. . . On air quality action days, young children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems, such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis, are especially vulnerable to the effects of air pollution and should limit outdoor activities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standardized air quality index uses colors to report daily air quality. Green signifies good; yellow means moderate; orange represents unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive people; and red warns of unhealthy pollution levels for all.

To help keep the air healthy, residents and business are encouraged to voluntarily restrict certain pollution-producing activities by:

• Refueling cars and trucks after dusk

• Setting air conditioner thermostats to a higher temperature

• Carpooling or using public transportation; and

• Combining errands to reduce trips.

Izabel recalled the maps they made that tracked how the Turning had moved, as if they only needed to understand it. Just as her mother might have gotten this email and then refueled her car that night in the dark. An action that saved nothing and no one.

Izabel closed her eyes and tried to trigger goose bumps over her body in waves, like she experienced when she got acupuncture, which the acupuncturist said was her chi. And she could trigger it slightly. And she hoped it was her chi. She hoped something was moving inside her that she didn’t understand.

She stood up suddenly and went to the med cart.

“Put in your code,” she said to Kaito.

“It might not work.”

“Put it in.”

He did, and the cart unlocked. Izabel took out a syringe. Kaito didn’t have to say anything because she knew he was thinking, What are you doing? And he knew she was thinking, You know I’d never hurt her. And so she continued.

She took Cami’s foot in her hand and held the syringe next to the side of her smallest toe. This was the point that hurt Izabel the most in acupuncture. She took a big breath in and as she let it out, she pierced Cami’s skin.

Cami whined.

    Chapter Four

“Can you open your eyes?” Izabel said.

“Ow,” Cami said.

“Cami. Can you open your eyes?” Izabel said more firmly.

“I don’t want to.”

She softened her voice. “Come on. Yes, you do. I’m here. Daddy’s here. Open them up.”

Cami opened her eyes and whined again.

“Good job,” Kaito said. “You’re doing so good.”

She closed her eyes into wrinkles to make a point of it.

“Did you see where you are?” Izabel said.

Cami squinted to peek out. “Where are we?”

“We’re at the hospital,” Kaito said.

“Why?”

“You wouldn’t wake up,” Izabel said.

“Was it morning?”

“No,” Izabel said.

“Then why would I wake up?”

Izabel let out a small laugh.

“It was noisy,” Kaito said. “We woke up.”

“I wake up when it’s morning. I stay in my bed. Unless something’s wrong.”