“I will, for you,” Hal says.
“No, Hal,” I say. “Not for me. For you.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
I’m fast asleep when she wakes me.
First, it’s her light I sense, dazzling behind my closed lids, as if morning has suddenly arrived in full force. By the time I open my eyes and realise I’m not dreaming, the Blue Lady’s faintly pulsing light is already moving through my bedroom door. For a moment I think she must just have been passing, but the last time she appeared to me Megan was camping out in the rose garden. Something must be wrong. Scrambling out of bed, I fling open the door to look for her. She is hovering by Forrest and Artie’s adjoining rooms.
“What is it?” I whisper to her, but before I can reach her, she vanishes. Looking up and down the length of the corridor, I find no trace of her. Not so much as a sparkle. That’s when I realise that Forrest’s bedroom door is wide open.
Peering inside I can see him, sprawled half naked in bed.
“Forrest?” I whisper, as I stand in the doorway. “Your door is open, and anyone can look at you sleeping possibly naked, covered in only a thin sheet.”
Forrest doesn’t stir. The sheet covers him just below the waist;his arms are flung out across the expanse of the bed, his dark curls covering his face. Why is the door open? What has the Blue Lady brought me here to show me? Is she really invested in me hooking up with Forrest or something?
Then I remember what LadyB told me at the start of our stay here at the castle. The Blue Lady shows herself when children are in danger. That’s why she appeared to tell me about Megan. This can only mean one thing: Artie.
“Forrest!” This time I walk into the room, calling his name at full volume. “Forrest, wake up!”
I open the connecting door that leads to Artie’s room, and my heart drops into my stomach. Her bed is empty.
“What? What’s happening?” Forrest looks at me. “What are you doing here, Ava? I thought you said...”
“It’s Artie. She’s not in bed,” I tell him urgently. “The Blue Lady woke me up to tell me. She’s missing.”
“What are you talking about?” Forrest asks. “What do you mean... ?”
He sees Artie’s not there and rattles the door that leads out to the hallway.
“It’s still locked,” he says. “She couldn’t go anywhere without going past...” Forrest closes his eyes. “Oh no. Oh God, she snuck out and I was fast asleep. Ava, she could be anywhere by now. Fuck, what do I do? Where’s my phone?”
Then I remember what Artie said earlier, about wanting to go on a nighttime adventure to see fairies.
“She can’t have got far.” I point at the chair at the end of her bed. “Look, she’s taken her helmet. I get the feeling she’s gone on an adventure.”
“But she’s only six. Anything could happen to her,” Forrest says. “And even if she stays in the grounds... We need to get everyone up and call the police.”
Just then, the light returns, glowing in the hallway just outside the room.
“Forrest, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think all we need to do is to let Cecily show us where Artie has gone.”
“Ava, what are you talking about?” Forrest pulls on some jeans. “Who’s Cecily?”
“Come on,” I say, holding out my hand. I lead him out into the hallway. “The Blue Lady knows where to look.”
Right up until the moment he sees her with his own eyes, Forrest doesn’t believe me. Then he sees her too, her light shining just at the top of the stairs. She’s brighter and more focused than I have ever seen her before, and I can’t help thinking that’s because the danger is more urgent. Forrest blinks and rubs his eyes.
“Am I awake?” he asks me.
“Yes,” I tell him.
“She’s beckoning to us,” Forrest says in disbelief.
“Come on. She’ll take us to Artie, like she took me to Megan.” We run barefoot along the hallway, and as we do Cecily floats down the stairs and out through the main entrance door, and I mean right through its thick solid oak.
“It’s locked,” Forrest says as he races to the door, rattling the handles.
