The more I explain how plant islands work, the more I feel like roots are growing right out of my toes and anchoring me; keeping me upright, like those flamingos in the window.

“Have you mentioned this idea to the people from the health department?” Mr. Alden asks.

“My dad called.”

“And?”

I tell him what they said. He rubs the side of his jaw as I’m talking.

“But I know we have to do this,” I say.

“How do you know that?”

I pace around the garden. “Because it’s helped other lakes. How can we just sit around and do nothing? We have to try something!”

He laughs, throwing his head back a little. “You remind me of my grandfather. He was one of the town founders, you know. He fought for a lot of things he believed in. Quite a maverick.”

“Really?”

“Yep.” He stands, looks toward the lake. “I’m more than willing to help.”

“You are?”

He nods. “And if I’m not mistaken, most of the supplies you need are right here in the store.”

“I know, I figured that. But the thing is…I don’t have any money at the moment.”

Suddenly, my phone starts buzzing like crazy. It’s Maya, several rapid texts in a row. “I ran into Zach. He told me about Jess! What’s going on? Did your dad find her? Where are you? Zach thought maybe you were going to ALDEN’S!! Are you there? WHAT IS HAPPENING? Are you OKAY? Please tell me you’re okay. Please respond ASAP.”

I reply: “Yes, I’m at Alden’s. I’m okay.”

“Annalise,” Mr. Alden says when I click off my phone. “It would be my pleasure to donate the supplies.”

I’m about to say no, I can’t let him do that, when Zach, Maya, Henry, and Tyler burst into the garden.

“We were out front,” Maya says, grinning and hugging me. “I’m so proud of you. This is huge, Annalise. Huge!”

I nod, folding the handkerchief and sliding it into my pocket.

“You came in here,” Maya whispers in my ear. “Now you can do anything.”

As quiet and calm as it was before, now it’s a blur of noise and color. Maya’s red T-shirt and silver sandals. Henry poking his lightsaber into a pot and Tyler shouting “Hi-ya!” and jabbing the trellis.

Maya tells the boys to stop acting like crazy people, and Zach gently guides them away from the pot and the trellis.

“But I have to fight the bad bacteria!” Tyler yells, leaping onto the bench. Henry joins him, and they wave their lightsabers in the air.

“Guys! There’s no bacteria here,” Maya says, rolling her eyes. Then to me: “They’re obsessed.”

Mr. Alden goes into the store. He comes back a few minutes later, carrying a stack of empty plastic trays, the kind that flowers come in, like the geraniums Dad and I planted in the window boxes outside the office.

“These should do just fine,” he says. “Now, let’s talk about plants.”

Zach takes one of the trays and turns it over. There are several holes, perfect for dangling roots. “Wait. Are these for the floating islands?”

“Indeed,” Mr. Alden replies. “Annalise mentioned what you need. I believe I have some varieties that would work.”

“You can’t give us all that for free,” I protest.

He brushes a hand at me.

Zach pulls a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket and offers it to Mr. Alden. “Will this cover it?” Mr. Alden doesn’t take it.

“What are you guys doing?” Henry asks.

Zach grins at him. “We’re going to fight the bad bacteria.”

“Really?” Henry jumps from the bench and lays his lightsaber on the ground. “Can I help?”

Tyler leaps off too, almost knocking his brother over. “Don’t forget about me!” He tugs Maya’s shorts. “I’m tired of the park.”

Mr. Alden still hasn’t accepted Zach’s money, so he stuffs the bill back into his pocket. “If it’s okay with Annalise,” Zach says.

“We’re making them now?” I say. “Here?”

Mr. Alden shrugs. “Why not? I don’t exactly have many customers at the moment.”

They all look at me, and I get a pang of guilt. My sister’s somewhere in Madison and Mom and Dad are freaked out, but I’m only thinking about Renn.

“Give me a sec.” I pull out my phone and text Mom. “Anything?”

She replies no, that Dad found the location for the audition, but so far, no Jess.

“Do you want me to come back?”

“Are you still doing what you needed to do?”

I glance at Maya, the boys, then Zach and Mr. Alden, all waiting for me. “Yes.”

“I’m okay,” Mom says. “I’ll let you know the minute I hear something.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

I slide my phone into my pocket. “Let’s do this!”

Tyler claps and Henry shouts, “Woo-hoo!”

Maya says to Mr. Alden, “I have some money too. From babysitting these little monsters.” She ruffles their hair. “Actually, you guys aren’t so bad.”

“We’ll address the finances later,” he answers. “For now, let’s get to work.”

“Are you sure you want to do this, Mr. Alden?” I ask. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“I’ll take the risk. You gotta stir things up once in a while, right?”

He goes inside again, then drags out a big plastic bag of soil. He cuts it open and tells Henry and Tyler to lay out the plastic trays on the ground. Mr. Alden hands each of them a plastic scooper. “You’ll be the fillers.”

“We’re the fillers,” Tyler repeats, beaming.

Zach and I go into the store to look through the plants. There are irises and several ferns, as well as some grasses and reeds. Zach’s consulting his phone, then pointing to the plants we should use. I carry them out to the garden.

The boys scoop and pat down a layer of soil in each of the seven trays laid out on the walkway in the middle of the garden. Zach and I add the plants; then Maya gently works the roots through the holes. She insisted on wearing gardening gloves, and Mr. Alden handed her a pair. “I prefer them too.” He grimaced. “Worms. Can’t stand ’em.”

With every plant I secure into the soil, it’s as though the very air in the garden is shifting. Getting lighter. And Mrs. Alden is looking over my shoulder, smiling.

We work steadily for a while. Mr. Alden brings out bottles of water and a bag of pretzels, which we devour. Maya starts singing “Down by the Bay” and we come up with rhymes, each one sillier than the last. Tyler ends the song with “Have you ever seen a goose kissing a moose?” and we’re laughing so hard, we can hardly finish.

But eventually, we’ve used all the soil and plants. The trays are full.

I step back to admire the seven small, beautiful islands. Each one has a slightly different variety of plants, but they all look ready to go to work.

“What now?” I ask.

“We should set them afloat at night,” Zach suggests. “Less risk of someone stopping us.”

Maya raises her eyebrows. “Oooh. Dangerous. I like it.”

“How about we meet back here at nine tonight?” Mr. Alden says.

Henry crosses his arms. “That’s past our bedtime!”

Maya pats his shoulder. “Sorry, bud, but you guys are going to have to miss this part.”

“Noooo!” Henry wails.

My phone buzzes. It’s a text from Mom: “Dad’s got her. She’s fine. They’re on their way home.”

I blow out a long breath I didn’t even realize I was holding, and my voice breaks as I tell them Dad found Jess.

“Good, that’s good.” Maya nods, then says to the boys, “You aren’t going to miss much. You did the important part.”

“Can’t you sneak us out?” Henry pleads. “While the ’rents are asleep.”

“The ’rents? I don’t think so. No sneaking out.”

“Pleeease?” Tyler says.

“No way.”

“Nine,” Mr. Alden repeats.

I touch one of the plants. “I’ll be here.”

“Me too,” Zach says.

Maya smiles. “Me three.”

Tyler presses his palms together. “We’ll behave!”

Maya shakes her head. “Nope. Final answer. And don’t say a word of this to the ’rents either.”

“Then it’s settled,” I say. Or it will be, soon.