When Will had heard the words “submerged vehicle” in the police station the previous day, he’d pictured Maddie’s car sinking into the rushing current of the river, the muddy water quickly engulfing the windows as she banged helplessly against the glass. They’d been shown a video at school meant to prepare them for just such an emergency. There was a series of steps that you were supposed to follow for self-rescue: unbuckle your seat belt, open the window before the water level rises above it, and escape through the window. They made it sound so simple, but all Will could think was that, in the terror of the rising water, how could you stay calm enough to remember the steps?

Maddie hadn’t driven into the river after all, but instead into the canal that ran along River Road near town. The canal was only five feet deep, but Maddie’s car had slid down the steep embankment, landing hard on its nose in the water. The driver’s window had smashed, filling the front seat with water, but somehow Maddie had managed to climb through the back seat and out of the trunk. When the police arrived, she was sitting on the back bumper, leaning against the embankment, bleeding but alive. She’d saved herself.

Will found the room, on the second floor, and peered through the window in the door. June was sitting in a chair next to Maddie’s bed, and she caught Will’s eye. She stood up, gave Maddie’s hand a squeeze, and came out into the hallway.

“She’ll be happy to see you,” June said. “But she’s pretty tired. She broke two ribs, and I think they gave her something for the pain.”

“I don’t want to bother her if she’s tired,” Will said, feeling awkward. He’d never visited anyone in the hospital before. He felt like he was pretending to be mature enough to handle something that was actually way beyond his experience.

“It’s fine,” June said. “Don’t be nervous. Look, Will, I’m glad that I ran into you. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.” She took a deep breath. “I was the one who came forward to the police and gave a statement. I wanted you to know.”

“What?” Will said. “But you were the one who said that we all had to stick together and stay quiet.”