The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux

Author:Madeleine Roux
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2021-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

19

“HERE. RUSTLED THESE UP for you.”

Connie glanced up from her breakfast of gritty bread and cheese funky enough to clear a room. A heap of yellowed clothing fell onto the empty stool beside her. Mississippi crossed her arms and leaned against one of the uneven posts sketching out the shape of the bar.

At least there was coffee, even if it was weaker than her will to stay awake. The tea had done its job, banishing dreams but giving her restless sleep. She rubbed her knuckle into one tired eye and picked up the top garment from the pile: a rumpled cotton skirt dyed navy blue.

“To help you, ya know, walk among us,” Mississippi added in an undertone, punctuating it with a wink.

Connie smirked, but her smile soon faded. The night before, she had made Missi a promise she probably couldn’t keep. Her stomach twisted into a knot, and she shot a furtive glance at her new friend. “Thank you. I really appreciate it; I appreciate all of this.”

“You ain’t home yet—don’t thank me until we’re free of this pit.”

Speaking of . . .

Connie stood, wolfing down the last of her bread and picking up the rest of the clothes. “I should use the toilet and change.”

“After you do, meet me topside. There’s somethin’ I want to show you.”

They left in opposite directions, Missi heading back out toward the tunnel and Connie returning to her tiny sleeping den. She packed up her things and changed into her borrowed clothing, which felt more like a costume than anything she would wear normally. Nobody really noticed she had stripped down to her underwear, and Connie was used to wandering around almost naked in the locker rooms before soccer practice. In addition to the blue skirt, which rose high on the waist, Missi had provided a pair of wide-legged black trousers, a high-necked ivory woman’s blouse, and a trim blazer that had once been a lush periwinkle corduroy but now had elbows and collar faded to white from use.

At the very bottom, the sharpshooter had left a black-and-white-checkered bandanna. Connie held it for a moment, rubbing her thumb over the worn fabric. It was a touching gesture, one that said: You’re still one of us.

Connie shoved her tracksuit into her nylon gym bag, leaving the novel and her phone at the bottom. Before trotting off to the toilet, she slyly returned to the bar and asked Sleepless Joe for more coffee. While he was distracted, she drained the coffee, wincing from the bitterness, then shoved the cup in her bag along with the sad nub of a candle waiting to be burned on the edge of the bar top.

Just a stone from outside and the incense and she would be ready to cast the spell to return home. While she braved the toilet pit, she distracted herself with formulating a plan. She wasn’t sure yet if they could all travel with one spell. She and Adelle had arrived separately, and Connie had decided they

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