His breathing falters and a confused chuckle escapes his lips. “It has everything to do with that.”
I am speechless. The words he is saying swirl around me like a tornado. He continues. “Rebecca’s body was taken to the morgue shortly after she died and that was the last time I ever saw her, until just a few days ago.”
“But she’s not dead?” I ask.
“No, she is clearly not dead.”
“I don’t understand, Dad. Didn’t you have a funeral for her? How did you not see her after she was taken to the morgue?”
“The hospital told me that her body vanished from the morgue. The funeral home came to pick her up but she was gone. When the hospital reviewed the security camera footage from the night she vanished, there was interference on each and every single camera in the entire hospital for a thirty-four second time span. They couldn’t see anything. They showed me the video. There was a blinding light and a lot of static. When it stopped, she was gone.”
“How could she disappear in thirty-four seconds?”
“It’s complicated.”
“You’re using that word a lot," I snap at him. "Did you try to find her?”
“Yes, of course. There were missing person reports all over the area. I even hired a private investigator. She just vanished. There was no sign of her anywhere. I gave up. She had died and there was nothing I could do to change that. Finding her body wouldn’t have brought her back.
“Eight months later, I met Jenna. We got married and she raised you as her own. You were young enough when she came into your life that it never occurred to you that she wasn’t really your mother. You never asked any questions and I didn’t want to ever have to tell you the truth.
"Last week, I was watching the news and there Rebecca was. She doesn’t look a day older than the last time I saw her almost eighteen years ago.”
“Have you tried to contact her? She must want to know where I am or if I’m alive and healthy.”
“Emma,” he reaches for my hands. “I don’t think she remembers that part of her life. It’s just gone forever. It’s highly likely that she doesn’t even know you exist.”
We all stand in stunned silence for what feels like an eternity. “Is she still a walker?” I ask, confused.
“No. If she were, she would find Natalie herself. She would realize that she’s not in a coma, but lost.” I slide my hands out of his.
“So that means Natalie’s father isn’t a walker either?”
“I would say no, he is not.”
“How is Natalie a walker then? If her mother no longer had the powers to pass on?”
“I don’t have the answer to that question.”
“How am I a walker?” Zoë softly asks. We both glance in her direction apologetically.
I turn back to my dad, not finished with my questions. “So the reason I am connected to Natalie is because we are sisters? How do we end up landing in each other’s walks if we know nothing about each other?”
“Your genetics connect you.”
“What about the man? The dark walker. He was parked in a car out front when we got home from school. He knows who I am and who she is. Who is he? What does he want with me?”
He takes a deep breath before answering. “You need to keep your distance from him, in both the real world and in your walks. What you’ve seen so far of him is only a drop in the bucket of what he is capable of.”
“Who is he?” I demand.
“His name is Alexander. He is a very dangerous man who is working with even more dangerous people. You need to stay away from him. It can cost you everything.”
“Why does he keep coming after me though? What does he want with me? I’m just some girl who can dream walk.”
“You’re not just some girl who can dream walk.”
Headlights from my mother’s car pulling into the driveway flash through the room and our conversation comes to an immediate halt. My dad sprints to the closet in the hallway, and quickly pulls boxes off the top shelf revealing a leather backpack that has been hidden away.
“I have a bag packed for you. I knew this day was coming, but I didn’t know when. It has everything you need to guide you to the colony in Maine. There are five hundred dollars in cash in the bag for you to use for gas, food, and