Next to Carter, I see Kai, River, and Ashley and their respective bakus. They look slightly sheepish to see me, even Kai, but I run at them, wrapping my arms around all three and pulling them into a big group hug. “I’m so glad to see you! Thank you for everything you did to help organize the protests.”

“Way to go, Lacey,” says Ashley. “You did it. You and Zora pulled through when we gave up.”

“And hopefully we’ll be seeing you back at school, yeah? I want to be on your team next year,” says River.

I smile. “You better believe it.”

I look over River’s shoulder, but the person I’m really looking for isn’t there. I’m not surprised any longer. Every day that goes by, I expect to hear from him, and every day I’m disappointed.

Then, I see him. Or rather, I see Aero. He swoops over our heads, still one of the most magnificent bakus I’ve ever seen. I follow his movements, watching him dive and soar before landing on the shoulder of his owner.

The rest of my friends step aside to give us some space.

“Hey, I’m sorry—” says Tobias.

“Hey, I’m sorry—” I say.

We both speak at the exact same time.

“Jinx,” Tobias says with a small smile. I smile back at him. “Let me go first,” he continues. “I am so sorry, Lacey. I know I betrayed your trust. I was a coward, and I have no excuse.”

“I can hardly blame you for wanting to confide in your parents,” I reply.

His face screws up into a scowl. “I never wanted it to go further than that, but Nathan overheard, and he ran straight to Eric. I’m so sorry. I should never have betrayed you.”

“I wish you’d reached out to me sooner.”

“I know. I wish I had too. But my parents banned me from contacting you…”

“It’s okay, it’s over now,” I say. It’s true. The stakes have been so high—with minds and dreams on the line—I don’t want to hold a grudge when everything ended up going according to plan. “Friends?” I ask.

“Of course,” he says, his voice soft. “Friends.”

Monica claps her hands together, and we turn around to face her. “All right, now that we’re all here, let’s head up to my office. I’ve got a lot of explaining to do, and I want your group to be the first to hear about any of it. Before we have any sort of public press conference or anything.”

The crowd gives us another cheer as Monica leads us over to the elevator. It warms my heart to see all the employees so glad to have their fearless leader back.