When I told Aunt Audrey what had happened to Andy, she was shocked. However, she believed my story, and she begged to go see him.

"Winifred, please don't try to stop me," she told me flatly as she sat up in her bed, but as she set her feet on the floor, I could already see the color draining from her already pale face.

"Aunt Audrey, I think this is a bad idea..." I said quietly, fighting the instinct to help her out of the bed and run down the hall to Andy's room with her. "I know you want to see him, but I swear he's in good hands."

Audrey used to be really active and outdoorsy before she got sick. She never truly recovered, and with her allergies that seemed to become more severe as the sickness had progressed, she had only just began taking walks around her room with the help of a servant. I knew she wouldn't be able to make it all the way down to Andy's room without incident.

"How about I make you a deal?" I asked, hoping that she would agree to this and just drop it. "I'll go in and check on him and I'll bring you reports every hour. Is that okay?"

Aunt Audrey frowned at the ground, avoiding my eyes. After a moment of silence, she sighed resignedly and laid back down. "Fine Winnie. I just wish— I wish that..." Aunt Audrey deflated, looking sad and small against her pile of pillows. My heart squeezed in my chest, feeling her pain. I understood everything she couldn't say. She wished that she hadn't gotten sick. She wished that she wasn't allergic to the outdoors. She wished that she could leave her room.

She wished that she could see her son.

I came over to her and sat on the edge of her bed. "I know," I whispered, knowing it was a stupid response. I'm not the best at comforting people, in case you hadn't noticed. I'm usually "loud and abrasive," according to my mother, but there are times when I wish I was more approachable.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this," I said suddenly. I'm not sure what prompted it, but I wanted to say something helpful in that moment of helplessness. "Aunt Audrey, I told you that Andy was almost drowned by a siren, but I'm not sure if that's true."

Aunt Audrey looked up at me, curiosity and confusion in her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

I sighed, trying to plan what I wanted to say. "Well, a siren was the one who was with him... or dragging him, I guess, but she's been nice to me before... her name is Symphony." I was making no sense, I was sure of it, but Aunt Audrey didn't interrupt. "She is-- was? A friend of mine, but now I don't know..." I sighed again, becoming frustrated. I felt heat creeping up my neck, and I tried once more to explain. "Symphony was kind and sweet, and she told me that she knew sirens drowned people, but she said that she hadn't done that and didn't want to. I believed her, because I didn't have any reason not to. Then, today happened, and I told her that I never wanted to see her again."

Aunt Audrey blinked. It was a lot to take in, and I knew she probably had a bunch of questions. All she said in reply was, "But you think she didn't hurt Andy?"

I shook my head, surprised when I felt tears pricking at my eyes. I looked away from Aunt Audrey and didn't let them fall.

Aunt Audrey spoke again. "Do you think she'll come back? In case you've changed your mind?"

I've obviously changed my mind, Audrey, I thought in my head. I didn't take my frustrations out on my Aunt though. She was the only adult I trusted enough to confide in, and I didn't want to lose that. "I hope she comes back," I said weakly. "She and her pod had some very different beliefs, so she probably went somewhere else. Maybe I could find her, if I knew where to look."

"You said you two were friends, right?" Aunt Audrey questioned. "Don't you have any idea where you might look for her?"

I shrugged. I felt exhausted and worried and dejected, and I couldn't think of any place where Symphony might have gone. "I guess we weren't that good of friends. I just know she didn't like being around her pod."

Aunt Audrey nodded thoughtfully, but stayed quiet. I felt like I needed to explain myself more as the silence surrounded us. "Well, I knew she had a sister who she cared about, but she's missing. I wouldn't know where to start looking."

Aunt Audrey grabbed my hand, which I had just realized was shaking. "Winnie, I can't help you find this siren, and even the idea seems dangerous, but I can tell you're going to try to find her anyway." I had, in fact, just decided that I was going to look for Symphony whether Aunt Audrey liked it or not. She squeezed my hand. "Please be careful and cautious, my dear. I love you too much to lose you."

I grinned and leaned down to give Aunt Audrey a big hug. Her arms wrapped around me, and I felt calm for the first time in hours. As I pulled away, Aunt Audrey suddenly added, "Before you go, will you promise me something?"

I nodded.

Aunt Audrey's kind face contorted into a dark smirk. "If you find out who tried to kill my son, be sure to give them my best wishes."

I grinned. "I most definitely will."