Candy didn’t press. Kenzie clasped her hands together for warmth, crouching and making for a very small, slight figure, still kneeling in snow that had to be freezing.

“Yeah,” Darlene said.

“Okay?” Candy asked.

“I have to think about it. I really want to hang out with you guys again, even if the team isn’t a thing anymore, but Mrs. Yamada told me I have to be careful and watch out for anything like people who treat me badly and then draw me back in.”

“We’ll ease back in,” Candy said. “Make amends over time. Please? I like having a girl as a friend I’m not related to, who wears normal clothes.”

“Time to go,” Rachel called out.

She was addressing us.

I stood, using my flight. I gave Kenzie a hand, and had to pull her up.

“I need my stuff,” Kenzie said, her eyes downcast. Her voice was so quiet it was more for me than for anyone else, even Candy, to hear. “For tonight.”

“Can we get her lab stuff?” I asked.

“After. We’ll send it to you.”

“That’ll break stuff more,” Kenzie said. Still talking to me, not Rachel.

“We’ll go,” Candy said. She stepped forward and took Darlene’s hand. “As a team. Whatever you’re doing.”

“That might not be the best idea,” I said. It makes a sketchy situation worse, and embroils the Undersider’s kids in this. If this goes sour, the Undersiders will kill us.

“It would help, actually,” Kenzie said. “Having Syndicate, especially.”

“Please,” Candy told Darlene. “You said she was your best non-family friend. You enjoyed having her around. You complained less than any of us. Right?”

Kenzie nodded in affirmation.

“Can we go?” Darlene asked Rachel. “For a project tonight?”

Rachel looked pretty unimpressed.

“No, I think,” Imp said. “Not until we get all the lords and ladies of the flies loaded up onto the warship. Sort out what happened. Keelhaul a few of you.”

“It’s important,” Kenzie protested.

“And Darlene didn’t do anything except get mad,” Candy added.

“I didn’t! And you should be focusing more on Aroa and Juliette!” Darlene cut in.

The protests overlapped.

Rachel whistled, hard. The kids shut up.

“She said no,” Rachel said.

“I say yes,” Tattletale said. She was just joining the group from behind Natalie’s car. One of the other buildings. “At least for now, the kids should get in the car and make up. Bring Chicken back, have them talk. It does more damage if they don’t at least say sorry to each other and get on the same page.”

Rachel heaved out a sigh, staring Tattletale down.

“Really,” Tattletale said. “I have the impression this is important. Let’s get someone to get the tinker stuff while we wait.”

“I swear,” Imp said, and her voice was hard. “If I have to have another funeral for the Heartbroken so soon, I’m gone, and I’m taking them with. Samuel was bad enough.”

“Okay,” Tattletale said.