“What happened last night?”

What happened last night? I accidentally killed the guy who stole your other pair of glasses. That’s what happened.

“Hey,” he leaned in. “Are you okay? You look like crap, Ember.”

“I… I don’t feel very well.” It wasn’t a lie. I felt like I was going to hurl.

“Did you get sick last night?”

I nodded. “Sorry. I should’ve responded to your texts.”

“Nah, it’s okay.” He waved his hand. “Do you think you should be here?”

Looking back, I wasn’t so sure if that had been a bright idea. My legs felt weak as I murmured something and trailed after him. The warning bell went off, causing most of the groups in the hall to scatter. Adam kept casting worried glances in my direction while I squeezed the strap of my messenger bag so tightly I knew my knuckles were turning white.

We slid into our homeroom seats without drawing any attention. Today it seemed that Adam and I were like ghosts in the high-school caste system. No one paid attention to us—to me, except to make my life miserable. I stared at my gloved hands for what felt like the millionth time since last night, waiting for the sword to drop.

* * *

Nothing happened.

No one talked about Dustin. His absence from biology hadn’t raised any suspicion, but I was still a mess of bundled nerves throughout the day. Adam made me promise that I’d call him if I needed anything. When I arrived at Olivia’s school to pick her up, I felt weak and dizzy. The lack of sleep and food wasn’t a good combination. I’d skipped the library and waited with the buses in front of her school.

A final bell sounded, and crowds of kids spilled out of the school, loading onto buses and approaching moms in minivans. I watched, trying to spot Olivia in the throng. It was slow to dawn on me that she wasn’t among them. Something heavy dropped in my stomach as I pulled the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the car. I crossed behind the last bus, stumbling up the curb.

“Are you okay, miss?” a teacher called, clipboard on hand.

“Yeah,” I breathed, rushing inside. My hands shook, and I dropped my keys as soon as I stepped inside the front office.

“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked, eyes wide in alarm.

“I’m looking for my sister. Her name is Olivia McWilliams. She’s in kindergarten. She’s five and—”

“Yes,” she cut me off, pulling a pencil out of the pile of gray hair. She was obviously in a hurry to leave for the day. Her purse and coffee mug were on the desk. “I know who she is.”

“Okay. Good.” I took a deep breath and leaned over the counter, the keys’ jagged teeth digging into my palm. “She wasn’t outside. I—”

“Of course she wasn’t,” she said. “Her mother picked her up this afternoon.”

The room tilted to the side, spinning around me. “What?”