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father’s girlfriend was the only person in the world whom Vanessa could tell about her visions. Maybe Lee might be able to help her understand what was going on at the ranch.
    Vanessa’s fingers hovered above the keys. How would she start? Best just to ask it straight out. She glanced at Carmen who was leaning over Nikki’s shoulder, laughing at some pictures on Facebook.
    Hi Lee. Hope Finland is cool. Having a great time and will tell you all soon but first I have a question for you. A strange one. Since Loch Ness, have you ever had hallucinations? Well, I have. Three times in Mexico
—
first at the airport a woman changed into a bird. The second time it happened in an old house that belonged to a local shaman who has disappeared. Too weird to explain. But the third time and THE WORST happened just now at the mummy museum. These really dead people changed before my eyes into animals
—
well, bits of them. There is no one else I can tell. Am I going mad? Is it
—
    â€œAre you finished, Vanessa? We will need to pay now if we want to meet up with Mado.”
    Vanessa was aware of Carmen standing behind her and panicked. She pressed the send button quickly without signing off, praying that Carmen hadn’t read it. Oh God. What would Lee think of her email ending in the middle like that?

CHAPTER 16
    Naguals look like ordinary people but have supernatural powers. These abilities can be learned from another nagual and are often passed down through families.
    The girls’ Spanish lessons began the next morning. Lambs to the slaughter, they were led into Frida’s study. It was a beautiful room with full-length windows and large oil paintings on the walls. Vanessa knew better than to comment on them.
    Frida pointed to a couple of chairs that were onthe opposite side of her desk, which was huge and covered with small towers of books. She handed two books to the girls. They were children’s picture books in Spanish—much more interesting than the textbooks they had expected. Things were looking up just a fraction.
    â€œYou will first read these simple books in Spanish and then translate them for me,” Frida said shortly.
    â€œ
Lea
, Nikki,
por favor
. Read, Nikki, please.’
    The girls were getting used to Frida’s curt ways. Vanessa had never met anyone so tense and closed-up, and yet her clothes were so wild. Today her hair was tied back loosely with a red scarf, and she wore several silver bangles which jangled on her wrists. Her plain black dress had a multicolored silk shawl with a long fringe tied around her waist. It was ten o’clock in the morning and she looked as if she was going flamenco dancing rather than teaching.
    Vanessa leafed through the book she had been given. It was beautifully illustrated but seemed to be a really sad story. A child’s face was reflected in a window as she looked through it. A fire in the hearth on one side contrasted with a gloomy scene outside.
    Nikki read her book out loud as Frida had askedand then translated it. It seemed to come easily to her. There was no way Vanessa was going to do as well as that.
    Frida folded her hands in her lap, and when she had finished correcting Nikki’s pronunciation she turned to Vanessa.
    â€œ
Dibujas
, Vanessa?” When Vanessa shrugged her shoulders noncommittally Frida repeated the question, in English this time. “Do you draw?”
    â€œYes. But not like this,” Vanessa answered, pointing to the illustration. “This is amazing, so atmospheric. But I do sketches sometimes.”
    â€œVanessa’s really good,” Nikki cut in. “She’s the best artist in the class. No, the best in our whole year, actually.”
    â€œ
Muy bien
,” said Frida, smiling warmly.
    Vanessa was taken aback. Frida did not often smile. The last time was when she had been talking to Izel. Maybe she was interested in art? Vanessa’s eyes flicked to the paintings on the