The Sisters of Nowhere

t h i r t y - o n e : d r o w n

When Marigold came back after her date, her dad was at the kitchen counter, as usual. Oscar normally woke up at four and went to bed by nine, except when Marigold was out.

The house was dark, except for the one light hanging in the kitchen, and it smelled like freshly brewed coffee.

"Hi Dad," she said softly, placing her purse on the bench beside the door.

"Hey honey," he replied, masking his obvious fatigue with a smile. The sun had made him look older than he was, so his hooded eyes almost disappeared when he did so. "Glad you got home okay."

"It was...fun," Marigold said.

"Now I don't believe that," Oscar admitted. "Wyatt doesn't seem like the jitterbug type to me."

Marigold grinned, remembering their special sock hop. Wyatt was the jitterbug type, actually. But definitely not in the way Oscar was thinking. Or in the way that most of her dates had been.

"We watched Oklahoma! at the drive-in," Marigold said.

"He didn't try anything funny, did he?"

"Dad." Marigold rolled her eyes.

"I just have to check. As your father. And as Wyatt Best's employer."

"Right," Marigold said loftily.

Oscar shifted in his seat, long, worn fingers wrapping around his piping hot mug, though he didn't even seem to notice. "Do you see this going anywhere? With Wyatt?"

Marigold felt a blush creep up to her cheeks. She laughed in a nervous type of way. "Dad..."

"Now I know you can't tell the future," Oscar said. "But I just want you to think about what'll happen if things don't work out. Wyatt's become a real part of our family."

"I know," Marigold said. "If things don't work out, we'll still be friends. I'm sure of it. No harm no foul."

~~~~~~~~

"I'm free!" Birdie cried, swinging Ophelia around and around until their flower crowns came flying off their heads.

Rose had finally let Birdie out of her room once she was sure Birdie had fully recovered.

To celebrate, the gang hiked into the blackberry woods, and distinctly decided to forget about their endless questions for a while. Their questions about Silas and Hal and Gwydyr and the disappearance of the ghosts.

It was late afternoon and the golden sun illuminated everything like treasure and Birdie soaked up every bit of it.

Being locked up in her room did nothing to help her forget about her strange dreams. None of them had come back, besides the one with the eye opening and closing. Still, she was in a constant state of being tied to it somehow. Like when you spend a day on the water and can still feel the waves when you lay down to sleep.

Marigold wiped her forehead and placed the picnic basket on the ground. "It's so hot out."

"Let's swim!" Ophelia suggested, already taking off her dress to reveal her bathing suit underneath.

"I think my shirt is permanently glued to my skin with sweat," Birdie said.

Wyatt opened the basket and popped a blackberry in his mouth. "I don't think that would be possible."

"The only thing that's not possible is your impeccable ability to annoy me."

Wyatt grinned in a self-satisfied way. "I know. It's a pretty keen talent, isn't it?"