Felix took the board and planchette and sat cross-legged in front of it. A spirit muttered, “I asked for a well done steak, not this.” Shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and made a whispery sound between his teeth that made Ayanna feel like he was attempting to shush someone politely. She watched Felix for a little while, but then felt too self-conscious staring at him. A cloud like a three-fingered hand hovered up above him but near his shoulder, a spirit she knew he couldn’t see.

Ayanna wanted to try, despite knowing well it was a bad idea.

“They’re being weird today.” Felix studied the untouched bowls. “I’m not trying to be rude here, but I feel like it’s you.”

“Maybe no one wants to talk to you.” She said it with a smile.

“I misspoke. I’m trying to say, but I can’t think of how to say this in a not weird way: there are things around you that are maybe crowding everyone out.”

“What are you talking about?”

Felix asked to see the note cards from her room and mailbox, and the notebook she had mentioned from the day before.

“Look at these,” he said. “There was one who kept saying, ‘Liana, Liana, Liana.’ ” She scratched her arms. The spirit was here. Felix was right. But she did what felt like the safest thing to do when a man was constantly trying to get her attention: ignore him.

Felix had her walk away until she was at the edge of the copse. From there, Ayanna watched as Felix shut his eyes. It still took a while, but soon the spirits were gathering around him, until the area was filled with a pink fog. She could see the twist of shapes in it—a horse, a bat, a teenage boy with bad posture, a woman in a ball gown, a bear, a river, mushrooms, a child. The fog was thickest over the offering. After a few minutes, they started to disperse. Felix waved Ayanna back over.

The fruit was down to seeds, shreds, and a few small bits of flesh. One iris stem remained, the incense was in bits, and the wine was tipped over, a cork and a small glug giving itself to the ground.

“They usually only interact with things they loved. You should see what happens if I put out a full nice sheet cake or french fries. But they rarely touch people on purpose.”

Ayanna wasn’t really paying attention to what Felix was saying. She was wondering if she sat here, with this board, with Olivia’s pajamas, if she could talk to her sister again. It was an accidental cut to think like this, to know the thought meant at least a part of her had accepted that Olivia was dead.