Page 6 of Lost Echoes

I stare at the screen, desperate for more answers but willing to wait a few hours. The information will still be here when I get back, and I definitely can’t put off Luke. I already get so little time with anyone else my age, and I want to spend time with my boyfriend. He’s my favorite person.

It’s so hard to desire two opposing things at the same time. But Kenzi, if she were in her right mind, wouldn’t want me spending my every waking hour on this.

I text Luke that I’ll be right down. As I shut down my computers, I doubt I’ll be able to stop thinking about why three different mental hospitals have programs named Therapeutic Reimagining and Reintegrating System for Children.

If they’re tied together—of course they are—I’m going to find how. And what they did to so many innocent kids.

4

Billa

“You sure this map is accurate?” Ryker takes the journal and holds it sideways. “Maybe we’re supposed to look at it this way?”

I sigh. “It’s a map I drew when I was probably nine years old. I’d be more surprised if it was drawn to scale than if it wasn’t.”

We’ve tried following it twice. The first time we ended up in a bathroom, and the second time in a storage closet. I’m starting to think this was just a game I made for Kenzi and nothing more.

Ryker studies the map, holding it upside-down and then sideways again. “I think we’ve been looking at this all wrong.”

“You don’t say.”

“What if we’re supposed to begin at the outside entrance? You know, near the woods?”

“Just about everything except the main area is near the woods, but I get what you’re saying.”

He points to the squiggly arrow next to the word “start” written in loopy letters. “If we did that, we’d end up somewhere completely different.”

The thought of going through this wing for a third time is enough to make me want to give up completely, but looking at Ryker’s excited eyes makes it hard to say no. “Let’s try it, but I’m done if we end up in another bathroom.”

“Sounds like a plan. If we still don’t find anything, we can always have Ember run analytics on it.”

“On a child’s hand-drawn map?”

“Why not?”

“Okay,” I say to placate him. What’s one more trip through this wing? Especially if we end up finding something I left for myself so many years ago.

Ryker marches ahead of me down the dim, creepy hall. I hurry to keep up.

Slam!

That sounded like a door behind us.

An icy chill runs through me like a raging river.

We both look back.

One door is shut.

Usually, we keep the doors open so everything gets air moving around. However, some rooms do stay closed for various reasons.

Ryker looks past me. “Should we check that out?”

“I’m out.”

Slam!

I jolt, then wrap my arms around myself. “I don’t like this. Coming here was a bad idea, and now the wing itself is confirming that.”