“Thanks. That was a great shot.” Lia’s heart was racing in a good way, the beat a drum in her ears, and she wanted to feel this alive forever. “Did you practice? You were so far away.”

“I did!” Mallory laughed.

“Great,” muttered Gem. “Next time you get tackled, see if you say that after.”

Mallory laughed and waved goodbye, running to a car parked on the side street. The three girls inside were laughing so hard it took them a minute to unlock the doors. Gem waved to them all.

“That was close,” Gem said, wincing. “I need fifty chicken tenders.”

“Let’s start with five,” Lia said, grabbing her phone from the car. “Weird. My phone’s unlocked. No wonder it’s almost dead.”

It was settled. Ben could no longer help with any assassinations now that he was out, so Gem would delay Aaron, the leader of the bird-watching club, from the safety of their car while Lia and Devon waited for Peter at the park.

Lia woke up an hour early, trying on three outfits before settling on dark jeans and a thick green sweater. She tugged at her hair, finally settling on a braid. Her mom watched from the hallway.

“Do you have waterproof mascara?” Lia asked.

“It’s all a bit morbid,” Lia’s mom said with a yawn. “Are you sure—”

“—that I want to do the thing I woke up at four to do? Yes,” Lia said. “Mascara?”

“You don’t need it. It’s school, not meeting the queen,” her mom said. “I cannot understand your obsession with this game. If your European History exam next week is lower than eighty-five, you’re not continuing.”

Of course she didn’t understand.

Lia pulled a hat down over her brown hair, straightened the strands coming undone from the braid, and checked her phone. “School’s basically over. Every grade that matters already happened.”

Her mom sighed. “Only quitters think like that.”

“It’ll be fine.” Lia darted past her mom. “He’s here.”

No makeup, no job, no dating—she couldn’t have a life of her own at all. “School is your job,” her parents always said, but it echoed in her mind whenever she heard them follow up with, “When you have your own money, you can spend it how you want.” Everything was for her own good. She couldn’t argue with that.

“If you say so,” her mom muttered, peeking out at Devon through the blinds. “You have your Mace?”

“Yes.”

“Keys?”

“Yes.”

“Phone?”

“I’ve never forgotten anything before,” Lia said. “Why would I now?”

Her mom only shook her head and wrapped a scarf around Lia’s neck. “Text me when you get to school.”

Lia opened the door before Devon could knock. He smiled and waved to her mom. Lia glared at her over her shoulder. Her mom was already gone.

“Is she really okay with you running around so early?” he asked, shifting the bag in his arms from hand to hand. “Should I introduce myself to her or something?”