There are all kinds of whoa-ing and wow-ing and clapping in the background as the lava flows down the sides of the mountain and funnels down into the moat.

ME: ahh, that looks so awesome!!!

ME: i wish I could’ve been there to see it!

Jude is typing . . .

JUDE: you’re there! I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to write back! I’ve been soooo busy!

Jude keeps writing with exclamation points, and it reminds me of when she would be talking about something and get really excited. Her dad would always say she was hyperactive, but she preferred the term hyperhappy.

ME: did you see my message about gramps?

JUDE: Yes, I did. I feel so bad. How does he seem?

ME: idk, he’s acting pretty normal now. except that last night he called me the wrong name. but other than that, he’s just his usual self . . .

JUDE: So he’s okay? That’s good!

I’m not sure if he’s actually okay, because there’s still that whole part about how he fell and bumped his head, and that definitely does not seem okay to me. It feels too complicated to talk about in messages right now. So I don’t say any of that.

ME: what have you been busy doing? besides kicking science fair butt?

JUDE: I got invited to my first birthday party in Utah! That’s where I was when you were messaging me over the weekend. I have FINALLY made some friends here. Robin and Lark.

JUDE: They’re twins.

JUDE: But not the kind that look alike.

ME: oh, wow. I’m so glad.

Except, as I type the words, I feel the air in my bedroom going stale, an inky blackness coiling around my throat. I’m lying to Jude. I’m not glad. But it’s not like I can say that.

ME: i mean not about them being twins but about you making fries!

JUDE: mmm, fries ☺

ME: *friends

JUDE: SO. AM. I. SRSLY!

JUDE: We all go to the same school but we’re not in any classes together. We met @ tae kwon do. And they have a cousin Jordie who is in tae kwon do too, who is also pretty cool. I hope you can come visit here over the summer so you can meet them.

JUDE: We played laser tag and I swear that this was the BEST birthday cake I’ve EVER eaten! You would’ve loved it. I wish I had a pic . . . It was in the shape of a castle, and the very top of it was made out of real legos. It was yellow cake with white frosting (your favorite) . . . BUT it also had rainbow funfetti stuff inside of it (my favorite) and it was decorated with miniature fake trees and a plastic bridge.

JUDE: It reminded me of our old fairy fortress . . .