Emma's eyes snapped open to the familiar brick walls of Ethan's reality, the scent of coffee and faint motor oil grounding her in the house she knew best. Noah's trembling confession—"You were our doctor. You gave us these."—and his sketch of Paris, with three figures wearing the looping symbol, burned in her mind, weaving together with Lily's hospital memory, Sophie's fragile hope, and Ethan's vision of Lily and Noah. The keychain in her pocket, its looping symbol matching the bracelets of her children, felt like a lifeline to a past she couldn't fully recall but knew was hers. Ethan's court date loomed tomorrow, Sophie's trial was starting, and Paris—where Noah said they'd all meet—pulled her like a tide. She slipped out of bed, the hardwood floor cool under her feet, David's steady breathing beside her a constant in her fractured world. She needed to reach Ethan, to prepare him for court and uncover more about his connection to Lily and Noah.
The kitchen was quiet, the morning light slanting through the windows, catching the dust motes in the air. Ethan was already up, sitting at the table, his sketchbook open to a drawing of Sophie—her beanie low, her eyes fierce, the looping symbol on her bracelet stark against her wrist. His face was pale, his jaw tight, the weight of tomorrow's court date and Sophie's fight etched into his features. The keychain lay beside him, its symbol glinting.
"Ethan," Emma said, sitting across from him, her voice soft but urgent, "we need to talk. About court tomorrow, about Sophie… and about Lily and Noah."
Ethan's pencil paused, his eyes flicking to her, guarded but raw. "What about them?" he said, his voice low. "I told you, I saw them in that… dream. But I don't know them. And court—" He swallowed, his hands clenching. "I'm scared, Mom. What if they lock me up? What happens to Sophie then?"
Emma's heart ached, his fear mirroring Lily's vulnerability, Noah's quiet trust. She reached for his hand, her fingers brushing the keychain. "You're not going to jail," she said, her voice fierce. "The lawyer says if you cooperate, they'll likely reduce the charges. And Sophie—she's starting the trial today. She's fighting, Ethan, because of you. We'll get through this together."
He nodded, his eyes glistening, but his gaze drifted to the keychain. "That thing," he said, his voice distant. "Sophie's bracelet has the same mark. You keep saying it's connected to those kids—Lily, Noah. How? I don't even know them."
Emma pulled the keychain closer, her heart racing. "You might not remember," she said, her voice steady, "but I think you knew them, a long time ago. Lily told me about a boy named Ethan in the hospital with her, who gave her a bracelet like this. Noah said I was your doctor, that I gave you these symbols to keep you connected. You were all sick, and I… I helped you."
Ethan's face paled, his hands trembling as he pushed the sketchbook away. "That's crazy," he said, but his voice wavered, and Emma saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes. "I don't remember any hospital, not like that. Just… Sophie." He paused, his voice dropping. "But that dream—it felt so real. Like they were waiting for me."
Emma leaned closer, her voice gentle but urgent. "They are waiting," she said, pulling the bracelet from her pocket, its looping symbol identical to the keychain. "Lily had one. Noah draws it. You saw them in Paris, in your dream. I think that's where we'll find them, Ethan. Where we'll understand."
Ethan stared at the bracelet, his breath shallow. "Paris?" he said, his voice barely audible. "Like… actually go there?"
Emma nodded, her resolve hardening. "Yes," she said. "After your court date, after Sophie's settled with the trial. We're going to Paris—you, me, your dad. To find Lily and Noah. To find the truth."
The front door opened, and David entered, his face weary, a stack of legal papers in hand. "The lawyer's ready for tomorrow," he said, setting the papers down. "Ethan, you need to be honest in court. Emma—" His eyes narrowed, catching the bracelet in her hand. "What's that?"
Emma stood, her frustration flaring. "It's Lily's," she said, her voice sharp. "The same symbol's on Sophie's bracelet, Noah's drawings, Ethan's keychain. Ethan saw them—Lily and Noah—in a dream, David. They were in a hospital together, and I was their doctor. We're going to Paris to find them."
David's jaw dropped, his eyes flicking to Ethan, who nodded, his face pale. "It's true, Dad," Ethan said, his voice low. "I don't know how, but I saw them. They said Paris."
David sank into a chair, his hands trembling. "This… this can't be happening," he said, his voice hollow. "Emma, you're pulling him into this… delusion. You need help."
Emma's anger surged, but Ethan's voice cut through, firm and steady. "It's not a delusion," he said, standing, his sketchbook clutched to his chest. "I felt them, Dad. They're real. And if Mom says Paris is where we'll find them, I'm going."
Emma's heart swelled, Ethan's trust a beacon in the storm. She turned to David, her voice steady. "We're going," she said. "For Ethan, for Sophie, for Lily and Noah. You can come 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, a new drawing catching her eye—a Paris skyline, the Eiffel Tower glowing, three figures standing together, each with a bracelet bearing the looping symbol. Below it, in Ethan's jagged script: "They're waiting for us."
Emma's breath caught, her mind racing. Paris was no longer a dream—it was a collision point, where her children's past, her role as their doctor, and her fractured realities would finally converge. She had to go, to keep her promise to Ethan, to save Sophie, to find Lily and Noah, no matter how much David feared for her, no matter how close her world came to breaking.