Page 61 of The Whispering Night
Mario pales. It’s clear he doesn’t want to end this conversation with Winnie, but he also has no choice. “Yes, Signora Lunedì?” he calls over his shoulder. “Do you have a question?”
“Sì, sì.I want to know about Diana sources and their, uh… oh—how do you say?Impacton forest ecology. Does the source location impact the local ecosystem?”
“That’s a great question, Signora. I’ll be right there.” Mario grits out an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Winnie. We’ll have to finish this later.”
No,Winnie thinks,I’d rather not.“I’m going back to the bus,” she tells him quietly. But Mario doesn’t hear. He has already left her. He has already abandoned her to the forest and any new ghosts who might want to claim her.
CHAPTER
25
Winnie, 9:25P.M.
Will be late 2nite
Visiting twins
Francesca Wednesday, 9:25P.M.
Okay, Winnebago. Thanks for letting me know.
When the safari group returns to the Monday estate, fireworks are about to begin over the Little Lake. Everyone exits the bus, except Winnie, who holds her seat and pretends to focusreally hardon her phone.
Dusk has blossomed into night, as have lanterns strung across the parking lot. They emit a brown-tinted glow, each one marked by the outline of a scroll for the Monday clan, and beneath which are names too small to read from here. Too small, even, to read from the pavement beneath each lantern.
But everyone knows what names are on there: Monday hunters lost to the forest.
Winnie digs her locket from her hoodie. The message within hasn’t changed; it still readsMuseum, 11P.M.tonight. So she slides her Monday schedule, folded into quarters, from her back pocket. Next, Winnie retrieves a pencil. It’s just a short yellow one from a supply Mario had for the tourists who wanted to keep notes during the safari. The tip is too softagainst her leg; the marks left behind on the page are clumsy. But that’s fine. She isn’t going to draw tonight. She is simply going to think. Then she’ll shred up this paper and toss it into the nearest bin.
What I know:
1. Four years ago:
• Dad went missing and was framed as a Diana
• Grayson drove a hummer off the bridge during his second trial
• Jenna died on her second trial aftervampira typically consume the top halves of bodiesNO
2. Dad’s map led me to:
• Jenna’s empty dampener in the stream where Grayson died
• A granite hole in the forest stained with blood
3. Mom knows more than she can say about Dad, but she is under a spell
4. I am alsoin the forests surrounding the Earth’s oldest spiritsNO NO NO
5. Erica can maybe help with #3 and #4
6. Tuesdays are in cahoots withfrom afar, they appear as gnarled, elderly women
7. Jay is a werewolf, and it’s getting worse
• His father might have been
Winnie stops writing here. Her lungs swelling with an inhale.It’s not relevant, she tells herself. Jay’s father isn’t relevant to your list, and Mario’s theory probably isn’t right anyway. So you can stop writing now. You don’t have to finish the sentence.
