Rose was thirteen when she asked her mom about her sister.

Not her little sister.

No, she knew everything about her eight year old sibling.

This was about her older sister. She would be eighteen——is eighteen. Since she’s still alive.

Rose thought so at least.

Her mom didn’t appear to think so.

Anytime it was her sister’s birthday or a day of significance that it would make sense to bring her up, her mom would clam up.

It was probably her worst idea she ever had, and she really wanted it to work.

Normal day. Nothing significant.

“Mom, why do you think it was a Stranger that took Thorn?”

That was her name for her. Because their younger sister was five years different from Rose, her and her older sibling were close, not thinking they would have another sister. They were Rose and Thorn.

Her mom was taken by surprise. Good.

She doesn’t have time to put up the walls.

“Strangers are bad, Rose. Your sister was too trusting. It was probably that boy of hers that tricked her. I wouldn’t be shocked if he kidnapped her.”

“Rex? You think he was a Stranger?” This was the first time Rose ever heard that theory. He’s Thorn’s best friend. After she disappeared, he did too. He was always so nice to her.

She didn’t believe that for a second. Rex wouldn’t have hurt Thorn.

“Of course, why else would they have disappeared around the same time?” Her mother answers, moving her eyes away from Rose.

“But why——“ she begins but her mom doesn’t let her finish.

Her mom clicks her tongue and shakes her head in that disapproving way no child wants to see. “You’re much too young to be asking these questions.”

“But not all Strangers are bad,” she tries. She shouldn’t. Not with her mom.

Her mom’s views won’t ever change.

With a roll of her eyes, she questions, “Is this about the Flame Person again? I thought you realized it was a hallucination from smoke inhalation.” She was always like that about the fire. Dismissive like every person in Rose’s life, except her little sister.

“Fire Woman. And no. You think that, but I know what I saw,” she corrects.

“I’ll make another appointment with Dr. Mindilin.” Ugh. The therapist that tries to get her to believe her memories are wrong. Just great.

Her sister is alive. Rose can feel it.

She just doesn’t know where and why.

Deep in the core of her being, she knows her sister wasn’t taken and killed by a Stranger. And definitely not by Rex.

She may not be able to get answers yet, but someday, she will and finally know what happened to Thorn.