But it wasn’t my dad I found sitting in that waiting room. It was Kimber, Keane, and Ethan. I stood there in openmouthed shock, so surprised to see them I didn’t know what to say. There was a moment of somewhat awkward silence before Kimber stepped forward, smiling gently.

“Your dad thought you could use some company,” she explained. “We’re not supposed to leave the hospital, and you have to call him to come pick you up when you’re ready to go, but we can maybe hang out in the cafeteria for a while. I don’t know about you, but I could go for a nice spot of tea.”

I probably made my “ugh, tea” face, because Ethan suddenly put in, “Or coffee. I’m sure they have some coffee down there, though I can’t promise it’s any good.”

Keane frowned. “I thought girls were supposed to eat ice cream when they’re feeling blue.”

“You’re right,” Ethan agreed, then mimicked Keane’s mock-puzzled look. “Or is it chocolate?”

Kimber laughed and rolled her eyes, hooking my elbow with hers and nudging me down the hall toward the elevators. “You can have mocha ice cream and get all the good stuff at once,” she told me. “I’ll have that spot of tea, and the boys can have whatever it is manly-men consider comfort food. Hot dogs? Beef jerky?”

“Pizza,” I suggested with a tentative smile. “I think boys eat pizza with lots of greasy meat products like sausage on top.”

“Hey!” Ethan protested. “Don’t disrespect my sausage!”

Keane gave a snort of laughter. “But your sausage is always up to no good.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and I thought for a moment the truce was over. Then he shook off whatever annoyance he was feeling. “Shall I make another crude sausage joke that might offend the girls, or should I just let it go?” His cheeks colored as he recognized how his words could be twisted in the context of this conversation. “Er, that is—”

We all laughed before he could finish backpedaling.

*   *   *

My friends’ intervention didn’t stop with their visit to the hospital. A couple of days later, Kimber dragged me to an Alateen meeting, which she’d found through a little Internet research. Sitting around talking to other teens with alcoholic family members isn’t exactly easy for me. I’ve been keeping that particular dark secret so long that it’s hard for me to open up. But since Kimber dragged me to that first meeting, I’ve been going once a week. Sometimes Kimber comes with me for moral support, sometimes Ethan does. I still grumble about going, but I have to admit, it helps to know I’m not alone. It helps even more that my friends are so accepting and willing to help.

I’m hearing the message more and more that I can’t save my mom from herself. It’s the same thing the Erlking told me when I wanted to save Elizabeth. You can’t save everyone, his voice sometimes whispers in my head. Maybe he’s right. Maybe they’re all right. But every time I halfway decide to give up, I remember that I managed to save Ethan from the Erlking’s clutches when everyone told me it couldn’t be done.

I am not going to give up on my mom. They say that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Well, I have one hell of a strong will. And even if it turns out there really is no way, I know I’ll survive. I’m not alone anymore. I’ve got my dad, and Ethan, and my friends. Before I’d come to Avalon, I couldn’t have conceived of leaning on anyone, of asking anyone for help. Doing so will probably never come easy for me. But now I know I can do it, and it does help. And that makes all the difference in the world.