“Now arriving at Branch Hill station,” said the voice over the intercom.

Wunder sat up. Faye and Davy were getting to their feet. They were home. They had done it. They had actually done it.

Then the train door opened.

And Officer Soto was standing on the other side.

Chapter 37

Faye had been wrong about her mother. As soon as Officer Soto stopped in front of her house, Mrs. Lee came running out. She went right to Faye, grabbed her, and hugged her tight. Then she pushed her away to arm’s length, gave her a little shake, and pulled her close again. Officer Soto drove away before Wunder could see if Faye hugged her back.

Mrs. Baum did not hug Davy. She was waiting at the curb in front of his house, arms crossed. When they pulled up, she marched over to the police car and opened the door herself.

“Out, David Baum,” she ordered.

“See you, Wunder,” Davy said. He looked miserable as he climbed out of the car. But then he popped his head back in and smiled. “We did it,” he said, before his mother dragged him away.

Then they were at Wunder’s house. No one was waiting at the curb. No one came running out the front door. Officer Soto walked him inside.

Where he found his parents. Both of them.

For the first time, Wunder wanted to be alone in his room.

His mother had been sitting on the couch, but when he came in, she got to her feet. Her dark hair was unwashed and uncombed. She was wearing an old T-shirt and sweatpants, and her eyes had rings under them. She started toward him, then stopped. She didn’t seem to know what to do with herself.

“Wunder!” she said. “Where have you been?”

“It’s all right, Mrs. Ellis,” Officer Soto told her. “I picked them up at the train station. And they did have that tree branch, like the ticket agent said.”

“We’ve been so worried,” Wunder’s mother said. Her voice wasn’t her normal voice. It had so many edges, sharp and jagged. A broken voice. “How could you—what is going on with you? First breaking into the town hall, now this! Do you think we don’t have enough to worry about right now?”

Wunder’s father came over and gave him a hug. Then he said, very seriously, “What did you think you were doing, Wunder? Sneaking out of the house and traveling all that way—don’t you realize how dangerous that was? Where did you even get the money for the tickets? And what’s going on with the tree branch?”

Wunder didn’t know what to say. He had been so sure that everything would go according to plan, that his parents would find out about everything—the witch, the letters, the branch—but on the second of November. On the morning of the miracle. On that morning, he was sure that his mother would smile and hug him and his father would stay around for the whole day and the world would be changed again—this time for the better.