“Okay, you’ve convinced me,” I said to Avery. “Green really is my color.”

She sighed in mock exasperation. “One day you will realize that I am never wrong.” She brushed invisible lint off the side of my dress as I examined myself in the full-length mirror hanging from my closet.

It was Tuesday. I was one hour away from my date with Noah, and one night away from my escape to Charleston. It would be perfect: Noah and I would have hours of uninterrupted time together. Dad was home so we could drive to the hospital in the morning, where Annalise would meet us. We would visit Mom, have lunch and then Annalise would take me to Charleston for my long weekend away from the shadow creature, school and all the other stress that had been building walls around my life.

Avery had helped me select the green strapless dress for the evening. It was a cotton summer dress, but she assured me she could make it look more formal.

“But not too formal,” I told her. “I have no idea where Noah is taking me tonight.”

“But I do.” Avery smiled. “He asked for my advice, and I made sure he picked the perfect place for you two.”

I grabbed her hands. “Tell me.”

“No chance.” She shook me off and held up a necklace. “Now come on, we need to finish your look.”

I held up my hair while she fastened the necklace, which consisted of six strands of tiny, multicolored beads. Instantly, the ensemble transformed from summer casual to evening elegant.

“You could wear this to prom,” Avery said as she handed me a pair of silver strappy sandals. I raised an eyebrow in response and she held up both hands. “I know, I know. You’re not going. You can’t blame me for trying.”

“No, but I can blame you for being a pest.”

She smiled. “A pest who knows how to make you look amazing.”

As always, she was right. The simple green dress looked great against my black hair, and the jewelry elevated it from simple to stunning. I loved it—and I knew Noah would, too.

“How much time do I have?” I adjusted the necklace so that the layers were arranged just right.

“Twenty minutes.”

I turned around to look at Avery. “That gives me enough time to convince you to tell me where I’m headed tonight.”

She shook her head. “Nope. Consider it payback for not letting me convince you to go to Prom.”

Downstairs, the phone rang. For a second, I worried that it might be Noah, calling to cancel or postpone our date. But when I heard Dad running up the stairs, I knew it was something much worse.

Dad was frantic. Still holding the phone, he rushed into my room to tell me that there was a problem with Mom. “We need to get to the hospital,” he said. “Now.”

I shot Avery a panicked look. She simply nodded. “Go. I’ll stay here and explain to Noah. Call when you can.”

“Okay.” I grabbed the duffel bag I had packed for my trip to Charleston. It contained everything I would need for an overnight visit, and since it was already after seven, I knew I wouldn’t be coming back before morning.

I ended up not coming back at all.

The car ride to the care center was a slightly surreal experience. Usually, Dad played music or one of his books on CD. This time, he was absolutely silent. So was I, and it was because there was nothing I could say to make things better. It was out of our control. What if we got there too late? Worse, what if we arrived seconds too late? Would Dad blame me? He stayed home to make sure that he could drive me to meet Annalise the next morning. What if that decision cost him the chance to be with Mom during her final moments alive?

Heading toward the center and not knowing what waited for us once we got there was absolute agony. The doctor who had called Dad said only that Mom had “suffered a setback” and that we needed to get there as soon as possible. Did doctors take classes in how to be vague? Or did they know that revealing bad news would be too traumatic for the loved ones? I stared out the passenger side window, knowing nothing could be more torturous than this soundless trip.

Finally Dad pulled into the parking lot. He shut off the engine but didn’t get out. I waited for him to make the first move. I needed him to make the decisions so I could follow.

“We’re here.” He stared out the windshield. The sun had set. I knew there was a galaxy of stars beyond the window, but the glare of the hospital lights prevented me from seeing them.

I reached for Dad’s hand and squeezed. “Let’s go.”

He squeezed back then opened his door. It was time to face whatever lay inside the care center. I held his hand as we walked across the parking lot. I even scanned the sky at one point. Maybe I would see a balloon, I thought. Maybe I would spot a sign telling me that everything was okay. But there was nothing but a dull dark canopy hanging over me.

A doctor was waiting for us on the second floor. He told us that Mom had another scare but was now stable, They would need to reevaluate her medication again. I was relieved, but Dad was racked with guilt that he hadn’t been there. He refused to leave her side. We spent the night in her room, curled up on the slippery vinyl chairs.

The next morning, Annalise picked me up. After a quick breakfast with Dad in the hospital cafeteria, we left for Charleston. I was still wearing the green dress, which was now wrinkled. While Annalise drove, I called Noah to let him know what was going on and to apologize.

“You don’t have to say you’re sorry,” he said. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But I really wanted us to have a perfect night.”

“So did I. We’ll just have to wait a little longer, that’s all.”

He sounded positive, but I was sure I heard a note of defeat in his voice. How many times would we make plans to be together, only to have those plans interrupted? It was like we were destined to never be alone.

After I hung up with Noah, I checked my message history and was surprised to find that I had one voice mail waiting for me. It was from Zelden. Sort of.

“This is Casey, Dr. Zelden’s personal assistant,” a woman’s voice said. “He has received your message but would like further clarification about what you need from him. You may reach me at this number within the next twenty-four hours.”

Angry and annoyed, I snapped my phone shut. Zelden had his assistant call me back? After everything that had happened, I wasn’t worth his time? Annalise picked up on my quiet fury.

“You okay? Who was that on the phone?”

I sighed and let my head rest against the window. “Wrong number.”

Maybe I didn’t need Zelden. Maybe locating Marcus’s grave wasn’t as vital to banishing the shadow creature as I thought. What was I going to do if I located the grave? My plan had been to lay some flowers on the ground and apologize, but that didn’t seem like enough. What was the appropriate apology to give a man whose life you had helped end?

“I know you’ve had a really long night,” Annalise said. We were approaching the long bridge that would take us into Charleston. “How about we grab some lunch and then you can rest?”

“Sounds good,” I mumbled.

After a nice lunch at one of my favorite seafood restaurants, we went to Annalise’s apartment. I really was tired, so I curled up on her bed and took a nap. When I awoke, it was almost dark. My head felt groggy as I shuffled into the kitchen. Annalise had left a note on the counter.

Running errands. Back by seven.

I glanced at the clock. It was almost seven. I returned to the bedroom and pulled out my phone, then dialed Zelden’s number. Again, I was directed to his voice mail.

“This is Charlotte,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “I need you to call me back immediately.” A thought occurred to me. “This is in regard to Marcus. Call me back, or my family’s next DVD will contain some bonus features you might not be happy about.”

I had never threatened anyone before. I felt badly, but it was an idle threat—I doubted my family would ever release another DVD, much less one that featured Zelden in any way. Still, I hoped it was enough to finally force him to call me back.

While I waited for Zelden to call and my sister to return home, I unpacked my duffel bag. The sun had set, and I debated slipping on my pajamas, even though I was no longer tired. As I turned to lower the blinds, I glimpsed movement in the dark street.

Even before I saw it, I knew the shadow creature had found me. It was taller now, more human. I could almost make out the outline of a hat on its head. And although it was standing stooped over, it gaze directed toward the ground, I felt like it could see me, like it knew I was watching.

The headlights from an approaching car briefly illuminated the shape. When the car passed, the creature was no longer hunched over; instead, it was standing. Despite the fact that I could not see its eyes, I knew it was looking at me,. My rapid breath fogged the window, but still I watched. And then it raised its long, dark arm and pointed.

I turned my head slightly, in the direction that the creature was pointing. If I followed the street, it would lead to Charleston Harbor. But there were so many places in between the apartment and the harbor, including several old cemeteries.

Where was I supposed to go? I looked toward the creature again, but it was gone, again leaving behind more questions than answers.