Luna recognized the room because she’d seen it in one of Jewel’s videos. She recognized the faces sitting around said room on the expensive furniture. She recognized Jewel’s purple dress, and Ethan and Olive in blue.

The video was composed of clips from the inaugural Golden Weekend. By the time they’d watched the last of the five-minute highlight videos, GWIX, Luna had been sitting on the floor for quite some time.

In every previous year, Golden Weekend had been a coaching retreat. Participants sat around talking about their dreams and goals, making plans, learning skills, and connecting with one another. And at the end Jewel funded whatever they wanted to do. She gave them the money and resources—whatever they needed, she made sure they had it.

None of the other groups had played The Cruelest Jewel. Not one.

WE HAVE SOME NEWS

SATURDAY, 8:15 A.M.

Running was the work of the devil. Watching all the videos had been a mistake because now Stella, Nicole, and Luna were running so they wouldn’t be late for breakfast in the Cat Café. Well, any later. When they rounded the last corner, she was surprised to see the others still waiting outside.

“You made it,” Francis said to Nicole and Nicole alone.

Hmph.

“Why haven’t you gone in yet?” Nicole panted, hands on her knees.

“Solidarity. If you were late, we’d be late.” He shrugged.

“Group work until it’s not. Huzzah,” Stella said, air wheezing back into her strained lungs. “Let’s go. I need some water.”

“Find anything good?” Alex asked.

“Definitely,” Luna answered.

Stella walked through the door and immediately began shrieking in abject glee. She had never seen so many cats in one place. Curled inside cubes, wrestling with plastic bags, chasing toy mice, sunbathing on carpeted towers and bridges. Brown cats and black cats and tuxedo cats. Cats with squishy faces and stumpy tails. Some with long hair and others bald as the day they were born. “This is the best day of my life,” she squealed, scooping up a curious kitten with folded ears.

“Not to be that person, but isn’t it a little unsanitary to eat in here?” Francis asked.

In the far-right corner near a window, a table had been set for nine. There wasn’t a single human in sight.

“If you’re so worried about it, don’t eat,” Stella said.

Some rather friendly cats began to twist and rub around Luna’s ankles. They followed her as she walked, doing everything they could to get her attention. When she sat, a large black cat jumped on her lap. “Hi, kitty. Nice kitty.”