I gasp for air, trying to fill my lungs, but it’s useless. I can’t breathe.
Even though she’s put the picture away, I still see Mallory’s face. I know the jump didn’t kill her because it didn’t kill me. That means when the river pulled her back in time, she chose not to swim to the surface. She chose to drown.
“Please sit down and let’s talk about this,” Detective Amato says.
What is there to talk about? She can’t help me. I’m the only one who can make a difference. I need to jump back in time again. But I can only go back a year. I need to convince past me to jump and save her.
I bolt out of the room.
“Emma!” Detective Amato calls after me.
I race into the front of the station to where Sam looks up, confused.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I need to go. I need to go right now.”
Sam looks over my shoulder at Detective Amato, trying to figure out what happened, but he doesn’t understand.
I grab his arm. “Please.”
“Okay,” he says.
I run out of the police station and to his car, yanking on the handle even though it won’t budge because it’s locked.
He unlocks it and gets in the car, but he’s too slow. He does everything at half the speed I do.
Every time he looks at me, it’s like he has a million questions, but he’s too afraid to ask. Like he’s worried he’ll make it worse.
He backs up the car as I force myself to breathe because if I don’t, I’m going to pass out. We’re not even moving very fast, but my head is spinning.
“I need you to drive me to the Oakland bridge,” I say, the words flying out of my mouth.
“What? No,” he says, pulling out onto the main road. “I’m taking you home.”
“No!” I yell. “I need to go to the bridge. You have to take me!”
His eyes widen. “Emma, you’re scaring me. I’m going to drive you home.”
“Stop the car!”
“We’re in the middle of the road!”
I unbuckle because if he’s not going to take me, I’ll find another way to get there. I reach for the handle, propping the door open.
Sam grabs my arm as he slams on the brakes. “What are you doing?”
I shove him off me and jump out of the car. I’m running again, but I can’t see clearly. The world is blurred and I’m dizzy.
I’m on the road.
There are honking horns and screeching tires.
A car slams into me, pain shooting through every fiber of my body.
I’m on the pavement.
I’m bleeding.
