Earlier in the book, the whispers Sal heard were telling her to “hurry, hurry,” or “rush, rush,” as she and her grandparents drove from Ohio to Idaho to visit Sal’s mother. Sal had wanted to get out there by the time of her mother’s birthday, and the trip seemed to be taking longer than necessary. Now the whispers have changed to “slow down.” Sal thought it could be “some sort of warning,” but she did not think more about it, because she was busy telling backseat stories about her friend Phoebe. But the whispers were right. Sal should have been relishing the hours she was spending with her Gram and Gramps. Gram had just been released from the hospital after recuperating from a snake bite. No one in the car realized that her time was limited. On the other hand, Sal’s mother, Chanhassen, would always be waiting in Idaho. At this point in the book, we’re still not sure what has happened to her.