Maybe it was the knowledge that she’d be gone soon, or maybe it was the realization that she didn’t have any friends, and if Tyler kept it up with @silvergurl she soon wouldn’t have a boyfriend either (not that she cared), but Alexa found herself overcome by a fit of generosity, as powerful and unexpected as a punch. “Hey, Katie,” she said. “Do you like roller coasters?”

Katie looked up from her book. Her eyes were bright and shiny. “I love roller coasters.”

“Morgan does too,” said Alexa. This was true—surprisingly true, given Morgan’s fear of so much else in the world. “Have you ever heard of Canobie Lake, the amusement park?”

Katie shook her head.

Alexa held up the sticker she’d peeled from the paper and pointed it toward Katie. “I’ll take you two,” she said. “You and Morgan. On my next day off. It’s really fun.”

“Really?”

“Sure,” said Alexa. “Why not?” Katie was very pretty when she smiled; she had potential, Alexa decided. Obviously she wasn’t going to inherit any fashion sense from her mother. But if Alexa took her under her wing, maybe then there would be some hope. Plus it would make her mother happy to see her doing something with Morgan. In fact, it would make Alexa happy too. She’d been a crappy big sister lately.

She waited until Katie had turned back to her book and made her way craftily up the stairs. She was so quiet that she figured if the Silk Stockings money dried up she could probably get work as a ninja. Silk Stalkings.

She found the notebook in the same place she’d found it before, under the pillow. Katie would probably not make a good ninja, judging from her uninspired hiding choice. Alexa sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to mess up the comforter.

And then she started to read.

I’m not supposed to write down any of this. I’m not even supposed to think about it, because it is all a secret.

I am supposed to be Katie Griffin and not that other Katie I used to be.

I have a new friend named Morgan who is just as nice as my friends were at home, and in some ways she is much nicer. I had to say good-bye to all of those friends anyway. Except I didn’t say good-bye because I wasn’t allowed to do that. I wasn’t allowed to say good-bye to anyone. We left in the middle of the night, when everyone I knew was sleeping. So I said good-bye in my head.