In a murmur, he asked, “Do you think we need to kiss every time you open a portal?”
“Is that a problem?” she asked, between kisses.
“Definitely no, but”—he kissed her again—“you already unlocked your power. Your mom implied that was a”—another kiss—“onetime thing.” Now he kissed her neck, light kisses like a hummingbird drinking nectar. She felt her heart flutter like it had wings. “You should be able to open portals”—more kisses—“on your own now.”
“Are you interrupting this with logic?”
“Um, no?” He kissed her lips again.
This time, when they broke apart, Calisa stepped back with her hand on his chest. “Stand near me and think nice thoughts.” Her head felt as if she were swimming, and she swayed a little.
He was right: Mom-Kate had said that it took an epiphany to unlock the power, but there was nothing about needing an epiphany each time she tried, so these kisses were, theoretically, wholly unnecessary.
I regret nothing.
She approached the closet door and opened it onto shelves of folded sheets and quilts. Clearing her mind as best she could, she ran her fingers over the doorframe, touching every inch as her mom had instructed her.
She then closed the closet door.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Steve had waddled into the hallway. He must have come in through the front door—they’d left it open when they hauled the statue inside. He plopped down next to her and nibbled nonchalantly on his hind talons.
“If it doesn’t work…” Jack began.
“It will work,” Calisa said. “It willopen.” As she said theword, she pulled open the linen closet door, and a silvery shimmer swirled within the doorframe.
“Oh wow,” Jack said behind her.
“There’s no guarantee Auntie Zee is on the other side,” Calisa cautioned him. “The statue could be wrong.” She glanced back at the statue, who had put her hands over her eyes while they’d been kissing.
She’s not wrong.There were windows everywhere, and the statue was always watching. She could have seen Auntie Zee walk through this door. Feeling hope bubble up, Calisa grinned.
She held out her hand, Jack took it, and together they stepped into the portal. Colors blurred around them, and all sensation vanished except the feel of his hand in hers—and then they were through. She inhaled salt air before her eyes adjusted to the swath of blue.
On the other side, they stood on a cliff covered in seagrass. It overlooked the ocean, broad and blue and beautiful. Wind blew her hair into her face and against her cheeks. She thought it looked a bit like Ireland, or it would have if it weren’t for the very obvious sea serpent out in the waves.
“Is that…” Jack began.
“I think so. Do you think it prefers to be called a sea serpent or a sea dragon?” Calisa asked, eyes wide. She watched its silvery form as it dove between the waves. She couldn’t hazard a guess as to how large it was—at least the size of a cruise liner.
She saw a flicker out of the corner of her eye. She glanced to her left as Steve settled on a rock. He lifted a wing as if in a wave. “You weren’t supposed to come with us,” Calisa said.
He let out a little burst of flame.
“Yes, very nice, but you should go back,” she said. “We don’t know if this is safe.”
Steve ignored her.
Out in the ocean, the sea dragon breached and then dove into a wave. Its tail flicked toward the sky. “All right,” Calisa told Steve, “but stay close, okay?”
Opposite the portal was a winding dirt path that led down toward the shore. Nestled between the rocks below was a village, just a few homes clustered around a dock. “It looks like our world,” Jack said. “But if this is our world, then why—”
“Not our world,” Calisa corrected. “Sea dragon.”
“Oh, right. Do you think Auntie Zee is down there?”
“Only one way to find out. Come on, Steve.” She patted her shoulder, and the winged lizard flew up and settled on it. He wrapped his tail around her neck like a scaly necklace.
They began walking down the path. The wind blew sea mist off the ocean, and Calisa felt coated in a thin layer of salt, not unlike the upholstery in Auntie Zee’s sitting room.
