It lay close enough that I could probably have touched it if I stretched out my arm. The bright strand trailed across the ground, pink and familiar on the pine needles, and it seemed to hold within it a distant memory of something happy and good that felt like home. From the soft earth, a deep scent of resin filled my nose and I half-closed my eyes, trying to remember what had happened. My head felt fuzzy. Why was I lying on the ground? In an instant, I realised her absence; my sister was missing. I pushed myself onto my knees and grabbed the ribbon, scanning the trees and the gloom of the woods stretching out on all sides. Terror tried to drag me down into its deep waters, but I scrambled to my feet and forced myself to shout. “Dalvar!” The trees swallowed the sound whole. She’d been with me, hadn’t she? We’d been coming home from school and something had happened. Yes, something, but what? Nothing came to mind. I willed myself to be strong and waited a few moments until I felt more solid, then called her name again.
