“Everybody has a patron saint,” said Veevee. “You gotta have somebody to pray to.”

To Hermia this was completely incomprehensible. Didn’t they understand that gods were just members of the Families, and prayers were just … sucking up?

Then she looked over at the corner and Danny was gone.

And that was that. He was off doing something, somewhere.

“I’m surprised he didn’t even say goodbye to you,” Hermia said to Pat.

Pat just looked at her with something like pity. “I know where he is.”

“Where, then?”

“If he wanted to tell you, he would have,” said Pat.

Hermia rolled her eyes.

“Oh, she knows where he is,” said Veevee. “It’s the most romantic thing, apparently, being dead together. She never loses track of him, and if he needs her, she can be there in an instant.”

“That sounds like hell to me,” said Hermia. “Never being able to get away from each other.”

“You notice I’m not with him right now,” said Pat. “I don’t cling.”

“I just realized,” said Hermia. “Every power that somebody has takes away something from somebody else. Danny can never have any secrets now as long as he lives.”

“And vice versa,” said Veevee.

Hermia laughed. “Oh, really. Pat can have all the secrets she wants, because it doesn’t matter what she’s doing.”

“She’s the one who insisted on taking you out of captivity,” said Veevee.

“My point exactly,” said Hermia. “What happens to me isn’t even interesting, in a world that has Danny North in it.”

“But for a couple of minutes a few days ago,” said Veevee, “it didn’t have Danny North in it. He was with her, in the land of the dead. So Hermia, you can try to hurt Pat or offend her or impress on her how unimportant she is, and it’s not going to matter, because she’s already done more with her life than you and I will ever do.”

True enough. But when Hermia looked at Pat again, she could see that the girl had tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” said Hermia. “I can’t help being catty.”

“Meaning you’re proud of it and don’t want to quit being bitchy,” said Veevee.

“Sorry,” said Pat, brushing a sleeve across her eyes. “I wasn’t listening. Were you talking about me?”

“If I didn’t hurt your feelings,” said Hermia, “what were the tears about?”

“The children. The boys. Danny’s with the boys. It just makes me sad.”

“Hal and Wheeler?” asked Veevee.

Pat shook her head.

“Oh, you mean the boys from Westil,” said Veevee.

“Sorry,” said Pat. “I think he needs me.”

“Meaning you need him,” said Hermia.

“Meaning that he just said that he needs me,” said Pat. And she was gone.

Hermia sat on the balcony, watching Veevee bake in the sun. “Florida does have its advantages in the winter,” Hermia said.