Back The Wilderwomen
Chapters (37)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. BEFORE
  4. AFTER
  5. ONE THOUGHTS ON SUN HATS
  6. TWO TIME FOR CAKE
  7. THREE TWELVE MONTHS
  8. FOUR PSYCHIC KARAOKE
  9. FIVE A SECOND SLEEPING BAG
  10. SIX SIX MONTHS
  11. SEVEN THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE PANCAKE
  12. EIGHT SIX MONTHS
  13. NINE FOLLOW THE MUSIC
  14. TEN THE STARS ARE BRIGHTER IN THE DESERT
  15. ELEVEN SIX MONTHS
  16. TWELVE EVERY STAR HAS A SONG
  17. THIRTEEN PSYCHIC KARAOKE
  18. FOURTEEN ONE MONTH
  19. FIFTEEN A WELL-TRAVELED HAT
  20. SIXTEEN JOEL VS. THE VOLCANO
  21. SEVENTEEN TWO WEEKS
  22. EIGHTEEN HOUSE OF MEMORIES
  23. NINETEEN IF TREES COULD TALK
  24. TWENTY THREE DAYS
  25. TWENTY-ONE SEARCH PARTY
  26. TWENTY-TWO NOT THE SAME ZADIE
  27. TWENTY-THREE WAVES OF SMOKE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR THE DAY OF
  29. TWENTY-FIVE THE SKY IS FULL OF BIRDS
  30. TWENTY-SIX NEST
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. EPILOGUE
  33. TWENTY-EIGHT A SONG ABOUT A BIRD
  34. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  35. Also by Ruth Emmie Lang
  36. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  37. Newsletter Sign-up

No one moved until the song was over. After the last note was finished echoing off the vermilion cliffs, Ursula said, “That’s what Denebola sounds like tonight.”

Barely louder than a whisper, Finn said, “You can hear stars?”

“Every star has a song,” she answered plainly, sliding the keyboard behind her. “I’m the only person I’ve met who can hear them. The first one I heard when I was a kid was Polaris. It was years before I could hear more distant stars, and years after that before I figured out how to tune them in and out. Other kids used to think I was weird because I wore these.” Ursula reached back into the Jeep and pulled out a pair of noise-canceling headphones. “I wear them during the day. It’s the only way I can sleep. The sun is so loud. It’s like radio static being blasted into my ears.”

“That’s why you work the night shift.”

Ursula nodded. “It’s not so bad, really. I mean, I get to see this every night.” She gestured to the starry sky.

Finn beamed. “Yeah, not bad at all.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Zadie asked.

Ursula, to her credit, simply smiled and said, “Because Nic and I have worked hard to make this a place where people feel like they can be themselves, no matter how the rest of the world sees them. I gave up hiding a long time ago.” She shot a pointed look at Zadie, who promptly averted her eyes.

Finn, on the other hand, took her invitation to heart. “Actually, we could use your help.”

A searching look crossed Ursula’s face. “Oh?”

“We’re looking for someone. Nora Wilder. I think you might have met her.”

“I don’t recognize the name, but we have thousands of guests every year. Why?”

“She’s our mom.” Finn glanced over at her sister. By her expression, it was clear that Zadie would have preferred they keep that particular detail to themselves.

“Your mom…” Ursula’s words hung in the air for a moment like mist.

Finn pressed on. “Do you keep records of all the people who’ve stayed here?”

“Yes, but they’re all paper. The ones we haven’t thrown away are all packed away in boxes.”

Finn’s heart sank. “Oh.”

Ursula paused, as if contemplating which of her own policies she would be willing to break to help them. “When do you think she stayed here?”

“Five years ago.”

“Tell you what … I’ve been meaning to go through those boxes anyway. I can take a look through them later tonight.”

“Really? Thank you!” Finn practically dove at Ursula and pulled her into an awkward side hug.