“Where are you going?” Matt’s eyes darted back and forth between mine.

“My room.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

I didn’t care at that point. I had to know. I took the stairs two at a time, with Matt right behind me. My bedroom door was shut. I hesitated. Thankfully, Matt didn’t push or try to convince me not to do this. He waited patiently, letting me make up my own mind.

I counted to twenty and opened the door. Immediately, I felt the slight breeze coming from the open window. I’d always kept it open, even in the dead of winter. Mom was continuing to do the same. My bed was made, and my desk still had my schoolbooks strewn across it. She hadn’t touched them.

I walked to the closet, noticing the faint stain on the off-white carpet from when I’d bled on it while trying to catch the rat I’d brought back to life. As I remembered Mom and me working together, huddled on my bed, trying to catch the thing, I broke down. I fell to the floor, sinking into my misery.

Matt rushed to me and rocked me back and forth in his arms. He smoothed my hair and whispered, “It’s okay. Get it out.”

I had a lot to get out. I cried huge tears, ones that sucked the air out of my lungs and made me choke. I felt my nose run, but I didn’t care. The pain inside me was too much. I had to get it out, like Matt said.

We sat like that for hours, until I’d cried every last tear inside me. Then, we stared out the window, not saying a word. I didn’t move at all. I let my body go numb, tuning out feeling to every part of my body. Matt stayed silent, letting me handle this my own way.

Finally, I heard the sound of tires pulling up the driveway. Mom! The little girl inside me wanted to go running down the stairs and throw myself into her arms, but I knew that wouldn’t be a good idea. I would never be able to leave her again. Still, could I leave things the way they were? She obviously wasn’t getting over losing me.

“Jodi, come on. We’ll slip out the window.” Matt was on his feet, holding his hand out to me.

“No.” I made a split-second decision.

“What do you mean?” He narrowed his eyes at me, trying to figure out what was going through my mind now.

“I’m tired of being two different people. I can’t do this to her. She deserves to know the truth.”

“Are you sure?” He looked worried for me.

I nodded, even though my bottom lip quivered.

The front door shut, and Mom’s footsteps sounded on the stairs. She was coming.

“Last chance to change your mind.” This was proof Matt was an amazing guy. If all he was worried about was getting me back, he would’ve encouraged me to tell my mom the truth. But he cared more about me doing what I thought was best, whether that meant I stayed with him or not.

“I have to do this.” I braced myself as Mom reached the top of the stairs. She immediately noticed my open door and turned toward Matt and me.

Her eyes widened. “Who are you? How did you get in my house?”

“Mom, it’s okay. It’s me, Jodi.”

Chapter 16

She looked horrified. “I’m calling the police.” She turned and raced down the stairs.

Matt met my eyes, waiting to see what I was going to do. I rushed from the room and to the kitchen, where I knew Mom would be on the phone.

“Mom, please!” I reached for the phone, wrestling it from her hands.

“911. What is your emergency?” I heard the operator’s voice on the other line.

“Sorry, hit the wrong button,” I said and quickly ended the call.

“Who are you people?” Mom’s face was red with anger and hurt. “How dare you come in here and talk about Jodi?”

“Mom.” My voice shook as I fought the urge to cry. “Please, listen to me. Do you remember what happened the night I left?”

“Get out. I don’t know who you are, but I want you gone. Now!” She pointed to the door as if I didn’t already know where it was.

“Please, hear me out, and then if you still want me to leave I will. We both will.”

“Please, Ms. Marshall.” Matt motioned to the kitchen table. “Sit down and talk to us. Five minutes. That’s all we’re asking for.”

Even though Matt was talking, Mom kept her eyes on me.

“I can make us some tea. You always drink tea when you get home from work.”

She tilted her head to the side and stared into my eyes like she was trying to see my soul.

“I know I don’t look like myself, Mom, but you’d know me anywhere. You have to. You’re my mom.”

“What happened to you?” She said the words slowly, like they were hard to get out.

“Everything I told you about Alex and me being different was true.” I walked around her, placing her cell on the counter and going for the teapot on the stove. I filled it with water and placed it on the burner, turning it on high.

Matt walked Mom to the table and sat down. She waited for me to sit and then finally gave in.

“Alex? That boy who came here after you cut yourself?”

“Yes. He’s like me. We’re different. Not entirely human. Well, I am human now, but that’s a long story.”

She shook her head. All this information must have been giving her one hell of a headache.

“Okay, how do I start?” Poisoned blood, zombie deer, evil Ophi trying to kill me, Hades taking me to the underworld? Leading with any of those would’ve sent her over the edge. “Dad,” I blurted out. “I met Dad.”

“Melodie told me that. She said she saw you. You stole her car and left her at the park.” She shook her head, obviously not believing that either.

I still felt awful about what I’d done to Mel. “Yes, I did.” I lowered my head. “But, I had to. Mom…” I reached for her hands, but she pulled back. She still wasn’t convinced I was her daughter. I put my hands in my lap. “My blood is different than yours, and it’s because of Dad. He didn’t walk out on you like you thought he did. He had to leave to protect both of us. He’s not human.”

Mom made a sound like a gurgled laugh. “That I could almost believe.”

“He died about a month after I was born.”

Her eyes shot up to meet mine. “You said you met him.”

“I did. Alex took me to a place. It operates as a school for people like me. They—we—call ourselves Ophi. We’re all born under the thirteenth sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. We’re necromancers. I met Dad because we raised his soul.” I left off the part about Victoria raising Dad to torture me.

“Okay, that’s enough. I’ve listened. I don’t believe you. This is some school prank, and I don’t want to be part of it.” She stood up and shook her head. “You know, for a moment, I thought maybe you two knew something about Jodi—what happened to her. But you’re just messing with me, and that’s really cruel.”

“Mom, we’re not. Please. I’m telling you the truth. I’m Jodi. This is Matt. You remember Matt. I had to raise our souls, so we’re in different bodies, but we’re still us.” She stared at me with a look of horror, but not because she believed me. Because she couldn’t believe I’d create such a crazy story. “I died, Mom. I killed myself. The human part of me, at least. Matt died, too. You know that. You were here. Only you didn’t know it was because of me. My blood killed him. Just like it killed you.”

She shook her head. “I’m not dead.”

“Not anymore. Alex brought you back. It’s part of what we can do. Alex saved your life, and then I left before I could hurt you again.”

The teapot whistled on the stove, piercing the air like an alarm.

“I’ll get it.” Matt got up and walked to the stove while Mom and I continued to stare at each other.

“Please. If you love me, you should be able to see it’s me. Even in this body. Look at me. Really look.”

She walked around the table and stood in front of me. Normally we were the same height, but Liz’s small frame was inches shorter than Mom.

“I haven’t looked down at you in years.”

“Get past the outside. That’s not me. I’m in here.” I put my hand to my heart. “Mom.” My eyes watered, blurring my vision.