“I won’t be the same, though. Will I?”

She couldn’t lie. Part of the pain will never go away. But you’re a survivor, right?

“Not by choice.”

It never is, Fitz told him. But that only proves how strong you are.

“I should’ve been stronger,” Wylie whispered. “I shouldn’t have let them take me.”

You couldn’t have stopped them, Sophie promised. I tried my hardest, and I couldn’t.

Wylie nodded slowly. “I didn’t give them what they wanted, either.”

What did they want? Fitz asked.

“If I talk about it . . . the other me’s will take over.”

We can handle them, Sophie promised.

And we can help you hold on, Fitz added as their pocket of space grew brighter and warmer. I just gave you some extra energy to boost your strength. See how strong you are now?

Wylie flexed his skinny six-year-old arms, patting the small curve of biceps that shifted. “Okay. I’ll try.”

“You’ll do great,” Sophie told him. “Think of it like you’re telling us a story. Start at the beginning. How did they find you?”

“I don’t know. I was reading in bed when the door burst open and my room swelled with a tornado.”

So one of them was a Guster? Fitz asked.

“Must’ve been. The wind pinned me to the floor. And then I heard people rush in.”

Did you see them? Sophie asked. Or recognize their voices?

“I couldn’t hear much over the wind. And the one who jumped on me must’ve been a Vanisher, because I couldn’t see him as he ripped off my registry pendant.”

Fitz’s whole body shook as he transmitted. That was my brother.

Sophie tightened her hold on his hand, wishing she had time to properly comfort him. But they had to focus. What else do you remember? she asked Wylie.

“I remember kicking and punching and clawing and scratching. But then this white light wrapped around me, and I couldn’t move anymore.”

That means Ruy was there, Fitz transmitted. He’s a Psionipath. He must’ve wrapped you in a force field.

“It shocked me if I touched it,” Wylie said. “And it trapped me with the drugs. When I breathed, everything went blurry.”

So it was just the three of them? Sophie asked. No one else?

“Actually, I think there were four. They said someone was keeping the path open.”

Could they have meant the Guster? she asked.

“I don’t think so. They made it sound like the path was somewhere else. But everything was far away at that point. I remember someone grabbing my feet and dragging me. I don’t know how long or how far. Then warmth pulled me away. After that I couldn’t see. My ears were ringing. Everything smelled too sweet. I wanted to throw up, but I couldn’t tell if I was actually awake. Is that how it was for you?”

Sort of, Sophie thought quietly. I was gone for a lot longer than you.

“How long was I missing?”

We’re not totally sure, Fitz said. But it was less than a day. Do you know what time they grabbed you?

“No. But I hadn’t had breakfast yet.” He clutched his middle as his stomach growled.

Do you want Physic to wake you up so you can eat? Fitz asked.

Wylie shook his head. Awake sounds . . . hard.

It will be at first, Sophie told him. But it’ll get easier every day. Take the time you need to recover. You’ll wake up when you’re ready.

Is there anything else you remember that might help us? Fitz asked.

“Just the interrogations. And my head stayed mushy for those. The only thought I could hold on to was wait. I knew they’d make a mistake, and when they did, I’d have to move. It took hours and hours—but they finally burned one of my bonds. It didn’t sear all the way through, but it let me shift my hands just enough that I could wiggle my fingers into the secret pocket in my sleeve where I keep the crystal that takes me to see my dad. I think I broke my thumb trying to grab it—I heard a snap.” He held his hand up, frowning as the thumb seemed to work perfectly. “But it was worth the pain because as soon as I had the crystal in my hand I sparked a ball of light and leaped out of there.”

Sparked? Sophie thought. Are you a Flasher?

“Yeah. Same as . . .”

Who? Sophie asked when he started trembling. Same as who?

Wylie scratched hard at his neck. “They kept asking the same question over and over, no matter how many times I told them I didn’t know. Everything was about her.”

Sophie was about to ask, Her who? when she figured it out on her own.

Your mom?

Wylie shifted back to surly teenager form.

What did they want to know about her? she asked.

“They thought I was with her when she made her last leap. I kept telling them I wasn’t, but they kept burning me over and over and telling me it would stop when I stopped lying. They didn’t get it. She died because I found her too late.”

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he shifted to the present-day Wylie, screaming through the pain as his wounds reappeared.

Fitz tried sending more warmth and energy, but it didn’t help, so Sophie tried inflicting. She couldn’t find any happiness, but she gave him a soft wave of hope, and Wylie’s breathing slowed to raspy breaths.

“Sorry,” he told her. “I guess I’m not as strong as you thought.”

You’re stronger, Sophie promised. You’ve been through so much.

“Too much,” Wylie said. “I don’t know if I can take any more.”

Maybe you won’t have to. Mr. Forkle and Granite are planning to erase the worst memories—

“NO! They can’t!”

I know it’s weird to imagine them rooting around in your head—but why live with the nightmares?

“Because there might be something important! You can’t let them erase anything, Sophie. Promise me you’ll stop them.”

Okay, she said when he kept repeating the plea. I promise.

“You have to stick to that,” Wylie begged as he shifted back to six-year-old form. “You owe me.”

I know, Sophie said. And maybe you should rest now. I think your mind could use the break.

He faded into the shadows. “I’ll try. But I need you to do something for me. I need you to look into my mom’s death. I don’t think it was an accident anymore.”