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The sun was setting outside, but there were two long s on one wall and the curtains were open, so there was still enough light to see without turning on a laant bedroom an ominous feel

In the far corner, I found E on the floor with the skirt of her green dress ballooned around her and her shoes and purse off to the side The Lagerfield was identical to mine, except it was surrounded by wooden walls and the door at the front was decorated with silver knobs It was a clever disguise to hide the safe inside a faux dresser, but it wasn’t enough to fool irl

Her araph were taped to the safe, and her paper was full of dots and crossed off nu the story of her struggle

“Hey,” I whispered, creeping toward her as I slipped loves

She turned to face me, and my heart broke It sank so much it plummeted all the way to the first floor of the house Her eyes were rimmed with red, and I could see the shiny streaks of tears down her cheeks She’d been crying

Her voice was shaky and rasped with emotion “I don’t think I can do it”

I knelt beside her on the floor, quickly sliding ainston Is it the amp?”

She sucked in a short breath “Maybe? I don’t know This Lagerfield sounds totally different than yours” She gestured to the paper, glaring at it “I’ve tried so ht is right, or if it’s twenty-nine, but I went through all fifteen sequences for each and none of them worked I mean, I even started over to make sure the drive cam has four wheels like yours, and it does”

I felt utterly powerless, and I fucking hated the feeling “So, where are you now? Is there another nu?”

She nodded slowly “Seventy-three It’s sticky around that one, but the click leansthat I went through the sequence using seventy-four and twenty-eight, and all those failed I’ it with twenty-nine, and if that doesn’t work” She looked utterly lost, and her chin began to wobble

“Shh,” I said softly, squeezing her tightly “It’s going to work”

I’d never asked the universe for anything before I’d been too young to do it whenin a hospital, so wasn’t I owed a favor from the universe now? I needed this to work out, not for me, but for her I couldn’t care less in thisevidence was inside the safe or ould happen to me