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Someone was screaming. The sound tore through me, raw and broken. It terrified me.

Was that Kinsley?

For a split second, I couldn’t move. The scream dragged me backward through time. To our shared childhood house of horrors, where every door was locked. Where little girls went to disappear. Where little girls were whipped. Where little girls went to die.

My pulse exploded, and I ran.

Out came another scream. It assaulted my senses, slamming directly into the center of my chest. It was the exact, blood-curdling wail that echoed off the damp concrete of the two-way mirrored room so long ago.

I rounded the corner. At first, all I saw was blood. There was so much of it. Sprayed across the shelves. Pooling on the floor. Dripping from Kinsley.

Panic consumed every coherent thought.

Then the picture sharpened. Kinsley sat on the ground with her back pressed against the storage shelves. Isabella lay cradled in her lap. Motionless. My stomach dropped. I hadn’t seen this much blood since Jenny.

Shut it down. There is no time for panic.

“She has to be okay,” Kinsley sobbed.

Her eyes found mine. They were wild, terrified, and childlike.

“You came. I knew it. She has to be. I sang to her. I sang, Summer.”

I jerked at the name.

“It will help this time. It has to.”

The words tumbled out of the woman so quickly that they barely made sense. I crossed the room and dropped to my knees. My dress immediately soaked through as I slid in blood.

She clutched Bella tighter. I was close enough now that I could see the shallow rise and fall of Isabella’s chest. A fresh sob escaped the terrified little girl.

“I saved her.”

I reached over and pushed a piece of her hair that had come loose from the ponytail.

“You sure did. You did so good, Mouse.”

I reassured her as best I could, all while watching a version of her from long ago. The words nearly broke me. She hovered between there and here, her eyes slipping in and out of focus.

Carefully, I touched her shoulder. “Can I check on Bella?”

Kinsley hesitated, sniffled and gave a small nod. “Only you, okay.”

The trust and her little voice shattered what little remained of my composure. I reached for Isabella’s neck, checking her pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Relief hit so hard, my vision blurred.

She was alive, but that didn’t mean safe. I pulled out my phone, trying to remain calm. A small sob escaped as I dropped it and had to pick it up. I grimaced as I wiped it on my dress.

Diamond stood nearby, clutching her phone. Her face was pale. “Tori, I called for help. They should be here any second.”

I nodded. My fingers wouldn’t cooperate at first, but somehow I dialed Andy. He answered immediately.

“Hey, angel. Everything okay.”

“An-dy.”

“Angel?”

“Andy. There’s so much blood. I don’t know what…”