“You scared the shit out of Joel.”

“I did?”

“Not me, though.”

“Just Joel.”

“Yeah.”

Finn attempted to smile but grimaced as it stretched the skin on her chapped lips. “I know you want to talk about this later—”

“Right.”

“—but I have something to tell you.”

Zadie gifted her the silence to continue.

“I think Rowan was right. The painting wasn’t a volcano. It was the ocean.”

“How do you know?”

Finn’s tone was uncharacteristically flat, unmoved. “Because in my echo, I needed to get there for some reason. Nothing else mattered. I just kept running.”

“You mean Mom needed to get there.”

“Yeah. That’s what I meant.” Finn tried smiling again. “Looks like you’re going to get your beach vacation, after all.”

It was true. Zadie would get to see the ocean. But the thought of lounging on a beach chair—after everything they’d been through—felt hollow. “I don’t want a vacation,” she said decidedly. “I want to find Mom.”

Finn searched her sister’s face, but if she was looking for falsehoods, she wasn’t going to find any. Zadie had meant what she’d said.

“Crap.” Finn sat up suddenly. “I left my boots and phone up there.”

Zadie pulled Finn’s phone and the painted rock out of the drawer in her nightstand and handed them to Finn. “I didn’t have room for the boots. I’ll head up there now and fetch them for you.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.” Then, in a spontaneous and uncharacteristic show of affection, Zadie gave her sister a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.” But before Finn could hug her back, she was on her feet and out the door.

Ding. Finn swallowed. She knew who the text was from before she even looked at her phone.

Twenty-three texts. Fifteen missed calls. Eight voice mails.

The text that Kathy had just sent read:

IF YOU DON’T CALL ME BACK IN FIVE MINUTES, I’M CALLING THE POLICE.

One ring. “Finn?”

“Yeah. I’m so sorry, I—”

“Where are you?”

She hesitated. No more lies. “Washington State.”

“What the hell are you doing in Washington?”

No more lies. “Zadie and I went to find our mom.”

Kathy was silent for so long, Finn thought the line had gone dead. “You still there?”

“I’m still here.”

Her foster mom had a habit of playing with her wedding ring when she felt hurt. That’s what Finn pictured her doing while she waited for Kathy to speak.

“Was this Zadie’s idea?”

“No. It was mine. I didn’t say anything ’cause I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“And look how that turned out.”

Finn closed her eyes as if her shame were something she had to see to feel.

She heard Steve’s voice, faint, in the background. “Yes, it’s her,” Kathy said. “Do you want to talk to her?”