The Sisters of Nowhere

t h i r t y - e i g h t : p a r e n t s

Birdie and Ophelia came home to find that Marigold and Silas weren't back yet. First, they waited in the barn, then near the oak tree, before falling asleep around three in the morning on the floor of Marigold's bedroom.

When they woke up, there was still nothing but the smell of Rose cooking bacon downstairs.

Birdie's heart fluttered against her ribcage in anticipation. It was the day of the eclipse, where were they?

"What if something terrible has happened?" Ophelia asked groggily, echoing Birdie's own fears.

"Silas said that time works differently in the forest," Birdie replied. "Maybe it's only been a few minutes for them inside."

Ophelia sat bolt upright. "Then what if they don't come back at all? What if they miss the eclipse?"

Birdie swallowed. "I don't know."

"Girls!" Rose called. "Breakfast!"

Birdie and Ophelia exchanged looks. How were they going to explain Marigold's absence?

They peeled themselves off the floor, all bent out of shape and sore from their long night, and they made their way downstairs.

"Good morning, girls!" Rose said, whisking a bowl of something white. When she turned around, her features fell and Birdie knew, in that instant, that it was all over.

"Where's your sister?" she asked.

Birdie and Ophelia didn't have a reply.

Rose's usually bright face darkened as she slowly stopped whisking. "What's happened?"

Birdie's mind grasped at any lie she could think of. Marigold spent the night with a friend, she left early to the shop, she's still asleep....

But before she could respond, Ophelia burst into tears.

Birdie's head snapped to the side to stare at her sister in disbelief. She wasn't sure if she felt betrayed or relieved or both at once.

"I'm sorry," Ophelia said thickly.

Although Rose's countenance was as rigid as a mountain peak, she came over and put an arm around Ophelia. "It's alright, honey," she said. "Let's move over to the couch, shall we?"

Birdie shrunk. Whenever her mother said "shall we" she knew she was in for it.

As if things couldn't get worse, Oscar came through the door just then.

"Darlin', do we have any more of that plaster I bought last week?"

He stopped short when he saw that a family meeting was in order. Well, half a family meeting since Wyatt and Marigold weren't there.

Just like Rose, his face fell, and Birdie felt the weight of her lies on her shoulders. All the times she'd snuck out or told a coverup or avoided a certain topic played through her mind like a movie reel.

And her parents weren't stupid. They'd known something was up. She'd been stupid for thinking they could get away with it without ever telling them the truth.

Ophelia sniffled, trying to pull herself back together, but Birdie knew it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. She'd have to be the one to explain everything.

Darn it, Marigold. If you would've been here this morning...

"Something's happened," Birdie stated miserably.

Rose sat on the other end of the couch and Oscar was presently pulling up the armchair. Birdie swallowed, feeling like she had an audience.

"It started a few months ago," she continued, and told them about how Marigold met Silas and that it was the beginning of the ghosts disappearing. She explained Gwydyr and its history, telling them that it was trying to survive by pulling energy away from the ghosts, which was why they decided to summon it.