Theo thought about this for a moment, searching his brain for evidence to back up his statement, then shrugged helplessly. “I just know.”

“That’s my line,” Tess said.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m learning to trust my gut sometimes.”

“Trust your gut? Who are you?”

“Your brother,” said Theo, holding out his hand.

There was nothing else to do but take it.

Inside, the puzzle sat on the table, just a few stones out of place. Tess tried to trust her own gut, tried to pay attention as Theo and Jaime passed the puzzle back and forth, each of them trying different twists and turns. She watched as Theo tested different maneuvers, talking out loud about how logical and beautiful the puzzle was as he did. Her gaze, however, kept drifting to the window.

Until Theo said, “Got it!”

He placed the silver cube in the center of the table and then sat back. They waited for something to happen. And waited. And waited.

Jaime said, “Should we ask the spiders for help?” A joke, or maybe not.

“What if the spiders didn’t help?” Theo said. “What if they put the jewels in random places and we haven’t really solved anything?”

Jaime shrugged. Theo tugged at his lip. Tess wondered whether she should check behind the house. Maybe Nine was stuck behind one of the cans back there, or tangled in one of the bushes. But then, how would she have gotten across the water from Manhattan? She would have had to hitch a ride somehow. Taxi or car or Underway train. Or Underway tunnel. What if Nine was beneath the city right now? What if she was wandering in the dark? What if she ran into one of those giant ants? Or something much bigger?

Theo squeezed her hand again. Tess squeezed back. He’d done this last night, she remembered suddenly. Sensed when she was spinning, touched her arm, or talked to her. How long had he done that? An hour? All night? Theo? He didn’t look any different—same bushy hair, same frown, same skinny frame, same annoying habits of pulling on his lip and burying his hand in his unruly curls, one elbow sticking out. And yet, in his profile, in the rough, awkward squeeze of his fingers, she got a glimpse of someone older, someone wiser, someone who could focus on whatever technical problem presented itself but who also could tear himself away from technical problems, sense the brokenness in people, and try his best to fix that as well.

The cube rattled. It settled for a few minutes, then rattled again.

“I hope it doesn’t explode,” Jaime said. Another joke. Or not.

“It won’t explode,” said Theo.

It might, Tess thought.

It didn’t. It rattled, then bounced, thudding on the table’s surface. They all jumped.