The next morning I kissed Lu goodbye before she went out for a run and I went to see where we were at with project Daisy.

  “Well Doug, did you come up with anything?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did. We would need to bind Daisy to a particular object.”

  “What kind of object?”

  “A small piece of a human bone, a very small piece.”

  “Why are you emphasizing a very small piece?”

  “Two reasons first and most importantly, too large a piece used and we won’t bind the bone to Daisy. We’d be binding Daisy to the bone.”

  “Well that just sounds like the exact same thing in reverse”

  “Exactly.”

  “Doug, I thought you promised to be good, from now on.”

  “I am being good, if we bind the done to Daisy, Daisy will still be Daisy in complete control. If we bind Daisy to the bone, the bone will be in control and Daisy will lose her agency. In that case she’d be better off if we just left her the way she is.”

  “That’s another thing I wanted to ask, it’s hard interrogating through a ouija board. How long has Daisy been dead?”

  “A couple of hundred years.”

  “Has she been in the library the whole time?”

  “Yes she has.”

  “Then why now, start throwing books I mean?”

  “She’s missed contact with another human for a long time, the library cat died of old age last week. Mouser was the only being she’s had contact with in fifteen years and a couple of patrons have been inspiring her.”

  “Inspiring her, what do you mean?”

  “Well some humans find it exciting to do it in public.”

  “Do what in public?”

  “Oh Rose could you really be this naive, do IT, Rose.”

  “In public, ew ew ewwww, in the library?”

  “Specificly in the cooking section, sauces-spices shelves. The darkest, most private section of the library.”

  “Ugh, I was looking through a book on Hollandasie.”

  “Well I hope you washed your hands afterwards. Anyways after watching those two for weeks Daisy had enough, she wanted some kind of contact, so she started acting out.”

  “Ok, how sure are you that we can do this safely, I don’t want to do any harm to Daisy just so that she’s portable.”

  “Well why don’t we let Daisy decide for herself. You’re always banging on about agency, let’s give her some.”

  “Maybe I can get Lu to help dig up the body.”

  “No, you don’t have to dig up the body, unless you know where the grave of a necromancer is.”

  “No, I don't know any dead necromancers or any living ones for that matter.”

  “Not to worry, I found one on the internet. I didn’t know we had the internet.”

  “Yep, just a tiny bit of tech know how and a dash of magic, if you ever want to watch cute cat videos I can display them on the mirror for you.”

  “Ok great, where do I get it.”

  “That was the second part of only need a very small piece. I found a full skeleton of a dead necromancer in Mexico City in the National Museum of Anthropology. You don't even have to steal a bone, just a small slice of a bone.”

  “Well I’m not a thief and none of our friends is a thief so those bones might as well be on the moon.”

  “But isn’t a friend, friendly with a thief.”

  “Oh, Paula, but I couldn’t ask her to do that.”

  “Rose, why do you always say, people have to be given agency, but you never do, you don’t give them the chance. You know what Paula Talbert might say no, Paula Becker might say no. But you won’t even give them the agency to decide on their own.”

  We walked to the library after Doug did his shrinking act.

  “You won’t regret this Rose.”

  “Shh, I don’t want people to think I’m talking to myself as I walk down the road.”

  “Why not they’re doing their inner monologue.”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “My point exactly, inner not talking out loud, it’s frowned upon. It makes you look insane. Now shh.”

  Eldara let us in even though the library wasn’t open yet. Doug and I explained to Daisy and Eldara the risk of the binding spell. If she wanted to proceed , I’d ask my friend Paula to ask her friend. So it was by no means a done deal. Did she want to take the risk? Yes she most certainly did. Then I talked to Eldara about sterilizing a section of the library and why, and oh she should get another cat. Apparently cats and ghosts liked each. That explains why most cats seem to hate people, they prefer dead people.

  I jumped to the hospital in Paula’s book. Ten minutes later Paula arrived.

  “Hi Rose, I wasn’t expecting you today. No book for book club right, we're having a party aren’t we.”

  “Right Paula, party and book talk no specific book, just your current read. I’m actually here to ask a favor. But feel free to say no, I’m sure I can find another way.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure.”

  “Shhh, Doug, be quiet.”

  “Who’s Doug?”

  I pulled out the mirror and set it on the table.

  “Paula, Doug. Doug, Paula.

  “Oh wow you have a familiar now.”

  “No” we both said at once.

  “Quiet Doug, No he’s not a familiar, he’s my librarian.”

  “He’s cute.”

  “No he’s not. Please do not encourage him.”

  Paula had a big grin.”Ok i won’t but he is a little cute. Anyways, what did you need?”

  “I need to steal a small slice off of a phalange located in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.”

  “Of course you do, why?”

  “There’s a ghost trapped in a library in Wyldwood, she wants to attach herself to this bone, so she can move into the tower to be with Doug.”

  “So it’s a necromancer’s love story, you might say.”

  “I guess you could say that.”

  “Well who am I to stand in the way of love, I’m in what do you want me to do?”

  “Well we’d like to ask Paula Becker to do the actual theft.”

  “But I’ve never actually spoken to any of my characters before I can jump into the book but I’ve never interacted like you do.”

  “I know and it’s a big ask, so like I said, I’ll find another way.”

  “No you know what it’s about time I spoke with my own character, she’s earned me a lot of money and I at least need to give her a proper thank you. So if you’ll meet her with me I’ll be happy to ask her if she’d like to do it.”

  “Sure, now?”

  “No time like the present. Can you find her?”

  “According to the locate spell Blackpool Beach”

  “Let’s go.”

  So we jumped to the beach, it was hot, we weren’t dressed for the beach. We walked around for a long time, before Paula spotted her. Then Paula got shy, didn’t know what to say.

  “Excuse me Paula, my name is Rose and I really love to have a word with you.”

  “Who are you, did Trump send you to kill me?”

  “No, absolutely not, could we please buy you a drink. I’m afraid I’m not dressed for the beach and I’m feeling a little light headed. Somewhere public.”

  “Ok, but I’m trained.”

  “Oh, we know that’s why we want to talk.”

  We found a nice outdoor cafe, with a little shade and we all sat down.

  “Like I said before Paula, my name is Rose and this is Paula Talbert. What I’m going to tell you will sound a little strange. Don’t let it alarm you, I can prove that I’m telling the truth. Ok?”

  “Why don’t you start by telling me why you're dressed like you just escaped a renaissance fair.”

  “This is just what people in my town like to wear.”

  “Ok what do you two want?”

  “First this is the alarming bit, but like I said I can prove that I’m telling you the truth. Paula is your author, she’s been writing your story the whole time. You still have agency, it’s more like she sees what you are doing, and writes it down. Authors who aren’t talented tend to force characters to do their bidding, Paula isn’t like that.”

  “Oh how nice for me I have a good author, did McCracken put you up to this?”

  “No Paula, this is really the truth. Do I have your permission to prove it to you?”

  “Sure go ahead and prove that I’m just a character in the good author’s novel”

  I did a locate spell and jumped. Juliet was walking back from school to the farm when we appeared before her.

  “Gods, Rose how many times have I told you to give a girl a little warning before you jump in front of…, wait, you’re Paula Becker you are awesome, I loved your story. So you’re friends with Rose now?”

  “Where the hell am I? What did you do to me? Did you drug me?”

  “You are in Juliet’s world, she’s the main character. I'm her author.”

  “Rose, did you just jump Paula without permission?”

  “No Juliet I did not. I asked her permission to prove that Paula is her author. Remember the first time we met and you threw a milk bottle at me. The first time can be awkward to say the least.”

  “Juliet, you read Paula’s story. What’s the one detail in her story that you are sure she never told anyone else about and the only other people who know about it are Henry and Martha.”

  “That was gross , Rose, are you trying to embarrass her.”

  “Fine Juliet if you won’t I will. Paula after Henry and Martha were through in the bus bathroom you had to go in and pick up Henry’s used something and you thought an Oxford grad doing this.”

  “Paula Becker think of a number between 1-10. Paula Talbert, what number is she thinking of?”

  “3”

  “That proves nothing, it's a 1 in 10 chance. Lucky guess.”

  “Paula Becker think of a number between 1 and 1 million. Paula Talbert, what number is she thinking?”

  “776598”

  “But I’m a person”

  “Yes you are and Talbert can see everything you do, think, feel and has written it down in her world, and you are a real star in her world. Now you two can be friends, Juliet is my best friend has been for years. It doesn’t mean we don’t have disagreements.”

  “Rose, tried to marry me off to some alpha male predator, and I’m a lesbian, never asked what I wanted.”

  “I have apologized so many times, and who dealt with mister toxic masculinity? Twice. Besides this is about Paula, both Paulas. Becker, this wasn’t easy for Talbert either. Let’s say you two sit down on Juliet’s porch, we’ll make you tea and you two have a heart to heart talk, Juliet and I’ll go for a walk.”

  We gave them a few hours, it’d been a while since I’d been to the farm so it was nice to see all the improvements Juliet and Ivy were making around the place.

  “Talbert says you have a question for me.”

  “Yes Becker, I’d like to hire you to rob the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. You wouldn’t be doing it alone, Talbert, myself and Doug will be along to assist in any way we can but you’d be in charge.”

  “We need a slice off of a phalange from an Aztec necromancer.”

  “You said hire, you could force me.”

  “Yes hire, I would never force you or anyone to do something they were opposed to.”

  Juliet piped in. “It’s true, she’s never forced me to do a thing in all the years I’ve known her. Even when she has some bad ideas about bad boys. Besides I’m sure Talbert wouldn’t allow it.”

  “All true”

  “What do you plan to do with this necromancer’s bone once you get it?”

  “Start a love story.”

  “Here Becker, let me introduce Douglas ‘Doug’ Zenodotus of Ephesus.”