Famous Last Words

On Sunday evening, Willa helps her mother set the table for dinner. Jonathan asks for a carving knife during the meal. Willa notices how dramatically her mother has changed since their move to Hollywood, embracing domesticity and abandoning her former career.

During dinner, Willa experiences a vision of words and numbers materializing on the dining room walls: “THIS IS THE KIND OF DREAM YOU DON’T WAKE UP FROM, HENRY” and “818” (83). She feigns choking to conceal her reaction from her family. Later in her bedroom, she accidentally knocks Wyatt’s notebook to the floor, and it falls open to reveal a list that eerily mirrors her supernatural experiences: “WATER (BATHTUB/POOL), ROSES, NECKLACE (ALSO ROSE), HENRY” (86).

The following day at school, Willa confronts Wyatt about his notebook. They meet privately in the library, where Wyatt reveals that the mysterious list came from a psychic named Leyta Fitzgeorge, whose tips he considers unreliable. He explains that “818” refers to a Los Angeles area code.

Wyatt demonstrates his perceptiveness by noting Willa’s body language and suggesting that she is suppressing her emotions. When he presses her, she admits her deep fear that if she expresses her anger, “someone else could die” (94).