“This really isn’t a good time,” Mom says. “Shouldn’t you be in class? Is everything okay?” She looks tired, her blouse stained on the cuffs and her skirt creased. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s still wearing yesterday’s outfit. That is so not a good sign.

“This is really important,” Morgan pipes up behind me as if he can sense I’m about to wilt under my mom’s glare.

Mom mutters apologies to the others before placing a heavy hand on my shoulder and guiding me out of the office.

“What is this about then?” She already sounds bored and annoyed. “And what happened to your jacket?” She brushes her fingers across the scorch mark I’d been hoping she wouldn’t notice.

“That’s nothing. Listen, I think something bad happened,” I say quickly. “To Natalie.”

“Taika.” Mom pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes for a moment.

“This morning, I saw a liekkiö down by the lake. It led me through the forest and I found this.” I hold up Natalie’s smashed phone and the snatch of wool.

“A liekkiö?” Mom’s eyes flash open. “I really don’t have time for this.”

“But it asked me for help, I heard it, and it led me to Natalie’s phone. And she’s missing. She’s not in class, not in her room. I’m not making this up.”

“What do you mean, you heard it?” Mom’s face scrunches up in confusion.

“The liekkiö, I—I heard a voice.” My own quavers and Morgan leans closer, his shoulder momentarily brushing mine.

“This isn’t funny.” Mom switches into stern, principal mode. “I don’t know what you’re playing at but—”

“I’m not playing at anything. This is Natalie’s phone. What was it doing out in the forest? Where’s Natalie?” This was a mistake. Mom is never going to believe me, and even if she does, she’ll tell me to go back to class and forget all about it. To let others handle it, others with magic.

Useless, pathetic, worthless, my personal vocalist starts up again.

“She has—”

“Mrs. Turunen, sorry to interrupt,” Morgan says, all lilt and charm and polite formality, “but we checked and Natalie isn’t in Pilvitalo. She’s not in school either. We wouldn’t have come to you if we weren’t really concerned.”

Gods bless him. He might need a haircut, but as a magical wunderkind, his words carry the kind of weight mine never will. I can see Mom’s opinion changing, her expression flitting back and forth between concern and aggravation.

“Everything all right out here?” Emmi peeks her head around the door.

“Natalie is missing,” I say. “And I saw a liekkiö this morning by the lake.”

“Missing?” Emmi pales a little, a frown line slicing her brow. “Oh my, that does sound serious.”