The Green and Fresh was still closed, its entrance covered in swaths of yellow CAUTION tape. Men in white coveralls and netted hats stood out front, gesticulating wildly. They were probably figuring out a solution, like moving the wasps’ nest somewhere else. Somewhere very far away, Maren hoped. She shuddered, brushed imaginary, deadly insects off her bare arms, and checked her backpack for the EpiPen. That wasn’t enough to ruin her mood, though. She’d cured Hallie a full nine days early.

There was almost no traffic going down Main Street, because this day was full of lucky energy. As the bus zoomed past the harbor, a seagull swooped overhead, clutching a disco donut with flashing sprinkles in its feet. Maren laughed so loud that the couple in front of her turned around. She didn’t care. The downhill-rolling snowball of her life had finally smashed into pieces, and inside was a gleaming nugget of gold.

At the hospital, Maren launched herself off the bus and dashed inside the building before it had time to pull away. The elevator doors opened before she even pressed the button, because today karma and fate were working together and they loved her. As she hummed upward, none of the usual elevator dread filled her stomach. Hallie was going to open her eyes again, and she’d see Maren and realize it was time to wake up permanently now.

Maren thundered down the hall of the children’s wing. She stuck her tongue out at the smiling unicorn. Then she waved to the nurses at their station and was about to throw herself into Hallie’s room when the door opened and an old man stepped out. It was Captain Perry, the man who’d accidentally hit them with his pickup truck. He had lived in Rockpool Bay even longer than Lishta. His fishing magic made sure that dolphins, whales, and sharks never got caught in his nets, and that only healthy, full-grown fish from sustainable populations did.

“Ahoy, Miss Partridge.” Perry doffed his captain’s hat and smiled sadly. He’d visited Hallie every day since the accident, reading books out loud and playing songs on his harmonica that all the nurses gathered around to listen to. Today he carried a leather-bound copy of Treasure Island and a travel magazine about Florida.

“How’s she doing?” said Maren, itching to rush inside the room.

“Good, good,” said Captain Perry. “I heard she let out a wee laugh earlier. What a sound that must’ve been! Let’s hope she does it again soon.”

“She will. I’m sure of it.” Waving goodbye to Captain Perry, Maren slipped inside the room and shut the door.

Hallie’s eyes were closed. The monitors beeped just like they always did. Her blanket lay folded straight across her chest.