I was glad he’d found Aden, but had to wonder what kind of shape our star pitcher would be in this morning when we all showed up to volunteer at the homeless shelter.

Keys jangled at the front door and Diane walked in, her footsteps heavy. “Hi, baby. You’re up early,” she said in a weary voice.

“Morning. Quiet shift?”

She made a so-so gesture and shed her jacket; then she headed for the kitchen.

“Hey,” I called, shoving my phone in my pocket. “I need to ask you something. I want to go to this volunteer thing with Tegan this morning.”

She smiled as she pulled a box of cereal from the cabinet. “She’s the friend who planned Nadia’s vigil, right?” I nodded. “What are you doing?”

I crossed my fingers under the table. “Going to a soup kitchen. We’re helping to serve meals.”

She froze. “A soup kitchen here in Warwick?”

I considered lying, but Diane knew the area really well, and she’d figure it out. “No, um … Pawtucket.”

Her smile evaporated as she closed the cupboard and turned to face me. “Haven’t we talked about this? I don’t want you in that area. Every night there are more sightings. I just heard that a homeless man was mauled to death by something last night, right around there!”

I shrugged even though my heart was beating really hard. “But all that stuff’s going on at night, and we’ll be there in the middle of the day. With a lot of other people. Doing good.” And maybe spotting a Mazikin or two. If they were really attacking the homeless, whether to possess their bodies or to steal their supplies, maybe a homeless shelter was the best place for the Guards to be.

Diane folded her arms over her chest. “Can’t you do good somewhere else?”

“Diane, I’m going to be with a group of other kids, surrounded by responsible adults. This shelter serves meals to people who are homeless.” I cleared my throat. “If it hadn’t been for you, I might have been on the streets, too. So maybe I’d like to give back.”

It was absolutely true, but even so I worried I was laying it on a little thick. Then I saw that her eyes had gone all shiny. She turned away and wiped at them. “You can go, baby. Just be careful, okay? I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to you.”

Now my eyes were probably getting shiny. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thanks.” I got up and set my cereal bowl in the sink. “You don’t have to worry about me,” I said quietly.

Her laughter was brief and raspy. “The hell I don’t.” She waved at the door. “Have fun. Do good.”