° ° °

Kai rose silently, stepping carefully to allow Theo and Zed’s naps to continue undisturbed. Even without the air conditioning on, Theo had immediately fallen asleep on the couch. And when Zed had come over, she quickly followed suit, staking out her own side of the sofa and curling up like a heated shrimp. Ever since graduation, they’d all been subject to these sudden fits of fatigue. Kai hadn’t been tired this time, but she understood. From Jerry’s death to Sol’s imprisonment, they’d had an exhausting four years.

She opened the door and welcomed Apollo. He had also taken a nap; Kai could see the weariness tarrying on his face. And he had just woken up. His backpack was barely zipped.

“What are you kids up to tonight?” Mr. Forrester boomed from the back of the house as Kai and Apollo walked through the kitchen.

“Date night, Dad,” Kai yelled back.

“What did I tell you about yelling?” Mr. Forrester said, his voice closer. “Shouting is to be louder, yelling is to be angrier.” Stepping into the kitchen, he nodded at Apollo, cheesing. Kai didn’t reciprocate.

“So, what’s the date tonight? Dinner and a movie?”

“Actually, it’s dinner and a movie and a movie,” Kai told him. “There’s a double feature down at Landmark downtown. Total Recall with Arnold and Total Recall with Colin.”

“Yuck. And dinner?” Mr. Forrester asked.

“Undecided.”

“Well, when you decide, text me. I might need you to bring me something back. Your mom was supposed to pick something up, but she had to run to your aunt’s house. Who knows when she’ll be back. Don’t bring me back no Waffle House, though. I’m too old for that,” he said, gesturing toward the bathroom.

Kai grimaced and walked to the living room, where she found Theo and Zed finally awake. She pointed at the clock, snapping them to attention. It was 7:38 p.m. “Later, Dad,” she announced as they filed out the door. She made sure it was a shout.

A quick fifteen minutes later and they were at Sol’s Waffle House again. Sol was waiting outside, no longer wearing her uniform, circling the parking lot on a bike. “We can’t carry that,” Theo quickly told her, rolling down his window as he and Kai pulled into the lot. Sol shrugged, returning it to its place near the front door. “It’s stolen anyway,” Kai heard her mutter.

Sol opened the back door on the passenger’s side and slid in. “Nice,” she said, fingering the bright red hairs of Kai’s new wig. “I think we’re ready.” Theo nodded then calmly reversed, veering left onto Old National and then right onto the on-ramp for I-85 North.

Traffic was light. Theo hugged the passing lane for the entire trip, his speed undisturbed by slow drivers or lurking cops, a rare experience. Eventually, he got off on Stanton Road, heading north toward Campbellton. He hit a right on Campbellton then teetered onto Central Villa, a side street, slowing down and parking. Apollo and Zed pulled in front of him. Kai and Sol sat quietly as he turned off his GPS, turned on the GPS blocker Apollo had gotten from god-knows-where, and made a call using one of the burners. “I’m here,” he said briefly. A gruff voice mumbled to him on the other end, then he hung up.