A Perfect Storm by Phoebe Rivers and Erin McGuire

tomorrow and we can pick a time and place and all that. . . .”
    â€œOkay.”
    He gave my hand one more squeeze, turned on his heel, and walked away.
    I ran inside to call Lily.

Chapter 13
    The next day, Saturday, Lily came over after breakfast. We’d spent an hour talking on the phone the night before. Evidently Calvin had walked her home, and he’d kissed her good night. A quick peck on the cheek, but still. He hadn’t asked her out on a date like Mason had asked me, but we both figured that a good-night kiss definitely meant as much.
    I wondered if Mason had gone home and called Cal and if they had spent time talking about us the way Lily and I had about them. I asked Lily, but she said boys probably didn’t do stuff like that. At most they would have texted each other about it.
    After we’d exhausted the topic of Mason and Cal, Lily brought up Duggan. I told her I still hadn’t seen him, and that I was getting ready to give up.
    â€œSara, you cannot give up!” Lily said firmly. “Iwon’t let you. This is too important!”
    â€œI know it’s important, Lil . . . it’s one of the most important things ever. But I can’t make him appear. I tried that with Lady Azura, remember?”
    â€œBut you didn’t try it with me,” Lily said.
    And then she talked me into her scheme.
    So that’s why when she arrived at my house this morning, she was carrying a big brown paper shopping bag. I knew what was inside it.
    I followed her upstairs.
    We went into the blue room. Out of habit, I looked in every corner for a sign of Duggan, but as usual, he wasn’t there.
    Lily went over to the bed and pulled out the box, placing it on the worn floral bedspread with special care. She climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged, bouncing up and down a little with excitement.
    I kicked off my sneakers and climbed onto the bed to sit opposite her, with the box in between us.
    â€œI guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.
    She’d convinced me to try to conjure Duggan with the spirit board. I was desperate enough to give it a try. I didn’t think it was going to work, but Lily did.And I had learned to trust Lily about stuff like this. Even though she couldn’t see spirits like I could, she had what Lady Azura called “keen insight” into things. Maybe she knew something I didn’t.
    We took out the board and placed it across our knees.
    â€œOkay,” said Lily, unfolding the instructions. “Now we place our fingertips lightly but firmly, without pressure, on this thing, so as to allow it to move around easily. It’s called a planchette; don’t ask me why.”
    She held up a heart-shaped wooden thing supported by three small plastic feet. She put it on the board, and we lightly touched it with our fingertips.
    â€œSo now we ask a question and it’s supposed to move all on its own, with no pushing from us, and spell out a message from the spirit.”
    â€œOpen mind, open mind,” I said to myself under my breath.
    Lily looked at me, as though waiting for my cue. I shrugged a little. She frowned and looked down at our fingers on the planchette.
    â€œOkay, here goes nothing,” she said.
    â€œOkeydoke,” I said, feeling dubious.
    â€œMr. Duggan? We’re really hoping you’ll come see us. Sara and I? We’re hoping you can come and talk with us. Hello?” asked Lily in a low voice.
    We sat, staring down at our fingers resting gently on the movable part. I opened my mind. Allowed myself to listen, to look, to feel whether there was a spiritual presence in the room.
    I didn’t feel anything.
    â€œMaybe I should start with something easier. Like a yes or no question,” whispered Lily. “Mr. Duggan. Will you talk to us?”
    A minute passed by. Then another. Then more. Outside I could hear it was starting to rain.
    We sat in perfect silence for