They spot an open door halfway down the second hallway. Ruth sticks her head out first, then steps out. She greets Veda with a warm hug and shakes Hiram’s hand, which is jarringly friendly given the last interaction Veda witnessed. Then Ruth spots Antaris peering at her behind sunglasses.
“I’m afraid you won’t need those to explore space.”
Antaris perks up, giving them back to Hiram as Ruth opens her hand. The doors open wider so they can look inside. In the sea of children on blankets lining the floor, there is an empty space near the door. Ruth offers her hand to Antaris. “Would you like to hear the story about how the stars in the sky came to be?”
He looks from Veda to his father, then nods shyly.
“Good. You’re in for a treat. That spot is yours.”
After Hiram gives him two tangerines and a juice box, Antaris settles in an empty spot, looking around before lying down like every other child in the room.
“Will he be okay in here?” Hiram asks Ruth.
“Safe and sound,” she replies, gesturing down the hall. “Khadijah usually does interactive storytelling as a way to help settle the more restless little ones, but today she’s letting Marlene and the teenagers run the show.”
Hiram looks at Veda, who scans the room and spots Khadijah, back turned as she talks to Marlene. Khadijah does a double take when she sees Veda with Hiram. Marlene peeks around her, a peculiar look flickering across her face before another volunteer stops her to chat.
Khadijah approaches, frowning at Hiram.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“We’ll talk a little later,” Veda answers. “Come by the cottage.”
Khadijah squints at them before slowly replying, “Okay.”
Veda ignores the question in her eyes and points at Antaris. “Can you stay with him?”
Khadijah’s suspicion deepens. “In the four times I’ve met him, he only ever side-eyes me, but of course I will.”
The third volunteer announces to the children that story time is about to begin. Khadijah sits, cross-legged, next to Antaris’s blanket, which earns her the expected side-eye. A spell makes every light in the room draw into the bottle they’re holding, plunging the space into darkness.
A collective gasp rings out. The children start giggling.
A burst of light projects across the ceiling as one of the teens begins a story about the formation of the Cosmos, magic, and how they came into being.
Ruth clears her throat, and Veda and Hiram follow her to an empty lounge overflowing with books and sofas. Ruth sits in an armchair next to a love seat Veda and Hiram have little choice but to share. From the snack-stuffed bag, Hiram produces the photo of the girls.
Ruth’s expression freezes. “Where did you get this?”
“My uncle’s house,” Hiram replies.
“If I’d Seen this, I never would’ve offered that favor.”
Veda recoils. “What’s going on, Ruth? Marlene is in this photo, and the box holding it was labeledBotanist. Is she involved in this? Cosmos, is she the kill—”
Ruth looks at her like she’s gone mad. “What?No!You’re close, but wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
Ruth turns the picture around, pointing at the girlnextto Marlene.
“We’re protecting ourselves fromher.”
That isn’t what Veda expects. Hiram, either, judging from the confusion on his face.
“Who is she?” Veda asks.
“Her name is Ariadne Byers.”
