William set down the phone, coming to squat in front of her. “I think so. I want you to know something: None of this is your fault. None of it. What happened back in the cotton field, and the airport, when you saved me in the car—you’re not doing it. I am. I don’t know how, but I am.”

Lily narrowed her eyes. “But … I’m a monster—”

“No, no honey,” William took her arms. “You’re not. I know it’s hard to understand. But you and I—we’re … connected, somehow. And others like us.”

“Do you make them do bad things too?” she asked.

“I don’t want to. That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“You made me stop. Maybe you can make them stop too. I don’t want people to get sick anymore. Why did they do this to us?”

William held his breath. “Do you remember … when you were taken? Up into the stars?”

She just stared for a moment, and then nodded once.

“And when they brought you back … what happened?”

She shook her head firmly. Tears pooled in her eyes.

“Ok.” He reached out, touching her arm. “It’s OK—”

“I saw you,” she said, stifling her sob. “I saw you when you dreamed.”

William’s eyes widened. “You could see me in your dreams?”

“I had to find you.”

Her bottom lip jutted out and the tears let loose. William held her, stroking the back of her hair. “You’re a brave girl, Lily. But can you tell me, why did you feel like you had to find me?”

“Because of the monster,” she said, the bitterness sounding harsh in her young voice. “It’s waiting for us.”

William’s legs hung off the edge of the picnic table. The trees that lined the back of the motel were still; even the branches didn’t sway, as if to indicate it was too hot for anything to move. He’d need to shower again after sitting out here.

He took another swig from the bottle of water. It was warm already.

A shape briefly interrupted the sole source of light, a bulb positioned above the trashcans in the back. Hands in his pockets, Quincy strolled towards him.

“Lily asleep?” William asked.

“Yep. Had to practically write her a contract in blood stating that if she changed into the world’s ugliest unicorn pajamas, she could wear the world’s ugliest dress again tomorrow. You’d think I’d bought her Vera Wang.”

William managed to smirk. “She loves it.”

“Poor kid. Wherever she came from, whatever life she had, she must have not had much.”

“I wish I knew anything about what happened to her before, but she’s clearly traumatized by it. Enough to where she won’t talk about it.”