Emma stood frozen in Lily's bedroom, the bracelet with the looping symbol clutched in her hand, its weight a tangible link to Sophie's wrist, Noah's sketches, and Ethan's keychain. The note—"Stay strong, Lily. You're not alone. —E."—burned in her pocket, its connection to Ethan undeniable, yet impossible. Lily's fear of her leukemia returning, her bruises from school fights, and the medical books with Emma's own handwriting swirled in her mind, colliding with Sophie's fragile hope and Noah's cryptic promise of Paris. The house was quiet, Lily's footsteps fading downstairs, but the air felt charged, heavy with secrets Emma was desperate to unravel.
She slipped the bracelet into her pocket, her heart pounding, and followed Lily to the kitchen, where the girl was grabbing a glass of water, her hoodie pulled tight, her face guarded. David sat at the table, his expression a mix of worry and frustration, his coffee cold. Emma sat across from Lily, her voice soft but urgent. "Lily, we need to talk about this," she said, pulling the bracelet from her pocket and placing it on the table. "Where did you get it?"
Lily's eyes widened, her glass trembling in her hand. "That's mine," she said, her voice sharp, snatching the bracelet. "Stop going through my stuff!"
"I'm not trying to invade your privacy," Emma said, her tone steady despite the ache in her chest. "But this symbol—it's the same one in your books, on the note from 'E.' I've seen it with… other people. People who matter to me. Tell me the truth, Lily. Who gave this to you?"
Lily's face paled, her fingers tightening around the bracelet. "No one," she said, her voice barely audible. "I've had it forever. It's just… mine." But her eyes darted away, and Emma saw the lie, the same fear she'd seen in Sophie's defiance, Ethan's desperation.
David leaned forward, his voice gentle but firm. "Lily, if something's going on, you can tell us. We're here for you."
Lily's jaw clenched, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You don't get it," she said, her voice breaking. "You're always acting like you know me, but you don't. Neither of you." She stood, her chair scraping against the floor, and bolted for the door, her backpack slung over her shoulder.
"Lily, wait!" Emma called, chasing her to the porch, but Lily was already running down the street, her hoodie a gray blur in the dusk. Emma's heart raced, torn between following and the weight of the bracelet in her hand. She turned back to David, her voice trembling. "She's hiding something, David. That bracelet—it's the same as Sophie's, Noah's drawings. It's not a coincidence."
David stood in the doorway, his face etched with exhaustion. "Emma, you're doing it again," he said, his voice low, strained. "There's no Sophie, no Noah. It's just Lily. You're scaring her, and you're scaring me. We need to get you help."
Emma's frustration flared, her hands clenching into fists. "I'm not crazy," she said, her voice shaking. "I was just at the hospital with Ethan and Sophie. Lily's note said 'E'—Ethan. They're connected, David, and I'm going to prove it."
David's eyes softened, but his voice was firm. "Emma, you need to stop. For Lily's sake. She's struggling, and you're making it worse with these… delusions."
The word stung, but Emma's resolve didn't waver. She grabbed her keys, ignoring David's protests, and drove back to the school, hoping Lily had gone there to hide. The campus was dark, the library closed, but a faint light glowed in the art room. Emma slipped inside, finding Lily hunched over a table, her backpack open, a sketchbook in front of her. The looping symbol was scrawled across the page, surrounded by drawings of stars, a fountain, a bracelet. Emma's breath caught—Noah's stars, Sophie's fountain, the bracelet in her pocket.
"Lily," Emma said, her voice soft, approaching slowly, "why are you drawing this?"
Lily jumped, slamming the sketchbook shut, her eyes wide with panic. "Get out!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
"Because I love you," Emma said, her voice fierce, stepping closer. "And because you're scared. That symbol, the note from 'E'—they mean something, Lily. I've seen them before, with Ethan, with Noah. Tell me who 'E' is."
Lily's face crumpled, her hands trembling as she clutched the sketchbook. "You wouldn't understand," she whispered, her voice raw. "He's… he's just someone who helped me. When I was sick. He said to keep fighting, like you did." She looked at Emma, her eyes glistening. "But you don't even remember, do you?"
Emma's heart stopped, a memory flashing—her own voice, soft and urgent, in a hospital room: "Keep fighting, sweetheart." Was it Lily? Sophie? She knelt beside Lily, her voice trembling. "I want to remember," she said. "Help me, Lily. Tell me about 'E.'"
Lily shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I can't," she said, her voice breaking. "He's gone. He said you'd find him… somewhere else." She stood, grabbing her backpack, and ran for the door, leaving the sketchbook behind.
Emma picked it up, her hands shaking as she opened it. The looping symbol was everywhere, but one drawing stood out—a bracelet, identical to Sophie's, with a note beside it: "E gave it to me in the hospital. He said you'd know." Her breath caught, her mind racing. Ethan had been with Lily, in her past, in her illness. But how? And where was he now?
As Emma left the art room, the bracelet heavy in her pocket, Paris loomed closer, a collision point for her children's truths. Lily's fear, Sophie's fight, Noah's stars—they were converging, and Emma had to follow, no matter how much her reality unraveled.