Jesse was moving down the aisle, hammer hovering in the air as he searched for the source of the noise. When he slowed, I mentally lifted the pencil and dropped it again. I couldn’t get it high enough, though, and the rolling sound was unmistakable.

Jesse crouched and spotted it. I cast a binding spell. It fizzled. I closed my eyes and tried again.

“Someone doing a little telekinesis of her own?” Jesse said. “Why don’t you come out and we’ll play—”

He stopped as the spell clicked. I leaped out from my hiding spot. My stomach shot up on a wave of bile. I ignored it and barreled into him. As my hands made contact, the spell snapped. He ducked. I stumbled. A power-drive to the side of my skull sent me to the floor.

I tried to scramble up. The hammer appeared, hovering over me.

“Move, and I’ll knock you back down,” Jesse said. “And this will hurt a lot more than my fist, kiddo.”

“So what happened, Leah?” I said. “Did your hell dimension kick you out? Not nearly the badass you thought you were?”

Jesse blinked. Then sputtered a laugh. “I beg your pardon?”

I pushed onto my elbows. “Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize you?”

A pause. He tilted his head, considering, then said, “Actually, I’m surprised I pulled it off this long. But I shouldn’t be. No offense. You’re a great kid. Just none too quick on the uptake.”

I started to rise. The hammer readied itself to strike and I stopped.

“Good girl,” Jesse—Leah—said. “I wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty face. You grew up nice, kiddo. If I were a guy, I’d totally go for you. But I’m not, which was part of the problem. It would have made things so much easier.”

“Would have made what easier?”

“Oooh, do I get to reveal my nefarious motives now? I love this part. Okay, cue the sinister music. The villain is about to tell all.”

She stepped toward me. While it was clearly still Jesse’s body, my fevered mind saw Leah.

“It started in my childhood. My brother used to torment me ...” She frowned, tilting her head. “No, I did the tormenting. Huh. That doesn’t make nearly as good a story.”

“Can we get on with it?” I said. “I’m dying here.”

“Oh, it’s all about you, isn’t it? You aren’t going to die, Savannah. Well, I hope not, because I’m really kinda fond of you. Always was. As I recall, you’re the one who snubbed—”

“You poisoned the cookies.”

“So you figured that out? Good girl. Probably thought it was that evil commune, didn’t you? Nope. The cookies were just convenient—like the commune itself.”