Echoes

Sam Hallman is found dead at Lilydale Foundation Center, and when police arrive, they bypass Theo entirely—heading straight for Avery.

Sam Hallman is found dead at Lilydale Foundation Center, and when police arrive, they bypass Theo entirely—heading straight for Avery. A staff access card is discovered on her person, one she's never seen before. Constables cuff her wrists and slam her into the wall while reading Miranda rights. Theo shouts from across the room. Grey watches from another corner, barely restrained by Damon. The last thing Avery registers before being dragged from the facility is the sound of her own name attached to a murder charge—for a crime she knows she didn't commit, in a place where innocence is just another form of currency.

A planted staff card sends Avery to an interrogation room

Chained to a desk in a gray interrogation room, Avery faces Detective Vernon's questions about her volatile relationship with Sam Hallman. She considers confessing to protect Theo, whom she suspects committed the murder—he'd told her he'd killed before without hesitation. But before the interrogation deepens, her social worker Margaret arrives alongside Alexander, an impeccably suited Lilydale board member. They deliver unexpected news: charges won't be pressed, Sam's death is being ruled a suicide, and Avery will return to Lilydale. Alexander makes clear this isn't mercy—it's reputation management. The facility can't afford a murder investigation. His parting warning carries an unmistakable threat aimed at her life, not just her freedom. Avery leaves the police station knowing she's been traded between powers she doesn't yet understand.

Avery must spy on her allies or lose them all

Back at Lilydale, Grey and Damon wait in the foyer as Avery arrives in cuffs. Grey's face goes cold the instant their eyes meet—he turns away like she's a stranger. Damon promises ominously that he'll be seeing her soon. Whittingham uncuffs her in his office, then lays down new conditions: a mandatory psychiatric assessment, zero further incidents, and two demands that pin her between loyalties. She must report any disturbances from fellow patients, and she must completely avoid Grey, Damon, and Theo—or they'll all be removed from Lilydale. That night, Avery lies awake waiting for someone to visit. No one comes. By dawn, a guard drags her from bed and forces her to scrub bathroom tiles with undiluted bleach, burning her hands raw. The punishment has begun.

The Demon Boy admits the frame-up and demands servitude After a morning of chemical burns and scrubbing, a guard hands Avery directly to Damon—no explanation, no escort to safety. He leads her to the library and confirms what she feared: he framed her for Sam's murder. But killing her isn't the plan. She'll work for…