Harper winced when she thought about leaving for school. She hoped everything with Gemma would be solved by then. But now Harper would have to leave behind Daniel, who was apparently her boyfriend now.

Even if the new title made her smile, it would only make it harder to leave him behind. Maybe she should’ve corrected him before he left after supper last night. They were obviously dating, but the “boyfriend” label might be too heavy of a commitment.

“Okay, what the hell is going on with you?” Marcy asked, snapping Harper out of her thoughts. “You look like you’re having a stroke over there. You wince, and then smile, then scowl. Are you schizophrenic?”

“No.” Harper shot her a look. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“You didn’t need to come in today,” Marcy said. “I usually handle Saturdays by myself, and thanks to it being the Fourth of July tomorrow, the library isn’t its usual happening self.”

Marcy gestured to the empty expanse of the library. Harper had been there for nearly two hours and had yet to see a single patron.

“Thanks, but I need the hours,” Harper said. “You can go if you want, though.”

“I know. But then I’d have to be out there.” Marcy shuddered as she pointed to the front window of the library.

The big glass pane that served as the storefront was partially blocked thanks to a massive poster explaining all the festivities going on over the weekend. But around that, Harper could see all the people walking by. Even Pearl’s across the street looked packed.

“It’s not so bad. You could watch the parade,” Harper teased. “Or I think there’s an ice-cream social this afternoon.”

“Gag me with a spoon,” Marcy muttered. “But that’s the kind of stuff you get a kick out of. You should be doing that. You and your sister should be eating ice cream socially.”

“I don’t actually know what an ice-cream social is,” Harper said. “And Gemma is grounded, so that’s a no.”

“You have other friends,” Marcy said. “Ask Alex or that Daniel fella.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Harper asked.

“You are cutting into my nap time, yes,” Marcy said. “But I’m just saying that if you want to go out and have a good time, you should. You’ve been stressing too much lately, and it’d be good for you to have some fun.”

“Maybe.” Harper chewed her lip, debating whether or not to tell Marcy about Daniel, before deciding just to go for it. “Daniel did ask me to go with him to the fireworks tomorrow night.”

“Oooooo,” Marcy said. “Fireworks, eh? That sounds serious.”

“Marcy.” Harper groaned, but she was smiling and blushing.

“Oh, my god, look at you,” Marcy said. “It is serious. Are you and Mr. Tall Dark and Tattooed finally an item? Did you kiss each other with tongue?”

“Marcy!” Harper’s cheeks turned so red, she nearly matched Marcy’s sunburn. “It’s not … We haven’t kissed yet, but … You can’t ask me things like that. It’s weird when you say it.”

“Should I toss my hair and chew bubble gum?” Marcy asked. “Would that make you feel more comfortable?”

“I don’t know.” Harper waved her hands. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about it at all.”

“Fine.” Marcy leaned back in her chair. “So are you going with him tomorrow?”

“I don’t know.” Harper shook her head. “I don’t think I should. With everything going on with Gemma, I don’t feel like I should leave her alone.”

“Do you want me to go babysit her tomorrow so you can have a night on the town?” Marcy offered.

“No. My dad will be home, and Alex will be next door.”

“So what’s the problem?” Marcy asked. “It sounds like she’s all set for babysitters.”

“She is, but…” Harper trailed off and fiddled with a pencil on the desk. “I just don’t know how to stop the sirens, and they’re coming for her.”

“Stab them through the heart and cut off their heads,” Marcy said. “I don’t know anything that can survive that.”

Harper thought about it for a minute, then shook her head. “They turn into freaky giant bird-monsters. Who the hell knows what they’re capable of?”

“Well, stab them through the heart, and you’ll find out.”

“That’s your advice?” Harper arched her eyebrow. “Stab them through the heart and see if it kills them?”

“No, my actual advice would be, stab them through the heart, run like hell, and hope it kills them,” Marcy corrected her.

“But what if it doesn’t kill them?”

“Then you have one really pissed-off freaky giant bird-monster after you,” Marcy said matter-of-factly.

“That’s not very comforting,” Harper replied.

“It wasn’t supposed to be. You want comforting, talk to your boyfriend or your dad or Gemma. You want the truth, talk to me.”

“What if they’re unstoppable?” Harper asked.

“For thousands of years, the T. rex thought it was unstoppable. Then a giant rock came, and boom!” Marcy snapped her fingers. “He’s not the king of the world anymore.”

“I don’t have a meteor, and if I did, that would kill more than just the sirens,” Harper said.