Chapters (68)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Chapter One
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Chapter Two
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Chapter Three
- Ten
- Eleven
- Chapter Four
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Chapter Five
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Chapter Six
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Chapter Seven
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Chapter Eight
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Chapter Nine
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Chapter Ten
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Chapter Eleven
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Chapter Twelve
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Chapter Thirteen
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Chapter Fourteen
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Chapter Fifteen
- The Following Summer
- About the Author
- About the Publisher
“How did she get there?”
“You’re asking the same question the other passengers asked. She swore she’d fallen asleep inside an empty crate, and slept for two days straight due to exhaustion. Everyone was suspicious, for her cheeks were rosy and she appeared well fed. She began to care for the sick again, but she disappeared twice more before the ship docked in Pictou, Nova Scotia.”
Gigi paused to cough, and Ali ran to get her a drink of water. When the spasm passed, the story resumed. “The living conditions in Pictou were not what was promised to the settlers: the housing was wretched or nonexistent, and they had no idea how to live in a land of trees and mosquitoes. According to the other settlers, the trip had changed Euphemia. She was no longer the docile servant who had followed the MacKenzies onboard; she was wild and willful and daring. One morning, while she was out working in a potato field, Euphemia stood up, shook the mud off her dress, and walked into the woods. Search parties sent to find her were unsuccessful. She was gone.”
“But how is she a Copycat?”
“She returned six years later with a young son named Botsford, resplendent in silks and wools as fine as those worn by Governor Selkirk’s wife. The MacKenzies were flummoxed by her change in status, which she refused to explain. Personally, I suspect she’d used her powers to make a new life for herself. Euphemia and her child stayed for a month, and one or the other of them would often disappear for extended periods of time. A young lad swore he saw Euphemia change into a gull and fly away. One of the MacKenzies’ servants claimed that Botsford could change into a dog at will. They were the talk of the settlement, and the talk soon veered toward accusations of dark magic.”
Cassie’s words rang in Ali’s ears. Poor Euphemia! “Did they burn them at the stake?”
Gigi chuckled. “Heavens no, for if they did, you and I wouldn’t be here! No, the settlers were simple Scots, not much for putting people to death. One day Euphemia and Botsford woke up, thanked the MacKenzies, and left Pictou forever. But of course that wasn’t the end of them. She met a blacksmith named Robert Sloane and moved to New Brunswick. Once a year she would leave her home and travel the world, searching for others who could do what she could do. Some of the Copycats she met were so taken with her that they decided to settle in New Brunswick too. Even more impressive, she had twelve children.”
“Twelve children!”
“Twelve children. Every one of whom was a Copycat.”
“I get that we’re descended from Euphemia, but you haven’t explained—how did she get her powers in the first place?” Ali demanded. “Who were her parents? How many Copycats are there in the world?”