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speak it, not yet. But he did say, “Well, I do like her, and I want— need —to spend more time with her.”
    Then you’re going to have to find a way to set us free, Elijah said. Any more time in that black hole and I’ll go insane.
    “How?” They’d already tried a thousand different ways. Exorcism, spells, prayer. Nothing had worked. And with his own death looming, he was becoming desperate. Not just for the peace it would give him these last years—months? weeks?—of his life, but because he didn’t want his only friends dying with him. He wanted them to have lives of their own. The lives they’d always craved.
    Let’s say we did find a way out . Eve paused. We’d then need bodies, living bodies, or I fear we’ll be as insubstantial as ghosts.
    True. But bodies aren’t something we can order online , Julian said.
    Aden will find a way , Caleb replied, confident.
    Impossible, Aden wanted to say, but didn’t. No reason to destroy their hope. When he reached the main house, he muttered, “We’ll finish this conversation later,” and meshed his lips together. All the lights were dimmed, no shuffling feet or banging pots echoing. Still. No telling who lurked where.
    He knocked on the front door. Waited a while. Knocked again. Waited even longer. No one appeared. His shoulders sagged in disappointment. He really wanted to talk to Dan and put his as yet unspoken idea in motion.
    Sighing, he made the trek to the bunkhouse. Sophia barkedand finally raced off. Inside, the warm but fresh breeze died, air thickening with dust. He’d shower, change, maybe grab a bite to eat, then head back to the house. If Dan wasn’t back by then, he’d have to wait until next week to talk to him. He hadn’t forgotten that the poison even now swimming through his veins was going to start pummeling him in the next few hours, at which point he’d be no good to anyone.
    This was just the calm before the storm.
    There was a murmur of voices in the background, and Aden tried to tiptoe to his room. But a floorboard creaked, and a second later, a familiar voice was calling, “Hey, schizo. C’mere.”
    He paused, staring at the fat wooden beams stretching across the ceiling and wondering if he should just sneak out. He and Ozzie had never gotten along. Maybe because every word out of the guy’s mouth was an insult. But still. Any more fights, verbal or otherwise, and he’d be kicked out. He’d already been warned.
    “Yo, schizo. Don’t make me come after you.”
    A round of laughter.
    So Ozzie’s sheep were there, as well.
    Leave. I can’t deal with another upset today , Julian said.
    Walk away and they’ll think you’re weak . The pronouncement came from Elijah, therefore had a greater chance of being true. Then you’ll never have a moment’s peace.
    Wrong. Go to the woods and you can have peace right now , Caleb said. Besides, you can’t fight them in your condition.
    Just get it over with. Eve’s determination made her voiceharsh. Otherwise you’ll worry about being ambushed all night. And sick as you’ll be, you don’t need that on your mind.
    Jaw clenched, he stalked to his room, tossed down his backpack and then crossed the hall into Ozzie’s room.
    You always listen to Eve , Julian whined.
    Because he’s smart , Eve said.
    Because he’s a teenager and you’re a female , Caleb muttered.
    You’ve never complained about my being female before.
    When Aden appeared in the doorway, a grinning Ozzie looked him up and down. The grin soon became a sneer. “What have you been doing? Making out with the vacuum since no one’s desperate enough to actually touch you? Or maybe you and one of your invisible friends hooked up. Was it a guy or a girl this time?”
    The rest of the dregs snickered.
    “It was a girl,” Aden said. “She’d just left you, so she was desperate enough.”
    “Burned,” the other dregs laughed.
    Ozzie stilled. His eyes narrowed.
    Ozzie had been here a little over a year, which was months