It was a sort of love Lia couldn’t comprehend. Gem’s parents didn’t care what their kids wanted to do but went all in every time. Lia’s parents had tried to curate her high school years as if she were an art gallery only open to college admissions.

“I told them to cool it on questions about how you are,” Gem whispered after their mom had asked about how Lia was liking school. “Sorry. I don’t know how long it will last.”

Lia laughed and smiled. “With any luck, they’ll be too into talking about orchestra with Devon.”

Her mom kept texting about the “sleepover” and what they would do after, and it made Lia feel like a toddler. That was probably on purpose.

But more than anything, it felt like a normal, happy night.

The house creaked all night long after everyone crawled into bed. It had been easy to forget the horrors outside while everyone was awake, Devon helping Harrison with his music homework and Lia destroying Mr. Hastings in a game of Risk in record time. There was no pressure. There was no threat.

It was harder to not see Abby and Ben every time Lia closed her eyes once the main light went out and the dark oozed around her.

“I keep thinking about Omelet,” whispered Lia. “He didn’t want to leave Abby.”

“I’m glad we found Ben.” Gem reached underneath the blankets and laced their fingers with Lia’s. “If we hadn’t, May would have.”

Gem’s parents had left their bedroom door open, and Devon had been banished to a sleeping bag on the far side of the room. Of course, once everyone else had left, he had dragged it nearer to Lia so that they could talk.

Lia shuddered. His sleeping bag rustled. Fingers gently touched the ends of her hair.

“You need more sleep,” he said softly, as if she were an easily spooked cat.

“We all do.” She licked her lips and turned to face him. “Have you been sleeping?”

“You know I haven’t been,” he replied. “It’s weird that it happened so soon after Abby.”

“They questioned me longer after Ben,” Lia said. Two kids in Lincoln, both playing the game, dead within two weeks of each other. “What could Ben have ever done that someone would want to kill him?”

Whoever had been after Ben had enjoyed killing him, and that made it so much worse.

“Maybe they just wanted to kill somebody,” Gem said. “Some people like killing.”

Lia shuddered. “I think the police thought I did it, a little bit, at first.”

“I’m pretty sure Omelet would have eaten you if you hurt Abby.” Devon’s long fingers wove their way through her hair, curling the ends. In the dark, she could only see the soft glint of his eyes. “Abby tripped, and what reason would you even have for killing Ben?”

“His assassin got him? I don’t know.” She shook her head and sighed. “I keep thinking about his hand. That was where he got shot, and they destroyed it.”