Aunt Maureen and Uncle Bran changed like lightning. We all hurried to the car, Kennedy included—in ripped jeans and a T-shirt that said NO. No one spoke, even Kane, but he looked at me every once in a while and smiled.

I wasn’t even paying attention when we went under the animal bridge, but something in me sensed it anyway, because the fairies did cartwheels on my spine. My bare arms grew gooseflesh, and I turned back, once again, hoping to see anything—even if it was scary. Wanting to know why that stupid bridge creeped me out every single time we went under it.

But as usual, nothing was there.

Nothing that I could see, anyway.

chapter 23

The room with the labyrinth floor looked magical.

It distracted me from thinking about the message in the bathroom or my anger at my cousin for probably putting it there.

Overhead, the main lights were dim, and string lights snaked around the chunky wooden rafters, twinkling brightly. There were small, high tables with crisp black linens and glowing candle centerpieces, and a food and beverage station on the far back wall.

Along the sides of the long room, each camper had a station with a table dressed in black, our names printed in glittery black calligraphy on paper tents. The tables and the walls behind them featured our individual pieces of artwork from the summer—anything that we’d wanted to turn in, including our special projects. Classical music played softly, and I guessed the candles were scented, because the room smelled like a mixture of nature and birthdays and spiced tea.

It wasn’t like any gallery I’d seen, but maybe it was better.

We were ten minutes late, so it was crowded when we got there. Kennedy angrily grabbed a name tag and was quickly swallowed into the room. I was relieved to see her go so I didn’t have to be on defense.

I picked up a marker from the table near the door to write my name on a sticky tag, my back to the crowd. That’s when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

Very familiar.

“The line at the drink table is getting long. Hurry up!”

Gasping, I spun around to find my sister standing in front of me, wearing a maroon skater dress and slip-on checkerboard sneakers, a massive grin on her face, her normally messy hair now shoulder length and wavy cute.

I dropped the marker and grabbed her, hugging tightly. She didn’t hug back, because she never does, but she let me squeeze her without protesting. I even felt her smiling against my cheek as she mumbled, “We tricked you.”

I pulled away and saw my mom; I was crying before I made it the few steps to hug her, too. I’d gotten even taller, so I had to hunch, but being in her arms was still the best place ever.