Gravity - By Abigail Boyd Page 0,54

it heated up when I was at the restaurant, spying on McPherson's hidden meeting. Back upstairs, Corinne had already picked the table up a bit, although drops of liquid still shined on the surface that I rubbed off with a napkin.

Corinne held out both of her hands for the necklace and I gave it to her. She squinted at and turned it around.

"This could be a talisman to help increase spirit view. It reminds me of something in one of my books, but I don't think I have it with me." She pointed a sharp fingernail at some etchings I hadn't noticed before on the back.

"See these designs?" she asked. "These look like alchemic symbols. Sometimes alchemy has been used in modern times for spell craft. This could prove to be a powerful tool when trying to contact spirits."

I sat at the table as she called the pizza delivery place, staring at the funny symbols on the back of the necklace, and thinking about what to do.

After we had finished our pizza, I excused myself downstairs to kill some time. I fiddled through books and with my homework, unable to concentrate. Every few minutes I'd get up and pace, checking the clock. When I came back up long after dark, Corinne had passed out on the recliner in the living room, a bottle of wine and an empty glass beside her. Her snore carried all the way down the basement stairs. A TV special about arsons was blaring loudly. I sneaked into the den, pushing the door almost shut. Her trunk was pushed against the bookshelves.

I didn't like taking things. But I rationalized that I would bring them back as soon as I was done, and take every precaution to make sure they weren't harmed in any way.

I was already being bad, anyway. I told my parents I would be spending the night at Theo's, and that we were going to Hell's Orphanage with Ms. Vore as our chaperone. I knew there was no way they would approve of us going alone. But the nagging urgency to go through with my plan wouldn't let me stop.

Roses were carved into the antique wood of the trunk. Opening the heavy lid, I propped it up against the bookshelves, hoping it wouldn't come slamming back on my fingers. I rummaged around inside. There was a stack of books against the back, so I shuffled through them. At the bottom of the stack was a tome entitled Modern S茅ance Methodology. Flipping through it quickly, I gathered the supplies I needed and shut the trunk.

With the book tucked under my arm, I tiptoed through the living room and down the hall to the staircase. Upstairs, I navigated with gentle steps to my parent's room, hoping Claire hadn't tied a string or anything on the door to check for snoopers.

I opened her dresser drawers and rummaged around, looking for my grandmother's medical records. But wherever Hugh had hidden them, there were nowhere to be found. He could have put them anywhere in the house. Deciding not to push my luck, I crept back downstairs and to my room, preparing for the next night's deception.

I had been planning for this night for a week, but for some reason, I was more nervous than I had been on the first day of school. I intentionally refused to examine my motives. Something was haunting me, but it wasn't Jenna. Whatever it was, it was manipulating my emotions to make me see and think of her. That was all. Every possibility remained that she now resided in Las Vegas or Hollywood. I shut my eyes, pictured her in gigantic designer sunglasses with a floppy hat over her hair.

I stood in front of the mirror in my room, studying my reflection. My face looked thinner than usual, but my hazel eyes were bright and excited. Maybe too excited. I was putting a lot on this evening. There was every possibility that we would go there and it would be a total bust. I glanced at the wall above my desk in the reflection, half expecting the thudding sound to start up again.

I said goodbye to Corinne, taking my roomiest purse with me and hoping she wouldn't notice the weight of it. She didn't, and only pestered me a little before I got out the door.

"Call me when you get to Theo's house." She pronounced her name "Tay-Oh" even though I had already corrected her twice. "And be careful. Remember that your