The Sisters of Nowhere

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

Birdie rolled her eyes and changed her clothes, tossing them carelessly beside Ophelia's neatly folded pile.

Marigold changed next and Wyatt immediately grew uncomfortable.

They both turned their backs until they were ready.

Birdie observed this curiously. She knew it would be awkward if things didn't work out between them. She hadn't accounted for things being awkward while they were together.

They both seemed younger, somehow, when they were bashful like this. Birdie tried not to let it bother her.

Ophelia came beside her, braiding her light brown hair over her shoulder. "Shall we give the lovebirds their space?"

Birdie snickered. "I didn't know lovebirds avoided each other like that."

"Romantic, isn't it?" Ophelia waggled her eyebrows.

After a moment, Birdie called, "Are you ready? I'm drenched in sweat and beginning to get irritable."

"What else is new?" Marigold replied, taking the ribbon out of her hair, then regarded Wyatt and Ophelia. "I think we should initiate Birdie back into the world of the living. What do you say?"

Birdie lifted her eyebrow, but somehow the other three knew exactly what Marigold meant.

They ganged up on her like cats in an alleyway and Birdie backed away.

She shook her head. "No, no, no--"

But they all lunged at her and swept her off her feet, cradling her between their arms.

Birdie kicked and flailed to no avail. "Stop it! I still have my clothes on! Don't you d--"

They all counted to three and flung Birdie into the water below.

She let out a scream but was laughing as she hit the water.

She kept sinking.

Down, down, down.

She couldn't tell exactly when she hit the water, or if she ever did. All she knew was that she kept falling. And that she was drowning.

She opened her eyes to murky darkness--a greenish color, like moss--and tried to claw her way up.

But the more she flailed, the deeper she seemed to plunge.

Her chest tightened and her eyes closed.

She could smell the forest.

She could sense Gwydyr.

Once again, she saw the eyes embedded into the tree bark, opening and closing.

Now is the winter, it said.

Now is the winter, now is the winter, now is the winter

Birdie thrashed around, trying to get rid of the voices, but they were persistent. Urgent.

Birdie tried to scream a question in her mind. What do you want?!

There was silence--muffled, underwater.

There were crackling echoes in Birdie's ears, like sticks breaking in half.

And then faces. Hundreds, maybe thousands, buried in moss and dirt and bark. They were frozen, with their mouths gaped open in a scream.

A voice.

The winter is here.

And then hands grabbed Birdie's arms and pulled her up, up, up.

Her head broke through the surface and she coughed, spluttering and muttering nonsense as she was dragged through the water back onto shore.

She kept seeing the faces. Those horrid faces.

She curled into the person holding her. Wyatt.

Drops of water fell from his hair onto her forehead and he was saying something that she couldn't hear, but it didn't matter. He was real.

She stared at him stupidly, shivering, until Marigold and Ophelia were there an instant later

Ophelia scooped her into her arms and hugged her close.

"What happened?" Marigold panted. "You didn't come up...we thought...we thought..."

"I'm okay," Birdie said. "I just...got a cramp in my stomach."

She scooted away from Wyatt, still staring at the water, eyes wide as if something was about to emerge.

She swallowed hard. She could still taste the forest.

"You sure you're alright?" Ophelia asked.

Birdie nodded, attempted a smile, and failed. "Yeah. Just a little tired."

But the forest was whispering to her. She couldn't get rid of it.

There was someone else who wanted Gwydyr.

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

Hey guys! I know this chapter is a shortie, but (if I may brag), Friday's chapter is PERFECT for Halloween!!! Can't wait to share it with you?

~What do you think Birdie's visions mean?

~General thoughts on the chapter?

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