A slender woman with ice-blonde hair that falls just across her face. And another woman. Shorter. Smaller. Her hair is a mass of unruly curls. They sit pressed so close together. There’s not even room for the fog to slip between them. Glory says something, and my mother laughs as she reaches out to run her long fingers though those wild curls. They’re both giggling now. Foreheads touching. Nose to nose. I hold my breath and wait for the kiss I know must be coming. And I see the way they melt into each other when their lips meet.

Just like me and Cole.

“Avril?” Cole is waiting for me. Holding back one of the little limbs so the wet leaves don’t brush my face. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I turn to look at him, and when I glance back over my shoulder, the Hidden Theatre is empty.

The memory ghosts have vanished.

But I know they’re still here. Even if I can’t see them. Because I’m beginning to understand that nobody ever really leaves Whisper Cove.

It’s hard enough for the dead to escape. But it’s even harder for the living.

ACT III: SCENE 9

Cole leads us all back toward the cabins. The stench of farm animals is in the air, and we skirt around the fence that shouldn’t be there. Val reaches for my hand when she hears the grunting of the pigs.

“I’m scared,” she whispers, and I squeeze her fingers. Hope that it makes her less afraid. Because the pigs are only shadows.

The real danger at Whisper Cove had always come from flesh-and-blood people and the secrets they keep.

The next morning, Willa gathers us all up on the farmhouse porch before breakfast. I’m trying to read her face, to figure out what she’s going to tell us. About Glory. But her eyes don’t offer any clue. She gives us all a long look before she speaks. “I’ve just gotten off the phone with the hospital,” she tells us. And it’s the weirdest feeling. Two dozen people all holding their breath together. “As of this morning, Glory is hanging on. The doctors are optimistic.” There’s a collective sigh of relief, and I suddenly have no idea how I feel. Cole reaches for my hand. “She’s not out of the woods yet.” Willa closes her eyes and centers herself before she continues. “But I think we can be hopeful. And so the show will go on tonight. In Glory’s honor.” Lex looks at me, but all I can do is stare at Willa. “You’ve all worked so hard, and I know that she would want you to have this night.” She tries to smile. “This is your moment to become.”