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actually think you can reach the ceiling?”
    Vertigo was ridiculously open, with tunnels and doors to everywhere, but there were still a few places you couldn’t get to. For the first time, Nim smiled. “Most of the time you can’t. But you know that one place in the library with all the ladders? If you go all the way up, you can get on top of those big shelves. I did it once.”
    For a second she thought Margaret was going to argue, to explain the mechanics of why Nim was stupid for even thinking this, why it couldn’t work. Why they had to just let it go and accept that this was how Vertigo was now, forever and ever.
    But all Margaret said was, “If we’re going to be building an entire suicide mission around handling the sisters, I think I’m going to need to upgrade my machete.”
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    Margaret volunteered to camp at the entrance to the east wing of the Escher House and keep any randoms from wandering in and accidentally distracting the sisters. It involved a certain amount of risk—wraiths tended to congregate in the halls—but, as Margaret pointed out, that really just made her job easier, since no one wanted to hang out there.
    Nim armed herself with the scythe, but that was mostly academic. For one thing, it was impossible to kill the sisters, but for another, Nim didn’t want to kill them, just lure them down to the farthest end of the library and keep them there long enough to do their job. For the first time since she’d switched avatars, she put the Lola in a dress. For old times’ sake.
    She was relatively sure her plan would work, but she was taking no chances. She picked her time and day carefully, based on what she knew. The James was almost always around on weeknights after eight thirty. Once the glass was in place, she equipped her talisman and prowled the Dollhouse.
    As she wandered, little doubts began to gnaw. Maybe he wasn’t coming. Maybe this was stupid. Maybe it was all a misunderstanding and she needed to relax. Maybe, after all this, he really was smarter than her.
    It was with a sharp thrill that she finally caught sight of his chinos down the end of the hall. She dawdled, trying to appear vague and helpless. She made sure he got a good look before whisking off to the library.
    There she waited, touching the shelves, running her fingers over rows of books. She could feel her pulse in her ears. The whole place was heavy with silence and dust. Night was falling now, the shadows growing long. Time passed in Vertigo in huge swaths. The sun plunged below the horizon, and in an instant the library windows darkened. The glass was a black mirror now, reflecting the room. For a second she saw one of the sisters standing right behind her, red clad, black haired. Ghostly, then gone.
    The talisman was hissing softly in the pocket of her dress.
    When the James spoke out of the shadows, his voice was sly. “I thought you were too good for cute little dresses, but you look hot. You should wear that all the time.”
    Nothing about it sounded like a compliment.
    Nim was surprised at how sad she felt suddenly. “I’m tired of this now, okay?”
    â€œIf you can’t deal with it, get out. I don’t give a shit if you don’t like it.”
    She turned slowly from the window—so eerie, so delicate. She was the girl in the horror movie. “You will.”
    Her headset flickered blue, just barely, just for a millisecond. If he ever just paid attention , he would know that. Over in the corner by the door, there was a sound like breaking dishes. The sisters had materialized, side by side. They were standing directly under the Doomsday Glass.
    The James whipped around. “What the—”
    His voice cracked and Nim guessed he’d never seen both sisters at once before. She had a feeling there were a lot of things she knew about Vertigo that he didn’t.
    She stepped toward him. Beyond