Abby was right. They had more information than they knew what to do with. No matter how much they found out, everything they found out was grim. While Nemo wandered the streets, Kurby carried it all with him.

"Dead Girl Files," Nemo repeated with a look. She could have sworn that was the name of a band in the back stacks at Reducto. It had a ring to it. A death knell, but a ring. There was nothing to be done about it other than to become some kind of youthful Truth, bright shining, and unafraid of Ending. They could wear their hair down and wild, wrap themselves in light and go where they pleased and take what they wanted and accept nothing than what was owed them by a city that lured girls with lies and provoked sullen old men with truths.

Nemo fell silent with Abby, thinking about that. Thinking about what it would be like to just Become and just Go and sever all tethers with any connections that held her down or held her back.  The feeling was overwhelming in that if she moved on muscle or spoke one word, she'd have no choice but to go through with it.

She set down her cup and took a big breath that was meant to draw Abby up from her cocoon and over to her. Nemo scootched over.

"Being dour is dull," she said, quietly and tucked some of Abby's hair over her ear. "Let's watch a movie. Maybe something with Christian Slater?"

"Who?" Abby lifted her head up and smiled at her teasingly, her smile strained at the edges. Iona would have known who Danny DeVito was, if he'd been in any movies in the 80's.

Still, Nemo was absolutely right. Being dour was dull. Abby tried not to be, for she wasn't sure how much her friends would put up with since August, and since everything was supposed to be better after the exorcism. It was better in many ways, but in some ways it was worse.

"I haven't replaced my laptop yet," Abby said apologetically as she reached for her phone, intending to search for the actor's name. If he was in something recent, they could go see it. She didn't want anything bad to happen to Nemo, and to do that, nothing had to happen to Nemo. A movie was a good sort of nothing.

She waited to see if the internet would load in the magical Hiraeth Gardens, and shot Nemo an amused look. In a few seconds Nemo would get to see her lean out over the balcony in the dead of winter and wave her phone around until the phone service connected.

"Actually," Abby set her phone down, face brightening. "I have something for you! Hang tight. I sent out early gifts this year, but yours got sent back."

The owl hadn't liked the name Nemo, or the question mark for the address, or the bulky box it had to carry. Abby hopped up and disappeared for a minute into her room. When she returned, she sidled up to Nemo, and curtsied in her rainbow shorts, handing her the gift with a flourish.

A hat! A black cap, fit for a captain.

"I found it at Pandora's," Abby smiled. "I checked it for curses!" She paused. She'd made Fauna check during her lunch break. "I made my friend check it for curses, and I also asked her to stitch the little 'N' in the middle here, and the gold band around it."

Captain Nemo! No fish jokes this time.

Abby had looked into musical instrument shops, but had not realized just how expensive a good violin could be. She had found a shop that supposedly worked magic with repairs, and hoped to go there with Nemo sometime, whenever she was ready.

Nemo tsked when Abby didn't know about Danny Devito; something to correct later, for Abby's benefit. Soon, Nemo was giggling at Abby's daring contortions to get a signal. Nemo didn't even try with hers - it was a flip phone. Nemo jumped up after her ready to grab the tail of her sweater in case she took a diver in her thirst for global connectivity.

"Abbs!" she laughed when Abby returned and swept past her. Oh, but Nemo didn't want a gift. She didn't need a gift. She didn't want stuff. Except for clothes. Okay, she had way too many clothes. She moved it in piles from one squat to another, her burden.

The hat was presented to her and Nemo melted, relieved that it wasn't some object she'd have to carry in her brain. Nemo, with her hands over her heart slid over to Abby and reached for the sweet gift.

"I love it, thank you," she said, no hemming and hawing. She then set about adjusting her hair to accommodate her new crown. It was a little too big, but she'd not shrink it - she liked that the visor came down for that mysterious street waif vibe.

Nemo pulled her hair over her shoulders and posed. "Shall we fly, my darling? Fly away on my cloudship dirigible?"

A noise in the outside hallway caught Nemo's attention for a moment, but she was too interested in the cap to worry about the movements in an apartment building. She trotted around the corner to find a mirror.

Abby's mood lifted and a grin spread across her face at Nemo's happy reaction. She'd picked the right gift! It said she understood Nemo, was good with Nemo, would not pester her for a last name Nemo.

"You're welcome. You look adorbs. Very posh."

Abby held up a finger, "Hold that pose!"

She brought out her phone, and snapped a photo when given the ok. The hat covered Nemo's eyes, and most of the upper half of her face, but she still looked cute with her blond hair spilling out beneath her black cap.

"Cuuuute!" Abby drawled out, showing her the photo on her phone.

"A cloud ship? I like the sound of that, but only if I can be the first mate. Are there unicorns on this ship? Is it powered by unicorn farts? I need to find clothes."

Warmer clothes! Short-shorts would not save her in the vast seas of the London streets.

As Nemo checked herself out in the bathroom mirror, Abby headed to her bedroom, where she donned knitted trousers and a sweater and put up her hair. A movie would be nice and low-key. They could get away from the dead girl files, the spooky shop, the strange ledger, the adults who never bothered to include them. They could just be.

At a knock on the door, Abby hesitated. Unexpected visitors made her nervous.

"Abby?" She heard a familiar voice outside.

Her sister! Speak of the devil. She usually owled ahead.

Pushing back a twinge of worry, Abby flitted to the front door, blinking up at her tall sister who looked fresh as a daisy and not at all hungover in her forest green coat. Her expression was unperturbed, her hair fell in smooth waves. She looked way too put-together! Did she even have a life!

"Happy New Year?" Abby greeted her quizzically, flinging her arms open in a hug that she knew Aileen wouldn't return. Aileen swept in like she owned the place, arching a brow at her hastily donned outfit, and glancing around the cozily decorated flat.

"You're late. Eleven hours late to the party," Abby teased. "Everyone's gone home or fallen asleep."

"Were you still sleeping? It's nearly noon," Aileen smirked.

"I was about to go out and catch a movie with my friend," Abby glanced toward the loo, not sure how she felt about her sister meeting her mysteriously-named friend right here, right now.

Aileen glanced over the two mugs of coffee and the fort of pillows in the living area. She seemed in no hurry to explain why she'd stopped by.

"Nemo!" Abby called, plastering on a grin. "Come meet my sister!"

"...they passed down all the roads long ago..." Nemo incanted at the mirror. Abby never let up with the unicorn talk, although there was no reason why she should. Unicorns were pretty things with a mysterious and ethereal power inside - of course they were for girls. The farts were new, but naught else would propel a cloudship dirigible.

"...With the Red Bull following close behind them and covered their footprints - what?"[1] Nemo heard Abby call to her, so Nemo called back as she padded back down the hall. She found Abby with a tall, beautiful woman and Nemo stopped. Abby had said 'sister'. This was Aileen. This was Kurby's friend? She was much older than most sisters were and dressed like a lawyer. If Abby didn't look so - was that 'happy' on her face? - Nemo would guess she had the air of someone from some official Ministry here on official business.

Nemo stayed where she was, removed the captain's hat and raked her fingers through her hair. She smiled noncommittedly. Nemo didn't want to be rude, but it felt like someone's mom had just walked in.

"Hi. I'm Nemo. You saw my glyph."

1.	The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

So this was Nemo. Nemo, the girl who had fallen into the bone pit and lost the flute she'd found, the teen who had caused Bagnold concern and annoyance, and the friend who met with Abby in coffee shops and at parties.

Nemo looked so young. Younger than Abby, her baby sister. The two teenagers were both short and blond, Abby in sensible knits for once, and Nemo engulfed by a hat that looked newer than the rest of her clothes. They blinked at her like they needed a nap or at the very least, a lazy sort of day.

Too bad.

"Aileen," she smiled politely, extending a hand to shake. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard tales."

She paused a beat, to allow for one of Abby's jokes. Abby only quirked a curious eyebrow at her as she redid her hair, scooping her hair up into a high ponytail and yawning as her hands were occupied. Alright then. She'd get right to it.

"I'm glad you're both here," Aileen directed this mostly to Nemo, and took the liberty of stepping into the kitchen. She picked one of the cups that Abby didn't like to use, and gestured at the teapot on the stove.

Abby nodded her assent, "What's going on?"

Aileen poured herself a cup of tea. She slow-sipped at it. Not too strong, not too weak. Still warm.

"Remember when I told you I'd catch you up after the holidays? I'm supposed to meet Bagnold this afternoon."

"What?" Abby perked up immediately, leaning against the counter next to Aileen. "Do tell."

Aileen smirked over the rim of her cup.

"You want us to come with you," Abby continued, nodding to Nemo.

"Well-" Aileen lowered her teacup. "If you'd rather go to the movies, I suppose I'd understand."

Abby blinked in surprise, but quickly teased, "You want us to save you from the grumpiness."

Aileen continued to smirk at her, lifting a shoulder. "If you're volunteering, I wouldn't complain."

Abby stared at her. This wasn't how things normally went. Normally Abby said these things and invited herself along and Aileen said no, I'll handle this, or no, I was just stopping by, or no, it's too dangerous.

"Are you going to the library?" Abby pursed her mouth. "Because I'm sorry, but that's boring."

Aileen shook her head, resisting the urge to remind her that she'd done a lot of boring grunt work for her benefit. "We're meeting at the Godric's Hollow church to look for Nemo's glyph."

She inclined her head to Nemo, taking another sip of tea.

Aileen came in and went to the kitchen. More than observing Aileen, Nemo watched how Abby interacted with her. Abby was comfortable with the older sister, and Aileen wasn't babying her. Aileen showed respect for Abby's space and didn't help herself to the kettle until Abby agreed. All good signs.

But nothing was more illuminating than the revealed purpose of Aileen's visit: she was asking them along to look into Grimshaw's. Abby and Aileen continued to work it out and, propped up in the kitchen doorway, Nemo was churning with feelings.

She had rolled into Abby's to complain about Kurby to try and shove down the call of the tailor shop, the deep remorse of losing the flute. She sometimes got the feeling she'd misplaced it and that if she just looked in her bag it'd be there. But it was in the ossuary, the pit of bones. But they'd spoken Aileen's name and she'd appeared with her pale thin hand outstretched ready to lead them back.

But not back to Grimshaw's, no, to a place called Godric's Hollow.

Aileen's eyes landed on Nemo before she was ready. She swallowed the lump in her throat and willed her heart to slow down. She'd never heard of Godric's Hollow. And she didn't want to see Kurby.

"Does Kurby know you're asking us?" she asked Aileen giving away nothing. She'd sunk too much into him. Maybe Aileen saw her value, though, maybe she understood that Nemo's connection to the events that night were liable to snap and the backlash would flay anything in its path.

Nemo looked guarded, or maybe it was the hat covering half of her face. Bagnold must have warned her about the murder at Grimshaw's every 28 years.

Aileen nodded.

"When we were sending owls back and forth, he was hoping that Abby would be able to contact you and that you'd be able to make it today."

Bagnold, not surprisingly, didn't own a mobile, and Aileen assumed that Nemo moved around often or lived in muggle places that would make contacting her difficult.

Who had a mobile? Abby. Abby was very attached to her mobile.

Who else had a mobile? Surprisingly...

"I did attempt to text you, Abby," Aileen informed her sister with as much nonchalance as she could manage in front of two teenagers. She tilted her chin up and looked down at her tea.

Abby clattered the dishes in the sink and made a noise that was likely a stifled giggle. She then abandoned the clean-up, moving past Aileen to the sliding doors in the living room.

As Aileen stared after her, Abby stood on the balcony and waved her mobile around in the air.

Beep-beep-beep! A series of beeps distantly sounded.

Abby grinned through the glass at Aileen.

Cold air swept into the flat through the open doors. Abby tapped something on her mobile while Aileen frowned.

Must she?

Beep! Beep!

Aileen startled at her purse beeping. Every time. It got her every time.

She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and refused to open it to even look for the contraption. It was meant for emergencies! She'd been testing it earlier.

Abby rejoined them, a smile still playing on her mouth.

Nemo smiled behind her hand at Abby's reception daredevilry and accompanying acrobatics. Not a lick of magic had she, living in an enchanted city without any signal.

"So. Like. Now?"

Cold winter light streamed in through a window, laying glowing tiles over their their pillow fort. The bright new year's day seemed like another universe from anything to do with the dark wailing alleyway, the cobby old tailor shop, the pit of bones, the haunting flute, and all those dead young witches.  Three blonde witches whisking themselves away to a forbidden hollow, their sullen and be-set wizard with his silver chains coming along.

Nemo was trying to bury and eagerness that she didn't trust. She'd spent so much energy holding herself back that now that she was being set loose, pulled in a chariot even, she worried about the velocity. She'd raced into the dark, ran nearly right up to the door. Then inside the shop, she'd followed her curiosity into a hole in the floor. Where was she now being led by a beautifully summoned sister?

In a quick move, in a teenager ritual, Nemo took Abby by the hand and pulled her out of the room with only a glance and not a word to Aileen. When they were out of earshot, Nemo whispered trying not to smile. It was offensive to smile through her words.

"This could be star-crossed, Abbers. Nothing about any of this hasn't been sketch. Kurby and your sister found records of murdered girls. I can't stop dreaming, not for a moment. Are you sure you want to come?"

As soon as she asked, Nemo realized how much she needed Abby to come because there was nothing - no threat - that would stop Nemo now.

In the light spilling through the glass doors behind them, Abby blinked at Nemo in surprise. She did care.

She cared, Abby had known, since the evening that Nemo had walked down a dark street with her and stuck by her and stood up for her when she'd needed her most. Abby hadn't told her sister or family about that. To them, Nemo was a coffee-shop friend.

She cared, Abby had known, since she'd apologized for their argument on Level Two, since she'd partied with her just last night, and since she'd stopped by this morning.

There'd been moments though, when Abby had wondered. Doubted. If she cared, wouldn't Nemo have asked her more questions about what she'd been through, or noticed when Abby couldn't talk or needed to talk? The spooky shop had a hold on Nemo. Their conversation had consisted of dead-girl-files and Grumpnolds and the barriers that kept them from the truth.

Abby hadn't actually agreed to this adventure yet, and Nemo had cared to notice.

She glanced into the kitchen where Aileen stood with her head turned away, her hands loosely cradling the teacup.

"I doubt that it's going to be dangerous," Abby told Nemo quietly. "This outing in particular," she poked Nemo's arm and smiled, unable to help it. "Godric's Hollow is like this sleepy little town where rich-wix families go to get peace and quiet. It has more ghosts than people."

She pursed her mouth, realizing what she'd said, and trying not to laugh.

"Aileen!" She called out, before her feelings could catch up to her. "Is this going to be like the time I got lost in a tomb in Egypt or the time I accidentally woke up a bunch of ancient mummies in the British museum?"

There was a pause.

"Absolutely not," Aileen's voice carried from the kitchen.

Abby looked at Nemo, and reached out and squeezed her arms lightly. "I'll go if you go."

Was she absolutely sure? No, but she felt ok in this moment, she trusted her sister, and she couldn't imagine staying here in this flat while they went without her, or worse, causing them not to go.

Abby was slow to answer and Nemo wondered briefly if she was going to say no. But, it was actually worse than that.

"I doubt it's going to be dangerous," Abby said and Nemo looked surprised. Hadn't Abby heard her? All the stories Nemo had told her about the dire things that had happened, and the murdered girls, and the bones, and the crying, and the unresistable need? Abby wasn't taking it in.

She followed Abby's gaze to Aileen then back. Aileen wasn't worried either. The Reid sisters' optimism and sense of safety was markedly different next to Nemo and Kurby's manic desperation. If Nemo cared about Abby, she'd try and convince her not to go but Grimshaw's pull (or whatever was inside) was too strong. Nemo longed for the completeness of knowing.

Nemo barely registered the sudden narrative of Abby and some Egyptian mummy adventure - Morgana, what was Abby's life? She hated this. She hated this hesitation. She hated having to take care of someone else, that her movements could put someone else in danger, someone so apparently unsuspecting.

She accepted Abby's squeeze and finally nodded.

"Okay. We'll go. I need to get a few things first. Meet you back here?"

At Nemo's hesitation, Abby tried to process everything Nemo had told her. All those dead girls, all those buried bones haunting Nemo's dreams. Dead girls. Dreams. Buried beneath the shop that never seemed to sleep.

Her pentral had never seemed to sleep. She'd only shared Abby's dreams. For a short time, mere months, Iona had made a home in Abby's head, and it didn't matter (it mattered so much) what had happened to her body, or that she was dead (it mattered the most). Iona hadn't been gone. Not truly. She'd stayed, haunting the rooms in Abby's mind, and then she'd gone to Limbo, and then... what?

Abby blinked, and Nemo was gone.

The door shut. She'd left the way she'd arrived.

Abby tried to feel something. Anything.

A noise sounded, and she startled.

"Abby?" Her sister's voice. Her sister was here. Abby turned her head, and Aileen was leaning against the archway of the kitchen, looking at her mobile cradled in her hand.

"What in the world does i-l-u mean?" Aileen spelled out the message Abby had sent her.

Abby nearly smiled. She had smiled at the mention of ghosts, she had smiled at the idea of dangerous outings, and she very nearly smiled at her sister, the former Runes professor, who was baffled by text-speak.

Abby moved into the living room, glancing around to collect a bag of necessities for their trip. Her phone, check. Money, check.

Aileen followed her, having put away her phone. She said something about how Nemo was returning in a minute. She asked Abby if she was sure.

"Am I sure Nemo's returning?" Abby continued to find her things. A little compact mirror, an auto-flying memo, a rune charm, a clicky gel pen...

"Are you sure you want to come?" Aileen said more slowly, echoing Nemo's words.

Her sister stood in the sunlight shining through the window, her hair and face pale ever since that cold, rainy day in December, that day forever captured, her pentral's absence impacting her more than her presence had.

Abby smiled finally, giving her a nod.