pte

Othe

red up, stroking the smooth spoon

e you standing on a

s. There aren't many here in the city. Cas

want to get clos

n at me. "The

ply came to apologise for the earlier incident

on't know what you're after. I would die to prot

. "No, I

he spoon, and stood before me. "Do you need to r

k I'll head

oward the inn. I followed close beh

front door, whe

such a keen interest in my life, I've decided to take a keener interest in yours." Elis reached into his pocket, removed a folded pape

oward Elis's door and plac

nt to do that, young

un a

not s

alk to the boy myself. Thought we might sit back and reminisce . . . th

old woman slowly descended and joine

b pointed at the closed door. "Bette, I'

You didn't let this old sweet-talker take your place in line, I hope." She released me and

n a fictional world." I glanced from Jakob to Bette

"What's keeping us? That man's stubborn

t makes little sense, I admit. Why does an old man feel released to do in Salem what he can't do here? I have no explanat

. These people w

well; to get an answer about those

sted place

m old. I'm heading to bed. W

aled

I don't believe for an instant that she's still upset with

mb and fingers. "That's all fine,

ident was not your fault, Chloe , and I'd real

a schedule and I didn't foll

sighed. "It came at the price of my heart, but such is the price of

oulder, gave me a squeeze, a

the stairs. "Looks like y

hardly constit

e steps, an older version of the m

I stood

t have better luck with Jakob if you dropp

style. He comes every summer because he misses her so. H

y do yo

I come because I love him. Always have. And you already

slower, a little more bent. I watche

not fair

r from Elis, and the dread from the pla

o

e foyer, or any I'd seen in his sketchbook. It was abs

scene of my

clear. It could be another storm in another place on another day. The images visib

one. Nobody does. I pushe

est. There

d on Eli

th

ou cannot go about s

his bed. His gaze was upturned, toward a photo on the wall. I followed his

not a

ch of my mum

I hadn't seen it before today. I didn't put it

ft no doubt. Elis had returned. The Other

my face in the drawing I held. M

r . . . it's more than her. See her eyes? The weary in her e

depicting a flag stiff in the breeze. "Doucette painted that. Have

missing s

glanced away. "Everyone says

lain, but what is th

desk and opened the drawers. "Now, when I'm right, I live here, but when I slip through, like I told you, like

aps. Three-dimensional renderings of skyscrapers and people. Aerial photos of citie

m the pages of my diary. I glanced again at the picture on the wall. He could suck

things. I guess he does

d Mum's photo int

u know, he wanders throu

ed each drawe

desk and shrugged. I picked it up and hit

sibility that owner is important to my quest. Stop. Her instru

. "My diary. That's

ed inside. Stop. I am confiscating this evidence. Stop. Owner is devious

ose were my things. Elis, what

, the Other One won't need to create a new one to search in. At least we'll both live in reality. I've spent years looking through all this stuff, hoping and praying a

my mum. I tossed my hideous sketch into hi

t before," he

ou, reasonably safe. The Other One?

the sketch. "What a

the look in her eye, and dow

of Little T - my disabled brother who in my mind would always be a child - pushed to the

to help him, but

have guarantees of a c

on?" Elis

hat somehow reintegrates the two of you into one perfect bloke, will you, A, release me back to my travel

st recover from two identities by figuring out what the paranoid s

, and his other half hated me. Still, he was more than cute, and he reminded me of Little T. I had to help. I'd need assuranc

assionate,

ry or not, I was no different. Details of what Elis knew about my past were apparently only available in Salem, and I needed to spend tim

erving wench .

the moment. Stay Elis. I need to have a chat with all the others who so ve

and pulled his head near. I kissed

it." I exhaled.

d hard. "In