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few feet away. I jerked away from Laura and ran back toward them. “Manny!” I yelled.
    And the car exploded.
    The concussion of the blast threw us all backward. I floated through the air, until I hit the asphalt. My head struck twice, and the black smoke overtook me.

Saturday
August 24
    I jerked upright and gasped for air.
    “Manny!”
    My breaths came faster. I was no longer on the asphalt in the dark of night, but on a bed in a bright hospital room. Time had passed without me.
    “Manny!”
    I pounded the soft white sheets with my fists. And then I screamed.
    A woman in blue scrubs with a stethoscope dangling from her neck rushed into the room and right to my bedside. “You’re safe now,” she said and gripped my hand.
    “What day is it?” I asked.
    “Saturday. You were in a serious car accident, and you’ve been admitted to the hospital for observation.” Her intense hazel eyes locked onto me, and I remembered the sparkle in Lily’s hazel eyes before the hypnotism show. Before she hung unconscious in the back seat.
    “My name is Audrey,” the woman said. “I’m your nurse, and I’ll be taking care of you today.”
    “Where’s Lily?” I asked.
    A uniformed police officer stepped into the room, but he stayed near the door and scanned the room. His graying hair was neatly trimmed above his ears, but several wild strands stuck out from his eyebrows. He hooked his thumbs into his duty belt and waited.
    “That’s Officer Stephens,” Audrey said. “He has a few questions for you, but I need to check your vitals first. Okay?”
    I nodded.
    Audrey lowered the bedrail and pressed her fingers against my wrist. Her lips moved while she counted and focused on her wristwatch. Her blond hair was cut in a cute pixie style, she wore little makeup, and she smelled like Ivory soap. Clean and fresh. Unlike the putrid stench from the car. I gagged, and she snatched a barf bag from the side table. She held it under my chin, and I gagged again. But the gut-wrenching agony only produced shuddering dry heaves. I pushed back my hair and found clumps of stiffened vomit from the accident, which made me remember the blood on Manny’s forehead. Had it crusted in his hair?
    “Where’s Manny?” I asked, panic bubbling within me.
    “Manuel Santos?” Audrey adjusted my IV line.
    “Yes.”
    She repositioned my blood pressure cuff, and I wanted to scream again. I needed an answer.
    “Is he dead?” I whispered.
    Audrey patted my arm. “He has a concussion and cracked ribs, but he will be fine.”
    “I need to see him.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and winced. The edges of my vision blurred, but if Manny was alive I had to find him. The police officer took a step forward.
    “Not yet,” Audrey said. “The doctor hasn’t cleared you.” She lifted my feet back up, and then she raised the bedrail.
    “I don’t hurt,” I said.
    She pursed her lips.
    “Not much.” But I did. I peeked beneath the neckline of the gray dotted hospital gown. A purple bruise marked where my seat belt had been, and even the cotton fabric made it sting.
    “You received pain meds when you arrived, but I can give you more if you need them.”
    “No, thank you.” I wanted to be alert, unhindered by pain medicine, if they decided to let me see Manny. “I really need to see him.”
    “His doctors need to finish with him first.” Audrey tugged the bedcovers over me, and I used the sheet to wipe away my tears.
    Officer Stephens moved to the foot of my bed and pulled a notepad and pen from his pocket. He glanced at Audrey and raised his wiry eyebrows. “May I now?” he asked her.
    “Yes, go ahead,” she said.
    “Manuel had his wallet in his pocket,” Officer Stephens said, “and we’ve already spoken with his parents. They told us your name is either Lily Sloane or Hannah O’Leary.”
    “Hannah,” I said.
    “Hannah, we need to phone your parents. Where can we reach them?”
    “My mom’s at work.”
    “How about your