“But that’s impossible,” said Theo. “Completely and totally impossible.”

“I have been called impossible before,” said Ava. She let go of Jaime’s hand and held it out to shake Theo’s, then Tess’s. “And you are Tess and Theo Biedermann.”

“How do you know that?” Tess said.

“Like I told you, I knew your mother once a long time ago.”

“When? Where? How did you know her?” said Tess.

“Why show yourself now?” said Theo. “Where have you been all this time?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have the time to explain,” Ava said. “We don’t have the time.”

“You knew the Morningstarrs!” said Tess. “But that means you’ve been alive for centuries!”

“Impossible,” Theo repeated. The word bounced around his head like a shooting star. Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible.

Tess ignored him. “You could tell us all about them! You can tell everyone how important they were! What they did! So Slant can’t destroy any more of the city!”

“Technically, we destroyed a part of the city,” Theo said. Tess stared at him as if he’d grown some glittery spider eyes all over. “What?” he said. “You know it’s true.”

“The Morningstarrs did that. Technically and otherwise.” To Ava, Tess said, “We could go to the papers. We could go to the government. We could go to my mom.”

“No one will believe it,” Theo said. “I don’t believe it.” He didn’t. He couldn’t.

Impossible.

Ava shook her head. “It’s late. Your friends will be here soon. And reinforcements from—” She paused, sighed. “Oh, dear. It seems we’re missing a minion.”

Theo turned. Candi, the tall woman who had been slumped at the base of the angel, was nowhere to be seen.

“That’s unfortunate,” said Ava. “I dislike doing the same task twice.” She touched the moth pin on her lapel and the wings glinted in the moonlight.

As if Ava’s words were the lines from a summoning spell, Theo heard the rustle of grass and leaves, a surge of voices, a flurry of footsteps. The Cipherists arrived, breathing hard, looking as if they’d just played a touch football game that got a little overzealous. Dirt stained their clothes.

“Oh, thank the Lord,” said Imogen. “Where have you kids been? We’ve been calling for you.”

Ava said, “We had a bit of trouble.” She gestured to the blondes draped like boneless chickens all around.

Gunter said, “And you are?”

“This is my aunt,” Jaime said, before Theo could blurt IMPOSSIBLE INCONCEIVABLE PREPOSTEROUS like Cricket on too much Kool-Aid.

“Ava,” said Ava. “Pleased to meet you all.”

“We were exploring when the blond ladies came and started digging up that trunk,” said Jaime. “We hid. I couldn’t call for you, so I texted Aunt Ava. She lives in Brooklyn, not far from here. I knew she would come and help us.”