Sweat ran down my fingertips. I couldn't control my grip. As my hand squeezed the phone tighter, I pressed it closer to my ear.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" The operator's stale voice spiked my anxiety.

I chewed at my bottom lip and frowned. Why hadn't I backed out when I had the chance? There was no way I could disguise my voice. They'd have recognized me in an instant. Well, this was the phone operator I was talking to, not someone directly from the station. Maybe it just might have worked.

"Hello? Are you there?" she persisted.

I swallowed my pride and closed my eyes. "Yes, I'm here. I have a tip that I'd like to lend the police. It's about one of the missing thirteen girl's whereabouts. The little girl named Holly Adams, who went missing on April 1st, 2016," I said.

There was no going back now. It was out there in the open. This was the next best thing I could think of to keep myself out of trouble. If I notified the police as an anonymous caller, I wouldn't have had to risk Rosemary and I's safety, searching for Holly myself.

"What is your name?"

"No names," I refused immediately, "I'd like to remain anonymous. I don't want any of this interfering in my life. And I don't want to be a suspect. Please. But I think I know where she's buried. Her remains are somewhere along one of these two rivers; Clareleche or Sterile Brook."

"Ma'am, how do you know this?"

"I. . ." Shit. I couldn't tell them a spirit told me this. Let alone, the spirit of one of the children. "I just do. There's something really odd in that area that looks like it could belong to a child. Please, check there. It's urgent. I wouldn't have called if it weren't," I said then hung the phone back on the hook, hanging it up.

If I knew any better, they had already started tracking our phone calls. But they wouldn't have been able to trace it back to me. At least, not from this landline. I had purposely called from a landline that wasn't anywhere close to John and I's home.

Shit. That was nerve-wracking. I'd never done anything like that in my life.

My fingertips continued to shiver on their own. I took a few deep breaths, trying to shake the nerves off. Some tea. That's what I needed. A hot cup of steaming peppermint tea usually helped calm me down.

I eyed the deserted streets, the autumn breeze brushing my curls afloat.

I'd expected the streets to be clear. It was pretty late in the day. With the nights getting colder and the days darkening faster, I shouldn't have been out here alone either. The lights from the small corner grocery store lit up the sidewalk across from me, as the sun welcomed the evening sky. I hurried across the street, into the store. The ding of a bell rang through the inside.

Barely a foot into the store, someone greeted me, "Angie! Do my eyes deceive me? Goodness, it's been a while since I've seen you! Your folks are always here," store owner, Hank Briggs, spoke without hesitation.

I matched his smile with my own. "Hey, Hank! I could say the same. My parents never fail to mention it when you ask about me." I chuckled.

"I hope Shifton has been treating you well"—his smile widened—"what are you doing here, today?"

"Gosh, Hank, you know me, I am in desperate need of a large peppermint tea—!" A shout and a door slamming open interrupted me. Hank and I's head whipped around at the altercation.

"You little brat! Haven't your parents ever taught you not to lie!? I saw you put it in your pocket, now give it back. It doesn't belong to you!" A male shouted.

"Let go of me!" a voice fussed and screamed.

My face scrunched up. Both voices sounded awfully familiar. That's when I spotted the small body flailing around in someone's arms. He was struggling to hold her as he walked her to the front of the store. My eyebrows twitched at the sight of her. What the hell was she doing here getting in trouble? Let alone, by Fabian Byers.

A cigarette poked out from behind Fabian's ear as his arms wrestled to keep Eleanor still.

"Hey! What's going on?" Hank yelled.

His voice only worsened the commotion. For a split second, Fabian stopped fighting her, and glanced up gritting his teeth. He had been distracted by Hank's outburst. That gave Eleanor enough time to use her squirming as a break towards freedom.

"Shit," Fabian cursed, "stop her!"

There were a few customers spread around the store, but none of them budged. That's when I realized she was headed straight for me. My eyes widened. Oh shit, I was still a few feet away from the door. Of course, she was heading for me. I quickly went with my first instinct.

"Hey, hey. I got you. Calm down, Eleanor!" My arms tugged on her waist and she collided directly into my chest. I winced. Oh hell, that hurt like a bitch.

"I'll give it back, I promise! Just let me go!" Her voice tore in two.

She was no longer looking at Fabian or Hank or myself. Her focus was now on the store cameras. I frowned, following her eyes across the cameras.

There was a small group in the corner of the store, their heads peeking around one of the aisles. The few girls who were eavesdropping began laughing until I caught their eye. They immediately stopped and ran out the backdoor, exiting the store. Then, the situation clicked.

Eleanor's eyes were on the verge of tears. But she didn't say anything else. Had those girls bullied her into stealing? This felt like a stunt. The kind of stunt teens tried to fit in.

"Oh, Eleanor. . ." I sighed.

"Oh no, you don't. It's too late for begging!" Fabian spat. He huffed and stormed up to us. Then he reached into her pocket, and snatched the iPhone case and a pair of headphones from her grasp.

A sigh left Hank's mouth as he frowned, glaring Eleanor down in disappointment. "Child, do you have a guardian that can come get you? Because if not, then I'm going to have the police escort you to the station," he mumbled the rest of his sentence.

I was tense. Eleanor began shaking in my grip. Crap, I couldn't let her get arrested. Lucinda didn't need her only other daughter taken away from her. That was a woman still standing who had everything left to lose. I wasn't sure she'd be able to handle much more.

"Hank!" I stepped in. "It's okay! I've got this. I know this girl. She's the daughter of a good friend of mine. I'll pay for the stuff she stole."

His frown deepened as he eyed my stomach. When his eyes met mine again, the worry clouded his pupils. "Angie, are you sure? I don't want her to cause you any trouble—"

"I promise, it'll be fine. I'll take her home and tell her mother, Mrs. Drake about this so hopefully, it won't happen again. She won't cause you any more trouble."

He paused for a second. His eyes danced between me and Eleanor as he quietly thought to himself. Finally, he blew out a puff of air. "Okay. . . Child, I'm going to let you off on a warning this time." He looked over at Eleanor, who shifted her gaze to the floor.

"Seriously!?" Fabian grunted. Hank flashed his hand, shutting him up.

"Try not to get into any more trouble in the future. Stealing can get you to some bad places, you know. And you might not be as lucky as to run into another store owner like me who'll let you off easy. They're some mean people out there, you hear?" Hank narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Now, do you still want that tea, Angie?"

"Uhh, yeah, that's fine. I'll just pay for it all together." A sheepish smile settled on my face. I needed that tea now more than ever. Fabian reluctantly handed the items back to Eleanor, who stood quietly beside me. She still hadn't looked up from the floor.

"The children in West Greenbush just get worse every year," was what it sounded like Fabian muttered, in a growl. "You may have gotten saved this time. But next time, I'll be sure the cops are called on you." Her shoulders tensed at his comment. It was clear Fabian had a temper just like his mother's.

"Come on, Eleanor." I guided her out of the store, when we were done.

She hadn't said a word for majority of the ride. I assumed she was going to stay that way. I tried my best to be careful not to spook her. She already acted like she couldn't stand me. The last thing I wanted was to give her a reason to despise me more.

"Are you actually going to tell my mother?" Eleanor played with her seatbelt, staring down at her lap. Her voice was so soft, I almost hadn't heard her. My eyes strained ahead, focusing on the road.

"Yes, Eleanor. I got you off the hook with Hank, but I still need to let your mom know what happened. She deserves to know what's going on with her child." I sighed. I'd want to know what was going on with my child too, the more I thought about John and I raising Rosemary.

"Oh," she mumbled. Her fingers dug into the material on the belt strap. "You know, Angie, you're really strange. Is meddling something you always do?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" I tried to peek at her in the mirror. The look on her face was far from grateful that I'd just saved her butt. I couldn't figure out what I'd done to trigger this reaction.

Eleanor tucked her lip in her mouth. Her nails clawed at the seat belt this time. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. My intense stare zoned in on her in the mirror. We had finally pulled alongside her house, where I took the chance to turn towards her.

"You're always saving the day," she whispered. "Why can't you just leave things alone?"

"What?" I asked, taken aback.

"You're always saving the day," she repeated. "You don't know me like that. You don't know my mother like that either. You don't owe us any favors. So, why did you save my ass back there?"

"Just because I'm not close to your mom, doesn't mean I can't or shouldn't be kind. I don't have to do something out of the kindness of my heart for anything in return. I'd do it for a stranger too. Would you have preferred if I let him send you to a holding cell?" A frown took over my face.

"No, it's just. Ugh! I don't know how to explain it. Every time you meddle, people end up in pain. Don't you see?" Something told me we weren't talking about the same thing anymore. Her following words proved me right.

"If you'd just left things alone, instead of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, my parents could be happy again. We spent so many years trying to forget about her. It was hard! It hurt a lot. My mother was always crying. My father was always crying. They nearly neglected their duties. Do you get that?

"We finally accepted that Mary could have been gone for good, you know? Things were slowly going back to normal. I buried my little sister's memory so I could get better. Then you brought all the bad memories back. Why couldn't you have just left her there? And my mother invited you into our home? I don't understand it.

"How could she be grateful to someone who brought our worst fears to life? I'm sorry Angie, but I wish you never met us. My family doesn't need a hero. Because of you, my parents are in pain again. You have your own life. Your own child! Why do you keep meddling in other people's lives? We can handle ourselves!

"All I want is for my family to be happy again. . . Thank you, anyway." She was sobbing. My heart broke into pieces. Her heavy breathing filled the silence in the car. But as fast as she said those words, she regretted them. Her eyes widened as she sent me an apologetic look, before she threw herself out of the car. Not a single word more.

And I hadn't even had a chance to gather a response. I could only blink. I didn't know how to respond. Most of what she said was true. But it wasn't my fault, was it? I guess it was mostly my fault. If I would have passed Cory's notes onto John, none of this would have happened. Maybe it would have happened, but to someone else. Then, I wouldn't have been in this predicament.

It actually wasn't too late for pass this burden onto someone else. Someone who was capable of handling it. Of risking everything because they had nothing to lose. But Mary had already latched herself onto me. Even if I chose not to help her anymore, would she have left me alone? I wasn't sure.

The sight of the Drake's house door opening drove me out of my head. Edward Drake stood at the door with a newspaper in his hand and glasses perched on his nose. Eleanor looked back at my car, then ran into the house. Now, his attention was on my car. He waved at me with a smile, then closed the door as I forced a smile back.

I had never imagined myself being lashed out at by a child. What she said, almost sounded like something my own parents, maybe even John, would have scolded me about. It wasn't like I wanted to hurt everyone involved. I most certainly didn't plan on involving myself in their lives either. Lucinda had done that.

And everything led back to Mary; the missing child who started it all. It was an inevitable cycle that wouldn't break until someone broke it themselves. I just wasn't sure if I should have been the one to do so anymore.