43

CARTER IS BELTING SHOWTUNES at the top of his lungs. And I'm about to murder him.

"What if all that racket makes it impossible to find her?"

Carter pauses for a moment, glaring at me. "You know I hate the dark, especially when it's quiet. I need to fill the space with something."

"You couldn't possibly have any better music in your mental playlist?"

"Better? What do you mean? The musicals I follow are iconic."

I'm about to argue when I notice that there is a faint light ahead. It's almost imperceptible, but it exists.

"Carter, look!"

He looks ahead, and I know he sees it, too. We run towards it. It grows brighter as we get closer, until we're finally in a clearing.

But the clearing is not empty.

There's a large dome reaching for the heavens, made of branches and vines, tightly woven together and definitely impenetrable.

"She has to be in there," I say.

Carter moves closer to the dome and begins to investigate, running his hand along the walls.

"They're rough, but there are no spaces or cracks between them. Nothing big enough to pry open and fight through."

"Ophelia!" I yell, hoping she might hear me from inside.

But it's no use. She can't hear me.

"Ophelia is busy," a deep voice says. I turn, looking for Rook.

But he's nowhere in sight.

"Show yourself."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, your darling Ophelia figured out my identity. And that means my shadows will no longer cloak me. I don't need you two learning who I am before you're supposed to."

Carter and I share a look. Carter clears his throat. "Well, mysterious voice, can you give us a hint as to how we can get inside?"

"Unfortunately, you can't fight to get inside. There's really nothing you can do at this point. It is up to Ophelia to decide whether you will be allowed to enter or not."

"How am I supposed to save her if she can't hear me?"

Rook laughs, a mirthless sound that echoes around the clearing. "I wouldn't assume she can't hear you. Maybe you aren't trying hard enough to hear her call to you . You were never one to pay her enough attention, now, were you, Atlas? You see, I'm safely inside the dome with her, and you hear me just fine. Try harder."

I'm confused by what he's getting at, but I turn to Carter, hoping he'll know what's going on. But he shrugs. "Whatever your history is, that's between you and her. Maybe you have sins to atone for."

"You already know the story."

Rook gives a deep, echoing sigh. "This is getting quite tiresome. I am bored of you two. I am going back to talk to sweet Ophelia now. I'm sure you'll find a way in. Hopefully it's before the doctors come back to her hospital room and are unable to wake Atlas."

I start to pace. "We have to do something."

Carter grabs my shoulders, stopping my pacing. "That means you have to do something about this ."

I look at the branches, tightly woven, keeping the inside room protected.

"High and mighty Mastermind revealed something in his little monologue," Carter says, a note of triumph in his voice. "Only Ophelia can let us in. I'm thinking these branches represent the walls she puts up around her heart. She's nearly impossible to get to know unless she lets you." Carter stares at me, willing me to understand. "So maybe it's not about just talking to her. Maybe this is about trying to hear her. And not just what you expect to hear. It's about what you need to hear."

He's right.

I hate when he's right.

But in this case, Ophelia's life is depending on me.

I touch the walls, closing my eyes. "Ophelia… can you hear me?"