When I got home, I decided to actually start on some of my homework. If I didn’t want to get sent back to Longview, or back to junior year for that matter, I needed to get some work done.

I spread my books out on my bed and looked at all of my assignments. They’d been piling up the past few days, since I hadn’t been able to get my mind off Hailey and the strange symbols I’d found in her room.

The mountain of work was overwhelming, and it all felt a little pointless. What did physics class matter if I only had a few weeks left to live? Or less?

I only got through about a tenth of my homework when my phone buzzed with a new text message.

I have the thing you asked for.

Troy. He’d come through for me. I couldn’t believe it.

When I’d asked him to get Jordan’s records, I didn’t really think that he’d take that risk for me. Not with his place on the football team already in jeopardy. But he’d really done it.

It was the first good news I’d had all day. Just when I was running out of leads, Troy had just gotten potentially the biggest lead of all.

I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to get a look at them.

Thank you. Any chance you could bring them over? Or snap pics and send to me?

I sent the text and waited. It only took a second for him to respond.

No pics. I’ll swing by later?

My heart raced.

Thank you.

Now all I had to do was wait. Before the night was over, I would have some answers about Jordan’s past. If the rumors were true, he would have at least two other high schools on his record in the last couple of years.

“Marayah, may I come in?” Mom asked, not waiting for an answer before sticking her head inside my room. “How was your day?”

“It was fine,” I said.

“That’s good to hear,” she said. She came inside and sat down on the edge of the bed. That was never a good sign. She only did that when she had news she was afraid might upset me. It was like her way of getting down to my level or something.

“What is it?” I asked. “I have a lot of homework.”

Her smile faltered, and I immediately regretted my tone of voice.

“I just wanted to see you,” she said. “It’s so nice to be able to come upstairs and see you here where you belong.”

“Thanks, Mom. It’s good to be home.”

She paused, which meant she was trying to figure out how best to break the news.

“I talked to Dr. Millner this afternoon,” she said. “She’s a little bit concerned about how you’re handling the transition and wants to see you as soon as possible. I made an appointment for next Friday afternoon.”

I tried to keep my face even, but inside, I was fuming.

“Mom, I really don’t think that’s necessary,” I said as calmly as I could.

“I’m sure it’s just going to be a short session. Just a little check-in to make sure everything is going okay,” she said. “Really, she just wants you to know that you’re safe and supported. That’s all everyone here wants.”

“I just think it’s a little early to be calling my doctor,” I said. “We knew there would be a period of adjustment, but you aren’t even giving me time to adjust.”

“It’s nothing to get all worked up about. You like Dr. Millner, right? I don’t understand what the problem is?” She stood and headed for the door, which meant she was done with the conversation, and I wasn’t supposed to argue anymore. Discussion over.

But those were the old rules. The old me.

“The problem is that everyone keeps telling me they want things to go back to normal,” I said. “But no one wants to face the fact that I may never be normal again.”

Mom’s eyes widened, her smile completely gone now.

“This is exactly why you need to go talk to Dr. Millner. You never used to take that kind of tone with me.”

“And that’s exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about,” I said. “Everyone is judging me based on who I used to be and what I used to do. You can’t really expect me to be the same person after everything I’ve been through, can you?”

Tears glistened in her eyes. She straightened the edges of her blouse and looked down at the floor for a moment.

“I know you have been through something very traumatic,” she said. “I know it’s been difficult for you. It’s been difficult for us, too, Marayah. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I am okay,” I said. That wasn’t exactly true, but a meeting with Dr. Millner was only going to make my problems worse.

“How about this?” Mom said. “You agree to go to this appointment next Friday and as long as Dr. Millner gives the okay, you can have full driving privileges reinstated. No more after school curfew.”

I had a feeling this was about as good a deal as I could hope for right now.

“Okay,” I said. “Thank you.”

She smiled and ran her hand down my hair, the way she used to do when I was a child. “I love you, Marayah,” she said.

“I love you, too,” I said.

“I’ll see you downstairs in half an hour?” she asked. “I was thinking maybe we could just order pizza. I really don’t feel like cooking.”

“Pineapple and pepperoni?” I asked.

“You got it,” she said. “Try to finish your homework early so we can have some family time after dinner.”

I closed the bedroom door behind her and collapsed onto my bed. I wanted to scream.

I’d only been home a week and Mom was already calling my doctor. This appointment was a full two weeks early, and there was no way I was going to be able to lie to Dr. Millner about everything that had been going on. She would see right through me.

Which meant I had a little over a week to figure this whole thing out. If I didn’t, I was going to have to convince Dr. Millner—a licensed psychologist who knew me inside and out—that everything was normal and fine. That I wasn’t secretly investigating my best friend’s murder and possible demonic possession.

Basically, I might as well start packing for another extended stay at Longview.