Before Kurt could respond, the door to the garage flew open. Hayden’s dark eyes focused on me. “How are you?”

“Lovely,” Cromwell muttered. “Hayden, could you please get Liz? She can help Ember get cleaned up and ready for bed.”

I brushed past them all, promptly tripping over the raised doorway to the kitchen. Incredibly fast, Hayden snagged me around the waist and set me on my feet. I shrugged his arm off. “I can clean myself up, thank you.”

“What’s wrong with her?” he asked, following me into the kitchen.

“Pain pills.” Kurt laughed. “She’s definitely not a happy pill user.”

I spun around, using my good arm to point at him. “I’m not happy because someone is after me! There are creepy and gross things in my locker!” I stepped to the side, tugging on my ruined hoodie. “And I can clean myself. I don’t want her to help me. I want my mom to help me.”

Hayden’s expression softened as he caught my covered wrists. “Ember, you don’t want to do that.” He moved my hand away from the hem of my hoodie. “Let me take you upstairs.”

I stared into his deep brown eyes. They were so beautiful, so open. It took me a moment to remember why I was angry with him. I pulled away from him. “I saw you,” I whispered.

His brows rose as he whispered back, “Saw what?”

“With her.” I lowered my eyes, letting out a shaky sigh. All my anger suddenly vanished. The cockiness dried up. I just wanted to sit down. And maybe take a bath. Sit first, though.

Confusion faded from his face. “Ember, that’s not”

“I wanna see my mom.” I turned away from him, realizing then we had company.

The twins stood in the doorway, flanked by the cherub-faced Gabe. They all stared at me.

“What?” I grumbled.

Gabe’s lips pursed. “You have blood all over your left cheek.”

Hastily, I used the good sleeve of my hoodie and swiped it over my face.

Hayden caught my arm, pulling it down. “It’s okay. Gabe, where’s Liz?”

“She’s with Olivia.” Gabe folded his arms as he shifted his weight to his other foot. “Olivia wanted Liz to stay with her until she fell asleep or something.”

My shoulders slumped. Olivia hadn’t asked me to do that since we’d come here.

“So… what happened?” Phoebe asked quietly.

“She thinks I slice up rabbits.” Kurt pulled out a chair and dropped into it. I scowled as he stretched out his legs. He winked. “She thinks I’m your run-of-the-mill psychopath.”

Phoebe’s eyes went wide.

“Kurt,” Hayden warned softly.

“You are a psychopath,” I said.

“Ember, what did I tell you in the car?” Cromwell grabbed a water from the fridge. “You’ve had a troubling evening”