ʺI canʹt believe Aunt Cindy didnʹt put cable in the cottage,ʺ Kelsey continued her complaint. ʺIʹm not going to watch TV in the ʹcommon roomʹ with her hooked rugs and old china and flowers! She canʹt blame me if I go into Chatham and party.ʺ

ʺItʹs almost midnight, and you wonʹt be able to see the road in front of your Jeep — not in this fog,ʺ Dhanya told her best friend. ʺWill has cable in the barn,ʺ she added. ʺIf heʹs painting, we should leave him alone,ʺ said Beth.

Pink flashes of lightning lit the western sky. The thunder sounded louder, closer. Kelsey grimaced. ʺThis kind of night isnʹt good for any thing but a sports bar or a séance.ʺ

ʺA séance, thatʹs a great idea!ʺ Dhanya replied. ʺIʹll get out my Ouija board.ʺ

Ivy felt Beth shift uncomfortably in the swing. ʺThink Iʹll pass,ʺ Beth told them.

ʺMe, too,ʺ Ivy said, seeing her friendʹs uneasiness. She guessed that for Kelsey and Dhanya, communicating with spirits was a party game, but it wasnʹt for Beth, who was psychic and last year had often sensed the danger Ivy was in.

ʺPass? Why?ʺ Kelsey challenged them. ʺAre séance too middle school for you Connecticut girls?ʺ

ʺNo. Too real,ʺ Beth replied. Kelsey raised an eyebrow but didnʹt say anything. Dhanya rose to her feet. She was pretty and petite, with long, silky hair and exotic eyes that were nearly black. ʺIʹm good at séances and other psychic kinds of stuff. People at school are always asking me to do Tarot readings.ʺ

ʺYeah,ʺ Kelsey said, swinging her long, athletic legs down from the aim of the lawn chair. ʺDhanya was the star of my sleepovers.ʺ Kelsey walked over to the swing and pulled Ivy to her feet. ʺCome on. You, too, Beth. Donʹt be a party pooper,ʺ she told her cousin.

When Kelsey and Dhanya had entered the cottage. Ivy turned to Beth. ʺItʹll be okay,ʺ she said quietly. “I havenʹt told them about last summer, about Tristan or Gregory — or anything else.ʹ