Emma's hands were still shaking as she pulled into the driveway, the Reynolds' cold dismissal echoing in her mind. Sophie's refusal to continue treatment and Ethan's quiet confession—"She said it was from someone who saved her life"—clung to her, intertwining with the looping symbol that haunted her across realities. Lily's medical record, Noah's star charts, and now Sophie's bracelet formed a puzzle she couldn't solve, but the urgency to save Sophie, to keep Ethan from breaking, anchored her in this moment. The familiar brick house felt like a lifeline, even as Noah's words—"You'll see them in Paris"—pulled her toward an uncertain future.
Ethan slouched in the passenger seat, his sketchbook clutched to his chest, his face pale under the streetlight's glow. "They won't help her, will they?" he said, his voice flat, resigned.
Emma turned off the engine, her heart aching at his defeat. "They will," she said, her voice fiercer than she felt. "I'll make sure of it. But we need to get Sophie to agree to treatment first. She trusts you, Ethan. We start there."
He nodded, but his eyes were distant, fixed on the house. "She's stubborn," he said softly. "She thinks she's protecting me by giving up."
Emma reached for his hand, and this time, he didn't pull away. "She's not protecting you by hurting herself," she said. "We'll talk to her together. Tomorrow, okay?"
Ethan gave a small nod, then slipped out of the car, his sketchbook under his arm. Emma followed, her mind racing. Inside, David was in the kitchen, the phone still in his hand, his face etched with worry. "The lawyer says Ethan's court date is set for next week," he said, glancing at her. "How'd it go with Sophie's parents?"
Emma sank into a chair, exhaustion settling over her. "They're in denial," she said, her voice low. "But I'm not giving up. Sophie needs treatment, and Ethan needs her to be okay."
David nodded, but his eyes held that familiar flicker of concern. "Emma, you're doing too much," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "You're stretched thin—Ethan, the lawyer, now Sophie. And you keep talking about these other kids…"
"Lily and Noah," Emma said, her voice sharp, cutting him off. "They're real, David. I don't know how, but they are. And Sophie—she's connected to them. That bracelet, the one she wears—it has the same symbol I've seen with Lily and Noah."
David's brow furrowed, his hands pausing on the counter. "A symbol?" he said, his tone skeptical. "Emma, you're seeing things that aren't there. You're not sleeping, you're barely eating. I'm worried about you."
Emma stood, her frustration boiling over. "I'm not crazy," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm trying to hold it together—for Ethan, for Sophie, for… for all of them." She pulled the keychain from her pocket, the looping symbol glinting in the kitchen light. "Look at this, David. Ethan said Sophie's had her bracelet forever, from someone who saved her life. Noah draws this symbol. Lily had it on her note. It's not a coincidence."
David stared at the keychain, his expression unreadable. "It's just a design, Emma," he said, but his voice lacked conviction. "You're making connections where there aren't any."
She shook her head, slipping the keychain back into her pocket. "I'm going to check on Ethan," she said, turning away before he could argue. She climbed the stairs, her heart heavy with doubt but fueled by determination. Ethan's door was cracked open, and she found him sitting on his bed, his sketchbook open to a new page—a drawing of the fountain where she'd met Sophie, the looping symbol etched into the stone.
"Ethan," she said, sitting beside him, "tell me more about Sophie's bracelet. Where did she get it?"
He looked up, his eyes guarded but tired. "I told you, she's always had it," he said. "She said it was from a doctor, someone who… who cared about her when she was little. Before the cancer came back." He paused, his voice dropping. "She said it reminds her she's a fighter."
Emma's breath caught, a memory flashing—her own hands slipping a bracelet onto a small wrist, a child's weak smile. Was it Sophie? Lily? She pushed the image away, focusing on Ethan. "We're going to fight for her," she said, her voice steady. "Tomorrow, we'll go to the hospital. I'll talk to Dr. Larson myself."
Ethan nodded, his shoulders relaxing slightly, but his eyes were haunted. "What if it's too late?" he whispered.
"It's not," Emma said, her voice fierce, though fear gnawed at her. She stood, leaving him to his sketches, but paused at the door, her gaze falling to his desk. A photo was tucked under a pile of books—Ethan and Sophie, laughing at the park, her bracelet visible on her wrist. The looping symbol gleamed, unmistakable.
Emma's heart raced. She slipped downstairs, her mind spinning. Sophie's bracelet, Lily's note, Noah's sketches—they weren't just symbols. They were memories, hers and theirs, pulling her toward Paris, toward a truth she couldn't yet face. As she passed the kitchen, David's voice stopped her, low and urgent.
"Emma, we need to talk about you," he said. "I'm calling a doctor tomorrow. This… this isn't healthy."
She didn't answer, her hand closing around the keychain in her pocket. She wasn't imagining this. Ethan needed her, Sophie needed her, and somewhere, Lily and Noah were waiting. Paris was coming, and with it, the answers she'd been chasing.