“See? That’s how I know you’ll make the right choice about Luna.” Nicole wondered if Stella had trouble sleeping at night. Always looking for an alternative route to get what she wanted, always thinking of her next steps that would ensure she stayed five steps ahead of everyone else—living like that must have been exhausting. She was calculating, but far from cold. Her complete turnaround with Harlow stood as a testament to that. She cared about others when she wanted to, on her terms, and wanted them to want her back. No, needed them to. That small distinction felt closer to the truth.

Stella needed everyone on their team just as much as they needed her.

We can trust her, Nicole thought, feeling good about her decision. Stella would do right by them—she was sure of it. “Whatever you plan or want to do, I’m in. I hereby resign myself to joining your machinations.”

Stella froze, hand hovering in midair still holding a tile. “You are so, so talented.” Her head turned slowly, grin growing at the same snail pace. “I’ve been trying to figure out why Jewel wanted us to watch the videos from the previous Golden Weekends. It’s because she’s starting over. We’re the new chapter. Think about it.”

“Okay,” Nicole said. “I’m thinking, but remember I’m not Luna.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine. Sometimes, I just need to think out loud. Stay with me.” Stella sat up, sitting on her knees, eyes wild. Her brain must have felt like it was on fire. “When the game started, Jewel referenced a bunch of portal stories, remember?”

Nicole pulled the opening poem up on the tablet just in case Stella needed it. “I do, yeah.”

“And then, Olive confirmed it first. The Cruelest Jewel is a story,” she said. “Jewel has always been obsessed with stories, and she told me the game has more than one ending. That’s the key. And”—she hesitated—“I can’t tell you why, but I have a very good reason for knowing that.”

Nicole waved that away. “Pretend like I know what you’re talking about and keep going.”

“The purpose of the recipe is to build a new narrative one step at a time,” Stella said. “The Cruelest Jewel is a story. The Queen has been abducted. The players must choose which route to take to save her. So, what if we choose wrong? What if we went off script and wrote our own ending?”

“But why would we do that? How would we win if we don’t follow the rules?”

Stella didn’t answer, instead leaping off the bed and running for the door. She yelled into the hall, “Crayola Hall Coalition, assemble! We’re making a new plan!”

PART IV

THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED