"Are you okay?" I asked.

 

"Well, of course, dear. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

 

I glanced at Nico, who mouthed the word Leave.

 

"Ms. C, you were telling us something," I said. "Something about your son."

 

"Was I?" she said dreamily. "Yes, his blue eyes. We were talking about his blue

eyes. Such a handsome boy!"

 

"We have to go," Nico said urgently. "We'll tell Luke . . . uh, we'll tell him

you said hello."

 

"But you can't leave!" Ms. Castellan got shakily to her feet, and I backed away.

I felt silly being scared of a frail old woman, but the way her voice had

changed, the way she'd grabbed Nico . . .

 

"Hermes will be here soon," she promised. "He'll want to see his boy!"

 

"Maybe next time," I said. "Tha nk you for — " I looked down at the burned

cookies scattered on the floor. "Thank s for everything."

 

She tried to stop us, to offer us Kool-Aid, but I had to get out of that house.