Chapter 2: The Secret in Her Left Hand
Chloe’s hands struck Lily’s shoulders and shoved her toward the cake.
“Lily!” I screamed.
Matthew pulled her back as the silver candles erupted in a shower of white sparks.
Lily began coughing, then collapsed against him.
“What did you do?” I shouted.
Chloe burst into tears.
“Mommy said it would only scare her!”
Natalie grabbed her arm.
“Stop lying, Chloe.”
Within minutes, Lily was struggling to breathe.
As Matthew carried her toward the car, I snatched the silver package from beside the cake.
The label on the back made my hands shake: NOT FOR INDOOR OR FOOD USE.
TOXIC IF INHALED.
At the hospital, Lily was rushed into the ICU.
Natalie kept calling, insisting it had been “a harmless prank,” while Mom begged me not to involve anyone else.
Then the doctor stepped into the hallway.
“The candle fumes irritated her lungs,” he said, “but they don’t explain everything we found.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lily had something in her system before she leaned over that cake.”
My phone suddenly buzzed.
Dad had sent me Mom’s birthday video with one message:
Watch Natalie’s left hand when she brings out the cake.
I pressed play—and froze when I saw what my sister was holding.
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What did Claire see in Natalie’s hand, and what had entered Lily’s system?
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