“Unroll the scroll,” Lily instructs.

Doing as she says, I find the scroll has two parts. The first is a list of symbols. Next to it is an empty column titled “Major Arcana Codex.” Instantly, I realize we need to use the symbols on the deck to match the Major Arcana.

“Cleo, can I have a pen and the deck?” I ask.

Cleo opens her backpack to give me both. Then, by the phone flashlight and with everyone gazing over my shoulder, I fill in the codex:

Once I finish, I stuff the pen and deck back in Cleo’s backpack, then turn to the second part of the scroll. It’s a list of questions, the first reading: Door One: Where do you find life’s most important wisdom?

“The symbols that answer the questions are on each door,” Lily says. “You’ll need to use the scroll codex to translate the symbols into the Major Arcana card, then decide which one best answers each question. You’ll follow that process until you reach the end of the maze.”

As Lily finishes, I turn my flashlight to the two symbols mounted in bronze metal. One door has a lighthouse, while the other has an ornate key. Looking to the scroll codex, I see the first symbol corresponds to The Tower, the tarot card that represents a crisis of faith. The Tower’s lightning and fire can destroy the existing, but they can also illuminate an escape. Meanwhile, the second symbol corresponds to The Hermit, which represents a call for solitary contemplation. The Hermit signals a more demanding phase of a journey, implying we only have ourselves to rely on.

“Once you enter the maze, Amelia, you’ll be on your own,” Lily says. “But since we’re here with you for this first step—”

Just then, a loud noise groans from the floor beneath us, and the lights flicker back on. In the same moment, I swear I see the writing on the scroll float off of the page and onto the wall, melting and swirling into its deep blueness. In the next second, the lights flicker back out and the writing all disappears. Blinking, I convince myself this was just my eyes playing tricks on me…

“As I was saying,” Lily continues, “I’m told the answer lies in The Tower.”

I turn to Lily, our flashlights casting sharp shadows across her face. I didn’t expect such direct guidance from her, given the whole “you must enter alone” routine. Nor does she offer the source of her “advice.”

“I still don’t know much about the tarot,” Anwar jumps in. “And I’m not sure my opinion should matter here, but I think we can trust Lily after all she has done to help, right?”

“And I think you should go with your gut, Amelia,” Cleo immediately adds. Her eyes pour into mine in the semidarkness, communicating the subtext behind her words: she still does not trust Lily.