Fenella didn’t think she’d get any sleep that night, but surprisingly having Kate wander aimlessly around her shack made her feel better about everything that had happened. It certainly relieved the guilt when she’d knock something over.

“Can you not do that?” Fenella mumbled.

Kate tried to pick up the lamp she had knocked over. It took three attempts before it didn’t fall through her hands. “Sorry. It’s super weird. Sometimes I can move things and sometimes I can't.”

“Stop touching things.”

“I’m so bored.”

“Go haunt something.”

“I did. You got mad at me for it.”

Fenella sighed and buried her head under the pillows. Maybe she wouldn’t get any sleep after all.

Fenella's phone rang and Kate glanced at it. “Your phone's ringing.”

“I know.” Fenella swiped it off the nightstand. “Hello?”

“It’s Nitro. Where are you right now?”

“My shack. Where are you?”

“The nurse's office. We snuck in. I got our replacements, but…Nevermind. Just get over here and don’t let anyone see you!”

“But sleep,” Fenella whimpered.

“You can sleep when Kate's gone. Come over.”

Nitro hung up and Fenella sighed. She got up to gather her clothes.

“What happened?” Kate asked, turning her back to Fenella so she could get dressed.

“Nitro needs us. I think she’s going to make us leave tonight.”

“Good.” Kate crossed her arms. “I never realized how boring night time was. No wonder we sleep through it.”

The two set out towards the school. With the glow emitting from Kate's spirit, they could see multiple sets of footprints leading around the back. They followed it to an open window leading to the library. Kate passed through the wall while Fenella climbed inside. The librarian was sleeping peacefully in a fort made out of architecture textbooks. A small desk light was on next to her, illuminating the open pages of Sleep is for the weak : An insomniac’s guide to getting over it. Fenella tiptoed past her and went out to the hallway.

The two made their way quietly through the halls and slipped into the nurse's office. The lights were off, but four beams from four flashlights illuminated the room. Nitro gave Fenella a light when she entered. Fenella clicked it on to see the new group.

“Holly, Molly, and Polly?” she asked. “From the coffee shop? Won’t the manager-”

“The manager won’t be a problem,” Polar said. “We told him our friend wanted something and put him in front of a mirror. He’s been trying to take his reflection's order for the last three hours. He still will be by the time we get back.”

“Like a bird,” Nitro added.

“Our manager is committed to providing great customer service,” Polly said. “Something we strive for at-”

“No one cares,” Dahlia hissed. Her hair was a mess, she was still in her pajamas, and she didn’t have any make-up on. Polar and Nitro must have dragged her out of bed. Probably literally. “Just don’t make me look bad and make sure the Other Girls still hang on my every word, got it?” She dropped her voice. “And make Winston fall for me.”

“Polly’s going to cover for you, Fenella,” Nitro said. “Dahlia gets Holly and Kate will get Molly.”

“What about you and Polar?” Fenella asked.

Polar smiled proudly. “I told my parents I’m going on a trip with Nitro's family and she told her parents she’s going on a trip with mine. They gave us notes for school and everything.”

“Is Kate the glowing one?” Molly asked. “I will do my best to accommodate, but unfortunately I don’t think I can glow.”

Fenella glanced over to one of the beds in the nurse's office. A sheet was covering Kate's body.

“It’s fine,” Kate said. “So, what do we do? Tell them how we act?”

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Nitro grimaced. “We've tried.”

Dahlia rolled her eyes. “We pulled them directly from work, so they’re stuck in their stupid customer service persona. It’s so annoying.”

Polly smiled. “Would you like to issue a complaint?”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Polar sucked in a breath through his teeth. “It’s the best we can do. Besides, it would be better to get caught skipping school with bad replacements than to get caught with a dead body. We'll deal with whatever happens when we get back.”

“How are we going to get to Icy Island and back before First Round is over?” Fenella asked. “I've looked up a map. It’ll take us at least a week to get there by boat.”

Nitro said, “if we take an express boat, we can be there in two hours.”

“How is that possible?”

“Because it has the word ‘express’ in front of it. That means its faster.”

“So let's get started already!” Dahlia snapped her fingers at Holly. “I gave you my address, now go pretend to be me already! And if I come back and someone asks why my clothes weren’t matching the last few days, so help me-”

“They’ll be fine,” Polar said. “Me and Nitro have written out instructions and as long as they follow them, everything will be okay.”

----------------------------------------

After a quick makeover, Holly, Molly, and Polly were sent on their way. Dahlia, refusing to start the journey without a change of clothes, took a pair of pink scrubs from the nurse's closet. Half an hour later, she was looking at herself in disgust in the reflection of the bus's window. The group was huddled in the back, trying to avoid making eye contact with the other occupants, who looked both tired and sketchy. Kate's body, freshly decorated with blue sunglasses and a white scarf, was leaning against Polar while Kate's spirit was seated on the opposite side.

“I hate you guys,” Dahlia said to Nitro and Polar. “You didn’t even let me put on makeup.”

“You look fine,” Fenella said.

“I need something to cover my face!”

Kate scoffed. “How about a plastic bag?”

“How kind of you to offer me the most expensive thing you’ll own once your aunt’s done with your inheritance.”

“Guys, don’t make a scene,” Polar whispered. “Someone’s going to call the cops on us.”

Already Kate and Dahlia's bickering attracted the attention of an elderly couple sitting a few rows ahead of them. They stared in disapproval and Polar awkwardly put his arm around Kate's shoulder.

“She’s narcoleptic,” he said, unprovoked and totally not suspiciously at all.

Anyone who takes public transportation at night knows it’s best to just not ask questions. The couple turned away and began whispering to each other.

"How rude," Nitro said.

It took two hours for the bus to finally reach the end of the line. The group had dozed off half an hour into the trip and had to be woken by the driver. He gave then a card for the nearest homeless shelter and kicked them out into the night. The sun would be rising soon, but for now they were shivering in the cold nighttime fog. Well, Fenella was anyway. This cold was normal for the Winter natives.

“Where even are we?” Dahlia demanded.

Nitro pointed out to the darkness. At first, Fenella thought she was looking at an empty field, but when her eyes adjusted, she realized she was looking at an ocean. She could see lights from ships dotting the waves in the distance. Ice was lining the beach and each wave that came in broke the ice into smaller pieces. They quickly refroze, awaiting the next wave.

“Where's the boat?" Fenella's teeth were chattering. Being so close to the water made the air even colder. Polar took the scarf off Kate's body and held it out to Fenella. Fenella reeled back. “Uh, sorry. I’m not very comfortable with dead body clothes.”

Kate gave her a dirty look. The aura of light around her looked brighter and blurry from reflecting off the fog.

"We actually don't have one," Polar said. "We might have lied to you guys back there."

“So what are we going to do?” Kate asked. “We can’t get to Icy Island without a boat.”

Nitro and Polar exchanges glances.

“I don’t like what you did just there,” Kate said. “That means we’re going to do something bad, doesn’t it?”

“We might have been planning to steal a boat.” Nitro quickly added, “It’ll be fine! No one will even know it’s gone!”

“We're going to get arrested!” Dahlia cried.

Nitro and Polar started dragging Kate's body towards the pier, where a row of unattended fishing boats had been docked for the night. Kate sand Fenella hesitantly followed them while Dahlia threw a dramatic tantrum. When she realized no one was paying her any attention, she quietly followed the others. Nitro and Polar climbed into one of the smaller vessels. It was a boat used for whale-watching. Small, but not so small that it was dangerous for long distance travel.

“We need to find a marker.” Polar began rifling through the compartments and chests. “Preferably permanent or at least waterproof.”

“Why?” Fenella asked.

“So we can write express on the boat and make it go faster. Kate, can you stand over here so I can see?” A light flashed over Polar. “Thank you.”

“That’s not me,” Kate said.

The five teenagers looked up to the source of the light. A woman was standing on the dock with a flashlight aimed directly at them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded. “Who gave you permission to be here?”

Fenella braced herself to run, but Nitro stood up and held out her hand to stop her.

“I recognize that voice,” Nitro said.

“Nitro?” The beam from the flashlight fell and the group could finally see the women’s face. “Nitro! It's me, Dolly!”

“The barista from the Iced Drink!” Polar snapped his fingers. “I knew that voice was familiar!”

Fenella looked at them, confused. Dolly grinned at her. “Don’t you remember? You needed to take my place at the coffee shop, so Nitro made me leave. She told me to find the people who would give me a new identity, and here I am! I’m not longer Dolly from the coffee shop. I am Sally from the pier. I work security.”

“You’re not mad at us?” Fenella asked.

“No way! This place is amazing! I don’t get yelled at by customers, my managers respect me, and I don’t have to deal with daily interrogations! I love it here!”

Nitro smiled. “Hey, since you’re security, would you happen to have the keys to these boats?”

“Sure do!”

“Would you like the repay the favor? Me and my friends need to get to Icy Island ASAP.”

“Anything for you, Nitro. Let me go find a marker real quick and I’ll make it an express ride.”