“Not yet.” Kaylee gripped Fifer’s hand. “I’m so scared. What if—”

But Fifer gasped and pointed. Carina was exiting a window, and Seth was right behind. Fifer gripped Kaylee’s shoulder. “They’re going to be okay. They have to be.”

“Go help Seth and Carina,” said Kaylee. “I’ll keep calling for Aaron.”

Fifer nodded, feeling slightly more grounded now that her friends were surfacing. She ran over to Seth and threw her arms around him in a rare embrace. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She searched his face. “Where were you? Was Aaron with you?”

“The lounge. We thought Aaron was with you,” said Seth, wiping a trail of blood from a cut on his forehead. “What happened? Did he do this? Where is he?”

Fifer’s heart sank. She wasn’t prepared to answer that question yet. “I don’t know. Help me find him.” She searched the people exiting the gray shack, shouting, “Aaron! Thisbe!”

“Fifer?” Thisbe called out.

“Thisbe!” cried Fifer. She couldn’t see her twin, but hearing her lifted her heavy heart. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Did you find Aaron?”

“Not yet!” Finding Thisbe was one big worry to cross off the list. The confusion was becoming more manageable. “Aaron!”

“He’s over here!” cried a different voice.

“Ms. Octavia?” said Fifer. She hopped up, trying to see over heads to find the short octogator.

“Yes, it’s me!” said Ms. Octavia. “Aaron’s alive. He can’t speak just yet. We need water right away!”

Fifer hooked the robe she’d pulled from Florence’s quiver over her forearm and reached around her back to make sure she still had her canteen, then started toward them. Ms. Octavia was trying to help Aaron out of one of the windows. He looked weak and was squinting in the afternoon light. Fifer grabbed his legs and assisted in getting him to an open space while Ms. Octavia turned to give Samheed and Clementi a hand. “I’ve got water,” Fifer said breathlessly. She stripped the canteen off her shoulder strap and thrust it at Aaron.

He took it with shaking hands and swallowed some down. When Samheed arrived, Aaron passed it to him. Samheed drank gratefully and handed it off to Clementi when she collapsed next to them.

Fifer looked toward the area where she’d last seen Kaylee and called out to her, then beckoned her to come. Aaron returned Fifer’s empty canteen, and Fifer remembered the extra canteens she’d left in the hammock. She called for her birds, hoping they’d safely flown out the top of the mansion before it turned into the gray shack. As Kaylee arrived and reunited with Aaron and the others, the birds fluttered down with the hammock. Fifer began passing around more water to the ones who needed it.

After a few moments, the last stragglers inside the shack made their way out. With the urgency lessening and things calming down, Fifer could feel her body start to shake again, as if it needed a turn to break down too. Thoughts of what she’d done to cause this haunted her, but she tried to push them aside. She took a few breaths. Hot tears pricked her eyes and threatened to spill over. Still shaking, she stepped away from the others for a moment to compose herself. The voice inside her head returned and kept reminding her You killed an Unwanted.