Leelo whirled, her own braid whipping her in the face. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

Sage stared at her, chest heaving in rage, her hazel eyes filled with tears. “And I can’t believe you missed our shift yesterday!”

Leelo had to close her eyes to keep from rolling them. “I said I was sorry. Mama was ill. Why are you so upset?”

“I woke up and you were just gone. I...” As Sage trailed off, her tears spilled over. Leelo couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her cousin cry. “I thought you’d left.”

Leelo shook her head, trying to understand what could unravel Sage like this. “I was just getting herbs for Mama.”

“No, I mean I thought you left. Forever.”

Leelo’s breath hitched as she realized what Sage was saying. Her cousin hadn’t seemed worried at all yesterday. She’d just seemed angry, and that was something Leelo expected from her. But Sage had learned how to deal with being hurt the same way her mother did: with anger and resentment, instead of honesty. Leelo should have known better than to assume Sage was siding with a boy she barely knew over her best friend, just because she was late to a shift.

“I’m sorry,” she said, approaching Sage. “I really was gathering herbs. I would never just leave you. You have to know that.”

Sage swiped her tears away bitterly. “I know you love him more than you love me.”

Leelo looked away because while she knew it shouldn’t be true, it was. She did love her cousin, the way you were supposed to love family: despite their flaws. But unlike Tate, Sage didn’t know how to be vulnerable. She’d sooner die than admit she’d been wrong about something, and Leelo couldn’t remember ever hearing Sage apologize.

Still, she’d always told herself they complemented each other. Together, an optimist and a pessimist could find something like the truth when they met in the middle. “It’s just different with Tate,” she said. “He’s younger than us, and softer. He needed me, Sage.”

“And I’m so hard and tough that I couldn’t possibly need anyone? Is that what you think?”

“I don’t think that at all,” Leelo said, pulling Sage’s stiff body into her arms for a hug. “I’m truly sorry. I won’t disappear again.” Silently, she prayed the words were true. She would have to somehow search for the boat without drawing Sage’s suspicion. Which meant she was probably not going to be getting much sleep until she did.

Sage eventually softened, turning her face so her lips were against Leelo’s ear. “Did you put the hole in the boat?” she whispered.

Leelo leaned back. “What?”