Hi Peapod,
Unfortunately, the task of delivering these letters falls to you. But you’ve always been my good girl, so I know you’ll do it. Now, I’m sorry for dying. A silly thing to apologize for, isn’t it? But I know how mad you can get sometimes, and I don’t want to leave you with any anger. God knows Revelares are too good at holding grudges, and if there’s one thing I regret, it’s not letting go of them sooner. If I hadn’t been so stubborn, I could have said goodbye to Dickie. But it was too late. It’s not for you. It’s always been so easy for you to forgive, except when it comes to the people you love the most. But you remember those manners I taught you, young lady. Your job is to forgive that brother of yours. And your mother too, whenever she decides to show up.
Now as for the life debt, I’m sorry I kept it from you for so long. But some truths are best kept like dough; they need time to proof. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but there’s a way for you to nullify the curse. This is a last resort, and I’m only sharing it because I’m afraid of what else you’ll try. But if you sacrifice yourself, Seth will be safe. When you give up who you are, you become someone new. And that means all the old debts are forgiven, the dark magic nullified. You’re a new creation. It’s a baptism of sorts, that kind of sacrifice. Just make sure you’re prepared for it.
Lastly, I know you’ve always closed yourself off because of your curse. It’s easier not to lose anyone when you don’t let them in all the way. But that’s no way to live, sugar. You’ll figure things out. And it’ll get easier with time. Know that you and Seth were my pride and joy. I will love you every moment of forever. Now, go live your life, you hear me? I believe in you. I always have.
Love,
Gigi
The looped, old-fashioned handwriting, Gigi’s “chicken scratch,” clung to Sadie’s heart. The tears burned hot on her cheeks as the lights flickered overhead.
Twenty-one days.
That was all she had left.
Twenty-one days until the full moon. Until the life debt had to be paid.
And Gigi had written about sacrificing herself as casually as she would have discussed the proper way to flip fried chicken. And what was with the ending telling her to go live her life? How could she live her life if she sacrificed herself to save her brother? It was madness. All of it. She wanted to laugh but knew if she did, she’d end up sobbing and unable to stop.
Instead, she clutched the lockbox to her chest and curled in a ball on the floor.
Through the high window she could see the waxing gibbous moon, soft and eerie, the symbol for changing seasons, life and death. Gigi’s knit blanket slid off the bed and laid itself over her, tucking in at her shoulders.
Everything seemed utterly lost. Gigi was dead. Her aunts and uncles would soon return to their lives and jobs and homes. Seth had never promised to stay. And Jake—well, it was too late for that. Gigi had been the glue that held them all together. With her gone, everything unraveled. Everything she’d ever been, all that she’d known, it died with Gigi. And she couldn’t do it. Even with her life, or maybe Seth’s, hanging in the balance, she couldn’t think of a single way to nullify the conduit magic.
And in that moment anger dominoed through her heart. Anger at Gigi for killing Julian and incurring the life debt; at her mother for putting Gigi in a position to have to; at Julian for being the world’s biggest dick; and all the way back to Evanora Revelare for picking that goddamn diablo buckwheat up on Rose Hill.
The quiet murmur of voices floated up to her on the cold floor as she let the anger burn hot through her. It felt good. Even if it was only a numbing sort of Band-Aid.
And then a gentle knock on the front door reverberated through the floor, after which the grandfather clock blasted a dozen notes, like a call to arms.
Maple Butterscotch Walnut Fudge
It won’t heal sorrow, but it will spark wisdom and strength, traditionally for new beginnings, ventures, or the new year. I also made it the day before Sadie and I opened the café. Running that place with my favorite girl have been some of the best years of my life.
Ingredients
1 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips
1 c. chocolate chips
1 can (14-oz.) sweetened condensed milk
? lb. butter (1 stick)
1 tsp. maple extract (maybe a dash more)
1? c. chopped walnuts
Directions
1.?Grease and line an 8 × 8-inch dish with parchment paper. Combine chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in a microwavable bowl.
2.?Heat the bowl for 30 seconds at a time, giving it a stir after each time, until everything is just melted. Don’t overdo it, or the chips will get grainy.
3.?Stir in maple extract and walnuts.
4.?Pour fudge mixture into tin. Refrigerate until set, and then cut into squares.
??12??
BEFORE THE CLOCK HAD finished its echo, Kay screamed. Anne’s laugh set Sadie’s teeth on edge. The house seemed to snap to attention. Picture frames straightened themselves. Knickknacks scuttled back to their corners. Piles of dust swept themselves under dressers.
There was the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs, and seconds later Seth burst through Gigi’s door.
“You need to come downstairs,” he said breathlessly.
And before she could demand why, he was gone again.
She sat up, wiped her nose on her sweater, and set the lockbox down, her heart thudding. She didn’t want to go downstairs. Didn’t want to see whoever was at the door. But the lights flickered, and a warm breeze shuffled through the room despite the lack of open windows, and Sadie knew it was Gigi reminding her of her manners again.
With trepidation in every step, she took to the stairs and swore they looked like they’d just been polished. Halfway down, as the entryway came into view, she stopped, her bare feet against the wood floor heavy as cinderblocks.
She looked impossibly young. Dressed in all black except for a calf-length velvet duster in a jewel-toned floral pattern. The air pulsed around her, and her inky black hair, cut in a shoulder-length bob with thick bangs, shone iridescent blue black in the porch light. Her face wore a smile that made Sadie shudder. It was Seth’s smile. It was hers. Even though she’d only seen a few photos of her mother, she’d recognize her anywhere.
Kay and Anne were hugging her with abandon, but Florence’s eyes rested on Seth, dark and glistening like liquid diamonds. Full of hope.
No. Not yet, Sadie thought.
She hadn’t given much thought to meeting her mother, so consumed had she been with Gigi’s health and the family secrets. When Gigi had said that only her death would let her daughter come back, Sadie had tucked the information away. In years, she thought, maybe she’ll come back. After we’ve had time to grieve. Yet there she stood.
She was tired of accepting things as they came. Each calamity had stacked up until the weight made it almost impossible to breathe. She’d grown up hearing that God never gave you more than you could handle, but He’d obviously mistaken her for someone else. And this was the last straw.
Manners. Manners, Sadie. Gigi would have your hide. Instead, she said, “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
Everyone’s eyes snapped up to her.
And then Sadie saw her. She’d been partially obscured by her aunts. A girl, maybe seven. She wore a rainbow tutu over striped leggings and a shirt that read “Unicorns are real.” Her Converse sneakers were scuffed, and she held a raggedy stuffed lamb in one hand. Sadie saw a slight movement to the girl’s right, a shape that rippled in the air, but when she looked closer, it vanished.
“I’m sorry,” her mother finally spoke. “I know this must be a terrible shock.”
“Nonsense,” said Kay, pulling Florence’s arm and dragging her over the threshold. “Come in out of the cold. I can’t believe you’re here. I can’t believe you’re real!”