4: 4
4.
After I told Rebecca everything, from start to finish.
She held Chloe close, tears sliding down like beads off a snapped string.
"I said back then we should have someone look at her, but Mom wouldn't let me."
So my instinct had been right. Sharon knew.
"What do we do? Vivienne, Chloe isn't going to be stuck like this forever, is she?"
"And Mia? She's so little. She can't end up like Chloe."
*The old crone can't pull it off this time. She's out there right now, itching with worry.*
A knock came at the door, and Agnes's voice followed.
"Vivienne, I brought some fruit for you."
She pushed the door open and set a watermelon on the table.
Then she plopped down beside Mia and reached out to pick her up.
Chloe got to her feet and walked over. "Chloe hasn't seen Great-Grandma in so long. Chloe wants Great-Grandma to hold her."
The smile that had filled Agnes's face a moment ago froze.
Something like fear showed there instead.
*The old crone's at her weakest right now. She's afraid the little girl will pull back what she borrowed.*
What? It could work like that?
The words were out of me before I could stop them.
She shot me a wary look and pushed Chloe away.
"Chloe, sweetie, you're a big girl now. Great-Grandma can't lift you anymore."
"Mia's still little. Great-Grandma can still manage Mia."
And as she talked, she reached for my daughter.
Rebecca moved on instinct to block her.
"Agnes, I'm here today, so you rest. Vivienne and I will look after the girls together."
Rebecca and I acting so strangely put her on alert.
"Don't tell me you two think I'm too old, that I smell like an old woman, and now you won't even let me hold the babies?"
Two old tears rolled down from the corners of her nearly wrinkle-free eyes.
"Agnes, no. Rebecca and I didn't mean anything like that."
*The old crone's suspicious. I have to keep her calm, or she'll do something behind our backs.*
*She's this desperate, so her body must be starting to weaken.*
*I have to let her come out ahead a little, or there's no way to give back the fortune and lifespan she stole.*
So it turned out that stealing fortune and borrowing lifespan weren't irreversible after all.
*First, get the little girl she drained to touch her, and drip the girl's blood into the middle of the ring.*
I flashed Rebecca a look and pulled Chloe closer to Agnes.
While Chloe wasn't paying attention, I pricked her finger with the pin from my hair clip.
The little girl had probably been jabbed with needles so many times that she didn't even feel it.
"Great-Grandma, don't be upset. How could Mommy and Auntie ever look down on you?"
Agnes kept dodging Chloe's touch.
I took her hand. "Agnes, look how much Chloe missed you. Hold her first. She's only five."
"If you only hold Mia and not Chloe, she'll be heartbroken."
With Rebecca staring at her, she had no way out and had to reach for Chloe.
In that moment, I took Chloe's hand and dripped the blood into the middle of the ring.
*Done. The borrowed fortune and lifespan have felt the little girl again.*
*Let the old crone taste something sweet first, let her guard drop, and then she can be turned back to what she was.*
After she let go of Chloe, her color grew even rosier.
I took Mia from Rebecca's arms and handed her over.
"Agnes, look, Chloe's happy now. If you hold Mia too, she won't be jealous."
The instant she had my daughter, she couldn't wait to lay the baby's little hand in her palm.
Three claps first, then three more, and finally three on top of that.
She started up a clapping game with my daughter.
Rebecca stared at me, stunned.
I signaled her not to rush.
*Done. The old crone thinks she's come out ahead, so she'll let her guard down.*
*Just need one chance, and she can be turned back to what she was.*
I glanced at the day circled in red on the calendar behind me.
I didn't even have to go looking for the chance. It was three days away.
