INICIAR SESIÓNPOV: ClaytonI didn't like the plan. I didn't like the crowded market, and I definitely didn't like the way Zia was looking at that ledger like it was the only thing keeping her soul attached to her body.We were walking toward the Filbert Street entrance. The air was thick with the smell of exhaust and roasting coffee. Every person who brushed past us made my skin crawl. I felt like a sentry in a war zone, my eyes scanning every face, every hand tucked into a pocket."There he is," Zia whispered.Across the crowded aisle, near a stall selling massive soft pretzels, stood an older man. He looked like he belonged in a courtroom—stern, polished, but with eyes that moved as fast as mine. He saw Zia, and for a split second, his mask slipped. He looked like a man seeing a ghost.He nodded once. The signal.I leaned into Zia, pressing my lips to her temple. I wanted to tell her I loved her. I wanted to tell her we’d be back in Kauai by Sunday, eating Puka Dogs and watching the sunset. But a
POV: ZiaThe smell of Tony’s Deli hit me like a physical blow. It was the scent of my childhood—salty provolone, cured meats, and the sharp, vinegary bite of peppers. It was a sensory overload that threatened to trigger a Reset, but I gripped the handle of the silver sedan's door and forced myself to stay in the present."Stay sharp, Z," Clayton whispered. He was wearing a dark hoodie, his eyes constantly scanning the street. "I don't like this. It’s too exposed.""It’s the only way," I said.We stepped inside. The bell above the door jingled—a sound I hadn't heard in eight years. Tony, the owner, was behind the counter, slicing ham. He looked up, his eyes widening as they landed on me. He didn't say a word; he just jerked his head toward the back booth, hidden behind a tall display of potato chips.There, sitting with a cup of black coffee, was Arthur Vance.He looked older. His hair was a stark, snowy white, and the lines around his eyes were deeper, but when he looked up, that fami
POV: ClaytonI hated being away from her, even for ten minutes. I stood in the electronics aisle of a twenty-four-hour superstore in Allentown, my eyes darting between the security bubbles in the ceiling and the sliding glass doors. I felt like a shark out of water—I knew how to fight in the surf, but here, the currents were made of neon lights and concrete.I grabbed two prepaid burner phones and a handful of cash cards. I paid at the self-checkout, keeping my head down, and looped back to the silver sedan where Zia was crouched on the floorboards."Got them," I whispered, sliding into the driver's seat.Zia didn't waste a second. She ripped the packaging open with her teeth. Her eyes were focused, the "Reset" fog completely gone, replaced by a cold, sharp desperation. She dialed a number from memory."Tony’s Deli?" she said into the burner. Her voice was steady. "I’d like to place an order for pickup. A large thin-crust... with peppermint."There was a silence on the other end. I wa
POV: ClaytonMy knuckles were white against the steering wheel of the black SUV. Beside me, Lailah sat low in the passenger seat, her head tucked into the collar of Zia’s denim jacket. Every time I glanced at her in the rearview, for a split second, my heart would stutter. She looked enough like Zia to fool a tail, but she didn’t have that specific way Zia held her breath when she was scared.I checked the clock on the dash. Forty-five minutes."They're still there," Lailah muttered, her eyes on the side mirror. "Two cars back. That black sedan hasn't budged since we hit the bypass.""Good," I grunted. "Let them follow the ghost."I pushed the SUV harder, taking a series of sharp, winding backroads through the Pennsylvania woods. The trees were skeletal, their branches clawing at the gray sky like reachers from a nightmare. I missed the palms of Kauai. I missed the predictable rhythm of the North Shore. Here, everything felt like a trap.Finally, I banked a hard left toward the stone
POV: ZiaI stared at the small, silver locket hanging around my neck. To anyone else, it was just a piece of jewelry. To my family, it was the only key to the truth. I gripped the cool metal, feeling the jagged teeth of the key tucked inside the housing."We need a distraction," I said, looking at Clayton in the dim light of the motel. "Sylvia thinks I’m the 'Little Doe.' She thinks I’m just going to run until I trip. But she doesn't know about Lailah."Lailah was the one person in Pennsylvania I still trusted. We had been best friends since kindergarten, and while I had fled to Hawaii, Lailah had stayed and built an empire. She owned Legacy Rentals, a high-end car service near the outskirts of the city.When we pulled into the lot of Legacy Rentals, Lailah was already standing by the glass doors, her arms crossed, looking every bit the powerhouse she was."Zia," she breathed, pulling me into a hug that smelled like expensive perfume and engine oil. "You look like you've seen a ghost.
POV: ZiaThe motel room felt like a cage. Every time the heater kicked on, the mechanical rattle sounded like a plane engine, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut to keep from screaming. Clayton was across the room, his back to me as he watched the parking lot through a sliver in the curtains. He was a silent, lethal shadow, but I was a mess of sparking wires.Memories were hitting me like buckshot—fast, painful, and disjointed.I saw a face. Not Sylvia’s. A younger face, framed by a sterile white cap. A woman with cold, blue eyes and a voice that was too sweet, like saccharine.Nurse Eleanor.She had been there during my last stay at the clinic. She was the one who changed my IV. She was the one who always seemed to be "checking my vitals" right before my head would go fuzzy and I’d lose another three days to the fog."Clay," I whispered, my voice sounding brittle."I'm here, Z." He didn't turn around, but his shoulders tensed."The nurse at Dr. Clue’s. The one who was always there. Ele







