CHAPTER 22

“See, this is so much better,” Elodie said, as we studied my reflection in the mirror over my dresser. Even though the image was warped and distorted, I had to admit that I did look nice. Elodie had smoothed a hand over my hair, and the next thing I knew, it was falling in soft waves to my shoulders.

That’s awesome, I told her, but I’m letting you use my body so that we can break into Lara’s office, not so that you can give me a makeover. Besides, if I wander around looking like this, people will either know I’m doing magic somehow or wonder how I managed to sneak a flatiron into Hex Hall.

It was an odd thing, watching my face crumple into a scowl at…myself.

“You’re supremely irritating when you’re right,” she said, waving her hand. Once again, my hair sprung out in a messy halo of curls.

After we’d gotten back from the cellar, Archer and I had told Jenna and Cal about the kids down there. All of us had decided that getting into Lara’s office was the next plan of attack. “There’s bound to be something in there,” Jenna said. “Either the spell that makes kids into demons, or the grimoire.…”

“Maybe she’ll have a file folder labeled, My Evil Plan,” I suggested. “That would be super helpful.”

It had taken us three days to come up with a strategy to get into the office. Cal was distracting Lara with questions about his own powers and how they might be useful to “the cause,” while Jenna and Archer kept an eye on Mrs. Casnoff. Since she’d taken to just wandering in circles around the pond, that wasn’t particularly challenging.

Which left the most important part to me and Elodie: using Elodie’s magic to get into the office and search it for anything that might help us stop the Casnoffs. As far as plans went, it wasn’t exactly D-day, but it was the best next step.

Now Elodie looked at my reflection and said, “It’s weird. Looking in a mirror and seeing you.”

Yes, I think we’ve established this is kind of awful for everyone involved. Can we go now? We don’t have much time.

Heaving a sigh, she turned away from the dresser. As she did, I thought I saw the mirror…I don’t know, ripple for a second.

Did you see that? In the mirror?

Elodie glanced back. “All I see is you. Me.” She waved her hand. “You know.”

I studied the glass, but Elodie was right. Nothing there. Probably just a trick of the light, I told her. Sorry.

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” she muttered, opening the door. “That mirror is super jacked.”

We made our way onto the landing. I noticed a few of the younger witches huddled on one of the sofas, their heads close together. It wasn’t the first time I’d come across one of these whispering pods of kids, and I wondered if maybe we weren’t the only ones coming up with plans.

I don’t swing my hips like that when I walk, I said to Elodie as we passed them. Cut it out.

She gave no sign of hearing me.

The house was nearly silent. Dinner had ended an hour or so before, and it was getting close to sundown. Everyone would be locked in their rooms then, which meant we had to hurry.

I could feel my heart pounding as we stepped into the main hallway. More glass had fallen from the stained-glass window. Now the angel who had created witches and warlocks was missing half her face, and a little shudder went through me as we tiptoed around the glass. I wasn’t sure if it was me who was creeped out or Elodie. Probably both of us.

When we reached Lara’s office, Elodie laid my hand on the doorknob. I could feel the magic sizzle up my arm, and gave a mental gasp.

“Why do you think Lara is Lara Casnoff, and Mrs. Casnoff is Mrs. Casnoff?” Elodie whispered as she worked her magic on the enchanted door. “It’s her family name, right? So shouldn’t she be Miss Casnoff? Or Ms.?”

Of all the things to wonder about, that’s what you’re focused on? Her marital status?

“It’s weird, that’s all I’m saying,” she hissed in reply.

You know you can talk to me in my head, right? You don’t have to talk out loud and make everyone think I’m a crazy person. Just FYI.

“The only time I can talk is when I’m in your body, so sue me, I’m taking advantage of that.”

Before we could snipe at each other anymore, the door suddenly gave way. Pushing it open, Elodie dashed inside, closing the door behind her. Lara Casnoff’s office was the total opposite of Mrs. Casnoff’s, complete with soaring bookcases and a heavy wooden desk so brightly polished that I could see myself in it.

“Any idea on where we should start?” Elodie whispered.

The desk, I finally said. It’ll be locked, and if it’s anything like Mrs. Casnoff’s desk, magic won’t work on it. There’s a nail in my pocket. Get it out, and I’ll talk you through jimmying the lock.

Elodie’s disdain flooded over me, but she got the nail and went to work on the lock. “Were you a burglar in the real world?” she muttered as she worked.

No. My mom and I lived in a particularly bad apartment once. The lock never worked right, and we always had to break in. Have to admit, I never thought the skill would come in handy again.

She gave a little chuckle. “What did you break in Mrs. Casnoff’s desk for?”

Information on Archer. After he left.

“Ah. You’re welcome, by the way?”

For what?

She jiggled the nail harder. “For putting him in his place the other night. Working with The Eye,” she scoffed. “Yeah, that’s a brilliant plan.”

He’s just trying to think of something, I said automatically. I wasn’t sure why I was defending him when I’d basically said that idea was the stupidest thing ever to have stupided, but I didn’t like the scorn in her voice. Well, my voice, her words.

Elodie paused in trying to open the desk drawer and shoved my hair back with both hands. “What’s it going to take for you to realize that Archer Cross is bad news? He’s an Eye. He’s a liar and a jerk, and he’s not nearly as funny as he thinks he is. And you’re betrothed to Cal. Boys who can heal all wounds and are super hot, to boot? Don’t exactly come around every day.”

I don’t think about Cal like that.

Pressing the point of the nail back into the lock, Elodie snorted. “Um, hi, I’ve been in your head. You totally think about him like that.”

Look, this isn’t a slumber party, I snapped. Can you please get back to work?

“Fine,” she muttered. “Don’t listen to me. But I’m telling you, Cal is the way to go. Heck, if I had a body, I wouldn’t mind—”

I’m going to need you to stop right there.

I’m ninety-nine percent sure she wasn’t going to stop right there, but before she could say anything else, the lock on the drawer gave way.

“Aha!” Elodie whispered. “Success!”

Here’s the thing. When she slid open that drawer, I didn’t expect to find anything. Not really. I mean, maybe a cryptic note or two, or a stupid riddle written on parchment that we had to decipher.

So when I saw the book sitting right on top of a pile of papers, I didn’t realize what I was looking at. It was only when Elodie said, “Um…is that the grimoire you were talking about?”

I looked at the cracked black-leather cover, felt the power coming off it in waves. Yeah. It totally is.

“Well, that was…easy.”

She reached out to take it, and without thinking, I shouted No!

Wincing, she raised my hands to my ears. “Ow! I told you, inside voice!”

It can’t be this simple, I told her, Torin’s words ringing in my ears. It’s a trap. A trick.

“Or maybe something is finally going our way,” she suggested. “Come on, Sophie. Gift horse. Mouth. Don’t look at it.”

Again, she reached out to pick up the grimoire, but this time, it wasn’t my mental screaming that stopped her.

It was the low creak of the door opening.