"... I mean there's irresponsible, that's me... then there's forgetful, that's your father... and then there's both - you," Anne said, thrusting the packet of cranberries onto Amy's chest. "Assaulting a classmate in the middle of a volunteer rally for the search and rescue of another, I have run out of excuses for you, Amelia. You are going to end up in juvie, and I'm just going to die of shame..."

As far as parental lectures went, this one probably set a world record. Anne's thesis on her brazen daughter's life - pinpointing all the tiny instances where she went wrong that led up to her most recent act of insanity - was already thirteen hours long and counting. Only the need to sleep had been a minor deterrent for her mom. Although, Amy was sure her mother had continued to mumble-scold in her fitful slumber. They were in the fresh produce section of Greenbriar's hunting down some last-minute Thanksgiving essentials her father had forgotten about.

Amy only wished the break in rainfall that had battered Sirencester since yesterday could've inspired her mother to relent. A preternatural chill had slicked the roads.

"I think I'm going to need wine to wash down your sins." Anne swatted away Amy's hand when she tried to commandeer the shopping cart. "You've lost all trolley privileges, sweetheart," Anne snapped, somehow effortlessly blending her British roots and Southern affectations.

Inexorably grounded for the foreseeable future, Amy was already churlish about a lot of things. Having had the same amount of success finding Caleb Dawson's metaphysical presence as the SAR team had in finding his corporeal one, this just felt like another insult to injury. It wasn't like she could just call and make up with him.

"Then why bring me? I was fine at home!" Amy erupted.

"Young lady, don't talk back to me."

"Mom, I told you! Cece was disrespecting -"

"Everything all right here, Ma'am?" Ashton emerged from behind the jams and pickles shelf, all dimples and sandy blond charm. He quickly rearranged his teal work apron which he was wearing like a cape.

"Ashton, honey! Oh dear, everything is fine, I was just looking for that beautiful rosé you had a couple of weeks ago." Her mother switched expressions faster than the carnation in Cuphead. Anne had always nursed a soft corner for Ashton.

"Oh, the smash hit from the Arts and Wine Festival? We may be out of stock now but I'll check it for you."

"Aren't you a peach? Amy has a lot to learn from you."

"Mom!"

"Does she now?" Ashton winked at Amy when her mother wasn't looking.

"Why are you here on Thanksgiving? Weren't you supposed to be at Gracie's?" asked Anne.

"Mom had a photoshoot fiasco so we had to cancel our New York plans. Dad is on a work trip." Ashton dug out the last bottle of wine from the back. "Got it!"

"You poor thing," Anne said, hugging the shiny blush wine to her bosom. "Then what are you going to do?"

With a scrunched-up, pitiful expression Ashton plucked the macaroni and cheese box from the shelf beside him and gave it a little kiss. This coming from the kid who couldn't play a tree.

Anne shook her head. "Oh no absolutely not! You must come over. I can't let you be all alone in that house tonight."

"Are you sure Mrs. Irvine? It won't be too inconvenient?"

"Tsk! You are coming and that is final. God knows Amy can use some good influence in her life."

Amy was accustomed to being compared with every overachieving kid in the neighborhood. But going up against a clear master of parental manipulation left a sour taste in her mouth. Well, two could play at that game. Save me, Amy mouthed behind Anne's back, her palms pressed together.

Ashton gave the tiniest jerk of his head. "Speaking of, may I borrow her for like fifteen minutes? Mark kept the shop running for a special shipment of moonshine barbeque sauce that is due shortly and I'll be free after. I can drop Amy home..."

"But she's grounded." Anne smiled matter-of-factly.

"I'll make sure she doesn't get into any more trouble, Mrs. Irvine." Ashton's puppy dog eyes were working overtime. "I just need another set of hands doing inventory while I carry all those boxes."

"Honey, I could help you with that! Amy can do the grunt work with you."

Amy groaned internally. As if her mother would fall for that. Maybe Ashton wasn't as good as she thought he was.

Anne made herself comfortable behind the counter and breezily struck the bell. Ding!

Before Ashton and Amy could register any sort of displeasure, Anne barked rapid-fire orders at them. "Put all that we've bought in the Corolla, Amy, carefully, and Ashton, would you be a dear and get me one of those honey miso lattes from Shenanigans? The rains have made the weather worse. ... Though I kind of like it. Reminds me of home."

Amy stomped out of the store and shoved their purchases into the car, grumbling incoherently. "Nice try, Ash, but this is her way of telling me that she'll always be a step ahead."

"At least we can drag out the chores a bit."

"I wanted to be out of Sauron's gaze not lift boxes under it."

Ashton winced. "I'm sorry."

Softening a bit at his downcast eyes and droopy shoulders, Amy reached for his hand and rubbed circles around his knuckles with her thumb. His body temperature was always cooler than hers. "Hey, you tried. Most people would cower and flee. Besides, you've improved a lot! That was some S-tier skullduggery."

"The blessings of divorced parents," he replied. Ashton was close enough under the raised rear hatch of the car that Amy could see the small scar near his cupid's bow - courtesy of the time she had tripped him back in her bullying days. A flash of cobalt guilt jolted her.

Ashton began, "I have something to con-"

"We should get her coffee soon or my mom will come after us," said Amy. Shutting the backdoor of the car with untenable strength, she tried to clear her head while traversing the crosswalk. A quick scan of her surroundings revealed nothing unusual in the washed-out avenues of the historic downtown. No vestiges of a dark jacket over broad shoulders among the crowds. No stormy eyes piercing her soul. I've been thinking about him too much.

"Amy, wait up!" Ashton called out, hurrying behind her. Amy pushed the door of Shenanigans open, wishing to block out anything Ashton might say that she didn't need to hear right then. A bad feeling coiled and hissed at the base of her spine. Something was wrong.

They were waiting behind an unusually long line and it only took Amy a few bouncy attempts at standing on her tiptoes to figure out why. Kristine was flirting with Robin at the counter. The beleaguered boy caught sight of Amy and stared daggers at her.

"Ames, hey, are you alright? You look pale." Ashton gently touched her cheek.

Amy swallowed. "I'm fine... though I don't think I should go anywhere near Robin right now."

The retro-themed café was packed with volunteers and rescue workers preparing for the second round of operations. Media coverage of Caleb Dawson's disappearance seemed to have intensified overnight too. Amy would've preferred to believe it wasn't because of her little spat with Cecile Presley going viral. The remixed version of 'You Hit My Boob' was distasteful, to say the least. "We are going to be here for a minute. Do you want to sit?"

"I think I'm gonna go to the ladies' room."

Ashton gripped her hand. "Did I do something wrong? I know I've been a jerk..." He exhaled. "We haven't really spoken after the game and things have just gotten away from us..." Ashton's hands flailed about in the space between them. "I'm not saying - this is not -"

Amy felt the phantom limbs of her feelings for Ashton stir, only then realizing that they had been amputated.

Ever so committed to finding Caleb's body, she had completely missed how her heart had changed tune. Amy wondered when it could've happened. Was it in her bedroom before Natasha's party? Or perhaps in the metal dinosaur's belly? The answering deluge of memories filled with surreal experiences and heartrending conversations with Caleb Dawson was almost too powerful to contain within her. She feared that if she opened her mouth, her love for him would swallow the suburbia whole.

Guess there are worse places to realize you're in love with a ghost, thought Amy.

The clatter of the coffee houses' cutlery and the angry voices of its patrons waiting for their orders stabbed her eardrums. Amy needed to be alone. Confined in a space where these newborn feelings could be categorized into neat little segments of her mind.

With insuperable difficulty she managed to rasp, "I'll be back."

Twice in two days, Amy found herself barricaded in a bathroom. Only this one wasn't as hygienic as her last restroom sojourn running away from the spectre. She pulled the toilet seat cover down and climbed onto it, perching on the tank. Amy tucked her head between her knees and tried to breathe through her nose. Damn you, Caleb.

How could she fall for a guy she couldn't touch? A certified jerk who didn't even like her back? It was impossible! There was no way she'd be that stupid and reckless. Amy couldn't accept she had just blazed past the first few steps of liking someone and fallen smack dab in the middle of love. Her sweatshirt felt like it was made of burning chainmail but she couldn't get it off.

Just as she grappled with the intensity of her emotions, the main door of the girls' restroom banged open. Amy heard sounds of passionate kissing and lewd moans, causing an embarrassed heat to flow through her face. A lock clicked in place.

"Cece - stop, please - I need to make this right," a pained voice cried out.

Pete Ford and Cecile Presley. Amy's stomach churned.

"Just shut up and kiss me." Cecile pushed him against a stall. "I don't want to hear your whining again -"

"The police are searching the woods, it is only a matter of time," said Pete. He hissed as if he was hurt. "They are going to find him, Cece!"

"Then let them, for goodness' sake! What good it'll do if you snitch?"

"He was crying out for help and I - I didn't -"

Cecile muzzled Pete with her hand, drowning him out. "You want Jude to kill both of us? Is that what you want?"

Pete was sobbing now. "I just want - I want to do what is right."

A falsetto laugh echoed in response. "You better watch your mouth, Petey. I have things on you that will make you wish you were in Dawson's place instead. In fact," her voice lowered to a deadly whisper, "I wish it was you screaming that night."

Pete collapsed on the floor, bawling hysterically.

Of one thing Amy was now sure: something dreadful had happened to Caleb the night of the carnival and Jude Presley was involved.

"Here," Cecile said, taking something out from her purse. "A treat so you can fix yourself up. Don't come near me again." She turned the faucet on, used the hand dryer, and left.

Amy didn't dare move. Fear and the desire to find out more had immobilized her. From the gap beneath the stall, Amy couldn't see what the girl had given Pete. A second later, a used syringe slid into her line of sight, a fat yellow drop oozing from the tip.

"No, no, no!" Amy wrenched the stall door open to find Pete Ford slumped against it. The four-point scar on his arm was pulsating an angry maroon, out of sync with his breaths. "Pete, Pete, wake up!" Amy slapped his face but the boy had passed out. The delusions would start soon. She abandoned him and rushed out of the restroom.

Even though a majority of people had returned to Burke's End to resume the search and rescue, a lot of people were still milling around. Mercifully, Robin had shaken Kristine off and was changing the filters of the espresso machine.

Amy charged toward the counter. "Call 911! Pete Ford is unconscious in the bathroom."

"What have you done now?" Robin threw his cleaning rag on the table.

"I swear I haven't done anything. Cecile gave him Anaxan and I think he has OD'd."

Robin grabbed his phone and hastened to the back.

"Never a dull moment around you, kid," a blond guy sitting by the countertop said, taking a sip of his chai tea latte. Amy recognized him as the volunteer who had handed her the sign-up sheet. He was sitting next to Henry Wigmore. "An awful lot of people have been suffering one way or the other, don't you think?"

There were very few moments in her life when Amy had been rendered speechless. Seeing Henry next to a stranger after he had scrupulously avoided her for days was certainly an unexpected one from the list. Getting to the fine print of whatever drama her best friend's boyfriend was cooking up wasn't a priority for Amy at that moment. "Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry. Henry, did you see where Cecile Presley went?"

"Yeah, she went toward the grocery store," the blonde stranger answered instead, setting a five-dollar bill on the table. "And you're right, we don't have to get into all of that today. You call Henry and sort everything out once we find your friend out in the woods."

Amy stared at him. The certainty with which the man spoke irked her.

"I mean I hope we find him," he clarified. "My nephew says you two are very close."

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" asked Amy, glancing at Henry who was avoiding her eye.

"A distant relative. I'm in town for some business. Call me V."

They shook hands. Amy didn't want to press Henry for answers in front of his uncle but the whole interaction made the fine hairs at the back of her neck stand up.

"Henry, say bye to your friend." V nudged him. Henry looked at Amy and complied with a close-lipped smile.

The short conversation she had with the blond man kept playing in her head as paramedics hurried toward the bathroom. But there was no time to analyze the details. Amy exited the coffee house and spotted Ashton across the street, carrying crates into the store while her mom supervised.

Maybe because it had been too long for Amy without seeing Caleb, she couldn't differentiate if she was actually seeing him or if her mind was playing tricks on her. Caleb was leaning against the delivery van that had gotten the shipment of supplies, arms folded across his chest, and a familiar scowl marring his forehead.

Amy's heart shot up like a rocket.

But what happened next was a series of events that Amy couldn't quite put in sequential order, even after many days that followed. Ashton tripped over his own feet and the jars containing barbeque sauce rolled around the pavement, some shattering on impact, staining the area a deep crimson. Anne dropped her clipboard. A pickup truck came into view from the intersection, screeching, sliding straight toward the storefront. People had just begun screaming when Caleb turned to look at the oncoming vehicle. He coolly walked three feet in front of Ashton and stood his ground.

Even though a part of her knew what would happen, Amy couldn't breathe. Absolute terror seized her. When their eyes met, Caleb flinched.

Just before impact, the pickup jerked sideways as if shoved aside by an invisible hand, smashing into a fire hydrant. Its airbags deployed with a loud crack and a column of water burst forth soaking everyone and everything in its wake.

All except a boy only Amy could see.

✧

The paramedics proclaimed that Ashton was lucky to get away with a minor sprain and a cut lip. The brakes of the pickup had failed and the resultant hydroplaning was an unfortunate accident. Amy sat in an armchair watching the rain renew its onslaught against the large windows of Anglestone Hospital.

Anne was fussing over Ashton, clucking like a mother hen. "Are you sure you're comfortable honey? I'm still a little shaky. The doctor says we can take you home in some time. Do you want some water?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Irvine," said Ashton. "I'm alright, really. I'll get it myself."

"You stay right there. Amy! Take care of him."

Amy flumped on the bed. "I bet she's going to overfeed you tonight."

Ashton's face split into a brief smile that settled into a grimace as the cut on his lip began bleeding again. "Ouch! What do you know? Right next to the old scar."

"At least I'm not the one to blame for that."

"Ames," Ashton said, fiddling with his shirt buttons, "I'm sorry I broke my promise."

Amy arched a brow.

"I told your mother I wouldn't get you in any more trouble."

Laughing at the adorable way Ashton spoke, Amy chastised him. "That'll teach you to make promises you can't keep."

Ashton's warm eyes met hers. "Then how about I make one I can keep?"

Amy stiffened. "Ashton... don't."

"I was an idiot. I don't know what I was afraid of. Everyone said you had changed and I let that mess with my head. But now it is clear. You're still the same Amy I loved when we were kids," Ashton said, before gently holding her hand in his. It felt cool; pleasant. "My Amy. Please believe me. I promise I won't hurt you like that again."

Amy hugged him, inhaling the citrus and sea breeze scent that was Ashton's alone. "I can't," she sniffled in the crook of his neck, holding on for dear life. He was so solid, so alive. Everything would make sense with Ashton. But Amy couldn't control her heart any more than she could control the tides. "I'm sorry, Ash, but I can't."

It was his turn to freeze. "Is there someone else?"

She didn't answer. Ashton knew Amy well enough to decipher her silences. Wrenching herself from him, she got to her feet.

Ashton looked down. "I hope he deserves you."

Anne entered the room and handed a prescription to Amy. "Peach, I need you to go down the hall and collect Ashton's medicine. Ashton honey, you're staying with us for a couple of days. I've called your parents and they agree..."

Ashton nodded heavily but said nothing. Amy prayed the hurt she had caused wasn't irreparable, realizing that the next couple of days would not be easy for either of them.

After grabbing Ashton's pills from the dispensary, Amy found Caleb sitting on a sofa near the waiting area of the disinfected corridor. He seemed engrossed in relationship advice from an open copy of Cosmopolitan in front of him. The table was littered with all kinds of stationery items.

Amy sat next to him with her phone glued to her ear. If he noticed her, Caleb didn't give it away.

"You saved him," said Amy.

"You sound surprised." Caleb scratched his knee. "A bit out of character for evil old me, huh?"

"I'm sorry I said it so harshly, Caleb. I got really scared and it came out all wrong."

"Cosmo says I shouldn't forgive you unless your actions align with your words."

Amy humored him. "You said some mean things too you know!"

"You said them first!"

"You lied to me!"

Caleb looked at her. "If you are going to be like this then just go away, Amy."

"And you've got to come up with a better line," Amy sighed. When he didn't respond, she wrote 'I'm sorry' on a yellow sticky note and attached it to her forehead. "There's your action!"

Caleb's cobalt eyes narrowed and they stared at each other for a full minute. Finally, Amy went cross-eyed and he cracked a toothy grin. "Take it off before someone sees you," he said, pawing at her from a distance.

"There's no one here except that sweet, sleepy grandpa."

Amy wished their story would end there. Just two kids laughing, making silly jokes. But too much had transpired when they were apart. Fear of separation replaced the joy of reconciliation, and Amy turned glum.

"Hey, I'm sorry too," uttered Caleb. "I should've trusted you. It's just hard for me to let someone in."

His words gave Amy the strength to speak. No holding back. "Caleb... I overheard Pete and Cecile today. I think - I think Jude has done something to you. There's a place in the woods -"

"I know. Fuck... I hoped you wouldn't find out like this." Rubbing a hand down over his face, Caleb fidgeted, restless, seemingly unable to release the nervous energy in his bones. "I followed Jude to where he is hiding and I know... I know what happened to me." He shuddered as he breathed out. "I remember now."

An anvil dropped in Amy's stomach and she was freefalling to hell. She didn't want her nightmares to come true. Amy shut her eyes, bracing herself. "Tell me."

Someone increased the volume of the television and a few of the nurses stopped to watch the latest developments of Caleb's case. The local news was solely focusing on him now. The theme music of the channel swelled before the newscaster appeared.

"We're back with some sad news, folks. Sirencester High's star quarterback, who has been missing for some days, has been found dead five miles south of the district border with Lumpkin County."

✧

A/N: I remember at the beginning of the novel a lot of you did believe in Amy's second theory. And now it has been confirmed. How do you feel?

The next chapter will be from Caleb's perspective, giving details about that night. This has always been the hardest section of the book for me to write and edit.