“True, Jaime, true.” Mrs. Biedermann added cream and sugar to her coffee, sat at the table. “What are you kids planning for today?”

Oh, breaking some more laws, risking death or dismemberment, Jaime thought. What every kid does in his spare time.

“Nothing much,” Tess said. “Maybe we’ll go to the movies or something.”

“You should see that new one, the one they shot in Manhattan last year. What’s it called? Monster something. Or Robot something. Monsters and Robots?”

Mr. Biedermann said, “You’ll have to put up with Slant’s old mug if you see that one. I heard he has a cameo in it.”

“Ugh,” said Mrs. Biedermann. “Then maybe you should see that other movie, the one that got all those awards. The Lost Ones, it’s called. Based on an old book. Same author as Penelope, I think. Published in the 1860s. It’s about the last people left on earth after some evil men destroy it.”

“Sounds cheerful,” said Mr. Biedermann. “Were the evil men named Slant?”

“Did you hear that he might run for office?”

“No!” said Mr. Biedermann. “Which office?”

“Mayor, I guess. Or senator. Whichever he can buy. He wants to ‘move New York City forward’ by cutting the budgets from things we don’t need anymore, and investing in ‘new technologies.’”

“What don’t we need anymore?” Mr. Biedermann said.

“Libraries for one. Arts programs. Public schools.”

“We don’t need libraries?” said Theo.

“Or schools?” said Tess.

Mr. Biedermann put down his fork. “I think I just lost my appetite.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I brought it up,” said Mrs. Biedermann. “Anyway, you kids were telling me what you were going to do today?”

“We could go back to my apartment,” Jaime said. “We’ve got a pool on the roof. I’ve never used it, but it looks nice.”

“What a great idea!” said Mr. Biedermann. “It’s about eight thousand degrees outside, give or take a degree.”

“Try not to wear yourselves out, okay?” said Mrs. Biedermann. “You’re all looking a bit ragged.”

“Theo always looks ragged,” said Tess.

“Your brother, the hipster,” Jaime said.

“I resent that,” said Theo.

They helped clean up the breakfast dishes and said good-bye to the twins’ parents and Aunt Esther. If the twins’ aunt really knew some superheroes, they were stealthy ones, because Jaime didn’t see anyone in costume rescuing kittens from trees or shooting webs at bank robbers or even following Jaime and the twins to Hoboken to make sure they were safe. They seemed to be on their own the way they always were. Jaime opened the button on his front pocket so that Ono could peek out. Better to have another set of eyes than not.