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.And even though I m not quite sure how to phrase it, it s something I ve been wondering for awhile now, so I just dive in. I m sorry if this off ends you, but I need to know are you guysdead? I hold my breath, fully expecting them to be mad, or at the very least insulted prettymuch any reaction but the laughter I get.Watching as they fall all over themselves, Raynedoubled over, slapping her knee, as Romy rolls off the futon, practically convulsing. Well, youcan t blame me for asking. I frown, definitely the one who s insulted. I mean, we did meet inSummerland where plenty of dead people hang out.Not to mention how you re both unnaturallypale.Rayne leans against the wall, fully recovered from her laughing fit and smirking at me. Sowe re pale.Big deal. She glances at her sister, then back at me. It s not like you re exactlyrockin a tan.And yet, you don t see us assuming you re a member of the dearly departed.I wince, knowing it s true, but still. Yeah, well, you had an unfair advantage.Thanks to Rileyyou knew all about me long before we met.You knew exactly who I am and what I am, and if Ihave any hope of helping you, then I m gonna have to know a few things too.So as much as youmay resent it, as much as you may want to resist, the only way we re gonna get anywhere is ifyou tell me your story. Never, Rayne says, staring at her sister, warning her not to rebel.But Romy ignores her and turns right to me. We re not dead.Not even close.We re morelike refugees.Refugees from the past, if you will.I glance between them, thinking all I have to do is lower my guard, focus my quantum remote,and touch them for their entire life story to be revealed, but figuring I should at least try to gettheir version first. A long time ago, she starts, peering at her disapproving sister before taking a deep breath andforging ahead. A very long time ago, in fact, we were facing a  She squinches her brow,searching for just the right word, nodding at me when she says,  Well, let s just say we wereabout to become victims of a terribly dark event, one of the most shameful times in our history,but we escaped by fleeing to Summerland.And then, well, I guess we lost track of time andwe ve been there ever since.Or at least until last week when we came to help you.Rayne groans, dropping to the floor and burying her face in her hands, but Romy just ignoresher, still looking at me when she says,  But now our worst fear has come true.Our magick isgone, we ve nowhere to go, and no idea how to survive in this place. What sort of persecution did you flee? I ask, watching her closely, searching for clues. Andhow long ago is very long ago? Just what are we dealing with here? Wondering if their historystretches as far back as Damen s, or if they belong to a more recent past.They gaze at each other, communicating a wordless agreement that shuts me right out.So I movetoward Romy, grasping her hand so quickly she has no time to react.Immediately pulled into hermind her world seeing the story unfold as though I m right there.Standing on the sidelines,an unnoticed observer, fully immersed in the chaos and fear of that day, witness to images sohorrible I m tempted to turn away.Watching as an angry mob swarms their home, voices raised torches high their aunt barringthe door as best she can, making the portal and urging the twins toward the safety ofSummerland.Just about to step through the portal and join them when the door gives way and the twinsdisappear.Separated from everything they once knew, having no idea what became of their auntuntil a visit to the Great Halls of Learning showed them the torturous trial of false accusationsshe was forced to endure.Refusing to confess to any kind of sorcery, having taken the WiccanRede of  An it harm none, do what ye will, and knowing she d done nothing wrong, sherebuffed her oppressor and held her head high all the way to the gallows where she wasbrutally hung.I stagger back, fingers seeking the amulet just under my tee, something about their aunt s gaze soeerily familiar, leaving me shaky, unsettled, reminding myself that I m safe, they re safe thatthings like that don t happen these days. So now you know. Romy shrugs as Rayne shakes her head. Our whole story.Everythingabout us.Do you blame us for choosing to hide?I glance between them, unsure what to say. I  I clear my throat and start over. I m so sorry.Ihad no idea. I glance at Rayne, seeing how she refuses to look at me, then over at Romy whosolemnly bows her head. I had no idea you guys escaped the Salem Witch Trials. Not exactly, Rayne says, before Romy chimes in. What she means is we were never tried.Our aunt stood accused.One day she was revered as themost sought-after midwife, and the next, she was rounded up and taken away. She sucks in herbreath, eyes welling up as though it were yesterday. We would ve gone with her, we had nothing to hide, Rayne says, lifting her chin andnarrowing her gaze. And it certainly wasn t Clara s fault that poor baby died.It s the father whodid it.He didn t want the baby or its mother.So he did away with them both and blamed Clara.Crying witch so loud the entire town heard but then Clara made the portal, and forced us tohide, and she was just about to join us when well, you know the rest. But that was over three hundred years ago! I cry, still unused to the idea of an existence thatlong despite my immortality.The twins shrug. So if you haven t been back since  I shake my head, the monumental size of this problem justbeginning to unfold. I mean, do you have any idea how much things have changed since youwere last here? Seriously.It s like a whole different world from the one that you left. It s not like we re idiots. Rayne shakes her head. Things progress in Summerland too, youknow.New people arrive all the time, manifesting the things they re attached to, all the stuff theycan t bear to let go.But that s not what I meant, in fact, not even close.I wasn t just referring to cars versus horse-drawn carriages, and trendy boutiques versus hand sewn but more their ability to get along inthe world blending in, adapting, not standing out in the glaring way that they do! Taking intheir razor-slashed bangs, their large dark eyes and extremely pale skin, knowing their twenty-first-century make over is far less about a uniform change than a complete and total overhaul. Besides, Riley prepared us, Romy says, eliciting a loud groan from Rayne, and my fullattention from me. She manifested a private school and convinced us to enroll.That s wherethese uniforms came from.She was our teacher, coaching us on all the modern ways, includingour speech.She wanted us to return and was determined to prepare us for the trip.Partly becauseshe wanted us to look after you, and partly because she thought we were crazy for missing out onour teens.I freeze, suddenly grasping a new understanding in Riley s interest in them one that s got farless to do with me, and everything to do with her. How old are you guys? I whisper, looking toRomy for the answer [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]