Chapter 4

A week passed.

Liam returned to town, looking rested and recovered. He went straight to my parents' house, where Clara was now living. I wasn' t there, of course.

He found her on the porch swing, looking healthier than she had in her entire life. But her face was pale.

"I' ve been having nightmares, Liam," she said, her voice tight with anxiety. "And these sharp pains in my chest. They come and go."

Liam' s brow furrowed with concern. He took her to the town clinic immediately. The doctor examined her thoroughly but found nothing wrong. "She' s in perfect health," he declared.

As they were leaving, Liam asked my mother, "Have you heard from Elara? I figured she' d have cooled off by now."

My mother put on a worried face. "We haven' t heard a thing. We' ve been worried sick. She just disappeared."

Liam accepted the lie without question.

On their way out of the clinic, they ran into Pastor Michael. The Pastor smiled warmly at Liam.

"Liam, my boy. You' re looking well. Fully recovered from your last serious ordeal, I see."

Liam looked confused. "What ordeal, Uncle? I haven' t been sick."

Pastor Michael' s gaze flickered to Clara, who suddenly looked very nervous. His eyes, full of a knowing sadness, returned to Liam.

"You need to find Elara," the Pastor said, his voice low and serious. "You owe that girl more than you can possibly imagine. When you find her, you cherish her."

Before Liam could ask what he meant, Clara gasped and clutched her chest, faking a dizzy spell.

"Liam, I don' t feel well. Please, take me home."

Liam, ever the protector, immediately forgot the Pastor' s strange words and rushed to Clara' s side, guiding her away.