“Did you?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know.”
She returned to the phone. “Mom-Kate?”
But Mom-Kate was talking with Mom-Elise, explaining that Auntie Zee had abandoned Calisa and they needed to look up train times to Vermont right then.
Calisa raised her voice. “Mom-Kate!”
“Yes?”
“You coming here won’t help,” Calisa said. “Not if you can’t open the portals. But what ifIcan open them? You said Auntie Zee tried to train you, right?”
“She tried….”
“So train me.”
Silence.
“Mom-Kate? I have to try.”
“All right. But if this doesn’t work, we’re coming to Vermont.”
“Fine,” Calisa said. She faced the closet. “What do I do?”
“I love that you called me for help, Calisa,” Mom-Kate said. “You know you’ll always be my baby girl, and I will always be proud of you.”
That was nice. Very nice. But not relevant.“Mom-Kate.”
“Sorry. Okay. I’ll be your Obi-Wan.”
“Thanks.” Calisa inhaled and then exhaled. She felt as if her heart were beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings.
“Wait,” Mom-Kate said.
Her stomach clenched, and she froze.
Concern in her voice, Mom-Kate said, “Didn’t Obi-Wan make Darth Vader? Because I don’t want you turning evil.”
Sighing hard, Calisa rolled her eyes. “Please don’t try to make jokes. Everyone here is pretty keyed up. Especially the sea witch. She needs to get back to her tides or waves or storms or whatever. She has fish who need her.”
Another breath of silence. “So you’re having a good summer?”
“Mom-Kate!”
“Sorry. All right. It’s just…been a while. I don’t know what I’ve forgotten, so bear with me…. First, you need to quiet your mind and focus. Concentrate on your breath. It requires your touch and your breath and your mind. Use the wordopenlike it’s a mantra.”
Steadying herself, Calisa focused on her breath. In. Out.In…
“Now, stand before the door,” Mom-Kate said. “Run your fingers over the doorframe. You’ll need both hands for this, so can you put me on speaker?”
Right. Both hands. She didn’t think this old-timey phone had a speaker function. “I’m handing the phone to Jack. Tell him to tell me, and I’ll do it.” She handed him the receiver. “Jack, could you…”
Jack took the phone. “Hello, ma’am? Yes.”
She couldn’t hear what Mom-Kate said, but Jack blushed.
“Mom-Kate!” Calisa raised her voice.
