The way he said her name, the way he looked at her—really looked at her, like he wanted to know her thoughts—made her shiver again. She put her hand on his, locking their fingers together.

“Ooh, is he your boyfriend?” Mona wondered from across the room. Tanvi tore her hand away. Of course Mona had noticed that.

It was too much. She felt too vulnerable. Tanvi didn’t dare look at Venkat, afraid she might go up in sparks if she did. “Give them back,” she rushed to say. “They’ve waited long enough already.”

“You don’t think it could hurt them?” But he was already getting to his feet.

“They’re hurting right now.”

Venkat nodded, then smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Tanvi felt too warm, warmer than she could blame on the overcrowded room. “I’ll be right back.”

She nodded, too, enjoying how the silk of the Night Market kurta pulled taut against the strong line of his shoulders as he strode toward the door. How would it feel for him to hold her? Not just a quick hug, but actually hold her, like the night bride had imagined?

Whatever else happened, Tanvi hoped she’d have the chance to find out.

A minute later, Venkat reappeared, his arms full of the objects Tanvi had seen in the vault. Around her, the room went silent, as if the toys gave off their own gravity, pulling the runners into their orbit.

But they were just toys. Nothing special. Toys each runner would have grown out of and forgotten, just like Nitya had long since forgotten the charm bracelet, the one she’d sworn she’d never take off, not even for bed.

It hit Tanvi now—the runners had been robbed of being kids, of having normal lives with friends and games and birthdays. Every single one of them had been robbed, both the ones who’d burned out and the ones who hadn’t yet but would, if she and Venkat couldn’t find a solution.

Venkat started distributing the toys. Indu was first, and he handed her the deflated soccer ball. Her eyes went wide, and she wrenched it from him. “My ball!”

Just as suddenly, her bottom lip began trembling. “But what’s wrong with it? Why’d you break it?”

“It was always broken,” Venkat said softly. “It was like this when you brought it here.”

Indu stared at the flattened ball with its marks and dirt. “I don’t believe you.” She threw it down and stomped on it. “I hate you!”

Tanvi wanted to hug her, to tell her it would be all right, but she couldn’t lie. Not about this.