Emma's heart raced as she stood in the familiar kitchen of Ethan's reality, the brick house's warmth clashing with the chill of Noah's haunting sketch—three hospital beds, three children, each wearing a bracelet with the looping symbol, and his words: "They said you'd save us. Paris is where we wait." The keychain in her pocket, its looping symbol matching Sophie's bracelet, Lily's note, and Noah's drawings, felt like a burning thread tying her children together. Ethan's vision of Lily and Noah, Sophie's fragile agreement to the trial, and Lily's hospital memory of Ethan pulsed in her mind, pulling her toward Paris, where Noah's promise loomed. But Ethan's court date, now just two days away, and Sophie's fight demanded her focus here.
Ethan sat at the kitchen table, his sketchbook open, his pencil scratching furiously over a drawing of Sophie—her beanie tilted, her eyes fierce despite their shadows. The late morning light slanted through the window, catching the keychain's symbol on the table. David was out, meeting the lawyer again, leaving the house quiet except for Ethan's restless energy.
"Ethan," Emma said, sitting across from him, her voice soft but urgent, "we need to talk about Sophie. Dr. Larson called this morning—she's starting the trial tomorrow. But we also need to prepare for your court date. And… those names in Sophie's notebook. Lily, Noah. You said you saw them in a dream."
Ethan's pencil paused, his eyes flicking to her, guarded but raw. "Yeah," he said, his voice low, "I saw them. A girl with a ponytail, a boy with glasses. It felt… real, like I knew them. But I don't." He pushed the sketchbook away, his hands trembling. "Why's this happening, Mom? Why do I feel like I'm losing it?"
Emma's chest tightened, his confusion mirroring her own, Lily's fear, Noah's secrets. She reached for his hand, her fingers brushing the keychain. "You're not losing it," she said, her voice steady. "I've seen them, too—Lily, Noah. They're connected to you, to Sophie. This symbol—" She held up the keychain. "It's everywhere. Sophie's bracelet, Lily's things, Noah's drawings. Do you know where Sophie got hers?"
Ethan's brow furrowed, his fingers tracing the keychain's symbol. "She said it was from a doctor, years ago, when she was a kid," he said, his voice distant. "Someone who made her feel… safe. She doesn't talk about it much." He looked at Emma, his eyes searching. "You think it's connected to those kids in my dream?"
Emma nodded, her heart pounding. "I do," she said. "Lily told me about a boy named Ethan in the hospital with her, who gave her a bracelet like this. Noah draws it, says I'll find them in Paris. Ethan, I think you were all together, somehow, when you were younger."
Ethan's face paled, his hands clenching. "That's impossible," he said, but his voice wavered, and Emma saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes, as if a buried memory stirred. "I don't remember any hospital, not like that. Just… Sophie."
Emma leaned closer, her voice gentle but firm. "Maybe you don't remember, but it's there," she said. "I'm going to find out, for you, for Sophie, for them. But right now, we need to focus on keeping Sophie strong and getting you through court."
Ethan nodded, his jaw tight, but his eyes held a new determination. "Okay," he said, his voice steadier. "I'll talk to Sophie today, make sure she's ready for the trial. But, Mom… if you're right, if those kids are real, what does it mean?"
Emma's throat tightened, Noah's words—"Paris is where we wait"—echoing. "It means they're waiting for us," she said, her voice fierce. "And I'm going to find them."
The front door opened, and David entered, his face weary, a folder of legal documents in hand. "The lawyer's optimistic," he said, setting the folder down. "If Ethan cooperates, they might reduce the charges. But, Emma, we need to talk about you. You're… distracted again."
Emma stood, her frustration flaring. "I'm not distracted," she said, her voice sharp, pulling the keychain from her pocket. "This symbol—it's on Sophie's bracelet, in Lily's things, Noah's drawings. Ethan saw them in a dream, David. They're real, and I'm not imagining it."
David's eyes widened, his gaze flicking to Ethan, who nodded slightly, his face pale. "She's not making it up, Dad," Ethan said, his voice low. "I saw them—Lily, Noah. I don't know how, but I did."
David's face fell, his hands trembling as he sank into a chair. "This… this can't be right," he said, his voice hollow. "Emma, you're pulling him into this. You need help."
Emma's anger surged, but Ethan's voice stopped her. "She's not pulling me into anything," he said, standing, his sketchbook clutched to his chest. "I felt it, Dad. Those kids—they're real. And if Mom says Paris is where we'll find them, I believe her."
Emma's heart swelled, Ethan's trust a lifeline in the storm. She turned to David, her voice steady. "I'm going to Paris," she said. "For Ethan, for Sophie, for Lily and Noah. You can come with us or not, but I'm not stopping."
David stared at her, his eyes glistening, but he didn't argue. Emma's gaze fell to Ethan's sketchbook, left open on the table. A new drawing caught her eye—a hospital bracelet with the looping symbol, wrapped around Sophie's wrist, and beside it, three names: Ethan, Lily, Noah. Her breath caught, her mind racing. The truth was closer, and Paris was where it would unravel, where her children's past—and her own—would finally come to light.