For Samantha Julie and Rita who always believed in me
Chapter 1 Always for as long as she could recall Gracie had the memory of fire Always It descended on her even now as she sat in her seventh-grade science class swooping in out of nowhere as she hunched over her textbook It wasn’t a true memory she’d never been in a fire after all but it felt real The images came in flashes the flicker of sparks dark spots that moved smokelike lurking in the corners Her skin burned hot and she felt flushed Story glimmers Mom had explained Glimpses of things that would’ve happened if we hadn’t escaped Bondoff It doesn’t matter what was written in that terrible book it
didn’t come true You’re safe now Just push the visions away they’re not real But Gracie rarely experienced a story glimmer this intensely at least not when she was awake Most of the time the glimmers were like spotting something out of the corner of her eye the glare of flames reflected in a windowpane Usually it was only in her dreams that she smelled the smoke sensed the heat and she found herself once again torn between curiosity and fear Are you ill a voice said beside her Gracie turned Walter watched her from behind glasses smudged with fingerprints because he was always shoving them up on his nose He reminded Gracie of a plump owl I’m fine Gracie wiped sweat from her forehead and fought the irritation that always crept over her when she was around Walter They had once been friends when they were
very young That was nearly eight years ago now but if Gracie looked closely she could still make out the pearly outline of the scar beneath Walter’s right eye where she had struck him Gracie was about to turn back to her homework when a red paper flyer slid from between the pages of Walter’s book and fluttered to the floor Gracie bent to pick it up and froze Across the top bold black letters spelled the name Gertrude Winters Why do you have this The paper quivered in her fingers Had Walter’s parents finally told him the truth about the story who they were Walter crooked his arm around the book he was reading I know I’m supposed to be reading the textbook he said But I already finished the chapter yesterday and I got this
