Page 75 of The Narrow

“It isn’t her fault,” I say. “She can’t help it. She’s trying to communicate. To get help.”

“She almost killed me,” Aubrey says in a disbelieving tone.

“She’s lost,” I protest. “She’s trying to find someone. The girl she loved.”

“The Drowning Girl is dangerous,” Aubrey says flatly. “I heard you got hurt. That’s why I called. I thought you needed to be warned. If you’re smart, you’ll get out of Abigail House. You’ll get as far away from that place and Delphine as you can.”

“I thought Delphine was your friend,” I say.

Aubrey makes a strangled sound. “She is. But it isn’t safe. Thatthingis drawn to her for some reason. Madelyn knows more than she says. She knows it’s not safe and she let me stay there. It’s not just so Delphine has company. It’s because if the ghost gets in, she comes to that room first. It’s where she lived. That was her room. And if there’s someone in there...”

So that’s what I am. What Aubrey was. A distraction.

But why keep Del in Abigail House at all? If Maeve is drawn there, surely another building on campus is safer. Unless ithadto be Abigail House.

“I have a way to talk to Maeve without getting hurt,” I say.

“Maeve?”

“That’s her name. Maeve Fairchild,” I say.

There’s a choked silence. “I thought it was Grace.”

“No. She’s looking for Grace,” I say.

To my surprise, Aubrey laughs. The sound is edged with tears. “I got it all wrong, then. All of that, and I didn’t even have theright girl. Listen to me, Eden. It’s not worth it. Don’t get yourself killed trying to save the dead.”

“I won’t,” I say. Because I’m not going to die. Maeve isn’t going to hurt me.

It takes me a few seconds to realize that the line has gone dead. Aubrey’s hung up.

“She’s wrong,” I tell the trees, the rocks, the river. The spirits below. “I know you don’t want to hurt me.”

The Narrow does not answer, and I turn away.

—

“This is so silly,” Ruth says, standing off to the side of the Westmore living room while Zoya and Veronica work with a stake and a piece of string to chart a perfect circle of chalk.

“Just go with it,” Veronica says, hiding her irritation poorly.

“Fine,” Ruth says with a sigh. If this works, she won’t be able to keep denying it’s real.

Ifthis works.

Veronica painstakingly draws a star within the circle, marking out a pentacle. Zoya sets a candle at each of the points of the star, and then the two of them step back.

“One more thing to do, and then we can get rolling,” Veronica says, her usual bravado masking the quaver in her voice.

The last time she saw Maeve, it was terrifying. I can’t blame her for being nervous. But I wish that I could soothe that fear away. I’m not afraid. I’m eager. I want to see her again, want to talk to her without the pain. If we can do that, Veronica will see that Maeve isn’t evil. She doesn’t have ill intent. She’s just trying to reach out.

“Eden?” Veronica prompts.

I jump. “Right. I got it,” I say. I pull the bottle of river water from my bag.

“Let’s see if we can get a slightly more dignified container,” Zoya suggests, and goes to the cupboard. She comes back with a ceramic serving bowl with a deep black glaze and sets it in the center of the pentacle.

“Much better,” Veronica agrees.

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