Wow! You really do know how to torture your protagonist - and your readers! This story packs a punch and a surprise twist. I need to take lessons from you. :)
This is great stuff: The boy was trying to steady the world around him, she realized with a sigh of relief. He was special, just like her, someone she could talk to. Someone who could understand the burden she’d been carrying since Grandma’s death.
And this:
...murmuring under his breath: ‘Please, don’t. Please, don’t do it’.
‘Arthur, look at me!’ Maggie screamed. ‘Let’s get out of here....