“But isn’t that for the best? Isn’t it better that he learns the truth than go on like he is now, pretending that nothing happened?”

“Absolutely, but the question is whether he can accept that truth and leave this place behind, or if his spirit will kick us out and double down on this illusion, reforging the town, but this time with stronger walls, which would make it almost impossible for Ryan to ever get out, or anyone else to get in.”

Amy gave a little shudder. “That could really happen? He could actually end up trapped in here forever?”

Her mother nodded and gave a slight grimace. “Remember, his spirit believes it is helping by keeping him stuck in this fantasy. That’s why he’s been stuck in here for two months already, and that’s why—if he isn’t able to find a way to make peace with his fate—he could be stuck in here a lot longer—possibly an eternity.”

Amy dropped her head, her stomach plunging at the thought of Ryan being stuck in here . . . alone . . . reliving the same twenty-four hours . . . never being able to escape.

“Then why isn’t someone doing something to help him?” she asked. “Where’s his mother? Why isn’t she helping him the same way that you’re helping me?”

“She’s been trying, sweetheart, but for her it’s even harder—she can’t even get inside the lighthouse, never mind the town. Chloe, her daughter, was able to use her unique connection to Ryan to infiltrate the snow globe, but it’s not as if she can reveal who she is and tell her brother what’s going on.”

“Hang on—did you just say Chloe? The same Chloe, as in . . .”

“As in the young girl you met this morning, the one who helped you get out of the hotel.”

“You mean Chloe is actually Ryan’s sister ?” Amy blurted out. “His unborn sister?”

“This is a lot to take in, I know.”

Another understatement, she thought.

Amy glanced out the window and stared into empty space, in desperate need of a break. She felt utterly dazed, almost as though her head was about to burst. She didn’t know what was more alarming: the nature of the information being heaped upon her, or the fact that she was actually taking it in. Some of it, she had to admit, was even starting to make sense. She understood why Ryan had found himself in this predicament. She had seen for herself the depth of love he had for his father, the sacrifices he had made to protect him from the mess they were in. That Ryan had unwittingly created this charade didn’t surprise her in the slightest. Even in death, he had done what he needed to do to stay with his father—if only just to pretend he could still keep him safe.