He texted Sophia: Tell Mom and Dad I’m staying after at school for something.

He switched directions, his boots echoing in the empty halls until he burst through the doors leading to the back of the school. The fields were where they’d always been, unchanged and unremarkable. The soccer team stood in a line and took shots on their goalie while the field hockey girls sat in a circle, stretching. Tiny figures paced in circles on the track that surround the football field; the football team ran sprints, tapping the white lines as they pivoted. Distant shouts reached his ears, and whistles cut the golden air. Coach O’Brien bellowed something. There was no folk music.

The normalcy of it all stung. What had he expected?

Kane trudged to the edge of the field. He’d slept through his chance to catch the Others doing whatever they were going to do. His determination didn’t matter; this story had gone on without him. But then, through his pity party, he heard someone yell his name.

None of the kids in the parking lot were looking at him. To his left were the field hockey girls, but he didn’t know anyone on the team.

False. He’d just forgotten.

As Ursula stood, her stray curls caught the afternoon light and burned a halo around her head. As she loped over, Kane registered an anger in her body that melted by the time she reached him, replaced by her usual easiness. Between them towered a ten-foot fence but it didn’t matter. He’d been caught.

“Hi!” Ursula’s grin was wide, like from the carnival photos. Kane scoured her face for a sign of insincerity, and he found it: a small dimple of worry embedded between her eyebrows, the same telling dimple from their conversation on the path.

“Hi.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine.” He heard how curt he sounded, so he added, “Sorry I didn’t show for lunch. I was out for most of the day resting.”

“But you’re okay now?”

“Just tired.” He began walking along the path that led to the stadium entrance. Ursula followed. It made him edgy, but the fence was ten feet tall. Ten whole feet. And it was metal.

Ursula asked, “So… Why not just go home?”

Kane forced himself to keep walking. “Had to chat with some teachers. And I need to talk to Coach O’Brien.”

Kane watched Ursula for her reaction, but her eyes were trained on the stadium. Haltingly, she said, “You can’t. He’s busy with football practice.”

“That’s okay. It’s quick.”

“Oh, well…you can just talk to him tomorrow, can’t you? And besides, they’re doing a scrimmage. He’s busy.”

“He’s expecting me. At the practice.”