Page 21 of In His Skates

“No,” I croak. “I need to sit down.”

Ophelia links her arms with mine and steers me to a grandfather chair in the corner. The dark green velvet is faded in certain spots, and there’s a film of dust covering it. I doubt anyone uses it, but it will do. I practically collapse on it, resting my elbows on my legs and letting my head fall between my shoulders.

“I’ll get some herbal tea,” she tells me.

“Okay. Thanks.”

Keanu drops into a crouch in front of me, and I find myself staring into my own worried eyes. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’ve been better.”

“Are you going to pass out again?”

“I hope not.”

He squints. “Does that happen to you a lot?”

“No, never. Does it happen to you?”

His posture stiffens. “Of course not.”

“Don’t sound so offended. I am in your body. I had to check.”

Ophelia returns with the tea, and that prompts Keanu to stand up and take a step back.

“Here you are, sweetie.”

“Thank you.” I take a whiff of the aromatic scent, and immediately, my heart rate slows down and my head clears.

“We’ve been trying to reach Flora all morning. Do you know the name of the retreat she’s at?” Keanu asks.

“Yeah, I know the name, but I’m afraid that won’t help you.”

Keanu stares at her with wide eyes. “You don’t understand. This is an emergency.”

Ophelia shakes her head. “The retreat is cut off from all communication devices. Flora is unreachable right now.”

“There has to be a way to contact her,” I say. “This is a life-and-death situation.”

Ophelia frowns. “You both look fine to me, besides the fact that your auras are… how do I put this… they don’t fit.”

Whoa. Maybe we don’t need Flora after all. Ophelia could help us.

Keanu grabs Ophelia’s arm and turns her around. I’m glad he’s in my body; otherwise, it would seem quite aggressive.

“What do you mean by that? Do you know what’s wrong with us?”

Mercifully, Ophelia seems unfazed by Keanu’s hold on her. She tilts her head calmly and watches him intensely for a couple of beats. Then she looks at me. I sit straighter.

“I have an idea. But I can’t help you.”

“Why can’t you help us? Are you saying we’ll be stuck like this forever?” Keanu’s voice rises to a shrill, making me wince.

“You’re in this situation by your own hands, thus only you can fix it.”

I stand up. “But how do we fix it?”

Ophelia steps back. “By paying attention.”