“It kinda does?” Missy suggested with a quizzical tone and a shrug. “I’m going to go do my own thing, like I’ve been doing for a while now. Today, that’s hanging out with friends, maybe have a few drinks. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. I have a few of the people in my team coming, I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of them.”

“And then you go to work? That’s… it’s an image I hate. You in a dark office building.”

“Tent, and if I’m being totally honest with you, which I’m trying to be, making sure you have most of the information so you can decide how you want to respond, I hope to be hanging out with my boyfriend.”

“I see,” her mom said with a hint of disapproval in her tone.

“So, y’know, don’t worry. I won’t be alone, I’m going to be a bit of a teenager and celebrate how far we’ve come.”

“If he wasn’t such a nice boy, I’d have something to say. But you can tell him I’m trusting him to be on his best behavior.”

“Sure,” Missy replied. Nope, after a night of being unable to do anything to him at the party, I’m going to use my power to get his clothes off him faster, turn the cot in the corner of my office tent into an ultra-king-size, and keep him busy until sunrise. “Best behavior.”

“I did like his parents. Sweet people. Smart.”

“I’m glad.” They had their reservations about you and Dad. But whatever. “I think I should get going in a second. I don’t want to miss her.”

“I do wish he wasn’t such a good match for you.”

“Huh?” What?

“Byron. What you said about killing that man. It answers some of it, but I saw him do something I remember seeing you do. Staring off into space, with a look in his eyes like he could see something that was deeper and darker than a boy his age should be exposed to.”

“I mean, he was still mourning his brother.”

“That’s it, isn’t it? So much death.”

“It is what it is. And I really should—”

“Please.” Her mother’s hand reached out to take hold of her wrist, and with some rearrangement of grip, took Missy’s hand in her own, squeezing. “I do love you.”

“I love you too.”

“That night, when we all thought it might be over. The woman from the Wardens came and told us the decision we had to make. I just knew. Knew you’d be doing that, just like you were walking while you were talking to me on the phone, on your way to fight Leviathan. I remember seeing that dark look in your eyes and I was so scared it would get darker still.”