“That day, I got a flat tire on the road, and . . . I realized I didn’t have the tools in my trunk to fix it so I walked my way to get here,” Emma said, eating the apple pie Mrs. Greene had served on the table for her. “I met this guy who said something inaudible and then everything went so fast. I woke up on a bed and then that’s it. When the news spread that I was dead, I decided not to show up. You know, I don’t wanna stir up any trouble in this town like, you know, a dead body living again kind of news.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Mr. Greene asked.
“Dad, my phone was dead. I couldn’t find any convenient store to charge my phone.”
Emma's parents looked at each other as silence took over. Mr. Greene cleared his voice and smiled.
“Sweetie, there’s something we need to tell you,” Mr. Gr
