Lily swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and choked out an acquiescence. ‘Of course. Of course I’ll help. With our combined knowledge, we can do this. Jem, we can take them down.’

Lily felt stronger than she’d ever felt before. She felt a confidence in her cause, in her abilities, in this newfound team. Things were still terrifying; she couldn’t remember the last time she had crawled into bed without an anxious, uncomfortable knot in her stomach. But, with Jem and the others, she finally didn’t feel alone. She was glad that she was the one who had come all the way out here to face this evil. And she was glad that Alf, at least, was safe, far away and tucked up in his bed, in peaceful, quiet Alder Vale. That gave her the peace and the hope she needed to succeed and to get herself back home one day.

Jem and Lily’s eyes met across the dimly lit room. While Jem had shared his story, the sun had disappeared and the moon was attempting to break through the heavily clouded sky. They had been gone far longer than either of them had expected.

In that little room, in the shadow of the great and hulking lighthouse, an alliance had been forged. Without having to utter the words, both Lily and Jem knew that they would put every ounce of their strength and their power and their love into retrieving Alice and Grace. Each of them felt strength in the companionship of the other. It didn’t seem to matter that they had only just met one another, because they had a shared cause. A shared trauma. Lily trusted that Jem would get her to Alice, but she also knew that this beautiful boy with a shadowy but selfless heart needed help too, and she felt compelled to join him.

This wasn’t just about Alice anymore. It had grown into a purpose so much larger than she could have ever imagined when she had set out in the beginning. She felt herself drifting away, the flickering of the fire disappearing as her eyes closed involuntarily. Just as the wave of sleep was crashing over her, she heard Jem stand and she shook herself awake.

‘It’s been a long day for you; it’s probably time for us to have some dinner and get some rest,’ Jem said, offering her a calloused hand to help her out of the chair into which she had sunken. She took his hand and stood, her bones aching and her throat still sore. She tried to ignore how nice his hand felt in hers.

They walked together out of the room and back around to the lighthouse entrance. Jem accompanied Lily up the stairs, clearly still worried about her strength. When they reached her door, she opened it and entered the room before turning around. There were so many words that she wanted to say, feelings she wanted to convey, but seeing him standing there, illuminated by the moonlight, leaning against the doorframe with his messy hair and his tired eyes, she found that the words left her. ‘I—’ she began, and then stopped, unsure of what to say.