“I’ve done some research,” announced Mabel, her resolute look carefully arranged to impress the others. “It was about time someone did something useful around here.”
“What sort of research?” asked Kat. She loved it that Mabel needled her. Sometimes she was the teenager; sometimes Mabel needed to be one. It helped her remember that adulthood was not without hope.
“Child-like beings. Not the same as the girl by the lake. Not the same as the ghosts. That’s why we can’t sort them out in our minds. They’re something new. Like those abbey lubbers. They come from somewhere in Europe. Never been reported in Oz before. Ever.”
“What do we do?” whispered Lil.
“Nothing fits,” said Mabel. “We can only handle the ones we understand until we find out what has caused all of this.”
“You think there’s
