“It sounds like when Mima makes popcorn,” Jaime said, right before the cube burst, then pulled in on itself, combining and recombining. Two short “arms” shot out from its sides, two “feet” erupted from the bottom. A tiny, boxy head, complete with two jeweled blue eyes, popped from the top.

“What is that supposed to be?” Tess said.

“A toy?” Jaime said.

“Doesn’t look like something the Morningstarrs would build,” Theo said.

Jaime knelt next to the table. “Maybe they didn’t build this one. Hey, there, robot. What are you about?”

The little robot shuddered, then spat out what looked like an overlarge jack from a game of jacks. It hit Jaime in the nose.

“Oh, man,” said Theo. “How are we going to return the puzzle now?”

“We can put it back the way it was later,” said Tess.

Jaime picked up the larger silver jack-like piece. “This must be the center axis of the cube.”

Theo said, “Save that. We might need it.”

“I wasn’t going to eat it,” said Jaime, tucking it into one of his many pockets.

But Tess wasn’t looking at the axis; she was watching the robot. It was completely still for a moment, but then the blue eyes flared. It lifted one tiny arm in the direction of the front door. In a tiny, tinny voice, it said, “To the Land of Kings!”

“The land of what?” Jaime said.

It turned its tiny, boxy head and marched its tiny, boxy body across the circular table, a trip that took a rather long time. When it reached the edge of the table, it stopped, looked down.

“Oh no,” it said.

It swiveled, marched in another direction, reached the edge.

“Oh no,” it said again.

A third trip across the table yielded the same result.

“Oh no.”

“This is going well,” Jaime said. He scooped up the robot.

“Don’t touch it! What if it’s dangerous?” Theo said.

“It’s not dangerous,” Jaime said, placing the robot on the floor. “Are you?”

The robot marched across the living room. It reached the door with a little thunk, but kept marching in place, saying “Oh no, oh no, oh no,” the whole time.

“I think it wants us to follow it out the door,” Tess said.

“Yeah,” said Theo, “but we can’t run around outside, not yet. We don’t want more trouble.”

All Tess wanted to do was run around outside. What if Nine was outside? What if she needed help?

“I don’t want to lie low,” Tess said. “I’m tired of lying low.”

“It’s only been a day, Tess,” Theo said.

“I don’t care.”

“We’re already all over the internet with that creepy woman’s video,” Jaime said. He walked to the robot and picked it up, cradled it in the crook of his elbow.

“Oh no,” said the robot forlornly.