Water pours out of the little ceiling spigots, dousing everything.
“Goddamn it, Cat—” Diana curses from somewhere nearby.
The Horseman laughs, and the deep, jovial nature of it sends a shiver straight through me. Suddenly, his black streak rushes past the window and without a shadow of a doubt, I know Diana and the others are in serious trouble.
My heart leaps into my throat and I know it’s now or never.
“Come on, Moirai. Is this all you’ve got?” I yell, directing my anger and terror in their direction. Water cascades in sheets across my face, and I wipe it away with the back of my hand. “Why don’t you come back here and be a part of this fight? Or are you the type that only lets others do your dirty work? I bet that’s it, right?”
“You need to use their names,” Mom warns, cradling her hands to her torso. Water drips from the ends of her hair, but she doesn’t even shudder.
I set down the box in front of me and tip my chin in acknowledgment. Then, I tip my gaze to the ceiling, as if they are somehow watching me from above the way a scientist watches rats trapped in a maze.
“Clotho, Lachesis, Aisa—where are you? Come out and join this mess you’ve created,” I demand, balling my fists at my side. “You wanted this. Come get your own hands dirty.”
“Speaking of hands, hold mine. You’re right, you need help. The message will broadcast better if we summon them together. They won’t be able to ignore the both of us,” Mom says, extending her charred hands. The blackened skin is already flaking away, dropping to the floor in large chunks as the water hits it. Bones peek out from underneath, their soft white in clear contrast to the dying skin.
“What about—” I say, pointing.
“It’s fine. We need to make a physical connection through our energetic centers. The hands are secondary chakras. This is the easiest way,” she says, flicking her skeletal fingertips.
I shoot her an apprehensive look.
“It’s only pain, Autumn. I’ll live,” she reiterates.
Cat screams in the hallway. It’s the kind of blood-curdling scream that comes from true pain.
Pressing my lips tight, I reach out, grabbing hold of her hands as lightly as I can, given the panic rising inside me.
She winces slightly and lets her eyes drift closed. “Here we go. Be ready,” she says, nodding in my direction.
I inhale sharply. “I’m ready.
Mom exhales, trying to relax her shoulders. “Clotho, Lachesis, Aisa,” she calls out. “We summon you to join us.”
She doesn’t wait for them to respond. Instead, she continues to repeat their names over and over again, letting the energy of it build. There’s a strange vibration in the room, like too much static electricity that needs to be released soon or it could cause a spark.
I keep my eyes open wide, peering around the room as I join her. “Clotho, Lachesis, Aisa...” I call out, repeating their names like a mantra.
At first, nothing happens other than getting completely soaked by the torrent of water falling from the ceiling. Just when my insides start to scream at me, telling me this was a ridiculous idea, tiny particles of light begin to swirl around the small, enclosed space.
Within seconds, the three sisters materialize. Clotho forms fully first, her red-hooded jacket standing out in deep contrast to her sisters. She turns to Lachesis, whose white pantsuit is turning gray as the water douses it. They exchange a confused look. Aisa, on the other hand, simply flings back her black-hooded cloak, looking completely irate.
“How dare you summon us for your petty vendetta,” Aisa spits, turning her wrinkled face toward us. Her bright-blue eyes flash menacingly as she takes a step toward my mother and me. “What’s done cannot be undone. This is fate.”
Lachesis and Clotho again exchange a confused glance. They edge closer together, backing away from Aisa, as if they know the tides are about to turn and their mission is to simply differentiate themselves.
“Autumn, now,” Mom say, her voice firm, as she turns to me. Her eyebrows raise expectantly and she glances down at the box.
Letting go of her hands, I pick up the box, and fiddle with the lid to force it open again.
Aisa takes a step forward, watching my movements closely without saying a word.
The moment the box bursts open, the vacuum of light flares to life and begins to suck all energy into its center like a black hole.
Whatever power was left in the generator gives out and the sprinklers abruptly stop spewing water. The emergency lights go out with a pop and the fringes of the room drop into shadows as the box becomes the only light source.
The two younger sisters continue to stand back, but Aisa takes another step forward. For whatever reason, the box alone doesn’t seem to even touch the Moirai. The three of them stand there, staring at the box with a semi-awed and confused expressions.
“Why isn’t it working?” I sputter, turning to look over my shoulder at Mom.
She shakes her head frantically. “Don’t look at me. I’m not the sin-eater.”
Aisa raises a single gray eyebrow and nearly bursts out laughing. “And just what is it you thought would happen, child? You would trap us in the box?”
“N-no,” I stutter, trying to regain my confidence. “I thought I could—”
Lachesis steps forward, leaving Clotho’s side for the first time. Recognition and interest pique in her gaze. “You thought you’d consume our sins?”
I inhale sharply, suddenly feeling very exposed.
Aisa cackles. “You can’t vanquish the sins from the living. You’re not God.”
Lachesis shoots me an apologetic look, but shakes her head and drops her gaze to the floor. The crease of her forehead relays the message loud and clear that she’s disappointed I didn’t take her advice. However, there’s still a hint of something lingering in her features, but I’m not sure what it is.
My heart plummets into my stomach and I realize
