I sat slumped on the floor, eyes hollow, wishing I could dissolve into nothing right then and there — so I could find my mother and tell her I was sorry.
I didn't protect the one thing she left me…
The next second, a phone rang, sharp and insistent.
Allan glanced at the glowing screen. His spine went rigid.
He motioned for Pauline to keep quiet, then pressed the answer button.
"Mom, what's going on?"
Frances Fox's anxious voice poured through the speaker.
"Allan, where are you and Olivia?"
"Her father just called me. Her health-monitor watch sent out an SOS alert."
I drifted close to the speaker and screamed with every ounce of strength I had left.
"Mrs. Fox, Allan locked me inside the haunted house!"
"Please come get me, please. I'm so scared…"
Allan's gaze drifted toward where I hovered, as though he'd sensed something. His brow furrowed tight.
His fingers clenched around the phone until his knuckles turned white. He forced his voice to stay calm.
"Mom, Olivia's with me. We're on a date."
"Tell Mr. Young not to worry. I'll take care of her."
My heart split open like a raw wound.
I grabbed at Allan's collar, sobbing, my vision blurred with tears as I demanded answers.