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Now taller than her, she gazed up at me and touched my face—my beard. “No longer my little boy.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “Is it really you?”
“Good,” she praised with a smile. “Keep asking questions. He has stopped.”
“W-What? Who? What’s happening?”
Her thumb grazed my cheek. “Not as important as why.” Before I could ask anything, she said, “They’re alive, Lynx. One will be yours again, the other must walk her meadow.”
“They?” Wait—Meadow. “Everleigh? Oh my God, Mom, where can I find her?”
“Where are you standing?” she asked, her tone hardening. Her words were picking up speed as if she were running out of time.
I was under her favorite tree! “Home! Is Ev there?”
“Lynx! What are you standing on?”
Taken by surprise that she was now yelling at me, I quickly looked down, my mouth opened to confirm I was home, but with electric blue rain under and around my feet, that were now dressed in black shiny dress shoes, I wasn’t sure anymore. “What the—?”
Wow. Elle had dreamt this. My tears being blue… But the shoes? My stomach turned. Lorenzo.
“Mom, is something going to happen to Elle?”
Her face twisting, she roared, “Where are you standing?”
The memory of Elle’s drawing, under the tree… blue wave…
As my soul received the message I needed to hear, my head slowly lifted to see this marvelous woman one more time. “Water. I’m standing on water.”
Her magnificent green eyes welled. “Set your storm free—”
I sat up in bed. “Water.” I reached for Elle. “Ev’s on the boat—” The bed was empty. “Babe?” I got up, rushing to the bathroom. “Elle, we gotta tell Pops Ev—”
No sign of Elle.
Grabbing jeans and stepping into them, I was still yanking them up while running out of our room. “Babe?”
Without bothering with shoes or a shirt, I raced down a hallway to The Barn.
Not there yet, but having a view of it, I saw Pops in the Sherriff’s face. He wasn’t livid, which was shocking. He was actually… pitiful. “What do you mean, you haven’t seen her? She should have been returned by now.” Then he took off, running out the front door, Vice hot on his heels.
“Coach?” I entered The Barn. “Is there news on my sister?”
He’d been trying to help us ever since Everleigh was taken.
Sherriff faced me and sorrowfully said, “No, so sorry…” but my eye caught Dagger off to the side, pulling on his hair.
I side-stepped Sherriff. “Excuse me.” Then went to the man on the verge of losing his shit. “Dag, my brother, what is it?” Affectionately, I grabbed his shoulder. “Talk to me.”
His blue eye was full of regret and pain. “My boy, you have to understand—”
I shook his shoulder. “Of course. You okay?”
Dagger begged—something he never did. “He hasn’t slept in days. His mind is slipping.”
Tilting my head, I took a nervous step back. Then I looked around. “Elle?”
My fatherly figure followed my steps. “Lynx, that man is raping your sister…”
