After showering and getting dressed, I sat at Leah’s desk. Though it took a few minutes of rifling through memories to find her laptop password and knowledge of how to use it, I was soon scouring the web for an answer to my portal problem. Apparently, portals were just as rare as Leah thought. The only ones in the state were located in a government research facility, a corporation with undisclosed security measures, and a celebrity’s private residence. Dr. Swanson’s portal wasn’t listed, so I could only assume there were others not listed. Unfortunately, they would be nearly impossible to find, meaning my best bet was the celebrity’s private residence. 

The mansion was home to two celebrities, actually--an actress and a freelance guardian, which was apparently like a superhero-for-hire. Though they often appeared in the news talking about their work and personal lives, little information about their residence’s security had made it onto the internet. Breaking in without a floor plan or security details would be risky, to say the least. I’d better explore less dangerous ways of gaining access to the portal. 

Albert and Robin Walker often met the public, but Albert could turn into a massive, ice-breathing dragon, and Robin always had at least one--usually two or more--bodyguards with her. It wouldn’t be easy to get them alone. Their sons, on the other hand…

Ethan and Mark Walker were twin boys a year older than Leah. Neither had official girlfriends. Mark hadn’t ever had one, so Ethan--a known playboy--would undoubtedly be easier to seduce. Not that it would be hard, as Leah was considered very attractive in high school. The scars might be a problem, but they could also be a good conversation starter.   

A knock on the bedroom door preceded Celest’s voice. “Elva, are you in there?”

“Yes.”

She came in and read over my shoulder. “Don’t contact Mark. He feels bad enough about the accident already. If he met you and then you seemingly died again, he would feel even worse.”

“Why would Mark feel bad about my- Leah’s car crash?”

“Right, you wouldn’t know because we met him after-” She swallowed and pushed a lock of gray hair back from her face. “Mark Walker was driving the car Kyle hit. After Kyle and Leah went off the cliff, Mark flew down to them. He’s a healer in training, so he thought-” She sniffed. “Mark couldn’t- he can only speed natural healing. If someone’s brain stem is damaged beyond repair, there’s nothing he can do. I know that now, but the first time I saw him, I said some things I regret. He’s been trying to make it up to me ever since, bringing around meals and asking about my day.” She trailed off. 

I waited a moment in case there was something else she needed to say. “I don’t intend to see him. I’d like to ask Ethan to take me to their family portal.”

“Mark will find out if you return from the grave to ask his brother a favor.”

“Maybe, but wouldn’t he be happier if he believed Leah was alive? He doesn’t need to know about Leah’s second ‘death.’ If he asks after me once I’ve gone, you could tell him I’ve gone off to join a convent with no cell service.”

She huffed. “It isn’t that easy. This is a small town. You- Leah was in the news. She’ll be in the news again if she ‘dies.’ Mark will see it. Everyone will see it. They’ll want to know how Leah came back, what happened to her, and any number of other questions I can’t answer.”

I hated that she was right. I didn’t want to bring her any more heartache than I already had. There had to be another way to get what I needed. 

“What if I pretend to be someone else? According to Leah’s memories, males her age are easy to manipulate. It shouldn’t be too difficult to convince Ethan to let me into the portal room. I won’t be around him long enough to be recognized.”

She rocked back on her heels and stared off into the distance for so long that I wasn’t sure whether she intended to respond at all. I went back to researching the twins. There was a lot of useless information about their aspirations. They both planned to follow in their father’s footsteps and attend a school for would-be guardians before becoming freelance heroes or guardian agents or whatever. What I needed to know was how to find out in public, somewhere they wouldn’t be hidden behind walls of security.

Luckily, Ethan had an Instagram account where he posted pictures of various aspects of his life, including his meals. He often went to one cafe in particular that sold specialized drinks and deserts for humans with “unique oddities,” which supposedly explained why they sold mercury milkshakes and blood ice cream, among other strange menu items. 

What were “oddities,” anyway? Were they just another way of saying “eccentricities?” It took a fair amount of digging in Leah’s memories to find the answer. Apparently, New Realm was a popular electronics company that used small Otherealm portals in their devices. They emitted Otherealm gas, which caused pregnant humans to give birth to what they called “oddlings.” These oddlings had physical and magical mutations called “oddities.” Human oddities weren’t unlike the magical abilities baron-class arytas developed soon after we reached the age of adulthood. 

Hmm. If I failed to convince one of the twins to take me to the portal, their family’s oddities would make breaking in even more impossible than I’d thought.

“Okay.” Celest’s voice made me jump. 

“Okay what?”

“Okay, I’ll take you to see the boys.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have to take me. I’ll drive.”

She shook her head fervently. “You may have memories of driving, but you’ve never actually done it. You’ll end up crashing and hurting someone. I’ll drive you.”

“I’ll likely go while you’re at work tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is Saturday.”

“I thought you said you didn’t want them to recognize me. Won’t they recognize you?”

“I’ll drop you off down the street.”

That could work. “Okay. I think the best time to go is ten tomorrow. Ethan often brunches at this place.” I showed her the address. 

She took a picture of it. “Sounds like a plan, sweetie. I’ll get working on dinner.” She left the room. 

It was odd she’d addressed me in the same way she used to address Leah. I could only assume she did it out of habit. 

***

The next morning, Celest and I were eating breakfast at the kitchen island when Dr. Swanson walked in. 

“Now you’ve calmed down, are you ready to have a civil conversation about that thing?” He shot a glare at me. 

Celest grabbed her fork in a death grip. “That ‘thing’ is Elva, and she’s more welcome here than you are. If you’re going to keep acting like an SOB, get out.”

I would much rather have him open the portal room than leave, but before I could say as much, he snapped back. 

“Elva is lying to you. Leah is in there somewhere. I’ve seen it in every test we’ve done; the animals remember people they knew before they died. They still know their tricks. If you would just let me restrain Elva, I’ll show you I’m right.”

She scoffed. “The best healer in the country said past five minutes, he can’t bring someone back without brain damage. It took over an hour to get her to the hospital. Even if by some miracle killing Elva could bring Leah back, she’d be a vegetable, and you’d be a murderer. Is that what you want?”

“Is that what she told you?” He rounded on me.

“No, it’s what the healer said. Weren’t you listening-”

He rushed past her and lunged at me, a hand outstretched toward my neck. 

I reacted instinctively, leaping back and knocking over my chair. He was still coming at me. Celest shouted something that would’ve taken too much brain power to decipher in the moment. My hands buzzed with a mixture of human and aryta adrenaline. Every fiber of my body wanted to grab a steak knife from the kitchen and end the threat. It would’ve been easy, but if Celest decided I was dangerous, she would take care of me herself.  

Dr. Swanson swung at me, and I dodged around him. The urge to hit him was strong, but I hesitated. I could win a hand-to-hand fight, but this host’s bones were still fragile. Being crippled would make wooing the Ethan much harder than it needed to be. If only I’d been able to grow my tail back already, I could paralyze him rapidly. 

Celest jumped between us. “Are you insane? Leave her alone!”

As Dr. Swanson spun around, a terrifying look in his eye made me wish Celest hadn’t gotten between us. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hurt her to get to me. 

“Get out of the way,” he shouted. When she didn’t move, he pulled a rifle out of his long coat. 

I shoved Celest aside and rushed Dr. Swanson. He scrambled to fire the gun, but I hit the heel of my hand against the barrel, throwing off his aim a second before I slammed my fist into the side of his jaw. My hand cracked. He went down hard.