Chapter 11

Eleven

M aple

I don’t want to tell him about the dream over the phone. Not by text, anyway. It’s so impersonal. Also, he sounded so tired and worn out, even after the nap.

And now, I really do feel like hugging him. We’re friends, aren’t we? Friends hug each other when they go through difficult times.

Not only did the nap not solve anything, but I woke up with Hollis’s memories in my head. I don’t want to be in his head anymore, let alone his body. I’m sure he feels the same.

We need to talk to someone who can help.

Thank goodness I know my own landline number by heart. I dial it as I cross Central Park West on a mission to get some exercise and fresh air.

“Mom, you’re home,” I say, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Of course, sweetie. It’s Halloween. I’m getting ready for the trick-or-treaters. You’ve been upstairs for a while. Are you two still having your little problem?”

She means Hollis has been upstairs in my room.

“Sadly, we’re both still under occupation,” I sigh. “And we have a problem. I’m remembering, or feeling, more and more of Hollis’s memories as the day wears on. And I think he’s experiencing some of mine. It’s even more disconcerting than the fact that we’ve switched brains, or whatever this is.”

The air here is, of course, not the same as home. But I can feel myself calm down as soon as I lose myself in the park’s scenery and the comfort of my mother’s voice.

“Honey, I’ve felt since this morning that it’s more than just a brain switch. It’s something on a spiritual level.”

And as much as I don’t believe in souls or spirits or whatever, maybe it’s a good thing my mom believes, and knows people who can help.

“We need to talk to Magda and see if she’s figured anything out. Both Hollis and I have come up with zilch. It’s not like this is familiar territory. Do you have Magda’s number?”

Although I want to keep my mom on the phone just for the comfort of hearing her voice, I know I have to let her go and tackle my problem once and for all.

As I say goodbye to my mom, I round a path toward the Museum of Modern Art. And just as I’m about to sit down on a park bench and call Magda, my phone blows up with a new number, and the area code is Salem, Massachusetts.

“Hello?”

“You need to come home right away,” blurts an older woman’s voice without saying hello or giving an introduction.

“Magda? This is crazy; I was just about to call you.”

“Yes, it’s Magda, and crazy has nothing to do with it. You two have been on my mind all day. I have Hollis on the line as well; say hello to your boyfriend, dear.”

“He’s not my…you know what? Never mind. Hi, Hollis.”

“Hi,” I hear him say in my voice, but with none of the swagger that the Hollis I’ve come to know.

The exhaustion I hear in him makes me sad. “Magda, do you have any idea why we’re starting to see each other’s memories?”

“That’s easy, honey. Memories aren’t stored in your brain. They’re stored in your body,” Magda says.

Hollis snorts. “Excuse me, that makes no sense.”

“Excuse you,” Magda replies. “Have you forgotten how to ride a bike? Swim? Dance? Practiced a sport, a meditation, said the rosary? Your mind might forget. But you never truly lose those things because they are etched into your body.”

“Nothing makes sense anymore, so why not?” Hollis grumbles.

Magda huffs. “I said before, I don’t need you to believe in this stuff for me to help you. But I do need to put your negativity aside. Your negative aura will darken the white magic. It might not be as effective if you’re assuming the worst. If you can’t hope and wish for the best. And the longer you stay like this, the more memories will surface, and the more you will lose yourselves. Hollis will not just embody Maple and vice versa, but you’ll become the other person. All that will be left is a kernel of the original self, trapped inside forever. You’ll always feel you don’t belong in that body, but you won’t know why.”

“Magda, neither of us wants that,” I say, feeling nauseous.

“Then you need to get on a plane and get back here right away,” she says. “Meet me at the festival tonight if you two want to reverse this spell.”

Magda hangs up, but I can still hear Hollis breathing on the other end.

“I don’t want to stay like this, Hollis,” I say, panic rising.

“It’s all going to be okay, sweetheart,” he says. “I’ll stay on the phone with you until you board the plane.”

And he does. For the first time today, my mind and body are in agreement. Having him call me sweetheart feels good, and I have no objection.

I hope one day soon, I hear him say that in his own voice instead of mine.