She’s going to be okay because she’s strong—stronger than Taured. She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall; the air smelled like pee and bleach and soup and it made her want to vomit. She didn’t want one more smell in here with her, so she took deep gulping breaths until the feeling passed. She must have fallen asleep, because when she woke up, the lights were out again. Crawling on her hands and knees to the door, Summer pounded on it until the sides of her hands were tender and her voice was scratchy.

On the evening of the third day, they came for her: Ama, Sara, Dawn and Rhodi. She started crying as soon as she saw Sara. No one would look at her, including her friend, who glanced nervously at her own mother as they helped Summer dress.

“Sara?” she said under her breath, but either Sara had been warned not to talk to Summer or she was too afraid to, because her body grew stiff at the sound of her own name. This was not like the last time: there were no greetings of joy, no hugs or words of affirmation; they were brusque in their handling of her. As they ushered her into the hall and toward the cafeteria, she trembled beneath their hands, light-headed and weak.

Summer felt relief so sweet that her feet moved with new energy; they were taking her to her mother, they must be. Instead of feeling her fifteen years, though, she felt like a kid—a small one, needy. All she wanted was to be held by her mother, her hair stroked, her back rubbed, Lorraine’s comforting words in her ear.

But the procession started out slow and got even slower. There was no joy, no celebration, just the shuffle of feet as they walked through the empty hallways. When Summer was led into the cafeteria where everyone was usually gathered and waiting for the feast, the normally heavily laden food trays were empty except for the two coffee urns they used at breakfast.

Summer had been sure something was wrong before, but now, glancing around at the furtive faces of Ama and Sara, at the identical smug expressions of the sisters, she was certain. And the most astonishing part: only Taured stood in the room, presumably waiting for her.

“Where’s my mother?” she asked them one more time.