And we did, make a plan.

I thought it was a good plan. It would happen on the night of the ghost ceremony. 

Emma said it's called the Night of Blue Arrows, but I think that's an exceedingly dramatic name and I refused to call it that. Blue Night will do fine. 

It was close. Tomorrow night. Enough time to get what we needed.

A distraction. The ceremony itself.

A lookout. I thought Aideen, but I still have to ask her.

And a spell.

That last one was the hard part.

***

"How does it look?"

I sit on the floor and watch Lily look in the mirror. "It looks fine. This isn't a dance."

"I know. But Marelyn said it was a formal event," She put on a snooty british accent. It wasn't that bad. "I want to look my best."

"It looks great. Let's go."

She turned around with a circle mouth. "Aren't you going to change?"

"Into what?" I look at my clothes. Jeans and a baggy sweater. My go-to. See me in anything else and you should document it. I'll probably have to destroy it but you get bragging rights. 

Lily looked me up and down. "Not acceptable. I think I have something. Stay there."

"Where am I gonna go?"

Lily came back from the closet with three dresses. "Try these on."

I liked the third one best. An empire waist with a long skirt. Thin spaghetti straps. Gold mandala pattern on the bottom, against a navy blue. It reached my ankles. I huffed, confused at the fact that I actually liked a dress. In San Francisco there wasn't much need for one. 

"Okay, fine I'll wear this one."

"Wait you need shoes! And I gotta do your hair. We're not done Odila!"

***

So that's how, against my wishes, I entered the dining hall with half my head braided. The other side fell on my shoulder. It felt soft. Lily did a good job on my hair.

And I felt pretty.

But accompanied with Lily, I was nothing. A sleek, black, off the shoulder dress. Her hair was wavy and shiny.

I was glad to see that most of the Visions were dressed like us. I don't like being over-dressed.

"Do you remember how this works?"

"Yes Odila. You would never last without me."

"I was making sure you knew it."

"You're living a lie."

Marelyn stood up and we all followed her outside. It was a full moon. I expect nothing less from this witch-like company. We all stood in a circle. There must be hundreds of us. Me and Lily stood behind Aideen, not quite in the circle. Marelyn manifested a freaking flower, and my heart speeds up because this doesn't feel strange and it probably should. It felt cozy, like we were a family, just going out for a walk and looking at the moon. 

Marelyn starts singing.

And man, she's got pipes. 

I don't recognize the language. Like French and German and Scottish all at once. The words sounded German, but the way she said it reminded me of the language of love. i.e., I have no idea what she is saying.

I loose track of time, holding hands with everybody, looking at the moon and listening to Marelyn's sweet voice. I remind myself she's keeping something from us, but then I start seeing ghosts and my thoughts dissolve. 

Blue people, half transparent, almost real, floating in the sky. My jaw falls and I stare. It's amazing. I look for Rory, but they're not there. Marelyn stops singing and they start to fade. 

"The ghosts are real, but they are being taken from us!" Her voice cuts through the peace. I snap back to her, every moment where the teachers scolds me for day-dreaming coming back. 

"Our energy is the only thing keeping them alive!"

"They're not alive." I say quietly, to myself.

"You're right." I jump but don't look over my shoulder because I know it's Rory. Marelyn starts singing again. 

"You're back." I keep my gaze on The Countess. 

"I have found something out."

"Anything that could help me?"

"Ghosts didn't always exist."