Body & Soul полностью

Which could mean it wasn't Alona… or just that Alona was still mad at me and more concerned about what her friends thought than about what Mrs. Turner thought. It was in line with who she'd been when she was alive, the identity she might be attempting to reclaim in part now with her makeover.

I needed a litmus test, something that would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt who I was dealing with. The only test I could think of would draw on the secret of Alona's messed-up home life and really piss her off, but I had to know.

“Come on, I'll take you to get a burger on the way. And Sam was over last night. He left a couple beers in the fridge we could probably snag, if we stop by my house.” I kept my tone as light and normal-sounding as possible, which wasn't very. Every word sounded clunky to my ears, like it screamed, “Lie!” But that didn't matter because it wasn't my reaction that I was looking for.

The real Alona would have glared at me with her lip curling in disgust at the suggestion. But this one… she perked up and looked at me with interest for the first time. “Beer?”

My heart sank. Erin. It had to be. No way was that Alona, not with her alcoholic mother. That was one thing Alona had never compromised on, no matter who was watching or listening. She did not drink.

But dead party girl Erin (her Señor Frog's T-shirt was a big clue) wouldn't have known that. And a beer probably did sound good to her after so many months or years of (dead) sobriety.

So, if Erin was occupying Lily's body, where was Alona? Gone for good? I swallowed hard, pushing that thought away. I had to find out what had happened.

“Dude, why are you still here?” Leanne asked with a huff. “She said no.”

“Leanne,” Misty murmured from behind me. “Stay out of it.”

But it was too late. The damage was done. “No, thanks, I'm good here.” Erin returned her attention to the ice cream.

Panic surged in me, and I fought to keep my expression blank. The urge to cross the room and shake Erin for answers was overwhelming. But I had to keep calm. Freaking out on her was not an option, nor was leaving her here. She might take off for parts unknown, and then I'd never know what had happened.

Think, think. I forced myself to look at things from Erin's perspective. She had to be worried about people figuring out she wasn't who she claimed to be, much as Alona had been. It was probably the main reason she didn't want to leave with me. I could use that. “Okay, then call your mom and make sure it's cool if you stay,” I said.

Erin shrugged and kept eating her ice cream. She knew that the more people who were involved, the greater the chance she'd mess up.

“What is he, your babysitter?” Leanne snorted.

“Fine, I'll call her and tell her to come get you.” I pulled my phone out, and that got Erin's attention. She glared at me.

“I'm just looking out for you.” I forced myself to project something resembling sincerity.

“All right. Let's go.” She heaved a sigh and set her spoon down on the counter. “But a burger and beer first. You promised.” Easy to see where Erin's priorities were. Not to mention, if she was at all worried about encountering Lily's mom, making stops along the way would give her an opportunity to slip away from me before I could get her home.

She slipped down off the stool to the floor, where she swayed unsteadily, like the room was moving around her.

Out of habit, I lurched forward to catch her arm, expecting her to throw herself backward to avoid my help or glare at me.

But instead, she placed her arm through mine, leaning on me for balance, as if that was what we always did. Which, of course, would be what she'd have thought, based on what she'd seen yesterday at Malachi's.

She waved at Leanne, who smiled with that hint of a smirk I'd seen countless times before upon encountering her in the hallway.

“See ya, chica. Don't forget what we talked about.” Leanne pointed her spoon at Ally, who nodded.

I was afraid to ask what that was about. Erin and Leanne conspiring — the very idea was nightmare-inducing.

I led her toward the door to the hall, where she shocked the hell out of me by letting go and launching herself at Misty for a hug. Misty looked equally startled by the gesture. She hadn't even had time to unfold her arms, and they were now pinned in between the two of them.

“Just know that Alona is in a better place, okay?” she said, her words muffled against the taller girl's shoulder.

I froze. Had the light come for Alona when Erin had evicted her? Was that what she was saying? Or was this more of her playing the role of Ally, saying what she thought Ally the ghost-talker would say?

Misty looked at me over the top of Ally's head, her face stunned and pale, albeit for different reasons. She nodded. “Yeah, okay,” she said, and cleared her throat.

Ally pulled back, reaching for my arm before I could offer it. Playing a role in this parody made me feel ill, but I had no choice but to follow through until I could get her out of here.