When they’re done, Dalma finds Scarlett’s number in her phone, saved from last night when Valentino first called her.

She can’t help but feel like a Death-Cast employee as she makes this call.

Scarlett Prince

10:29 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time)

Scarlett’s phone rings, and she knows it’s not her brother. She’s forever open to a miracle, but she’s not expecting one. It’s probably the airline calling about her suitcases as if she cares about the whereabouts of her clothes and camera equipment after losing her other half. But it’s not. She doesn’t recognize Dalma’s name at first, and then quickly remembers she’s Orion’s best friend—and one of the last people to see her brother alive.

She doesn’t bother composing herself. “Hi.”

“Hi, Scarlett. This is Dalma Young, I’m Orion’s friend.”

“I know.” Scarlett almost asks what’s wrong, as if that’s not clear.

“Right. I think the doctor is going to call you any minute now, but—”

“My brother is dead,” Scarlett says. She would welcome the news of Valentino being in a deep coma, as long as that means he’s still alive, but she’s not holding her breath.

“I’m so sorry, Scarlett.”

She hates every urge to run out of her bedroom to go cry into the arms of her parents. If they couldn’t treat Valentino right in life, they shouldn’t get to grieve him or console her. But Scarlett can’t deny that the urge is indeed there because that’s how alone she feels right now. Valentino isn’t around—isn’t alive—to hug her.

The loneliness of becoming an only child has already begun.

Scarlett feels hollow. . . . Can someone feel hollow?

She wants to knock on Valentino’s bedroom door and see what he thinks.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Dalma asks.

Scarlett forgot she’s on the phone. “Tell me everything else went well.”

“It did,” Dalma says, her voice tinged with guilt.

What went wrong for Scarlett’s brother went right for Dalma’s friend.

“Good,” Scarlett says. That’s what Valentino wanted. “Do you have his camera?”

“I do. Are you still coming to New York? If not, I can mail it to you along with everything else he has in the apartment.”

Scarlett can’t imagine being in New York without Valentino. “It’ll be too lonely.”

“No, it won’t,” Dalma says. “We don’t know each other, but Orion and Valentino showed me that doesn’t matter. If you come out here, you will never be alone. My family is your family.”