Maria glanced at the corner of the building, the window of her own first-floor room. The curtain was pushed back. A face peered out at them.

Lily. She was smiling.

Maria smiled back. Then her smile faded as Delilah pulled away from her.

“No,” Delilah said, too loud. “No. Can’t go inside. It’s poison. The air in there, it’s bad. If we go in there we’ll die. It’ll strangle us and we’ll die, Maria!”

“Shut up.” Maria looked around, but there was still no sign of the guards. “When you’re in your own bed you’ll feel better.”

“No!” Delilah shoved away from Maria, her head darting fast from side to side. She grabbed at her throat as if she were choking. Her sharp nails dug into Maria’s pale skin, leaving deep red scratches that didn’t fade when Maria yanked her wrists back.

“Stop it! Just come on.” Maria put her arm around Delilah’s waist again and hauled her to the entryway. She braced herself against the door. “The air isn’t going to strangle anybody. Trust me. You’ll see when we get there.”

She nudged the door open and shoved Delilah ahead of her. Once they were inside Delilah was bound to stop talking about poison.

Sure enough, Delilah didn’t say another word. Instead she clamped her hand over her nose and mouth, her eyes bulging out. Well, at least she was being quiet.

As Maria pulled Delilah down the hall, she heard it again. The humming. The same song as the other night: “Estoy Contigo.” I am with you.

This time it was coming from the stairs above them. Maria looked up, but the stairs at Acheron were tall and steep. You could never see very far up, especially at night when the power was out.

“Do you hear that?” Maria whispered to Delilah, even though she knew it was useless. Delilah couldn’t hear anything outside her own head right now.

The humming was still there, though. And Maria knew what it meant.

Altagracia was here.

Maria hadn’t gone to her funeral. Her parents had said she was too young.

Was that why she was here now? Was Altagracia angry because Maria hadn’t mourned her?

Maria had to stop thinking this way. Delilah’s craziness was making her crazy too.

She pulled Delilah onto the stairs and dragged her up two steep flights. Delilah fought her the whole way. The stairs were dark, lit only by clusters of candles the students left at each landing whenever the lights failed. Maria moved as slowly as she dared, worried Delilah would accidentally catch her clothes on fire.

“Do you see that, Maria?” Delilah whispered when there was only one flight left. She’d unclasped her hands from her face, but her eyes were still bulging. “Do you see her?”

“Her?”

Maria looked up, startled. Altagracia couldn’t actually be here. Could she?