The Sisters of Nowhere

t h i r t y - f i v e : p l a n

"The forest is dormant," Silas said, sauntering across the wooden floorboards, though his feet didn't make a creak as he walked, "which means it doesn't have a will of its own. Which then means that Fath--erm, Hal--can access it with Wyatt's help. While the forest sleeps, it has no control over who comes into it or not."

"So we have to wake it up," Marigold said, twisting her curls around her finger and into a treacherous knot.

Silas nodded but held up a finger. He seemed almost excited as he talked. Marigold couldn't help but glimpse the shadow of who he might've been if none of those terrible things had happened to him.

"But," Silas said, "if you thought summoning it was difficult...it'll take even more energy to awaken it. So you'll have to do it during the lunar eclipse."

"But that's two days away," Marigold argued. "It'd be too late."

"And what about the ghosts?" Birdie chimed in. "If we don't send them into the afterlife during the eclipse, they'll fade away."

"But we can't find the ghosts," Ophelia reminded her with a note of sadness. "For all we know, they already have faded."

Birdie's lips tightened. "I refuse to believe that."

"Time works differently in Gwydyr," Silas explained. "What's three hours in the forest could be days or even weeks in Nowhere. We have time. And if we play our cards right..." there was that dangerous glint in Silas's eyes just then, "we can get the ghosts across and awaken the forest at the same time. We save Wyatt, I get my revenge, we're all happy."

The sisters shared their weighty glances, the ones that held a conversation without words.

"What do you have in mind?" Marigold asked, folding her arms.

Silas flashed a wicked grin. "I know how we can find the ghosts."

His smug confidence usually wouldn't have gone over well with his present company, but having someone there who was at least confident about something brought a strange sense of relief.

"I know how we can bring the ghosts back," Silas said.

The girls held their breaths.

Silas pointed at Birdie. "You."

Birdie snorted. "Alright, ghost boy..."

"Let him talk," Ophelia hissed.

Silas nodded, partly to himself, thinking. "The newspaper. Go into the archives, or whatever it is you use there. Gather the names and death dates of every ghost you've brought into Nowhere since the last eclipse. If you add the names and dates into your chant as you wake the forest, they'll come back."

"But what if they've faded?" Ophelia asked. "What if they're already gone?"

"They haven't faded; they're dormant. Like the forest."

Birdie chewed on her lip. "I was fired from the paper. They won't let me see the archives."

Silas threw his hands in the air. "Well then, I guess all of my perfectly laid plans are being flushed down the drain! All because you can't do a teensy-weensy bit of trespassing."

Birdie glowered. "If you weren't already dead, I'd kill you." She straightened her shoulders and exhaled slowly. "Fine. I'll get the names."

"What about us?" Ophelia chimed in.

"Someone has to come with me," Birdie said. "I'll have to get the names fast and I might need a lookout."

Ophelia nodded.