Элизабет Чандлер: Evercrossed

Beth returned with a broom and dustpan, a grocery bag tucked beneath her arm. Will positioned the dustpan and she swept the glass into it. Ivy couldnʹt see Bethʹs face, but she saw Will look up and study her for a moment, then reach to where her left hand gripped the broom handle, putting his hand over hers. ʺAre you okay?ʺ

ʺYeah.ʺ

The expression on Bethʹs face must not have been convincing, for Will kept his hand on hers. ʺYouʹre sure?ʺ

ʺIʹm sure,ʺ Beth said, pulling her hand higher on the broom shaft and continuing to sweep.

Ivy frowned, annoyed at herself for agreeing to the séance. After months of people watching over her, she had interpreted Bethʹs concern as another example of her friend being overly protective. She should have realized that Beth, too, needed protection from last summerʹs memories and fears.

They had just finished cleaning up when Aunt Cindy arrived in a yellow rain slicker. ʺNeither rain, nor snow, nor the gloom of night stops Aunt Cindyʺ was how Beth had once described her favorite aunt. She was in her late thirties, petite but strong, with a mane of shoulder‐length hair the same fading red as Dustyʹs.

ʺI meant to give you these the other day,ʺ Aunt Cindy said, opening a carton with three battery‐operated camp lanterns. She handed one of them to Will, then eyed the cat. ʺWhatʹs wrong with you, Dusty?ʺ

The storm spooked him,ʺ Ivy answered.

Youʹve never been afraid of storms before,ʺ Aunt Cindy chided her cat. ʺI think youʹre faking it. Youʹve discovered a good thing, with four girls here to feed and cuddle you.ʺ She turned to Will. ʺDonʹt get any ideas. Youʹve got your own place.ʺ

Will laughed good‐naturedly. ʺAnd thatʹs where Iʹm headed.ʺ ʺOkay, does anyone need anything else?ʺ Aunt Cindy asked. ʺNope,ʺ Kelsey replied.

ʺThen Iʹll see you all at six thirty tomorrow in the kitchen. Youʹve done a great job this week, but tomorrow, when the weekenders come, youʹll get your first experience of having a full inn. Get some sleep/ʹ

Will sent Ivy a look that was a sweet, long‐distance kiss, then flicked his eyes to Beth, as if checking on her one more time, and followed Aunt Cindy into the rain.

ʺKELSEY TOLD AUNT CINDY WHAT?ʺ IVY EXCLAIMED the following evening, as she, Beth, and Will nabbed a table at Oliviaʹs, an ice‐cream shop in the village of Orleans.

ʺThat she and Dhanya were meeting us here. I told her, if questions were asked, I wasnʹt covering for them/7

ʺThese guys from Chatham/ʹ Will said, ʺhow does Kelsey know them?ʺ

ʺShe doesnʹt,ʺ Beth replied. ʺThatʹs Kelsey for you. Believe me, thereʹs no stopping her — I learned that the hard way during our summers together in middle school.ʺ

ʺWell, she had better come ready to work tomorrow,ʺ Will said as they scraped their chairs back on the plank floor. ʺIʹm not picking up the It had been a long day for them, cleaning up from the storm and keeping pace with the constant stream of incoming guests and their assortment of requests. Kelsey had claimed she wasnʹt feeling well and had returned to the cottage early, miraculously recovering in time for dinner. Both Beth and Dhanya had headaches, but got through on aspirin and tea.

Ivy had skipped tea for some of Aunt Cindyʹs very potent coffee — the pot kept in the kitchen, not the more guest‐friendly brew served to visitors. She couldnʹt remember the dreams that had kept her tossing and turning the night before, except that Tristan was in them.

Once seated at the ice‐cream shop, Will opened a spiral pad and began to sketch.

ʹYour friendʹs late.”

ʺNo, weʹre early,ʺ Ivy reassured Beth, who had suddenly gotten nervous about her date and asked Will and Ivy to come along. ʺYou look so pretty.” Beth smoothed her hair self‐consciously. Liking print fabrics of all kinds, Beth sometimes looked as though she was dressed in mismatched wallpaper. But tonight, under the guidance of Dhanya, Beth had kept it simple. Her amethyst pendant, which Ivy and Will had given to her last birthday, accented the violet hue of her blue eyes.

“So when was the last time you saw this guy?” “Middle school. His family has a vacation house here. I didn’t recognize him Tuesday, when Mom stopped for gas on the way here, I don’t think he recognized me either — just Mom — she always looks the same.

ʺI donʹt know how he got so tall,ʺ Beth went on, ʺor so gorgeous. It’s like one of my characters came to life!ʺ

ʺSo what does he look like?ʺ Ivy asked, scanning the crowd. ʺHe has dark curly hair — lots of it. A strong jaw. Did I mention heʹs gorgeous?ʺ ʺSeveral times in the last three days,ʺ answered Will.

ʺSomehow he grew shoulders. I mean, a real chest and shoulders,ʺ Beth said, gesturing with her hands. Ivy smiled. ʺSounds as if he could be on the cover of a romance novel.ʺ

ʺAlong with the shoulders and chest, does he have a brain?ʺ Will asked.

ʺYes. Heʹs going to Tufts University.ʺ ʺSo I donʹt see why you need us here.ʺ Will sounded grumpy.

ʺWell, itʹs just that I might not be able to think of anything to say.ʺ

Will raised his pencil from the paper and stared at her. ʺBeth, youʹve been writing romantic dialogue for years!ʺ

ʺSo what does that have to do with talking to a real guy?ʺ she asked.

ʺYou talk to me all the time. Arenʹt I a real guy?ʺ

Ivy laughed. ʺIgnore him, Beth. He doesnʹt get it.ʺ Will glanced from Ivy to Beth, then laughed along with Ivy. ʺI guess I donʹt,ʺ he admitted, and flipped to the back of his sketch pad, where he and Beth tried out new ideas. They were creating a graphic novel — Beth writing the story, Will illustrating it — about Ella the Cat Angel and her sidekick, Lacey Lovett, a human angel, battling forces of evil. Ivyʹs ten‐year‐old brother, Philip, had requested it.

ʺSo, about this new villain,ʺ Will said. ʺIf s a serpent,ʺ Beth told him. ʺA serpent.ʺ Will nodded. ʺThatʹs good — kind of biblical.ʺ

ʺA serpent with feet,ʺ Beth added. ʺExcellent,ʺ he said, sketching quickly. ʺThat gives us mobility. Iʹm exaggerating the head so I have room to draw in a lot of expressions.ʺ

Beth and Ivy leaned forward, watching the creature emerge from Will’s deft strokes. ʺNo, the headʹs big, but not like that,ʺ Beth said suddenly. ʺHe has a human face. He has eyes with lids and a human mouth, though it can stretch horribly like a snakeʹs.ʺ She slid her amethyst up and down its chain. ʺAnd tiny ears,ʺ she added. ʺHe hears vibrations through his belly. He can hear emotions as well as words — thatʹs what makes him so dangerous.ʺ

Will glanced up from his sketch at the same time as Ivy. It sounded as if Beth was seeing something and describing it, rather than make up a description.

ʺHis eyes are gray,ʺ Beth continued, pulling on her pendant ʺI was thinking yellow or amber,ʺ Will said, ʺa color like fire.ʺ

ʺTheyʹre gray,ʺ she insisted. ʺIʹm sure of it.ʺ ʺElizabeth!ʺ Ivy and Will turned quickly toward a guy with dark curly hair and gray eyes. Although his tone demanded attention, Beth didnʹt reply until Ivy nudged her. ʺHi, Chase,” she said, pushing her hair behind her ear.

ʺYouʹve brought friends,ʺ Chase observed. ʺNice.ʺ

Will stood up and offered his hand. ʺWill OʹLeary.ʺ

ʺAnd Iʹm Ivy.ʺ

ʺMy two best friends,ʺ Beth said to Chase. ʺNice,ʺ he repeated. Ivy studied Chase, trying to interpret ʺnice.ʺ Was he stating his approval of Bethʹs friends, or was he annoyed because she had brought them along? She suspected the latter.

The four of them sat down and a minute of uncomfortable silence followed. Will returned to his sketching, apparently unwilling to contribute any‐thing to Bethʹs romantic dialogue.