“I forgot that it was like that…It didn’t look like that when I went back to look for Dee. Oh, if I missed something…” Ari’s fingers flew to her temples. She was dizzy. The memory of that silver-toothed man and his magic room made her feel so sick.

“Things are not always as they seem,” the singer said. “That’s important to remember. This was important to remember even though you didn’t want to.” She put her hand on Ari’s arm. It was cool like the washcloths Gran put on her forehead when she had a fever. It soothed Ari instantly and the cold herbal tea in the Thermos the singer nudged against Ari’s lips cleared the fog from her head.

“I don’t think I can sleep,” Ari said, wanting to add that they should just go on, though she felt too weak to even say it.

The singer squeezed her hand once and then released it. “Just lay down, and tell yourself that you can.”

Ari did as instructed and right as she was dropping into sleep, she heard the singer whisper, “Remember, you are stronger than the song.”

***

At dusk, they continued their ride down the coast. At midnight, the singer directed her to pull off near a large, beautiful house. They walked through a gate, but instead of going inside, the singer veered left and walked down to the beach. A cliff jutted out over the ocean and the singer led Ari to a sea cave beneath it. The salt water lapped at their feet and the singer said, “You will find Dee in there.”

“You aren’t coming with me?” Ari asked.

The singer shook her head. “You have to go alone from here. I can give you only three pieces of guidance. The first, eat and drink only what is in here.” She thrust the knapsack containing the food they’d been eating into Ari’s hands. “The second, if you need help, reach into your pocket and give something of yourself. The third…” She paused, closed her eyes and said, “Some girls wander, some girls seek, but every girl must make her own choice about whether or not to break free.” The singer’s brown eyes blinked open. “That means both you and Dee. You may feel as though the two of you are one, but you each get to decide. And if she has already decided…”

“What?” Ari asked when it became clear that the singer was not going to say anything more. “What happens if she has decided? What can I do? Can I change her mind?”

The singer swallowed, which made the hand tattooed on her throat seem to tighten around it. “I have already said too much. More than I’m supposed to. Good luck, Ariadne.” Her cold façade broke just for a moment as her fingers grazed Ari’s hand. “I hope to see you again.”

They parted ways and Ari entered the cave. She walked and sometimes crawled through the labyrinthine darkness for what Ari could only judge was more than a day. Without light, she could only account for the passage of time by her need for food and sleep. Though she resisted the latter as much as possible, she was down to a small hunk of bread, half an apple, a bit of honey, and a few sips of tea when she finally saw a faint orange glow ahead.