“We stayed in town for a day or so, then we went out to visit these people. They might’ve been friends of Mom and Dad’s or maybe someone in town told them about them. I can’t remember. All I know is that pretty soon we were driving down this winding little road through the forest, looking for these people who sold lamb’s wool blankets. We passed through a clearing where there were people selling juice and fruit from a little roadside stand, and Dad bought me some blackberry juice. That part’s pretty clear. Then the next thing I remember is being at this big giant house in the middle of nowhere.” He tapped a finger on the picture. “This house.” He frowned. “Come to think of it, I think they might’ve been friends. It seemed like they knew each other from somewhere before, because they greeted each other like they were old pals.”

“Did you stay there?”

“Oh, yeah. For several days.”

Laurie shook her head wonderingly. “How come I don’t remember any of this?”

“That’s the funny thing. I don’t remember you either. I mean, you must’ve been there, but I just remember this weird old couple—” He looked at her. “Sorry. No offense—and this… overpowering house. I mean, I know now that the house was on a vortex, but back then I just thought it was scary.”

“So you don’t remember me at all?”

He shook his head.

What about the man who’d lived with them? she wondered. Her father’s friend. She thought hard, tried to remember his name. She could see his face, hear his voice, but she couldn’t quite—

Billington.

That was it.

“Do you remember anyone else?” she asked.

He frowned. “No…” he said slowly. “I don’t think so.”

“Who took the picture?”

He looked at it again. “I don’t remember. A man, I think.”

“Was his name Billington or something like that?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Did you see anyone else while you were there?” She licked her lips. “A girl maybe?”

He picked up on it instantly, glancing sharply at her. “The girl in your dreams?”

She nodded a reluctant acknowledgment. “I think her name was Dawn.”

“And that’s the same girl you saw in the alley?”

Already there were goose bumps on her arm. “I think so.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I didn’t know before. I just sort of… It’s coming back slowly. And I can’t remember half as much as you remember. And you were younger than me.” She paused. “Trauma, probably.”

“Trauma?”

“I think my parents were killed.”

A pause. “I figured it was probably something like that.”

“You don’t remember anyone except my parents?”