The Forgotten Locket (40 page)

“Until the end of time.” Dante fastened the golden locket around my throat, his fingers lingering on the faint scars on my skin. He slid his hands along the curve of my neck, and I turned my face to his, finding his mouth, claiming it with my own.

It was a kiss that shook me to my very soul. Somewhere deep inside me, I felt like a door had been flung open, spilling out white light, welcoming me to my new life. A life where I could be with Dante and together we could follow our dreams wherever they took us. Together. Always and forever.

I couldn’t wait to go through that door and see what waited for me beyond.

I knew I would never let go of this moment.

And I would never look back.

Reading Guide

1. Zo uses music to strip away Abby’s memories, while Dante uses poetry to bring them back. Are there songs, poems, or other works of art that have changed the way you thought or felt?

2. Orlando struggles in the story with wanting to be a hero but feeling like he has failed. What does it mean to be a hero? Which characters demonstrated heroic qualities in the story?

3. The characters all have different gifts and talents that work on the bank: Dante can see the future; Abby can speak the language of time. What are some of your gifts and talents? How can you use them to help other people?

4. Trust is an important element of the story. What is the relationship between trust and love? Can you trust someone you don’t love? Can you love someone you don’t trust?

5. The idea of not looking back is repeated through the book. Are there dangers to looking back too much? What about not looking back enough?

6. When Orlando says that he doesn’t like to make wishes and be reminded of what he doesn’t have, Abby says that he has missed the whole point of wishing. What is the point of wishing? What wishes have you made? Have any of them come true?

7. Dante writes letters to his parents to help reassure them that he will be all right and to tell them the good parts of his story. If you wrote a letter to your parents, what would you say?

8. Zo says that “a promise is a promise, no matter who makes it.” Is he right? Are there some promises that should be broken?

9. Dante tells Abby that forever is a blank canvas and a place where creation happens. What do you think forever looks like? If you could live forever, what would you do?

10. Dante asks Abby, “What did we come here for if not to change things?” Is there anything about your past you would like to change? If given the choice, would you choose to accept the good
and
the bad? Would you choose to remember, like Valerie? Or choose to forget, like Orlando?

Acknowledgments

Writing this trilogy has been a life-changing experience. I learned so much about myself, my craft, and my dreams that it would take another book to list them all. I also learned a lot about the people around me—namely that they are incredible, wonderful, devoted people who care about me more than I deserve and who love this story almost as much as I do.

Believe me when I say that the story of Abby and Dante
would not
have been possible without the help and support and encouragement of the following people:

The heroic team at Shadow Mountain, headed up by the Fantastic Four: Chris Schoebinger, Emily Watts, Richard Erickson, and Tonya Facemyer.

My stalwart writing group: Tony, Crystal, Annalisa, Pam, and Mary. And a special thanks to Heidi Taylor, who has read this book in more stages and more times than anyone else (maybe even me!) and who never failed to give me honest feedback when I needed it (and endless encouragement when I needed that, too).

My alpha and omega readers: Ally Condie, Becca Wilhite, Josh Perkey, Karen Hoover, Cindi Cox, Valerie Hill, Anna Maxwell, and Jackie Benack. Every single one of them gave me amazing feedback, asked the best questions, and helped make this book soar.

My mom, who, during my darkest days, reminded me of the light inside of me and helped me remember what I needed to know.

My brother, Dennis, whose help included writing a draft of the ending of this book for me as a birthday present. After careful consideration, I ultimately didn’t use his suggestions, though perhaps the story would have been more exciting with a zombie attack after all . . .

And I can’t forget two men whose words of wisdom rang through my house night after night as I wrote and rewrote this story: Tim Gunn: “Make it work!” and Steve Holt: “Steve Holt!”

And finally, to the love of my life, Tracy. There are a million and one reasons why I dedicated all three books to him and he knows all of them. This time, though, it’s for encouraging me to blow up the Buy More. For making me lose Lucky Strikes. And for knowing when to catch me when I fall, and when to let me fly. This victory is for you, Tracy. I love you—always and forever.