I walk through the basement to see if Paul is there. I want to talk to him, to see if he managed to find the papers he was looking for, and fill him in on everything that went down at Lake Baku. But his locker is empty, the cage dark. My shoulders slump, disappointed he didn’t stick around to hear from me. But then again, Christmas is the one time he spends with his family from out of the province. Can I blame him if he wants to be with family right now?

Jinx tries to slip into the locker behind me. I look down at him, blocking his path through.

They’re coming for you, you know. He won’t stop. There’s no reason for you to stay with me. You proved you could blend in with the real stray cats and avoid getting caught. Even though saying it breaks my heart, I keep going, attempting to harden my thoughts so he can’t read my real feelings. You should just go.

He looks up at me and blinks, not saying anything.

GO!

Footsteps sound in the darkness, and my breath hitches. No one should be around here at this time. It’s early Christmas morning. They’ve come for him, even sooner than I could have predicted.

“Slick,” I whisper, patting my pocket. “Turn on the light.”

The light in my locker flickers on with a reluctant hiss; even it doesn’t want to be disturbed this early. When my eyes adjust to the light, I see a tall, skinny figure with a pale face, clutching something close to his chest.

Carter.

Jinx! I scream inside my head. Jinx darts in between my legs, and I slam the locker door shut, fumbling with the lock.

When it’s firmly closed, I swallow, putting one hand out to grip the edge of the locker door frame to steady me. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugs. He looks different than normal. Smaller, or something. He’s hunched over, his jacket pulled tight across his body. I don’t trust him.

“When you didn’t show up at the cottage for the announcement, I knew you were back in the city. And I know this is where you used to fix Team Tobias’s bakus. I figured it was as good a place to start as any.”

“What do you want? Aren’t you supposed to be with your dad? Shouldn’t you be reveling in the fact that the update went out?”

“Look, Lacey—”

“You and your dad have taken everything from me!” I shake the cage door, filled with rage. “You can’t have Jinx too. Leave us alone.” I feel bolder than I have in days. Stronger too.

“Your dad wasn’t the only one trapped at Lake Baku,” he shouts through the mesh grating as I spin around, turning my back.