Quietly, Lan reached for her phone and activated its weapon mode. If needed, she could stun this woman and leave immediately.

“Why exactly did you bring me here?” Lan asked. If she were a Galactic agent, it was better to know now.

“To enjoy the afternoon, and feed ducks,” Shizuka said.

“And?” Lan asked. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Now it was Shizuka’s turn to be surprised. What did Donut Lady know about the violin world? Maybe someone had recognized her at the donut shop? Maybe she’d heard rumors that the so-called Queen of Hell was looking for a new student?

But even if that were true, how would Lan the Donut Lady know she had found a student here?

Why had she even asked Lan along? She should be focused on the final student. Could she have been charmed? Could Donut Lady be working with Tremon Philippe?

Just then, a duck walked up in front of her and shat.

Shizuka looked down at the duck turd. Seriously …

This was all so stupid! Just for once, could she not put the secrets away? Besides, how would Lan even know about Tremon, violins, and human souls?

“Yes. I am waiting for a violin student, who probably isn’t coming…” she let herself say.

“What?”

“Look, I don’t know what others have told you about me, and I won’t deny what they said isn’t true. But right now…”

The Queen of Hell shrugged. “But right now, I am enjoying my time with you.”

Lan was their captain. She was also their mother, and she should be protecting them instead of wasting an afternoon with this woman.

This woman … whose voice reminded her of those times sailing by stars and darkness, when the rest of the crew was asleep, whose voice made her feel as if within the wave of the ship’s engines, the whir of its life support, the rush of space about her.

“I think the ducks are still hungry,” Lan finally said.

They opened the bag of donuts. This time, they made sure to go slowly. There was no reason to rush, and all the reasons not to.

Shizuka listened to the basketball players, the softball players. Somewhere, a referee was blowing a whistle. From the gym was the light, rapid cadence of table tennis.

“Just tell me,” Lan asked, “how did you know we escaped the Galactic Empire?”

“You mean Vietnam?”

“Vietnam?”

“Cambodia?”

“Wait, what—”

Lan tried to cover up her mistake, but it was too late.

For Shizuka realized then that the stars she had seen in Lan Tran’s eyes were not figurative. They were real.

7

Ew.

What was that smell?

Oh, of course. Evan and his friends had been smoking and drinking all night, discussing what they could do to overthrow white privilege and oppression, and someone must have thrown up.