Page 66 of Firefly Effect

Run run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Firefly Man.

A wheeze tears from my chest, lurching me forward. My eyes open wide with panic, and all I see is Lincoln’s beautiful green gaze.

“Evie, say something. Please.” There’s fear in his tone and in his grip on my body as he pulls me into his arms. “I’m so sorry.” He rocks me, acting like he’s just hurt me in some way.

“I’m okay,” I tell him before taking another deep breath. “Wow, that was…” I shake my head, trying to find the right word. “Hypnotic?” Then I look back at Lincoln, confused. “Did you just hypnotize me?”

He shakes his head violently, a genuine reaction convincing me it’s the truth. “No, but it’s not unheard of for someone with a traumatic past to attach deeply to their emotions in a session like this. It’s what we want.” He searches my eyes, still trying to assess if I’m okay. “This kind of thing can happen when bringing your suppressed memories to light, but you were in there too deep, Evie. It scared me.”

His sweet, sympathetic care makes me fall even more deeply in love with him. “It felt like I was drugged… but happy. I wasn’t scared at all.”

He nods. “That’s because you were locked in a cognitive trance. The type of emotions you feel about your past have the strength to lock you to them, in effect hypnotizing you.”

“So it worked.” After a moment, I blink at him. “What you were trying to do by bringing my memories back—it worked. Maybe if I had just stayed in it?—”

“No,” he declares with a growl. “We can find another way to get you answers, Evie. I won’t let you go back there again. That was…” He swallows hard instead of finishing, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

There’s something new written on Lincoln’s features now, more than sympathy or concern. It’s almost like he was right there with me, experiencing my every step, my every feeling—and he doesn’t want me to get any closer to the truth.

I squeeze his hands and look deeply into his eyes. “I was fine. I knew I was safe the whole time.”

He snorts in disbelief as his eyes close briefly. “You were shaking and crying. I had no idea what you were seeing or if you were coming back to me.” He grips the back of my neck and brushes my cheek with a thumb. “I was so scared I was losing you.”

His words don’t make sense, but the emotions behind them do. I lean in, hugging his neck and never wanting to let go. “I’m okay, Linc.” I pull away enough to kiss him softly, reassuring him that I’m here with him and I’m all right.

He frowns. “Let’s stop.”

I shake my head, desperate to continue. “No, please. I don’t know what just happened, but I’m fine.” I grip his thigh. “Let’s keep going. Where did I leave off?”

He hesitates a few seconds longer before ultimately giving in and backing up a few inches, but he doesn’t leave the couch. “You were telling me about Foster.”

Oh shit. I nibble on my bottom lip, debating whether to tell him this next fun fact. “I kind of had a crush on him.”

Lincoln’s lips quirk up at one corner. “You had a crush on Foster? Your friend’s brother?”

I can feel the intensity as my cheeks heat, and I know they’re an obvious shade of pink. “He was cute.” I shrug. “And mysterious.”

His eyes narrow slightly, and I swear he’s just tucked that nugget away for future use as he leans back and nods. “Good to know.”

I throw a glare his way. “Don’t get any ideas.”

He chuckles then nudges me gently. “Keep going.”

Sighing, I search my brain. It’s been such a long time since I’ve explained all the events of that night in one long retelling. “I followed him into the woods to where he thought he had found her earlier, a small beachfront at the lake, but she wasn’t there. That was when we heard it.” I swallow. “A scream. I knew it was Carley’s scream, and it didn’t sound normal. It sounded like she was in trouble. Scared.”

I shiver and immediately feel a strong, warm arm wrap around my body. This time I lean into it, allowing Lincoln’s comfort to get me through the rest. “We found her at the water’s edge. Her jar of fireflies was on the ground, cracked, and the fireflies were escaping, their lights still blinking brightly. But Carley was already…”

Lincoln squeezes me. “Dead.”

I nod, and he shudders, clearly affected by the visual I’ve painted for him.

“There was blood everywhere,” I say quietly, slowly, in case he wants to stop me. “But her eyes were wide open. Foster went to her without even thinking. He tried to find her heartbeat, but his fingers were slipping too much because of the blood.” Tears well up in my eyes. “He sat and lifted her into his arms while screaming for me to go get the police. Then he just cried and cried. Somehow, I was able to make my way back to camp.” I sigh and look at Lincoln. “This is the part I’ve blacked out.”

He nods, eyes soft. “That’s okay, Evie. What do you remember next?”

Taking a deep breath, I sort through my memory and go to the last place I remember from that night. “I went straight to the first campsite and told them to call the police.” I swipe the tears from my cheeks. “I don’t think I was looking for anyone in particular. Not even my uncle. I just… wanted to save Carley even though I knew she was gone.”

“What about Patrick? He must have been terrified when he saw you and heard your story.”

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