But looking into his eyes, I saw more. I saw a certainty and peace that defied his sorrow. That calm seemed to reach out to me and hold me. For several long beats my fear fell away and I just stood there, strangely comforted.

“He knows now,” Eli said.

I blinked. “Knows what?” I asked, assuming the he Eli was referring to was my father.

“Everything.” He stepped up to me and held out the golden stone. “It’s going to be okay,” he said, dropping the stone into my hand. And then, with a nod, “I’ll stay in the train car if you want.”

I wanted to say something but found no words. What had just happened?

“I would like that,” I finally said. “I just want you to be safe.”

“Protected,” he said. “So that evil doesn’t get me.”

“Yes, protected.” Although my concern felt less acute now. Even a bit silly.

But then my sanity returned and I chided myself for letting my guard down. Imagined sentiments were one thing, but this was reality, where danger hid in every dark corner.

Without a word, Eli walked past me, headed back in the direction of the train tracks. And then he was running and I was hurrying to catch him. The backpack bounced on my back, slowing me, and part of me wished I didn’t have it so I could run past him. It was all a game to him. Another part of me wanted to call out and tell him to slow down, but my more cautious side knew how far sound could travel in these mountains.

We reached the train car winded, I just a few steps behind him.

Eli stepped up onto the thick wooden beam that lined the rusted tracks and spun around to face me. “I beat you.”

“You got a head start!”

He laughed. I started to join him but stopped myself. Had I lost my mind? The thought filled me with a moment’s dread. Hadn’t Bobbie warned me of just this?

But I still couldn’t fear Eli. My father had insisted I keep him safe. I could do that and keep myself safe as well. But to do that, I had to get back before anyone knew I’d gone.

I shrugged the backpack off my shoulders and handed it to him. “Here’s some things to keep you comfortable through the night.”

Eli stepped off the track, sat on the wooden rail, and opened the pack.

“It’s not much, just the basics,” I said, watching him comb through the bag. “Food, water, a blanket. And a flashlight in case you need it. Promise me you’ll be here when I come back. I just need a little more time to figure out what to do. I’m so sorry about all this, but they’re looking for you, you understand? It’s safer here for now than anywhere I can think of. Right?”