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Thirty-Nine

"Okay, I see what he meant." Lacey's comment had her grinning.

Zee walked around the two cars. Her Lexus was parked within an inch of the black sedan's bumper. She knew it was close, but man, she could have killed Percy. She was incredibly glad of her choice now. The Kia would have been a disaster. This one responded exactly like her old one.

"I've learned a lot driving on the gravel roads out here. But man, you have no idea how scared I was when I did that. Shit, Percy, I almost killed you." Zee leaned against the front fender as reality caught up with her.

"The key word is almost." Percy stood beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a half hug. "I'm here, and you are both alive. A bit beat up, but alive." Percy tossed his phone to Lacey. "Call Terry. He's 2 on the speed dial."

Zee leaned into her muscular boyfriend. "Wasn't it just yesterday when you kissed my hand in front of the whole drama class?"

"I know what you mean. So much has happened, and this doesn't seem real."

Zee nodded her head against his chest half listening to Lace as she reassured Terry, she was all right. She tipped her face up to look into his eyes and saw her future there. For now, he was all she needed to feel safe.

"Terry says most of the kids are still at the mansion. They're wondering what we took off for. Do we tell them?" Lace's question had her shaking her head. Then her sister continued, "Agent Greene told them the pass out gas was part of the party tricks. No need to let them know it was Anya's addition to our set up. He dropped the ghosts two seconds after Lurch told them help was coming. I wish we had been there. He said two of the girls almost fainted."

Percy couldn't control his laughter when heard what went down, and said, "I wish we were there. Great thinking. Now we can tell them a ghost got Lacey, and we went to find her."

"I don't really want to tell them. If we do, then this whole thing is real, and I don't want it to be. How could Anya do this?"

"She's what Dad calls a bad seed. There's no good explanation because it doesn't make sense to most people." Lace's calm statement brought a shudder. Her twin continued, "It made sense in Anya's twisted world. The only question I have left, is who was her mother in all of this? Why did Uncle Theodore give her to that woman?"

"I could have gone down the same path." Zee murmured as the thought escaped her lips. "Thank God for Mom."

"Not a chance. You turned yourself around. Your mother gave you the chance. Anya's choice was the dark." Percy's words made her smile.

"Let's go break the news to the kids at the mansion. Call Terry back, Lace. Tell him we'll be there in about ten minutes." Zee opened the car door. "I'll just move so you can get in."

"How much are we going to tell them?" Lacey said as she slid into the back passenger seat.

"Just that Anya was up to her usual bad ideas and she kidnapped you. Percy and I went after you. I mean the ghost story is a great idea, but they won't forgive us if we don't give them part of the truth. Let them speculate till the radio station breaks the news. We can face the rest at school on Monday." Zee decided.

"One thing's for sure." Percy's deep voice soothed her spirit, "This is the party of the century. No one's going to forget."

"Definitely the stuff nightmares are made of," Lacey said.

"No kidding," Zee met Lace's eyes in the rear view mirror. "No kidding."

Zee pulled into the circular drive and stopped at the main doors. Terry stood there. Her Dad's face lit up as they dragged themselves out of the car. Aunt Deanne and Uncle James's shoulders slumped in relief as they saw Lace climb out. It was Terry who reached them first wrapping Lace in a fierce hug, kissing her breathless.