“Come on,” Jem said. “Let’s get inside the house. Magnus, will you bring my cello?” He took down his violin from the cabinet, and with his other hand, he took Tessa’s arm and began to walk her toward the house, over the dark ground strewn with broken glass.

Magnus said, “Oh, Livvy.”

“I almost—” she said.

“I know,” he said. “But you didn’t. Go find Kit and stay with him. I’ll come to you in a little while to fetch Tessa’s tonic.”

Kit seemed relieved, actually, to have company, even if company was only a ghost. “What happened out there?” he said. “What happened to the conservatory?”

“I think that was me,” Livvy said. “I didn’t mean to, though.”

“Is this the kind of thing that you’ve been getting up to at the Scholomance?” Kit said. “Is that why you came to find Magnus?”

“No!” Livvy said. “I haven’t done anything like this. Well, not until today. I think I smashed some plates at the Los Angeles Institute. And I made the lights go out in Dru’s room while she was watching a scary movie.”

“Nice,” Kit said. “So, like, basic poltergeist stuff.”

“I didn’t mean to do any of it!” Livvy said. “It just sort of happened. I’m sorry I wrecked the conservatory.”

“Maybe you could try not to do anything like that again,” Kit said.

“Sure,” Livvy said. “Of course. I don’t want to do anything like that again.”

There was a glint off something Kit wore on a chain around his neck. “Oh,” Livvy said, looking closer. It was a heron made of silver.

“It belonged to my mother,” Kit said. “Jem and Tessa gave it to me a while ago. I found it again this morning. I’d forgotten about it.”

“It’s so pretty,” Livvy said.

Kit said, “I’d give it to you if I could. She used it to summon Jem and Tessa to her side when she was attacked. In the end, it didn’t save her. So I guess I have a grudge against it.”

Livvy said, “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Kit said. “You didn’t kill them. Anyway, everything’s okay?” He was looking at his hands very intently, as if he thought there might be something wrong with them.

“What?” Livvy said. “Yes. Everything’s fine. Oh. You mean Ty.”

Kit didn’t say anything, but he nodded. He looked as if he wished he hadn’t asked at all, and also as if he were listening with all of his being.

It was ridiculous, Livvy thought. You could tell how much he missed Ty. As much as Ty missed him. She didn’t understand boys at all. Why couldn’t they just say what they felt? Why did they have to be so stupid?