The Sisters of Nowhere

t h i r t y - f o u r : c l o u d s

The sheriff was called.

The newspapers were printed with "Have You Seen This Boy?" plastered to the front.

The townspeople were told to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

There were even search parties the first two nights that lasted eight hours each, lead by Oscar Penny, who felt responsible for the boy.

The Penny sisters made several trips into Gwydyr (which happened to be much more inviting in the daylight), hoping they'd be able to track him.

But Wyatt and Hal Best were nowhere to be found.

People were beginning to panic, not only because of the mysterious disappearance but because there were no ghosts in Nowhere.

At first, they thought the ghosts were merely avoiding the humans for a reason only to be found in the realms beyond. But now they were getting worried.

It was August 11th--two days before the lunar eclipse--and it didn't look as if there would be any souls to pass into the afterlife.

Any time one of the Penny girls went into town, they were bombarded with questions like, "Where have they gone?" "Can you sense their presence?" "Will they come back?" "What will you do?" and "We need 'em outta here!"

They, of course, didn't have an answer to any of this.

The Penny household had shifted as well. There was a dark cloud hanging over it during the silent days and the sleepless nights.

This cloud was due partly because of the kidnapping of someone they considered family and the other part was because there was a secret hanging between them. Though they all knew that there was dishonesty--Rose and Oscar having been suspicious for over a month now, and the girls on the constant brink of telling them everything--nobody said a word.

Ophelia postponed her Shakespeare play (again), claiming that she was too distressed to deliver a worthwhile performance.

Marigold couldn't go into the shop without seeing Wyatt's heart-stoppingly blue Cadillac sitting on the repair floor, so she went to the occasional household garage to change oil or fix a window.

Birdie didn't know what to do. Without the newspaper, she didn't have anything to distract her from the maddening guilt that followed her around everywhere.

It was her fault Wyatt had been taken. If she hadn't tried to go into the forest, if she hadn't tripped over that stupid skeleton, if she hadn't left Wyatt alone with Hal...

She knew what everyone was thinking but didn't say out loud.

What if Hal has done something worse than kidnap Wyatt?

Presently, she sat in her room, staring at the empty sheet of paper dangling from the typewriter.

What was she going to write, anyway?

The door behind her opened, but she was too lost in thought to turn around.

Marigold came in and sat quietly on the floor beside Birdi's desk, leaning her head against the drawer.

They only sat for a while, too heavy to discuss anything they hadn't already.

There was still residual friction between them. Marigold had told Birdie that she didn't blame her for leaving Wyatt. What could've happened to Birdie if she hadn't left? But still....

Ophelia came in next, sitting beside the bed and drawing her knees to her chest.

Like moths to a flame, the sisters were drawn to each other for comfort, so they sat in silence until Ophelia spoke.

"They have to be in the forest somewhere," she said, though Birdie and Marigold already knew that.

Birdie had tried countless times to reach out to the forest with her mind, begging it to show her something. But it had stayed quiet.

"I know where they are," a voice said from the corner.

All three girls jumped to their feet in an instant.

Silas was there; well, half there. He wasn't nearly as solid as he was before, looking more like the ghosts of Nowhere as the light shone through him.

Birdie made it across the room in three strides and closed the door. She shushed everyone emphatically, saying, "Mama's downstairs on the phone!"

"Doesn't allow boys in your room, eh?" Silas asked smugly.

Birdie glowered. "Not dead ones anyway."

"You know where Wyatt is?" Marigold asked hopefully.

None of them had seen Silas since he'd found his family picture. Strangely, he didn't seem so dark anymore. That cloud around him had been removed. In its place, there was a gleam in his blue eyes, a confidence. Like he'd challenged someone to a shootout that he knew he'd win.

"Hal's going to sacrifice him to the forest to gain access to it. To be able to live there forever. He's decaying in this world and needs a living vessel to bring him into Gwydyr."

"So he hasn't..." Marigold's voice faltered, "killed him?"

"Not yet, no."

"Will he?" Birdie asked.

"The forest doesn't want unwilling blood to be shed. It doesn't kill. It only takes."

"Takes what?" Ophelia implored.

"Souls. Servants. Whatever the giver is willing to surrender on behalf of the dead."

Marigold clenched her fist at her side. "How do we get him back?"

Silas smiled, a cynical smile Birdie could only imagine resembled Hal's.

"That's where it gets interesting," he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heyyy everyone! I've missed you! Hope you're having a good week! We just got a new kitty yesterday--he's all black and we're naming him Chainsaw (Raven Cycle, anyone??) So it's been a good start to the week for me!

~What do you think Hal is doing to Wyatt?

~Any guesses on what their plan will be?

~General thoughts?

Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to comment, vote, and share!