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Back Spells for Lost Things
Chapters (42)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Prologue
  5. – 1 – Willow
  6. – 2 – Mason
  7. – 3 – Willow
  8. – 4 – Mason
  9. – 5 – Willow
  10. – 6 – Mason
  11. – 7 – Willow
  12. – 8 – Mason
  13. – 9 – Willow
  14. – 10 – Mason
  15. – 11 – Willow
  16. – 12 – Mason
  17. – 13 – Willow
  18. – 14 – Mason
  19. – 15 – Willow
  20. – 16 – Mason
  21. – 17 – Willow
  22. – 18 – Mason
  23. – 19 – Willow
  24. – 20 – Mason
  25. – 21 – Willow
  26. – 22 – Mason
  27. – 23 – Willow
  28. – 24 – Mason
  29. – 25 – Willow
  30. – 26 – Mason
  31. – 27 – Willow
  32. – 28 – Mason
  33. – 29 – Willow
  34. – 30 – Mason
  35. – 31 – Willow
  36. – 32 – Mason
  37. – 33 – Willow
  38. – 34 – Mason
  39. Acknowledgments
  40. More from the Author
  41. About the Author
  42. ALSO BY JENNA EVANS WELCH

Of course the “Night Sky” catches my eye. This obviously has nothing to do with Emma and my mom’s high school experience—it’s dated a little less than a year ago—but I’m curious anyway. Is Emma part of a skygazing community?

I creep silently through the house, pausing on the stairs to make sure the house is completely quiet. One of the girls has a whistly kind of snore, and I can hear the wall clock ticking from the kitchen, but otherwise I’m home free.

At the computer, I open a search window and type in Night Sky House, Florida. A website pops up with an orange banner and images of people sitting in a circle, all eyes on one person. Night Sky Sober Living House. Only in the darkness can stars be seen. Changing lives, one day at a time.

Sober living?

I’m completely still, but the breath gets knocked out of me anyway. It isn’t a stargazing community, it’s a place where people can live while they try to get and stay sober. There are several testimonials and a section titled Resources for Families. My face flushes as I read through them. Did my mom live here? Is she there now? And why on earth is she in Florida?

I pause on the About page. We are a facility dedicated to promoting lifelong sobriety for individuals released from recovery centers. We promote life skills, help with job placement, and assist in the creation of better communication and emotional skills. Please see our Results page along with testimonials.

Does this have to do with my mom? If so, it doesn’t fully make sense—why would Emma be paying the bill, and why would my mom be in a recovery center in Florida, of all places? Does Emma have someone else in her life who’s an addict? And if it’s not about my mom, how did it end up in the shoebox?

My brain is bouncing all over the place, my heart beating so hard, I can hear it in my ears. I have to find out if this is about my mom. I click through to the Contact page and find information about funding and how to apply to the program. Near the bottom I find a contact form with the director’s name on it. I’m struggling to keep my breath even.

This is most likely a dead end, a huge dead end, but this is my best shot. I know from past attempts that treatment centers can’t give you any information on patients, so I’m going to have to come up with a different approach. I think for a moment, then start typing.