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said, “You know, you don’t have to go.”
    â€œIf you go, I go.”
    â€œThanks, buddy.”
    More silence.
    â€œMichael.”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œSomething’s really been bothering me.”
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    He hesitated for such a long time that for a moment I thought he’d fallen back asleep. “I know Hatch is a demon and all that, but what if he’s right?”
    â€œRight about what?”
    â€œAbout making an electric species.”
    I wasn’t sure what to say. “Why would he be right?”
    â€œEverything evolves. That’s how nature survives. What if an electric species is the natural evolution of humans?”
    â€œThere’s nothing natural about what Hatch is doing.”
    â€œBut wouldn’t the world be a better place if we didn’t have to worry about electricity anymore?”
    â€œBetter for whom? The humans the Elgen kill or the ones they enslave?”
    â€œYou’re right.”
    â€œIt’s not electric power I’m worried about. Hatch doesn’t care about the world or clean energy or a better species. He uses those things to manipulate people into doing what he wants them to do. Just think how much oil those boats of his need. He probably uses more oil in a second than most people use in three or four lifetimes.”
    â€œYou’re right,” Ostin said. “It’s subterfuge.”
    â€œExactly,” I said. Whatever that means . “Good night.”
    â€œNight,” he echoed. I had almost fallen asleep when he said, “Michael.”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œYou won’t tell anyone I said that, will you?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œOkay. Good night.”
    â€œGood night,” I said, rolling over. Now my eyes were open. I was ticking. What if the devil was right?

W hen I woke the next morning Ostin was dressed and sitting cross-legged on his bed, reading. “Did you hear that rooster?” he asked. “It was crowing at like four in the morning.”
    â€œNo, I was too tired.”
    â€œIf I were you I would have thrown a lightning ball at it.”
    â€œShould have,” I said.
    Actually, I felt more rested than I had in days. It was the first time I’d gone through an entire night without having a nightmare since we’d sunk the Ampere . “What time is it?”
    â€œIt’s after seven. I was about to wake you up. Breakfast is in a half hour.”
    â€œI’m going to shower,” I said. I grabbed some clothes, then walked into the bathroom. A hot shower is one of those luxuries you don’t think about until you’ve been deprived of it. I stood under the water until Ostin banged on the door.
    â€œIt’s time to go,” he shouted.
    â€œI’ll meet you there,” I said. “Save me some food.”
    * * * 
    By the time I arrived for breakfast the dining room was crowded. Taylor waved to me as I entered. She was sitting at a table next to both of our mothers. Ostin was sitting with his parents at the table behind them. The rest of our group, including Tanner and Grace, was sitting together.
    Taylor got up to meet me. “Good morning, sunshine.”
    â€œLooks like I’m the last one here,” I said.
    â€œAs usual,” she said, smiling. “The food’s over there. You just help yourself.”
    The food was served buffet-style from long tables at one end of the room. There was thick bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns with cheese and red and green peppers, and blueberry pancakes. I loaded up with everything, then, after saying hi to the rest of our group, sat down next to my mother.
    â€œHow did you sleep?” my mom asked.
    â€œGood. I didn’t hear the four a.m. rooster alarm.”
    â€œI did,” Taylor said. “It went on for like ten minutes before I rebooted it.”
    â€œYou rebooted a rooster?”
    â€œI think so. It stopped