“Yeah, you’re right.” Then she looked up again, but her eyes skimmed over me as she kept looking around the room. “I made some food. Do you want some?”

“Sure.” I frowned as my sister left with a little bounce in her walk. She seemed more carefree, as if she’d unloaded some of her worries on me. I had no idea how that happened, but it was Gus. Sometimes, my sister didn’t make sense to me, what she thought or felt even. What I do know was that she’d go straight to Vespar and tell him about the change in my looks. He’d, in turn, go to Kellan and ask what they meant, why I looked different. What Kellan would say was a mystery to me. I only knew he wouldn’t give them the whole truth, but some of the truth. Or he might give them a complete lie, but I’d follow his lead.

Then, as I went downstairs, I saw both of the twins at the table with our esteemed older brother, who lifted his eyes and scrutinized me for a moment. I felt him searching inside of me, but then he looked back at his fruit, dismissing me.

Vespar’s eyebrows twitched when I sat across from him, but he didn’t say or let any other emotion slip out. His eyes only slid to Gus’ who gave him a grin in turn. And to this, he rolled his eyes, shaking his head, and went back to eating his toast.

“Coffee, Shay?” Gus slid a cup across the table to me.

I reached for it, surprised at the gesture, but it was knocked over when Kellan jerked the table, moving his chair closer to it.

“Hey!” I cried out.

Kellan shrugged. “Sorry.”

Vespar frowned for a split second, but then he stood and grabbed the coffee pot. “I’ll pour you another one, Shay.”

“Actually, I was going to take her into town. We can pick up some more there. That stuff smells foul.” Kellan stood and took my elbow. “Come on, I have an appointment with the principal. We’re all going to be homeschooled for the rest of the year.”

“We are?” Gus sounded surprised. “Can you just do that?”

“When I get him in his office alone, yeah, I can. He won’t even know he’s signing the papers until they’re already processed. Mom and Dad called ahead on our behalf anyway.”

“Where are they, anyway? I haven’t seen them this morning.” Vespar leaned against a counter and slid his hands into his front pockets, looking casual. His eyes weren’t, as they seemed to study every word and action from Kellan.

“I told ’em to leave. They aren’t safe here.”

“And we are?” Vespar stood now with his hands still in his pockets.

Kellan moved so I stood slightly behind him and Gus stood also, slower. She was in the middle and glanced between her two brothers uneasily. Then her eyes shifted to mine, and I knew she was asking me what was going on. I shrugged. It was between the guys, not us.

“Right now, I think we’ll be fine, but we’ll see once the messengers arrive.” Kellan shifted his hold on my elbow and urged me upstairs. “Go get your stuff. We gotta go now.”

As I darted upstairs, I knew something had just happened between Vespar and Kellan. What it was, I had no idea, but when I grabbed my purse and bag, everyone was quiet as I got back downstairs. Kellan gave me a closed grin and held open the door. “Come on, sis. It’s my treat at the coffee shop.”

I ducked under his arm, and as he let it go, I heard Gus mutter inside, “I want to go for some coffee.”

“Shut up,” Vespar snapped at her. And then the door closed, shutting out anything else he might’ve said.

“Come on.” Kellan took my elbow again and led me to his car. Once we were inside, I asked him, glaring, “What’s with the manhandling? I can walk all by myself, you know.”

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, but didn’t respond as he drove onto the street and headed toward town. After a few more minutes, I asked again, “What’s going on? What just happened back there?”

He grimaced, watching the street. “No one but you drinks coffee. You don’t think it’s odd that he made a pot? Just for you? He gave that cup to Gus. He wanted her to offer it to you.”

“What are you saying?”

“What did Gus say when she went to your room?”

“Nothing. She asked what you thought we should do about the messengers. She said that Vespar was worried.”

“Vespar’s more than worried. He’s already figured out his plan, and that’s a sacrifice. He wants to give you up, saying that you did everything.”

“What?” My mouth fell open.

“I heard him planning it this morning.”

“He was planning that with Gus?”

“She doesn’t know. She went upstairs to distract you, make you think they’re going to do what we want, but it’s not true. He sent her up there to say that to you, but she doesn’t know why. Gus is left in the dark, but I heard his thoughts. It’s what woke me up.” Then he grimaced. “And he’s scared about your appearance. He doesn’t know what it means, that you look different, but he’s worried that it’s because of your powers. You might be more in control of them.”

I swallowed tightly, feeling betrayed. A whirl of emotions was going through me, but I asked, dumbfounded, “And what about you? Doesn’t he think you’d be mad about me?”

“He thinks I’ll miss you, but I’d understand in the long run. He also thinks it would impress me, that he thought of that on his own. He thinks he would save us from the messengers.”