“Cole,” I whisper, and I reach for his hand.

“I see them,” he tells me.

Then the woman pulls a handful of something from her pocket, and she flings it into the air. “Look at the stars,” she says. And when she turns the flashlight out into the darkness, the whole sky is lit on fire.

The girl stands and stares. Because she’s never seen anything so pretty. The stars are falling like rain, and she forgets to be afraid for just a second. Until the dark-haired woman grabs her by the wrist. She jerks hard. Once. Twice.

Cole pulls me to his chest. “Don’t look,” he whispers against my ear. “You don’t need that memory.” So I close my eyes tight. But I still feel myself flying.

Falling.

“I love you,” I tell him.

“I love you, too,” he says. “So don’t be sorry. This is what I want.”

I don’t know what he means.

“Cole—”

Behind us, the Culver house is engulfed in flames. I feel the intense heat of it. Everything is tinted orange now. The air is on fire.

Cole’s hands are on my face. “I more than love you. So don’t you dare be sorry when I die.”

“You’re okay,” I tell him. “We’re okay.”

He shakes his head. “I’ve seen it, Avril. I’ve watched myself die a hundred different nights. Out here. In the fog. Over and over. But I never understood it. It never made sense. Not until you showed up. And then I recognized your face. The very first second I saw you. And I knew, if I fell in love with you, it was all over. That this is how it would end. For me.” He reaches out to touch my hair. So gentle. “But I did it anyway.” He trails his fingers down my neck. “And it was worth it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve always known I was going to die. I’ve seen myself go over the edge. I’ve been watching it like a movie my whole life. I don’t know how it happens. I’ve never known that. Because I never see that part. The part that happens just before. I only see myself falling. And I know that you’re there. I see you. I feel you. And I know I’m falling to save you. To keep you safe.” His forehead is pressed to mine. “Somehow I know that. I’ve always known that. So it’s always been okay.”

“No,” I tell him, and I know I sound hysterical. “Cole. No.”

“What the sea wants, the sea will have.”