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behind her. He looked ready to do it, to go do whatever had to be done.
    â€œNo,” Xander said. “I promised Dad we’d wait.”
    There’s that look in his eyes again , Toria thought. He’s not telling everything.
    Keal looked over his shoulder. He stiffened. “Hey, what’s the wheelchair doing up here?” he said. “Where’s Jesse?” He turned wide eyes on them. “Anyone seen him? Jesse?”
    â€œHe was downstairs,” Toria said. “He came to help when Nana started to get pulled away. He tried to stop her from going, but I guess he had to let go.”
    â€œI thought someone was with him,” Nana said. “When Jesse let go, someone else was there, in the hall. I thought it was you or Eddie. I was so panicked, I didn’t think about it until now.”
    Then it dawned on Toria: “Taksidian!” she said.
    Keal started for the staircase. “Downstairs?”
    â€œBy my bedroom.”
    â€œWait!” Xander said, coming out of the antechamber. “He might still be here . . . waiting.” He looked back into the small room. “It can’t change, right? The portal can’t go away until they come back, can it?”
    â€œI thought you knew that stuff!” Toria said.
    He nodded. “It’ll be okay.” He bit his lower lip. “Just in case, could you and Nana sit in here? Just for a minute?”
    â€œXander!” Toria yelled. “It tried to eat her!”
    â€œNever mind,” he said, starting for Keal.
    Toria grabbed his wrist. “What about Dad and Dae?” she said.
    â€œI told you—”
    â€œWhat else?” She raised her eyebrows.
    His worried look grew deeper, became something like pain. He said, “It was wet and cold over there. I could feel it blowing in, and I saw Dad land in water.”
    Toria nodded. She remembered the bitter chill blowing in when she’d approached the antechamber. He tried to shake off her hand, but she clenched it tighter. She said, “And?”
    â€œOne of the items he took,” her brother said. “It was a life preserver. It had the word Titanic on it.”
    His eyes found Nana’s, and Toria knew what he wanted: he hoped she would say something like, Oh, that old thing? That’s nothing. I’ve seen it before. Leads to a museum.
    Nana didn’t say that. She just stared, her face muscles tight.
    Xander pulled himself free. “I’ll be right back.” And he ran.
    When Keal saw him coming, he disappeared through the landing doorway to shoot down the stairs.
    â€œNana?” Toria said.
    â€œIt’ll be all right, dear.” Her eyes were on the antechamber. They didn’t match her words. They said, Maybe it won’t be all right. Maybe nothing will be all right ever again.

CHAPTER

eleven
    â€œWe can’t stay here, David,” Dad said. “The ship’s going to break in half any minute now.”
    David’s teeth clattered. His entire body trembled with cold. It felt like he’d been sprayed down and put in a freezer. Dad didn’t look much better. “But, D-D-Dad . . . B-B-Bob!”
    They both looked at it. Smeared, shaky, incomplete.
    â€œYou,” Dad said, “you didn’t draw it?”
    â€œIt w-w-was Mom. Had-had to be.” Or Nana , David thought. Had she ever been here? Had she been putting Bob on things for the same reason they had started do it, to let someone know she’d been there, to help them find her?
    â€œIf it was Mom,” Dad said, “she would have gotten into a lifeboat by now.” He stood, pulling David up with him. “We have to go. When the ship breaks up, it sinks right away. We can’t be on it or even near it.” He tugged David toward the railing. “Hold this.” He gave him a life preserver. “It’s from the house. If we get separated, it’ll lead you to the portal home.”
    David slipped the