Myron avoided eye contact by resuming measuring the lumber in front of him. “I didn’t want them getting made fun of because of their … you know. Especially Juniper. She doesn’t know how to turn it off sometimes.”

Finn understood. She remembered her mom worrying the same thing about her when the echoes had started. “Are they picked on?”

“Sometimes,” he said, marking the wood with his pencil. “But for normal kid reasons. Honestly, I think they’re better adjusted than I was at that age.” He paused. “I still worry about them, though.”

Based on what Zadie had told her about Myron and Rowan’s fight, he was still not ready to take his daughters at their word. There was no reason, then, that he should trust a stranger, but Finn decided to try anyway. “I was the one who found your wife.”

Myron’s ruler slipped and the pencil veered off course, scoring the wood at a strange angle. He paused for a moment, eyes downcast, then said tersely, “My wife is dead.”

“I know.” Finn pictured him in his black suit and lavender tie. “But maybe … she’s not totally gone, either.”

Myron kept his head bowed. His glasses had begun to slip back down his nose. Sensing that she’d crossed a line, Finn excused herself and began hobbling gingerly back up the stairs.

“Hold on.”

She turned back around. Myron set down his pencil and locked eyes with her. “You really saw her?” His voice was quiet, uncertain.

“Yes.”

“What was she doing?”

“She was watching the kids play.”

Myron nodded thoughtfully, then resumed his work as if they’d never spoken.

Zadie expected Finn to be gone when she awoke, but there she was, peacefully lying next to her, bandaged feet poking out of the bottom of the comforter. The amount of relief she felt at seeing her there was as palpable as if her sister had returned from the dead. She was safe now. But for how long? Could Zadie really keep track of her every move? I’ll handcuff us together if I have to, she thought.

Of course the other option would be to turn back, to come clean to Steve and Kathy so they could lock Finn in her room until she broke free of whatever force had taken hold of her. It would have been the responsible thing to do. But every time she contemplated this, she pictured the look on her sister’s face—her mom’s face—as they stood facing each other in the rain. She wanted, needed to see that face again. And she could only do it with Finn’s help.

“Hey,” Zadie said when Finn’s eyes eventually fluttered open.

“Hey.” She looked dazed, unfocused. She pointed to her feet. “Do I want to know how this happened?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Finn nodded in agreement, then slumped back onto her pillow. “Later sounds good.”