Did we have an appointment?
We couldn't wait to find out what's going on. Did you find the evidence?
Well, I went to the Hawthorne Club and the design workshop, and I'm sorry.
There were no disguises and no papyrus.
They must have moved it.
How do they keep doing this?
They didn't do it alone.
Amber Williams's cousin is billionaire Avery Boyd.
You have to look at him. He has to be involved.
Hold on.
So first it was some college students, and now you're accusing a board member?
How else could college students pull this whole thing off?
I know your hearts are in the right place,
but I cannot go on another wild-goose chase.
So, unless you have some new information for me,
you'll have to excuse me.
I have work to do.
They're somehow always one step ahead of us.
Maybe they have a ghost helping them.
Avery Boyd is very much alive.
If Donovan can't help us, we'll just have to finish this ourselves.
Avery. It's me.
You're out of time.
Okay, what do we know?
So, Avery Boyd recruited his cousin Amber
to stop the Eloquent Peasant from being returned to Egypt.
By getting Griffin to forge it.
Then Liam swapped the real one for the fake, framing your mom.
I get that Avery Boyd would have no problem convincing Amber
and her best friend Liam, but...
...what about Griffin? What's in it for him?
Probably the same as your sister. Access to the Hawthorne Club.
But I get what you're saying, Charli.
Of all players, Griffin is the outsider.
Amber grew up with Liam, but they just met Griffin this year.
Which means maybe we can use that to our advantage
and turn him to our side.
Are you okay?
Nia!
Nia.
Here, let's sit.
Are you okay?
That was so weird.
This vision just popped into my head.
My family was being forced to move out of our house.
Was it Oliver?
There was a voice, but it wasn't Oliver.
She called my name.
I don't know how, but I think she showed me the future.
A fictional character in your head that can show you the future?
It didn't look good.
That's the thing about the future.
It hasn't happened yet, so we can change it.
Yeah. We're gonna solve this,
and your mom's gonna go back to being the president of the university.
And you'll go back to solving mysteries in your video games.
But... we can't do it alone.
No way.
When have I ever asked you for anything?
Yesterday, and the day before that, and the one before that.
Okay, I get it.
But this is really important, and you're friendly with Griffin,
so maybe you can turn him to the right side-- ours.
What makes you think I can even get Griffin to turn against
the most powerful person at the university?
Because I've known you my whole life.
Which is about how long I've looked up to you.
Well, maybe you shouldn't.
I wasn't actually good enough to get into the Hawthorne Club.
I can't help you.
With or without their stupid club, you're the most amazing person I know.
And I know you'll be running the world one day.
Don't you wanna get back at them for what they did?
Of course I do.
Then this is how we do it.
Bye, Dad.
Samir, wait.
I need you to watch Idris for me while I run to my shift.
Today?
Your mom had to work, and it's Amira's day off.
But my friends and I
are in the middle of solving a huge archaeology problem.
Isn't archaeology the study of ancient things?
Doesn't usually come with a lot of urgency.
Yes, but no.
So, take your brother.
I can help.
See? It's settled.
Thank you, baba.
Yeah, sure.
Tuesday delivery works.
But can it be before 9:00 a.m.? I have a class that morning.
Yeah.
Okay, that works great. Thank you. All right. Ciao.
Sorry about that, guys.
Amy out of town again?
Oh, yeah. But I'm loving it. All the extra shifts are helping me
to save up for my trip around the world after graduation.
Look at that.
Trip. Wow.
You're going to all these places?
If I can save up enough money.
I plan to follow the sun and visit every continent.
Here. You can use this for your trip.
I appreciate that, little man.
But hey, why don't you keep it for your own adventure someday?
Okay.
Hey, Idris. You order. I'll be right back.
Sydney's in. She's gonna find Griffin and see if he'll turn on Amber and Liam.
Is it just me or does that fly glow?
I think it's a firefly.
In the city? That no one else can see but us?
Okay, little buddy.
Sorry I tried to kill you. Now, which book are you from?
I think it wants us to follow.
Stay here. I'll be back in a sec.
More fireflies?
"W-A-T-A"?
"Wata." Maybe they mean water?
Wait. -Come on, they want us to follow them.
What about Idris?
Hey, Idris!
Yeah?
You wanna help us follow some invisible magical fireflies into the big city?
Yeah! -Yeah!
Charli. -Don't worry, he'll think it's a game.
Which way did they go?
That way. Hurry!
When is this gonna be over? -Soon.
But not if you don't keep your cool.
I never agreed to all of this.
You're part of this, whether you like it or not.
Where do fireflies come from?
Probably another dimension.
Really?
No, Idris. They're normal non-scary fireflies.
What are you doing?
He thinks we're playing a game, so I'm making it fun.
Don't you remember what happened last time we brought him along?
I don't want him getting scared.
If fireflies are from another dimension,
maybe they can shoot lasers.
He seems chill to me.
They can totally shoot lasers.
Nia.
I am here. Find me.
Did you hear that?
Hear what?
The voice. She's calling my name. She wants me to find her.
I hear it. She said, "Hi, Idris."
She's there. In the water.
Mermaid?
I see her. She has long, red hair.
Who are you?
Mami Wata.
-Mami Wata?
Like the clue from earlier? Wata?
Must be.
But... how do you know that, Nia?
You can't hear her voice in your head too?
She's only communicating with you.
Wait. Mami Wata.
I learned about her when we went to the African art exhibit last summer.
From what I remember, she's the mother of water.
Many African cultures believe her to be the guardian of nature,
halfway between the spirit world and ours.
I know Mami Wata too. Amira read me a book about her.
What was the book?
Bayou Magic.
There was this girl, Maddy,
and she spends the summer with her grandma in the bayou.
She can control fireflies and talk to Mami Wata.
And then Mami Wata shows her what's gonna happen to the bayou.
Visions of the future. Like the one I saw earlier.
Mami Wata, we need your help.
Hey. -Hey.
Hey, Syd. What's up?
Not much. Just dropping off some tools I used for my sister's magic table.
Cool. We're working on the backdrop for the Founder's Week livestream.
Looks so good.
Yeah. The party's gonna be amazing. It's on a yacht this year.
You're coming, right? -Of course. Can't wait.
It'll be my first time on a yacht.
Well, it won't be the last.
Now that you're a member of the Hawthorne Club,
all kinds of doors will be open to you.
One sec.
The backdrop really is great.
Thanks.
You okay?
Yeah. Just hungry.
Same. Do you wanna get some food after this?
No pressure.
Yeah. Sounds good.
Did I hear food? I'm starved. Cool if I tag along?
Of course! The more the merrier.
The board thinks my mom stole the Eloquent Peasant,
and we need to find it and bring it back to the university
or my parents will lose everything.
That which was stolen must be returned.
Where'd she go?
I don't know. But she said, "That which was stolen must be returned."
Kinda what we're trying to do.
Hello?
I tried to get Griffin alone, but Amber wants to tag along.
That's not good.
I have an idea, but I'll need your help.
I'm listening.
How's it looking?
I'm at a stopping point.
Great, let's go grab that food.
Cool. Let me just go and put this back first.
No need to look so somber. Everything is going to be fine.
Sorry if I don't get excited about lying to my friends.
It's from her sister, Charli.
That's an invasion of privacy. -Oh, no.
What? -What is it?
"Meet me at Annie's Diner ASAP.
We've got some new info about the Hawthorne Club and your new friends.
Hurry."
I'll just delete that.
What are you doing?
What Sydney doesn't know won't hurt her.
I'm gonna go to the diner and see what I can overhear.
You stay with Sydney and just remember what I said.
Amber-- -Okay, I'm ready.
I forgot. I have to help Professor McCormack grade papers.
Oh, no way.
Yeah. But you go ahead, and I'll catch up with you later.
Sounds good.
It worked. Sydney said Amber took the bait,
and now she's alone with Griffin.
That's great.
Here lies the treasure.
Now you must find it.
Mami Wata found the EP.
The only problem is, it's in a house on the other side of the lake.
How do we get there?
A boat?
Where are we supposed to find a boat?
Right there!
Thanks, Mami Wata. -Let's go.
Wait.
How do we know it's safe?
I don't know how, but just like the girl in the book,
I am connected to Mami Wata.
I can feel it. She wouldn't put us in danger.
I trust her.
Me too.
Samir?
I'm on a boat! I'm on a boat--
Sit down, Idris. Be careful!
Hey. You wanna lighten up on the little dude?
I didn't want you to invite him here.
You're not the one who's gonna have to deal with his nightmares
if something bad happens.
Well, he's here now. And as a little sister,
I know how it feels to be dismissed just because you're younger.
Besides, you don't give him enough credit.
This is so cool.
Idris, stay still.
I was only looking for Mami Wata.
Not everything is a game, okay?
Sorry.
Samir, are you okay?
Mami Wata, stop the boat.
We must continue. The future I set before you could change.
We need to stop. My friend needs a minute.
Very well.
Look at the horizon. -What?
If you're seasick, you're supposed to look at the horizon.
It's not that.
What is it? You can tell us.
Remember our cousin who died?
When we left Turkey, his family took a different route here on a boat,
and he didn't make it.
I never knew that.
You were just a little baby.
I'm so sorry, Samir.
This is the first time I've been on the water since we found out.
If we knew, we wouldn't have taken the boat.
I wish Mami Wata could have been there that day.
Me too.
The fireflies are back.
They are beautiful.
We can go now.
Are you sure?
Wow.
If I was hiding a top secret artifact, this would definitely be the place.
Someone's gonna steal the EP.
We have to hurry. Let's go.
Go quickly.
Come on.
Come on, Idris. Up here.
Let's go. Come on.
What's the plan?
Look into the windows until we find it? -I don't have any better ones.
Avery and Amber. We're in the right place.
This isn't the right room. Come on.
This is the room I saw in the vision.
It's locked.
We have to get inside.
The fireflies are back.
Maybe Nia can control them like in the book.
What am I supposed to do? Tell the fireflies,
"Go in the house and find the Eloquent Peasant."
Idris is right.
Somehow, you're connected to them.
Nia? What's going on?
I can see what they see.
We're in the living room.
Okay. And now we're going down the stairs.
There's a pool table.
Now we're in the storage room.
It's not here.
Then where is it?
Go, go! Come to the back.
I'm guessing it's in there.
Are you okay?
It's all my fault. I delayed us on the boat.
No, it's not. We won't stop until we find it.
Yeah.
It's Sydney. She needs us. Come on.
Must've been cool to grow up in a small town.
Really? I always grew up wishing that I was living in a big city.
Big cities are great if you have money.
I think all cities are better if you have money.
I guess things will be different now.
Getting into the Hawthorne Club means better connections,
which means better jobs,
which means I can move outta my parents' house someday.
Yeah, but at what cost?
It's just that it's taken up more time than I thought it would.
I know what you mean.
You know what? We need a break from Hawthorne Club business.
What do you have in mind?
Come on. -What is it?
I don't think we're allowed to go in there.
The door is open.
We can't let Founder's Week go by without paying tribute to the founder's ghosts.
Okay, tribute paid. Can we--
You're not scared?
Chauncy?
Are you there?
I think he's got better things to do in the afterlife than hanging around here.
Okay, let's go. -No, wait.
Is that your sister?
And my friends, Nia and Samir.
These tunnels go everywhere.
And his brother, Idris.
Idris! Wait for me.
Okay, what's going on?
I'm sorry, but we needed a place to talk without Amber around.
We know you helped Liam and Amber
by forging the Eloquent Peasant for Avery Boyd.
But we know you're not like the others.
Come on, Griffin.
You just finished telling me you feel like an outsider. I get it.
It's nice to be a part of their club.
But they're using you. And me.
Amber said that this old document belonged to her and Avery's family.
And if I made an exact copy of it,
they would swap it with the original and keep it safe.
And in return, I get to be a part of the Hawthorne Club.
They told me no one would get hurt.
Someone is getting hurt. My mom.
I was never part of framing your mom, but... I am guilty of keeping their secrets.
I'm so sorry, Nia.
So help us. You know everything.
We can go to the board.
No way. It's probably too late anyway.
What do you mean, "It's too late"?
Wait.
Idris, you go on up to Nia's room and play some video games, okay?
I'll be up soon.
Okay.
Dad?
Dad, has anyone been in the house today?
Good to see you too, Nia.
Everything okay?
Yeah, I was expecting a package.
Didn't see anything.
The only person who came by was the Internet guy to fix the router.
And while they were here,
I asked them to upgrade the bandwidth for your gaming tournaments.
You're welcome!
So where did he hide the EP?
That might be Donovan.
Wait a second.
Layla!
No way.
I can't believe it.
Griffin was right.
Someone's coming.
I can assure you, there is nothing hidden in my living room.
It's Donovan.
How do we explain this?
Should we hide it?
Oliver.
Hey.
Could you give us the room?
Of course. No problem.
What's that you've got there? -Is that--
It's just a blank scroll for our art project.
Great. If you'll excuse us.
That was close. I'm sweating, like, a lot.
Oliver really saved us in there. Thanks, Oliver.
Donovan looked right at the desk like she knew something was hidden in it.
Now I know why she didn't take us seriously. She's in on it.
And we told her everything we knew.
Hold on.
If the words are no longer on the page,
just like when the ghost releases a character from a book,
does that mean--
Excuse me, what is this palace?
My house.
Forgive me, I am but a humble peasant.