Hi. It’s me.
Could you come to the drive-in?
There’s something I want you to see.
59
ASH
“WHAT THE HELL ISgoing on?” Every nerve in Ash’s body is tingling.Can this be real?
It’s Hope. On the screen, in full color, larger than life. But this isn’t a movie Ash has ever seen before. It’s not a movie that should even beoutyet. The release date isn’t until September. They were all going to go to the premiere together. Hope had promised them she’d help them choose their dresses.
Hope walks across the screen, her head thrown back, wearing a trailing green gown. She is in a forest. There is a crown on her head.
“Oh,”Caro says, the sound like a sigh, because Hope is so beautiful and alive right there in front of them. “Isn’t this—”
“The End of Camelot,”someone says, and they turn to see that Raye is standing there as well. “Hope’s newest movie.”
A crowd is gathering. Ash overhears someone near them checking their phone, saying, “See? It says right here that the release date is September 29.” But most of them are standing there, transfixed by Hope. The sun is still out but the light is lowering, and even in less-than-ideal viewing conditions, it is impossible to take your eyes off her.
Another text comes through.
I thought it would be nice,it says,if my last movie was shown where my first movie was filmed.
“Herlastmovie?” Caro says. “I don’t like the way that sounds.”
“AndEcho Chamberwasn’t filmed here,” Ash says. Hope’s first role was a bit part in a movie about a murder that was filmed entirely on a studio lot in Hollywood.
“Echo Chamberwasn’t her first movie,” Raye says. “The Last Portalwas. She was an uncredited extra.”
“Wait,” Caro says. “Hopewas inThe Last Portal?”
“What’sThe Last Portal?” Ash asks. How is it possible that she hasn’t heard of one of Hope’s films? But something is nagging at her.Hope told me that she got noticed playing an extra in a film. Why didn’t I ask her which one it was?
“It’s a terrible movie with aliens that they just finished playing.” Caro looks at Raye. “Didyoutell them to show it?”
Raye shakes her head. “No,” she says. “I have nothing to do with any of this.” For the first time, she looks truly worried. “I’m going to go call the studio,” she says. “If we figure out who did this, maybe it will help us find Hope.” Raye spins on her heel and heads for the main tent, already pulling her phone from her pocket.
“Maybe itisHope,” Ash says, after Raye is out of earshot. There’s a buoyancy sparkling up in her now, like bubbles in champagne.What if. What if?!? What if this is all going to be okay?“What do you think?”
“What?” Caro’s distracted now, looking at her phone.Of course she has to keep checking it,Ash realizes. Henry is still missing. Ash can’t imagine. She’s stressed, too, given that she walked away from Wade to be here and her life is in shambles, but at least she knows that everyone she loves is accounted for and safe.
Except for Hope.
“Okay, interesting,” Caro says, still scrolling. “It says that some ofThe Last Portalwas filmed in a slot canyon near the Underground. I knew it had been filmed in the area—it was kind of a big deal at the time—butI didn’t know they wentintoa slot canyon.” She stops, looks up at Ash. “And they used some long shots of Seraph’s Perch from outside the park.”
They both let that sit for a moment. Hope kept that from them. What else was she hiding?
“Do you think Hope is sending usclues?” Ash asks. “If everywhere in the movie is somewhere we’ve been or we’re going? Where else was the movie filmed?”
Their phones both ping. It’s a text.
One stop left.
A town of ghosts.
60
