For Amy, the next forty-eight hours were purgatory. But now, sitting in a rusty fire tower overlooking the vermillion waters of Lake Trent, Caleb faced an eternity of it.

Jude Presley was arrested mere twenty-four hours after Caleb's body was found buried deep next to a ravine that the rain had stripped clean. One of the search and rescue volunteers had fallen in, leading to the accidental discovery. An anonymous tip had alerted Sheriff Burwell to his hiding place inside the Presley home. The ash mallet discovered at the scene matched the autopsy report's description of the murder weapon. Jude had tried to dissolve it in bleach.

Twelve hours of intense interrogation later, Jude confessed. Three members of the nefarious drug cartel Rojos Guerra had been tasked to pressure Caleb into leading the supply of obscene quantities of narcotics – predominantly, Anaxan – to the small-town clusters of northern Georgia. Violence ensued for an unknown reason which resulted in the death of Andrew Kim (Fok Tong) and Dimitri Dane. Caleb Dawson suffered a gunshot wound to his lower left abdomen and a stab wound to his right thigh.

But the fatal blow had come from a mallet that Jude Presley took to his head. It was later revealed in a roadside bar by the coroner that if help had arrived in time, Caleb would have survived.

Sirencester was abuzz with the wicked simplicity of Jude's plan. Reporting to his superiors at the cartel that Caleb had absconded after killing Fok Tong and Dimitri, Jude lay low at different safehouses over the next few days. He would wait till the disappearance of his victim would be forgotten by the town.

The police unearthed Fok Tong and Dimitri's bodies from a caved-in basement of the ruined colonial church near Bateman Hill. Jude, aided by his employers, had found a quick and explosive fix to eradicate any evidence on-site.

Another six hours passed and Caleb's grief-stricken, broken family began the preparations for his funeral. Lindsey and Emma Dawson thought that the boy's reputation would not merit a huge attendance. However, most of Sirencester chose to pardon the unseemly bits of Caleb's character and instead decided to honor the handsome, enterprising young man that he was.

A caring brother and a loving son.

Robin, dressed in a sharp black suit and necktie, held Amy and Gemma. Natasha stood alone, a dark mourning veil shielding her visage from the judgmental eyes of the masses. Stefan, Ashton, Bobby, Jason, and the rest of the football team appeared as though in a defensive formation, awaiting orders from their captain.

To everyone's surprise, Cecile was there with her family too. Years would go by before she would admit to her brother's physical abuse that ruined most of her youth.

The heavens wept as Caleb was lowered into the ground. Amy broke down at the sight.

Caleb later told her that it was surreal seeing his own funeral. He didn't think so many people would care.

The whole affair was wrapped up in three hours and the debilitated Dawson porch was filled with casseroles, lasagnas, soups, and stews. Lindsey, in a last-ditch effort, lit a bonfire in the backyard and burned it all. None of the gods she knew heeded her offerings but the neighborhood smelled like cheese and bacon till dawn.

"Shame though," Caleb said, shading his eyes from the glare of the setting sun. "Sympathy casseroles are my favorite."

Caleb had been a picture of stoicism throughout the ordeal, cracking inappropriate jokes and offering salacious gossip at inopportune times – often at the expense of his mourners. Amy had suggested getting some fresh air after two hours of chatter from the spectre and brought him to her favorite spot in town.

The old fire tower was built on an eroded stub of a sandstone cliff with a magnificent view of the lake and forest reserve. On days it rained just the right amount, dusk painted the entire world a burnished orange. It was Amy's favorite color that existed only for a few hallowed minutes before the deep blues and purples of the night claimed the sky.

With her feet in the air, Amy put her arms over the railing of the observation deck. Her chin rested on its oxidized surface. "Will you quiet down? You're scaring away the mockingbirds."

"They can't hear me," Caleb said. "I'm dead remember?"

"Well, you are not dead-dead. You still exist."

"You really can't accept it, can you?" Caleb scoffed. "I mean it's one thing giving me hope when you didn't know but now? Knock it off."

"Then why can I see you? When I come close to you, why can I feel you? Why do I hear your voice?" Amy's words came out staticky, detached.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" Caleb's eyes widened; the cobalt in them was almost an inky black in the sunlight. His voice dropped down to a conspiratorial whisper, "I'm a hallucination of your sad, lonely, sex-deprived mind. This is all in your head, Amy Irvine."

"Oh, shut up."

A melancholy chuckle erupted from deep within Caleb's chest. "Game's over."

An unfathomable wave of anguish – one that Caleb had tried to hide under a phalanx of humor – washed over Amy. She inched her hand closer to his on the parapet and used her pinky to cover his, proffering comfort. The burn ached and thrashed up her whole arm but Amy did not back down.

"I'm sorry for all of it, Caleb," cried Amy. "I wish there was something I could do. I wish could will you into existence."

Caleb rested his eyes into the crook of his arm, refusing to meet Amy's gaze. "You don't think I deserved it?"

"No one deserves that. You hear me? No one."

They stayed like that for a while. Touching, but not really. Holding each other close, but not quite. Together at the edge of a world unseen.

"You're here. I don't know if all the other accounts of ghosts, spectres, or whatever you want to call them are real but you're here! There has to be a reason," Amy suggested. "It just has to be."

"What do you think happened to me? Don't you have any crazy scientific explanations?"

Amy had to admit her mind had raced with a million possibilities, each cascading from quantum mechanics to noetics; science, and speculation. But seeing Caleb's family splinter before her eyes had altered something inside her. Amy's curiosity no longer took precedence. Only a fool would commit the same mistake twice and expect a different outcome. "I want to help you become normal again."

Caleb's mouth fell open. "You don't want to experiment on me?"

"That is unavoidable. But the objective won't be to find out why or how you became a spectre. We don't have time for that."

"Don't we have all the time in the world now?" Caleb asked. "What's the rush?"

He was right. With no body to hunt down, suddenly it felt like Amy could keep Caleb a secret forever if she wanted to. But this wasn't about her.

"I don't want to waste a second on anything else. I am going to drag your ass back to reality, Caleb Dawson, and you better believe it."

A skeptical shadow settled on Caleb's face. "How on earth –"

"I don't want to hear it! I'm the smartest person in this godforsaken town and I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get you back to life."

"It's impossible –"

"Who would've thought this was possible?" Amy waved her hand in his face in a circular motion. "And when people say impossible, they usually mean improbable."

Caleb blinked like a madman. "You're actually arguing grammar with me right now?"

"Well, you do need to work on a few things but no: I'm telling you we are doing this. And it'll be a heck of a lot easier if you had some faith in me."

"You are clearly not Amy but someone impersonating her."

Amy laughed. "Call me delusional but I'm done trying to dissect every little detail for a rationale. I should've given up the minute you showed up in that hallway."

"We are really doing this?" Caleb trembled. He had never looked quite so defenseless before.

"Yes! Now get with the program."

"But why?"

"What do you mean why?" said Amy.

"Why do you care so much?"

Fixing her stare at the pacific lake eighty feet below her, Amy tried to regulate her thundering heart. She felt it had already taken the plunge Amy was physically considering right now. "... What do you think?"

When he didn't say anything, Amy looked up. Caleb had moved near; his dark hair blew serenely in the wind and his features appeared softer, richer in the dying light. The ghost boy she had fallen for.

"I am so happy I could kiss you right now," said Caleb.

Something clicked in Amy's mind. "True love's kiss! Maybe Disney was right all along? Should we try that?"

Caleb's laughter spluttered out of him as he bowed his head. "Did you drink whatever Stefan was chugging at my funeral? Besides, I've done that already. Doesn't work."

It was Amy's turn to gasp. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I went all around town trying it on people. Apparently, I don't have a soulmate who can save me from this curse."

"Ew, you pervert – how did you – when did you even –"

"Long nights, nothing to do."

Amy pictured Caleb as a debauched Santa who violated people instead of bringing them presents. "Now I know why you ended up like this. You're so depraved that Jesus basically refused to take you."

"Oh, I bet it was Lucifer. Probably got scared of the competition," said Caleb, grinning like a dolt. "I'm kidding."

They looked at each other and burst out laughing again.

When you find someone who makes you feel like drowning and soaring at the same time, never let them go. Fight with every atom and every galaxy embedded in your cells and simply hold on.

Amy replayed that promise on every star she saw that night.

On the way back home, riding in the backseat of Amy's bike, Caleb didn't speak for a long time. When she turned to check if he was still there, Caleb cocked his head and asked, "What you thinking?"

"Nothing." Amy chewed on her bottom lip. It was a little past her curfew and her mom was definitely pacing around the driveway now. "Okay, I do have a lead I haven't told you about. It's Henry Wigmore."

Explaining her concerns about Henry's creepy uncle whose touch made Amy's skin crawl inwards was the easy part. Coming up with a plan was a different matter altogether. "I think I should call him," said Amy. "Maybe ask Gemma to mediate as well."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Caleb frowned, concentrating deeply. "What have you told them? Robin and Gemma, I mean."

"They didn't even ask me about you but kept trying to slip getting psychiatric help into the conversation. I couldn't stand being around them. Now that things have slowed down a bit, I could let Gemma know..."

"Best keep it under wraps for now. We don't know what that guy meant. Maybe he just wanted you to sort things out with Henry after the SAR was done."

"You weren't there. The way he said it..." Amy rifled for the precise words. "He was sure they were going to find your body. Sure that you were gone."

The bicycle creaked and squeaked as streetlights flickered past. "School's starting tomorrow," said Caleb. "We'll talk to Wigmore then. But let's be careful with the details."

"Shh now, heads-up!" Amy exclaimed as her mom came into view.

"Do you know how worried sick I was?" Anne was not playing any games in her claret nightrobe and glasses. "Children are dying and worse around you! Clearly, you have no regard for your own safety..."

Caleb hopped off the bike. "Mrs. Irvine's pissed."

Amy dropped the bike near the hydrangea bush and hugged her mom. "I'm sorry. I'm here. I'm okay."

Anne held her daughter tight. A stray cat hissed into the quiet of the night and then the barrage began anew.

Inserting apologies every time her mother paused to breathe, Amy somehow managed to reach her bedroom. Her family was pretty spooked by Caleb's death. Ashton Malarkey was placed under house arrest in the Irvine residence despite his constant reassurance that his sprained ankle had recovered. He slept in Leigh's room and the little one wasn't unhappy at all about this arrangement. The minute Christopher broke the news to her, Leigh had zoomed onto Amy's bed in her Daffy Duck pajamas and hugged Bear excitedly.

Leigh was fast asleep when Amy and Caleb entered the room, softly snoring away. A neatly made, spare mattress for Amy lay on the otherwise messy floor.

Not even bothering to change out of her top and trousers, Amy fell face-first on her makeshift bed. Eyes half-closed she mumbled, "You have to look away for a second."

Caleb settled on the carpeted floor beside her. "Why?"

"This bra is uncomfortable."

Caleb covered his face with his hands and grumbled, "Can't you do that under-the-shirt trick?"

"Too tired." Amy yawned to supplement her statement. "Okay, you can look now."

Caleb slowly peeked through the gaps between his fingers. His eyes flashed with mischief. "You know... we didn't quite get to retest that kiss theory."

Amy gaped in mock ignominy. "Sir, my sister is right there."

"She's out like a light."

Amy lowered her tone to a flirtatious whisper. "Hentai. Baka."

"You betcha." Caleb shimmied closer. With the lightest of touch, he ran a finger down Amy's cheek. Her body was liquid gasoline set aflame. "Imagine if I could help you out now in ways I wouldn't be able to later. Would be a waste to let this opportunity pass us by."

Amy needed to clear her head. While her body betrayed her, she needed a clear head tomorrow. Lying on her back, Amy pulled the covers up to her stomach. "Goodnight, Caleb."

"Hmm." Caleb's hand traced the line of her jaw down her neck. There was just enough distance for Amy to feel the light tease of the burn. The first second of a fever dream.

Amy squirmed. 

Caleb's deft fingers skimmed lower.

The cotton of the tee abrased against her bare skin as it erupted in delicious tingles from her head to the very tips of her toes. 

"You know what? We're done here," declared Amy, not realizing that she was a little out of breath. Firmly turning her back on the sneaky boy beside her, Amy squeezed her eyes shut.

Caleb exhaled sharply, and she could hear his roguish smile. He rose up and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Thank you. For everything."

✧

A/N: In the very first draft of the book, that last scene is dripping with so much more sauce. Off the charts heat levels🌶️. The dark rains of the previous chapters have finally given way to a gorgeous sunset. Are we out of the woods yet? 

Thank you so much for the 25k views right as the 25th chapter rolled in! You guys know I'm a sucker for connections and coincidences. I honestly can't imagine my life without your light now.