Marco nods seriously. “That’s a very heroic dragon.”
“The best dragon.” Tommy spots me and Cole in the doorway. “Theo! Cole! Want to see my book?”
“We’ve seen it, buddy.” I ruffle his hair as I pass. “But it’s a great book. Top-tier dragon content.”
Jake’s on the couch, looking tired. More tired than usual. The tiredness that comes from worry, not lack of sleep.
“Hey.” He nods at us. “You guys want something to drink?”
“We’re good.” Cole sits in the armchair. “How’s Rachel doing?”
“About as well as you’d expect.” Jake rubs his face. “The internet’s been brutal. People are calling her cursed, saying she’s attention-seeking, and accusing her of setting the fires herself. It’s insane.”
“They are all idiots,” Marco says flatly.
“Yeah, well, those idiots are making my sister’s life hell.” Jake looks at Tommy, who’s gone back to reading his book on the floor. “She made the mistake of opening a social media account to see what people were saying. Now she can’t stop reading the comments.”
“Where is she?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual.
“Upstairs. Or maybe the back porch. I don’t know. She’s been avoiding everyone since yesterday.” He stands up. “I need to take this work call. Can you guys keep an eye on Tommy for a few minutes?”
“Yeah, of course.”
Jake heads toward his office, phone to his ear.
Tommy’s completely absorbed in his book. Marco and Cole start talking about the investigation, technical stuff about accelerant patterns and burn signatures that I only half listen to.
I stand up. “I’m going to grab some water.”
Neither of them buys it, but neither of them stops me.
I head toward the kitchen, but movement on the back porch catches my eye through the window. Rachel’s out there, sitting on the porch swing with her phone in her hands.
I grab two water bottles from the fridge and head outside.
She doesn’t look up when I open the door. Just keeps staring at her phone screen with this expression that makes my chest tight.
“You know, staring at that thing isn’t going to make the comments any nicer,” I say.
She jumps slightly, then looks up. “Theo. Hi.”
“Hi.” I sit down beside her on the swing and hand her a water bottle. “Jake said you’ve been out here a while.”
“Just needed some air.” She takes the water but doesn’t open it. “And privacy to doomscroll in peace.”
“What are they saying today?”
“The usual. Jinx. Attention seeker. Walking disaster.” She sets her phone down face down on the swing between us. “One person suggested I should be banned from entering buildings for public safety.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? Two fires. What are the statistical odds of that?”
“Low. But that doesn’t make you cursed or dangerous. It makes you unlucky.” I take a drink of water. “And for what it’s worth, I think the people calling you names online are cowards who wouldn’t say any of that to your face.”
“Doesn’t make it hurt less.”
“No. I guess it doesn’t.”
