Emma woke to the familiar crack in the plaster ceiling, the lavender-scented air of Lily's reality pulling her from the hospital room where Sophie had agreed to the trial. The looping symbol—etched on Sophie's bracelet, Noah's notebook, and the note in her pocket—burned in her mind, a thread tying Ethan's desperation, Lily's fear, and Noah's cryptic stars. Her heart ached with Sophie's frail nod, Ethan's tearful relief, but Lily's medical record—Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, in remission—and her angry flight from the library weighed heavier now. Emma slipped out of bed, the tile cold under her feet, David's steady breathing beside her a constant in this shifting world. She needed to find Lily, to break through her daughter's walls before they crumbled like Sophie's defiance.
The house was quiet, the morning light filtering through blue velvet curtains. Lily's bedroom door was closed, her gray hoodie gone from the chair. Emma's stomach twisted—she'd run again. The medical books on Lily's desk stared back, her own handwritten notes in the margins a haunting reminder of a past she couldn't fully grasp. She dressed quickly, pulling on the red wool coat, the note—"Stay strong, Lily. You're not alone. —E."—still in her pocket, its looping symbol matching Sophie's bracelet. Downstairs, David was in the kitchen, reading the paper, his coffee mug steaming.
"She's gone again," Emma said, her voice tight, grabbing her keys. "I'm going to find her."
David looked up, his face creasing with worry. "Emma, slow down," he said, setting the paper down. "Lily's probably at school. She's been working on that project. You're pushing too hard."
"Pushing too hard?" Emma snapped, her frustration spilling over. "She's got bruises, David. She's reading my medical books, hiding things. She had leukemia, and you act like it's nothing!"
David stood, his hands raised, placating. "It's not nothing," he said, his voice calm but strained. "She's been in remission for years, Emma. You know that. You were there. But you're scaring her with this… obsession. Ethan, Noah—these kids you keep talking about. It's not helping."
Emma's chest tightened, his words echoing across realities. "They're real," she said, her voice trembling. "I was just with Ethan and Sophie at the hospital. Noah's drawing the same symbol I found in Lily's things. I'm not imagining this, David."
He sighed, his eyes heavy with concern. "Emma, please. Focus on Lily. She needs you here, not chasing ghosts."
But Emma was already out the door, her heart pounding as she drove to the school. The library was empty, the principal's office unhelpful—Lily hadn't shown up today. Panic clawed at her, but a memory of Lily's note—"Don't follow me. I can handle it."—pushed her to the abandoned building where she'd found her before. The derelict structure loomed under a gray sky, its boarded windows like closed eyes. Emma pushed through the door, her breath shallow, the air thick with dust and decay.
Lily was there, alone this time, sitting on a crate, her knees pulled to her chest. Her hoodie was up, but Emma saw the fresh bruise on her jaw, darker than before. A medical book lay open beside her, a page marked with the looping symbol. Emma's heart stopped.
"Lily," she said, her voice soft but urgent, approaching slowly. "Why are you here? You're hurt again."
Lily's head snapped up, her eyes blazing. "Go away," she said, her voice shaking. "I don't need you."
Emma knelt beside her, ignoring the sting of her words. "You're not okay," she said, gesturing to the bruise. "And these books—you're reading about cancer. Are you scared it's back?"
Lily's face crumpled, her defiance cracking. "I'm not sick," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I just… I need to know. In case it comes back." She clutched the book, her fingers trembling. "I don't want to be weak again. Not like before."
Emma's heart broke, Lily's fear mirroring Sophie's resignation, Ethan's desperation. She reached for her, and this time, Lily didn't pull away, letting Emma's hand rest on her arm. "You're not weak," Emma said, her voice fierce. "You're a fighter, Lily. You beat this once. If you're scared, we'll face it together."
Lily's eyes filled with tears, and she nodded, her shoulders trembling. "I don't want Dad to worry," she said, her voice small. "He's been through enough."
Emma pulled her close, her own tears threatening to spill. "He's strong, too," she said. "And so am I. We've got you." But as she held Lily, her gaze fell to the book, the looping symbol stark against the page. Beside it, a note in Lily's handwriting: "E said to keep fighting. Like you did."
"Lily," Emma said, her voice trembling, "who's E?"
Lily froze, then pulled back, her eyes wide with panic. "No one," she said, too quickly, snatching the book and shoving it into her backpack. "Just… a friend."
But Emma knew better. E. Ethan. The same initial on the note in her pocket, the same symbol on Sophie's bracelet. Her mind raced, connecting Lily's fear to Sophie's illness, Noah's stars, and the promise of Paris. She stood, helping Lily to her feet, her resolve hardening. "Come on," she said. "We're going home. And we're going to talk—about everything."
As they left the building, Lily's hand in hers, Emma felt the weight of the note in her pocket, the looping symbol a silent promise. Lily's past, Sophie's fight, Noah's cryptic words—they were converging, and Paris was where the truth would unravel. But first, she had to keep Lily safe, to hold onto the daughter who felt so real, even as her world threatened to slip away.