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19 ~ Home

"That's no Man in White. That's the literal--"

He was cut off by a bullet shooting through his chest, somehow in slow motion. My sister and I turned around.

"--devil," Caleb finished.

I heard Adam's body hit the ground.

"Caleb? Why?"

"I want to talk to you without him here," he explained, the gun he used vanishing into thin air.

"You could have just told him to leave, you didn't have to kill him," I argued.

He rolled his eyes. "Relax, Hay, I didn't kill him. He'll resurrect in a few days, and he'll be good as new." Caleb walked past Sadie and I, nudging the body with his foot. It disappeared.

"What's going on? Why do you want to hurt her?" Sadie asked.

"She has what I want," he said simply.

"What do you mean?" Sadie asked, trying to step in front of me. I pushed her away.

"He wants life," I sighed.

"Bingo," Caleb smiled.

"Why?"

"To put it simply, I died at thirteen years old due to a situation I couldn't control. Annie died due to Hayley's stupid mistake, and I want to take Hayley's life so she can feel what we have both gone through."

"But if you're the devil, how did you live as a human?" Sadie asked.

Silence. I saw something in Caleb's eyes. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't him. I looked at Sadie, and she looked at me. We knew exactly what was happening.

"I'll let you take my soul if you let Caleb go," I said, taking a step forward.

"What? Hayley, no--"

"Sadie, it's okay. It's what I have to do," I simply said.

"I'm not letting you sell your soul to the devil," she hissed at me. 

"Sadie, look at me." I put my hands on her shoulders. "I know what I'm doing," I said, whispering.

She stared at me for a few seconds, then looked at the ground, stepping backwards, causing my hands to slip off her shoulders.

"You can take me, but on one condition," I said.

"Yes?"

"Can you change time? Like, go back to the past?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Make it so that my mom never gives Sadie away, and that Caleb doesn't die. Let me never exist."

"Hayley, what?" Sadie asked.

I opened my mouth to respond, but I heard a thud behind us. I turned to see Annie crying on the floor.

"Hayley, you can't do this," Annie said. "Never make a deal with the devil."

"I don't care," I began to tear up. "I want you and Caleb and Sadie to live the happy life you never got because of me."

"Caleb didn't die because of you--"

"I knew something was wrong and I could feel a pit in my stomach. I knew something was gonna happen to Caleb, but I didn't feel like caring about it."

"You were seven, you can't blame yourself for that," Annie said.

I opened my mouth to respond but I didn't get the chance yet. "Ladies, this is taking way too long. Can you finish this soon?" Caleb whined. 

I glanced at him for a split second before turning back to my sisters. "I still could have done something, though. And just please let me do this."

Annie and Sadie looked at each other, then Annie left and Sadie turned back to me, tearing up. "Go ahead."

I gave Sadie a quick hug, then walked up to Caleb.

"It's settled," I told him.

"Alright--"

"Wait!" Sadie interjected. She whispered in my ear, and I smiled and nodded at her. She handed me a pen and paper, and I wrote, then handed it back to her and stuck it in her pocket.

"I'm ready," I said.

All I remember from there is distorted memory. There's some flashes of light, some dust, some crackles in my vision, but I clearly remember Sadie when this happened. She had her hands over her eyes because the lights were bright, but she had tears streaming down her cheeks. I then remember feeling Annie's and my mom's presences. I knew their minds were there, but not the bodies they had in this void-place.

I wake up, but I am in between this world and another. I don't really understand what's going on. My cheeks are wet and my body is shaking. Hayley isn't next to me. Her imprint is still in the bed. Her phone is still on the nightstand. I feel something in my pajama pants pocket. I stick my hand inside and realize that it's the paper. Good. I think it will make it. Something weird is happening outside the window. I walk over to it and look at the night sky. The moon is almost a light pink, and there are only seven stars in the sky. I know this only means one thing. Caleb is home.

Guys, there's only the epilogue left. I'm so sad and excited to bring this book to a close.