“She was there in the back of my head. You see visions of her if you think about her, and I thought about her and what she’d do. She was there, then.”

“She can make people lose their minds if they don’t do what she wants,” Kimberly said.

Someone in the back stood up.

“Sit,” the gruff man said, annoyed.

“You can’t go easy on him,” a man said.

“Sit. We will ask you to speak when your turn comes. If you do not take your seat and remain silent, you will be removed.”

There was a pause as people got settled. There was murmuring, and a bald man at the end of the court proctor’s table banged his cup against the table a few times, in lieu of a gavel.

When all had nearly settled, Rain said, “I don’t want you to go easy on me.”

“We want a full understanding of the situation,” Kimberly said. “She could have made you lose your mind, yes?”

“Not as much as some did back at the attack on the camp. I hadn’t talked to her recently, so it wouldn’t have been as strong.”

“Still. She could have.”

“Yes,” Rain said. “But people died and were hurt. I see and hear them every night in my dreams. I should have made the call and opened that door.”

“Do you think turning yourself in will make that better?” the frumpy woman asked. “Seeing them in your dreams?”

“No,” Rain said. “I don’t see how that matters.”

In the back, Dr. Darnall stood and left the room.

⊙

I set down on the rooftop as Dr. Darnall erected a blue patio umbrella.

“That was quick,” he remarked. “I thought you would take a few minutes to spot it.”

“There aren’t that many rooftops that are that easy to lounge on,” I said. “A lot of them are in pretty scary shape, actually. Flying over, I see cracks and water that’s been there long enough to have algae or something form.”

“That would explain the mosquito-like flies we’ve been getting,” he said. “I’m glad to have you here. Is Victoria okay, or do you prefer a cape name?”

“Victoria,” I said.

“Victoria,” he said. He reached over for a handshake, and I shook his hand. It was cool—probably from the recent work with the umbrella. “I’m Dr. Darnall. You can call me doctor, Wayne, or whatever you prefer.”

It was hard to imagine calling him Wayne and taking him seriously. “Doctor,” I said.

“Very well,” he replied.

He worked with the umbrella for a bit, and I offered my assistance with my one good hand, pulling the fabric of the patio umbrella around one of the prongs.