Sister Spelled

Seance

Mad's favorite part of the orphanage had always been the library. It seemed the same as all those years ago. The air smelled like old paper and salt, a mustiness that came from living next to the sea. The shelves were crowded with books, some of them ancient enough that the pages felt as if they would crumble between fingertips. Mads let her hand trail along the closest cluster of spines, the printed words like a map against her skin.

"I hate it in here." Gin muttered as she clicked the light switch, but it only flipped on and off uselessly, "Everything is so old."

"Probably the storm." Mads told her, handing her the flashlight from her pocket, "The power was always a little touchy."

Gin clicked it on, the beam bobbing around the room. The curtains were all opened, but the only light came from jagged streaks of lightning as it lit across the sky.

"We need to get started." Annie said quietly, leading them away from the door. The room was longer than it was wide, with reading spots hidden in the maze of stacks. When the girls had been younger they had hated coming to the library. All of them but Mads. She would never get lost, always the one who knew exactly where everything was even when Gin and Annie and Alicea would wander in circles.

Annie seemed to know just where they were headed now though, leading them far into the inky depths until the came to a sudden stop. They were in one of the reading spots, a long couch taking up most of the space. It was a deep plum color, with delicate scrolls for feet and velvet so old it was patchy in places. Gin's flashlight traveled the shelves surrounding the space, crowded with ancient books and objects. Mads didn't have to look too closely to know the faces of the ceramic busts, the curve of one golden apple, or even how sharp the tip of the gleaming lightning bolt was. She didn't have to check the bottom of the plum colored couch to know four sets of initials were all there, or travel the length of the clearing to know the small door at the end was locked. 

"Why here?" Gin asked, turning to point the flashlight at Annie, "Why this exact spot?"

Annie's face was neutral, but Mads could see something breaking behind her eyes, "It was a place we all loved. The place we marked as our own."

Gin opened her mouth to say something else, but Mads cut her off, "You were right. This is it."

"I know." Annie answered, walking towards the window. A white circle was on the warped wooden floor, directly in front of the window. Annie took a seat inside, leaning forward to grab a blue candle. Four of them were on the floor. A black for Mads, the blue for Annie, one glittering gold for Gin. The girls sat in a triangle, Gin clicking the flashlight off as they lit their candles. Annie placed the white one in the middle, still unlit.

"Two minutes." Gin announced, "Whats next?"

"One candle for each of us, to keep our power rooted here. The white one is to guide Ali-the spirit. The salt is to keep her here, so she can't roam. If all goes well then we can say what we need and send her back." Annie spoke as if teaching, barely stumbling over her sister's name, "It's considered a dark art to speak to spirits. Every book I've read thats serious on the subject says that a spirit should be allowed to rest in peace."

"What if they're already not in peace?" Mads asked, struggling to keep her tone even, "Like Ali?"

Annie leaned forward to light the white candle, hand shaking as the flame danced a violet color instead of white. She continued, "Scattered accounts, but I can tell you none of them ended well." She met Gin's eyes, and then Mads, holding her hand out, "The stone."

Mads pulled the moonstone from her pocket, and Annie placed it in the middle, next to the candle.

"Put your candles in front on you, and hold hands. We need our power to be connected to draw her here." She held her hand out, and Mads only hesitated a second before joining hands with the others.