“You never skip church,” I told her. “Or make breakfast. Or get up this early. So I thought maybe something was up.”

Mom dumped the eggs in the trash and put the pan in the sink. “It just seems like I never see you.” She crossed her arms, the delicate gold bracelet around her wrist flashing. It had belonged to my sister, and Mom had worn it ever since Leigh-Anne had died two years ago.

When I didn’t answer, Mom gave a rueful smile. “I guess missing you is to be expected with as busy as you are, but...” She trailed off, her eyes moving over my face. “I worry about you, sweetie.”

I crossed in front of the island in the center of the kitchen. “There’s nothing to worry about,” I said. I thought I sounded pretty convincing, given that I was lying through my teeth. I’d gotten good at lying over the past few months. It wasn’t something I was particularly proud of, but I didn’t see a way around it. The fewer people I loved who knew about Paladins and Oracles and Ephors and all the other crazy stuff that had taken over my life, the safer they’d all be.

“You’ve gone through so many changes recently,” Mom said, the corners of her mouth turning down.

You have no idea, I thought. What I said was, “Nothing major, though.”

Mom’s frown deepened. “‘Nothing major’? Harper, you broke up with the boy you’d been in love with for years, you started dating a boy we all thought you’d hated for years, and you hardly ever spend any time with Bee.” For a second, her eyes got slightly hazy, confusion wrinkling her brow. “Where is Bee, anyway? Didn’t she go somewhere?”

“She’s back,” I told her, not having to fake the brightness in my voice. “Remember, she was at cheerleading camp? She got back last night, actually.”

Some of the wrinkles around Mom’s brow eased. “Oh. Well, that’s nice. But Bee aside, I’m still concerned about you and Ryan. You seem happy, but—”

I squeezed her fingers. “I am happy. And Ryan and I still hang out; we’re friends. We just don’t date anymore.”

After a moment, Mom squeezed back. “Okay. But you promise everything is all right?” Smiling, she brushed my hair back from my forehead with her free hand. “You’re not going to suddenly dye your hair blue or start piercing things, are you?”

I shook my head with a little shudder. “Okay, the very thought of that makes me want to vomit. No.”

Mom laughed a little at that before wrapping me in a hug. “Well, there’s the Harper Jane I know.”

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