“The next time Danny makes a Great Gate, we’re going to make sure all the Families and the Orphans have equal access to it.”

“Even the drowthers?”

“We aren’t going to let a Great Gate give one Family an advantage.”

“But you already have, silly girl,” said Mother. “That cow Leslie now has the power to snatch other people’s heartbeasts away from them, and Marion can crack open the earth without causing so much as a three point oh on the Richter scale. They could take down every Family right now.”

“And yet they haven’t done it,” said Hermia. “Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“Doesn’t the fact that we didn’t kill you tell you something, too?”

“It tells me that your hope of getting through a Great Gate is greater than your desire to keep anybody else from getting through it.”

“It should have told you that we mean to play nice,” said Mother. “We’re going to let you and your boyfriend Danny and his aging mistress Veevee set out the rules, and we’ll play along.”

“Till you see a way to get an advantage,” said Hermia.

“Wasn’t it nice of me to come and inform you? Some of us wanted to kill you and then deal with Danny North separately. We would pretend we didn’t know where you were. They’re very angry with you for betraying us.”

“I didn’t tell him anything,” said Hermia.

“You didn’t tell us anything,” said Mother. “But … water over the dam, isn’t that what they say?”

“You got your physics degree at Stanford, Mother. Don’t pretend to be uncertain of your English.”

“We’re going to station an observer at the high school,” said Mother. “And we’re going to expect you to stay there, too.”

“I’m too old for high school,” said Hermia.

“But you’re such a little slip of a thing, they won’t doubt that this is your senior year.”

“I don’t have to be at the high school. I can gate in and out whenever I want to talk to Danny.”

“As long as he keeps gates available to you,” said Mother. “No, we want you there where we can watch you both.”

“And where you can threaten to do violence to me in order to get him to do what you want.”

“Would that work?” asked Mother.

“I don’t think so,” said Hermia, “but with Danny you never know. He’s not in love with me. I don’t think he particularly likes me. But he’s a compassionate kid. You could probably just point a gun at a puppy, take a picture, and then send it to him along with the threat, ‘Do what we say or we’ll shoot this dog.’”