Sometimes he had to remind himself of this. And sometimes he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

Oh, in a general sense he was glad Zeke was alive. It sure took the edge off all that guilt he’d worn around his neck. But all the same, and for all he’d been afraid of the specter … it had been one reliable presence in his life when there weren’t many others.

And now he couldn’t rely on that, either.

The trip up the hill felt faster this time, partly because Angeline was wearing the awkward polarized glasses, so they could keep their masks off most of the way. This prompted Rector to poke Houjin about how come, if he was so damn smart, he hadn’t thought to bring the glasses in the first place—to which Houjin responded that he didn’t spend all his free time riffling around through the storage rooms in the Vaults, so he hadn’t known about them. Then Miss Angeline had threatened to box them both on the ears if they couldn’t get along.

Close to the end of their trip, she abruptly pulled the brake, and a fierce, hissing spit of white fire and sparks kicked up from the track. When the cart came to a full stop, she ushered everyone into masks on the double. “It was free and clear up until a few minutes ago. Then I started catching hints of it in the glass. Maybe it’ll be all right for a while, maybe it won’t. I don’t want to take the chance.”

Once again, Rector reluctantly crammed his face into a gas mask. The rest of the way indeed felt longer, even though they’d nearly reached the Sizemore House. He hated those damn masks, but when he griped about them, Angeline told him, “If they bother you that much, maybe you’ve picked the wrong place to live. Or work. You could always go hang out at the Station, if you want.”

Carefully, he asked, “Why would I want to do that?”

“Because you’re a boy who’s been known to move sap, and that’s where it comes from, mostly. And besides, I heard tale you’d already been down there and seen it.”

“So … you heard about that.”

“I hear about everything.” With calculated casualness, she continued. “I know who you’re working for, don’t I?”

He thought about being contrite, and opted instead to be direct. “I expect you do.”

She nodded, and unloaded the cart, making sure everyone’s supplies were bundled up good and tight (including her own), and saw to it that the boys retrieved their weapons.