For a second we’re quiet.

“Should we do another spell?” I ask. “Is there one that might give us more information?”

“No. Not yet,” Alice says. “The last one we did backfired. We need to go over what’s happened so far. Figure out how everything connects.” She pauses. “And look who’s suggesting magic all of a sudden.”

I shrug. Alice knows she’s won.

Susannah smiles. “So you’re joining our circle?”

They turn and look at me.

“Yeah, I guess I am.” And without meaning to, I find myself smiling, too. “Also, I need you to see a painting in my house.”

My dad leads the girls down the sconce-lit hallway toward the…ballroom? I can’t believe I’m calling it that now—or more accurately, that I even have a room like that in my house. As I pass the painting that I’m convinced has changed, I scowl at it.

Susannah glances back at me, and I pull my eyes away from the woman’s face. “This place is huge.”

“Perfect for a party. Weloveplanning parties,” Mary says.

“Some of us more than others,” Alice says.

Mary ignores her and pats her stomach. “I just wish I wasn’t so full. I think I ate a loaf of garlic bread by myself. And those chocolate-dipped cannoli…wow.”

“You were eating like you’ve been starved half your life,” Alice says, even though she did the exact same thing. “And I know your mother keeps your refrigerator full.”

“Correction: she keeps it stocked with organic vegetables and granola parfaits, andnocannoli.”

“You’re welcome here anytime. We have enough sweets to feed the whole town,” my dad says as we enter the ballroom. It’s obvious he’s thrilled they showed up to eat a meal with us and even more thrilled they asked for a tour of the house.

Mary smiles.

“I’d be careful with that offer, Mr. M,” Alice says. “Mary may look small, but she’s got the metabolism and food capacity of a Tasmanian devil.”

The girls stop as if on cue and take in the room.

“This is like a time capsule from the eighteen hundreds,” Susannah says. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Well, feel free to have a party in here anytime you like,” my dad says.