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daughter. Sky’s house had been Officer Vega’s first port of call, but not her last.
‘Skylar, to the best of my recollection, none of those things happened.’
Sky snapped her gaze up from studying her fingernails and found the police officer staring at her.
‘You’re surprised.’
Now Sky understood the pen-clicking motion Officer Vega had made earlier. The police officer was making notes – albeit mental ones, since she had no notepad in front of her.
‘So, am I right in thinking that, as far as you remember, you have been living at home with your parents, going to school as usual, and nothing … out of the ordinary has happened at all since your birthday?’
Sky nodded. ‘That’s right. Oh – except Bo said that someone’s dug up my grave. But that happened yesterday, after everyone started acting all weird.’
One raised eyebrow was the only indication that Officer Vega was surprised by the revelation that Sky’s grave had been unearthed. ‘And why didn’t Margaret – I mean Bo – report this immediately?’ One glance at Sky’s expression, and Officer Vega sighed. ‘Never mind. I still forget where I am sometimes. I’ll drive down there shortly to check it out.’ She pursed her lips thoughtfully. ‘You realise that nobody else remembers you being here for the last three months.’ It wasn’t a question, but Sky nodded anyway. ‘How do you explain that you remember the last three months happening one way, and everyone else remembers them another?’
Sky was quiet for a long moment, having no reasonable answer. All she could think about was the cold, clammy feeling of the dead body she’d dreamed about the previous night. She shivered.
‘But then I suppose the real question is: why does everyone in Blackfin remember you dying when you clearly did not?’ Officer Vega sat back, drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair.
Sky shrugged. ‘Weird things happen in Blackfin.’
Officer Vega nodded slowly. ‘They certainly do, Skylar. They certainly do.’
Sky hesitated before asking her next question, unsure what the police officer’s reaction would be. ‘What happens next? I mean, is there going to be an official investigation into where I’ve been?’
Officer Vega pressed her mouth into a straight line. Finally, she shook her head. ‘Officially, the case will be reclassified as a runaway, and closed. Of course we’ll still need to figure out who was buried in Blackfin Cemetery, and how they came to drown just off our beach when there have been no missing person reports in the area in over a year, and what the hell has happened to that body if it’s disappeared … but that won’t involve you, Skylar.’
This was good news, though it didn’t leave Sky feeling any less uneasy.
‘What about figuring out what happened on the night of my party?’
An odd expression passed over the police officer’s face, as though she was reluctant to say what came next. ‘Unless you’d like to report that a crime was committed that night, it isn’t a police matter.’ Sky shifted uncomfortably. There had been no crime committed – at least, none that she remembered – but there had been certain events that she would rather not think about.
‘Then I guess you can’t help me.’
‘It seems not. But,’ Officer Vega added, new light in her eyes, ‘maybe your mother can help you figure it out?’
‘My mother ?’
Officer Vega’s only response was an enigmatic smile.
Sky kept out of her parents’ way for the rest of the day, and stayed up late into the night. What had happened on the night of her birthday? Her recollection of events was far adrift from what others remembered, as though they had lived the version that she had dreamed – or the one she had somehow convinced herself she’d dreamed – instead of the real version.
Assuming I lived the real version and I’m not dreaming now.
Sky kicked and fretted at her bed sheets as she tossed around possible answers, stifling despite the autumn air