“Oh, we’re well aware of the consequences,” I grumbled.

Reg shushed me as he read over my shoulder.

We hope, in time, you will see this change as a gift and can begin to enjoy this second chance at childhood. Dance in the sunlight, as the sun is yet another star. Best of luck to you.

“Well, at least they are staying true to themselves,” Reg said diplomatically.

I let him take the letter from my hands. “Hmph. Hippies.”

Reg tucked the letter away in his backpack, and we hustled down the sidewalk to catch up to the group. They were half a city block ahead of us already . . . if this were a city and if the stretches of unmown grass and single-story buildings between side roads could be called blocks.

One down, two to go. At least Blood and Shadow hadn’t shot us down right away. Maybe that meant they were considering it. The thought lifted my mood and lightened my step.

“Who needs those Starlight tree huggers anyway? You know what I always say, Reg.”

“Sometimes ugly things happen to pretty people?”

“No, the other thing.”

“We may not know our history . . .”

“But we can write our destiny,” I finished.

Eleven

The Traveler

All Hours Coffee House was an explosion of color bursting from the seams of an otherwise dull “downtown”—a generous term for the patch of pavement that housed all of Nowhere’s storefronts. If Main Street, anchored by the high school, was the town’s major thoroughfare, then this was its hub of activity. On either side of the street, a row of faded brick buildings hugged the sidewalk, sharing outer walls like one long unit and stretching two stories tall, almost like the village hoped to grow into an actual town someday.

All Hours was crammed into a small space between a laundromat and a post office, their drab storefronts making the coffee shop all the more vibrant. Bright turquoise awnings stretched out over the sidewalk, beckoning people in, and under the awnings, the wooden window trims were painted a bold shade of purple, while a sunshine-yellow door stood propped open by a giant burlap sack of coffee beans. If the colors didn’t draw you in, the smell wafting out of that front door surely would.

“I guess humans were right about this one,” I said to Reg, taking a deep breath of the mouthwatering aroma.

“It is pleasant,” he agreed.

We were standing shoulder to shoulder just outside the shop, staring through the open doorway at the band of teenagers waiting for us.

I looked up at Reg. “You sure this is a good idea?”

“It’s an excellent opportunity to examine human behavior up close, in the light of day. Study the prey—better serve the hunt.”