Why did you kiss me?

Sylvie is intelligent, beautiful, and ferocious. I get how it feels never to be enough for family. I see the way her eyes gleam when she thinks she’s helping someone, flash in resentment, or fill with tears. Despite the fact that I hate what she does, that’s not who she is . . . Yes it is. Fuck.

But who am I to cast stones? I’ve planted traps in the audiences of each of these frauds. I’ve bribed a janitor at ODHS, used good folks, and been unnecessarily harsh, told countless lies to get this story off the ground.

Did you ever consider that you’re the one using people? That you’re the vampire?

Sylvie is right. We both feed off other people for our own benefit. But she is conning people to make money and that’s a crime. And what I did on Facebook, lying about a dying wife so I can write an exposé, further my career, garner awards, and bump up my salary? In the rearview mirror, Moose sits in the center of the back seat like an overgrown child. Chris sleeps beside him. Curled, she’s the size of a kitten. The dog studies me with eyes that shine with accusation. I look away.

TWENTY-NINE

Sylvie

It’s the same dream—the sand castle behind me, wave rising in the distance. Time has almost run out. When the wave hits, the treasure will be lost. I’ll be lost. A sharp wind sends a shower of crystals that burn. The wave growls my name. My fingers glance off something hard, smooth, and I wrestle the treasure free . . . The wave strikes. Greedy fingers rip my prize away. “NO!”

One of my hands smacks the window hard, the other Thomas. He swerves and the car in the left lane honks. Thomas jerks the wheel, swerves again, and we skid on the wet asphalt.

“Hold tight,” Thomas mutters.

A split second later we’re safely back in our lane. In the rearview mirror, Thomas checks to make sure Chris and Moose haven’t been hurt.

“What the hell was that?”

My heart slams against my chest. “Just a dream.”

“Seriously?”

I rest my sweaty forehead against the cold window. “It’s . . . I’ve had the same one before.”

“When?”

“It first came as a vision two days ago, onstage at the start of my show. I saw a sand castle with a moat, tiny sailboats. And I was there, too, on the beach. A massive wave rose in the distance. I knew that when it reached the shore, it would destroy the castle and what was inside.”

Thomas glances at me. “What was inside?”

“A treasure. The next time, everything was the same but I was digging for the treasure and the wave was coming to destroy me, too.”

“And today?”

I press my index fingers against throbbing temples. “I finally dug the treasure free.”

“What was it?”

I hesitate, twist my hair into a knot, and consider whether this information could hurt me. “An old snow globe.”