“Nightmares. For months now, even before the accident. That’s why I was so jumbled the day I hit you and your poor, wee sister. I hadn’t slept more’n a wink.”

Maren almost fell out of her seat. The hardware store appeared ahead, and Captain Perry started gathering up his things. Quickly, she turned to face him. “Do you remember what any of your nightmares were about?”

“Aye, I remember the one I had the night before I hit you lassies. Terribly sorry again.”

Maren waved away his apology as the bus began to slow. “What was it?”

“My teeth were falling out,” said Captain Perry, rubbing his jaw and shuddering. “By the handful. And they weren’t just human teeth, no—there were shark teeth and horse teeth and wee, pointy rat teeth.”

That was one of Hallie’s nightmares, one that Lishta deemed too disgusting to sell at the store. There was only one way someone could have gotten hold of that dream: if Hallie had given it to them.

Maren’s vision began to swim. No wonder Hallie had been acting so weird. Obscura must have been forcing her to steal nightmares, too, and Hallie must have been sneaking around, hiding her guilt just like Maren was doing now. Maren wondered how many nightmares her sister had stolen for Obscura, how long it had gone on.

“All right there?” Captain Perry peered at Maren. “I hope I didn’t scare you just then. Figured you of all people wouldn’t mind that sort of stuff.”

“No, it’s fine.” Maren wiped her upper lip and tried to smile, though her heart thumped so loud she could barely hear. “Come by the shop later and I’ll give you some dreams to help you sleep, okay?”

“That’d be much appreciated,” said Captain Perry. “Say hello to your sister. And tell her I’ve got a new song to play for her tomorrow.”

“I will.” A shrill whining sound filled Maren’s ears as she watched him exit the bus.

And then it hit her like a load of wet cement: If Captain Perry hadn’t been so tired from Obscura giving him nightmares and Hallie hadn’t been so distracted by what she was doing for Obscura, maybe they both would have paid attention at that traffic light. Maybe the accident would never have happened.

Maren’s entire body began to shake.

Obscura was the reason she’d lost her sister. Maren might be a nightmare thief, but Obscura was a sister thief. And she hadn’t even stopped when Hallie nearly died; she just moved on to the next sister like it was nothing. The Partridges were nothing to her, just pawns to get whatever she wanted. Maren balled her hands into fists, so tight her nails dug into the skin, and squeezed until her trembling limbs stilled.

She was done being a pawn.

It was time to put an end to this nightmare.