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Prologue
Identical twin girls ran through the yard, screaming in delight. At twelve, they were far too old to be dressed alike, wearing the same overalls with one in a red shirt and the other in purple, but they had insisted, demanding it until their exhausted mother had given up.
A three-foot-high pile of oak leaves that their brother and father had raked in the middle of the yard was their destination. The girl in the purple shirt, Isabel, jumped as high as she could and landed in the center, followed by her sister. They grabbed onto each other, laughing, rolling in the crackling leaves, the smell of earth and moss wafting through the air.
Lucy was the dominant twin. Although from the beginning Isabel had developed gross motor skills quicker, after Lucy had caught up, she’d surpassed Isabel. In the pile of leaves, she wrapped her arms around Isabel, who looked over her shoulder to make sure they weren’t observed. Their mother detested the physical affection the girls continued to share, holding hands, kissing each other, and sleeping together.
“She’s jealous,” Lucy said. “She never hugs us, so we hug each other. Freud would say we’re doing a great job fulfilling each other’s psychosexual needs.” She laughed, kissing Isabel on the cheek. “Lie back and look at the sky,” Lucy continued, pulling at Isabel’s hand and pointing with the other. “Stare at it as hard as you can.”
“What am I looking for?” Isabel asked.
“Do you see anything?”
“Just a blue sky,” Isabel said.
Lucy snuggled up to her sister, breathing into her ear, making Isabel giggle. Lucy whispered, “Focus your eyes on the space before the sky, right here, in front of us. Do you see clear bubbles zipping around?”
“No. I don’t see anything but the sky.”
“Stare for a while. I see them all over, pulsating. They’re called globules of orgone.”
“What do they do?”
“It’s energy. There’s energy everywhere that you can use.”
“Use for what?”
“Just for living, silly. To make life easier. Listen to me, Bellabug. If I die tomorrow, you focus on the energy and try to summon me. You’ll never be alone.”
“Stop it! I won’t listen to you if you’re going to talk about dying.” Isabel stuck her fingers in her ears, chanting, “Nah nah nah!”
Lucy laughed, holding her sides. “Trust me on this. It might come in handy.”
“You will not die and leave me alone.” Isabel sniffed, frightened, and Lucy got the hint.
“Not everyone believes in the concept. It’s pseudoscience.”
“What’s that?”
Lucy pushed her sister away, laughing. “You need to pick up Grandpa’s Edgar Cayce magazines and stop reading Nancy Drew.”
“Yuck. Why would anyone believe that trash he reads?”
“He’s not the brightest, is he?” Lucy held out her hand. “Get up before Lillian yells for us. The aunts are here.”
“I’m not in the mood!” Isabel cried. “They always have something to say.”
“Me either. Let’s climb in through the window.”
They managed it, standing on a lawn chair, Lucy first, getting the storm window up without difficulty.
“Push my bum,” she hissed.
Isabel pushed Lucy up, and she went headfirst over the sill and into their bedroom.
“You’re next,” Lucy said, holding her hands out.
She pulled Isabel up and over the sill, Isabel landing on top of Lucy. They tried to stifle their laughter.
