I looked at Ashley. Her hair had dried somewhat, but it still had the wet hair look, where it webbed into thicker locks. She was wearing the new dress—the one she’d bought in Cedar Point, but it had been melted at the side, near where her wrist dangled by her leg. Since the capture the flag game, I’d thought of Kenzie looking after Ashley in a way, but I wasn’t so sure I’d seen Ashley looking after Kenzie. Defending her, maybe. Being there—

“Being there for her?” I asked.

“It’s part of it,” she said. “She doesn’t have anyone.”

“Doesn’t she?”

“I mean someone who will be there a year from now. The team is wobbly, none of her classmates want to be her friend, and very few people spend time with her without wanting something from her or having to be with her. When I get in trouble for blasting Beast of Burden, make sure she has someone. You or someone else.”

I nodded. “Her parents?”

“Go to that dinner at her house or ask the others if you want an answer to that question.”

I tilted my head a little, trying to see more of her face. “Usually I can count on you for straight answers.”

“Not about this. She’d be upset with me and things are hard enough. She’s upset with me and I’m upset with her. The talk on the phone, with a bystander there, we were dancing around being upset with each other.”

“Did I miss something?” I asked.

Ashley shook her head. She moved her injured hand, bouncing it up and down briefly, then clenched her other hand at her arm as a muffled use of her power erupted between her fingers. Agitation.

“I could have screamed at her. It’s why I wanted this talk.”

“What happened?”

“I’m not sure, but she was trying to reassure me. She said the situation was bad, there were lots of people hurt, Rain killed Snag, he was almost killed by Cradle, and even she almost killed Mama Mathers.”

Ashley gave that last bit some emphasis.

“You think it was intentional? To connect, or…”

“I don’t know. She said it and I can’t get it out of my head. If it was intentional, even if it was accidental, if she killed someone, if she ruined herself like that, for something so stupid, or because she was careless, if she’s even capable of making that kind of decision—”

She was getting agitated as she talked.

“I get it,” I said, interrupting the speech. “I get it. We’ll figure something out. I’ll talk to her.”

We walked for a short bit in silence. I heard Ashley whisper something, but it wasn’t aimed at me.

I chose to ignore the whisper, in the same way I hoped someone would ignore me communicating something to the Wretch.