“Never at the estate,” I say.
“When Megan Carlisle was on the estate insidethe Overlay in 1998, she said she heard howling, close enough to make them run. According to your latest vision, Lily and Simon were in the family graveyard when a hellhound attacked her.” Twig removes his glasses and cleans them on his shirt. “The accumulating evidence seems to be pointing to one very particular conclusion.”
We stare at one another in the quiet of his parent’s bedroom. The Hollow Walker’s domain is on Vandenberg property. If he really has imprisoned my mother and Simon, then they are also on Vandenberg property. Just beyond the veil. I think about the times I have heard her voice whispering my name.
Come find me.
A loud bang sounds on the door.
We both jump.
One of the twins sticks his head inside the room. “Is Kate in here?”
“No,” Twig and I say together.
But he comes in anyway, gets down on his belly, and looks under the bed.
“Spencer,” Mrs. Calloway calls, “would you and Selah mind setting the table?”
In the dining room, I take a stack of china and set a plate in front of each chair, my mind on Rafe, who is possibly alive, trapped in the Overlay.Trying hard to get my attention. He knew Lainey wasn’t Lainey. What else does he know?
I think about Halloween night.
Our trek to Dante’s tomb.
How disorienting it all was.
But not for Rafe.
He navigated the Overlay like a pro.
When I’m finished with the plates, I pick up a stack of disposable napkins decorated with cornucopias of pumpkins and squash. In the kitchen, Mrs. Calloway and her sister sing along toHere Comes Santa Clauswhile more shouts rumble in the basement.
One of the twins sprints through the living room, the other in hot pursuit.
Their mother reprimands them, but neither listen.
They tear down the hallway.
A door slams so hard, the hanging light above the dining table rattles and a bolt of static interrupts the song.
The lights in the kitchen go out.
Thing One and Thing Two dart into the living room. “We didn’t do it!” they chirp in panicked unison as their mother gives them a scolding.
“Not to worry, not to worry,” Mrs. Calloway says, waving her sister off as she walks toward thestairs. “I’m sure we just plugged in one too many crockpots.”
Kate comes out from her hiding spot behind the couch.
The twins point and shout, “Found you!”
“Honey,” Mrs. Calloway calls into the basement. “Could you reset the breaker? The power’s out in the kitchen.”
“What’s that?” comes his reply.
“The power is out in the kitchen. I need you to reset the breaker.”
“On it!” he hollers.
