She texted her mother: Did you get rid of Dad’s email account?

While she waited for a response, she realized she was starving, and a quick tour of the kitchen revealed there was nothing worth eating in the house. She said, “Alexa, add food to the shopping list.”

Alexa didn’t respond because she was still unplugged.

Eden opened her text window with Marwan, then closed it—not sure what she’d even say. The day felt like a strange void without school—or maybe just without the device.

A Citizen alert popped up: A pedestrian had been hit by a vehicle, right around the corner. Emergency services were en route.

Eden couldn’t be sure how long it had been since her mother left, and she could have bumped into a neighbor or run to Walgreens and been delayed. What if it was her?

Eden put on shoes and grabbed five dollars from the kitchen cabinet—she might as well get a bagel if she was out—but didn’t bother with a jacket. She ran to the corner, calves tightening in protest. At the sight of uniformed cops and a patrol car when she rounded the corner, she slowed down—not wanting to look suspicious—then saw a body on the pavement, a man. He was missing a shoe, but he was talking to a paramedic so he wasn’t dead. A construction van sat in the intersection at a funny angle, its driver’s side door swung open.

She walked past the scene toward the corner and crossed under the train to where the bagel shop was. She went in and picked up a prewrapped bagel with cream cheese, just to avoid having to order and wait. She paid and left.

Someone called her name and she turned.

He was the absolute last person she wanted to bump into—yes, even last after Julian. But he was crossing the street to her.

“Long time no see,” Dan said.

“Yeah, I guess,” she said.

“How’ve you been?” he asked.

Yes, she’d known him since she was maybe four, and, yes, he’d known her parents forever before that—god, since they were all Eden’s age now—but how she’d been was none of his business. Unless he wanted the truth.

“Not good,” she said, like a dare.

“Okay.” He nodded once. “You want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” she said.

“You talking to your mom about stuff, at least?”