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box. I’d guessed right when I speculated he’d gone for jewelry. Excitement flooded through me as I peeled away the shiny paper, revealing a delicate silver chain threading through the center of an infinity symbol. Instinctively I curled my right hand, fighting the urge to check whether the sigil on my inner wrist was hidden. Casting a glance at my dad, I was reassured to see that he was a reading a magazine. I had mixed feelings about the gift, considering what it represented.
    He could probably tell that because he leaned forward to explain, “That’s not supposed to represent interminable servitude. I could talk geometry and calculus, add in topology and Möbius transformations, then move on to fractals and the Koch snowflake, but in reality, it’s much simpler. It just means ‘endless.’ And that’s us, Edie. So this necklace, it’s how I feel about you.”
    I let out a little sigh, not exasperation, but more like the sweetness was escaping from my body in tiny gulps. He was doing this so the mark on my wrist wouldn’t feel like a brand anymore. Instead, I could look at it and think of Kian rather than his former masters.
    â€œThank you,” I whispered.
    â€œWant me to put it on you?”
    â€œAbsolutely.”
    He stood up and I shifted enough for him to reach, lifting my hair so it didn’t get tangled in the clasp. The chain was the perfect length, settling into the hollow at the base of my throat. For a few seconds, he just gazed down at me with the look that said he’d be kissing me if my dad wasn’t sitting here reading Scientific American . In response I touched his hand.
    â€œMy present probably won’t seem as cool by comparison.”
    â€œIf you picked it out for me, I’m sure I’ll love it.”
    With an eager expression, he tore the wrapping like a little kid to reveal the Alfred Hitchcock box set I’d gotten, five classic films. He’d probably seen them but based on my covert observation of his DVD collection, he didn’t own them. I knew he loved Notorious , so maybe he liked Spellbound too. Nervous, I waited for his reaction.
    â€œThis is great,” he said softly.
    â€œWhy don’t you play one of them?” Dad suggested without glancing up.
    Yeah, maybe suspense would be a better move than a holiday flick we’d all seen ten times. I got the right cable and hooked up my laptop to the TV, then Kian chose the movie. Spellbound , probably because of Ingrid Bergman. We settled on the couch together to watch. After a while, my dad put down his magazine, drawn in despite himself.
    Once the movie ended, I asked, “Can I go out on New Year’s Eve?”
    â€œWith Kian?” Dad asked.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œThen it’s fine.”
    My mom would’ve demanded to know where we were going, at what time we’d be home, and when she was around, Dad would’ve been right there with her. But he’d abdicated since then, trusting Kian to the point that it worried me. Not that there was anything to fear, but still. Fathers were supposed to be fearsome and protective, right?
    â€œI’ll take good care of her,” Kian promised.
    That rallied my dad enough to add, “No drinking.”
    â€œI promise.” Considering that we were going to a party hosted by the Harbinger, getting shit-faced might be the last mistake I ever made.
    Soon after, Kian collected his movies and headed home, freeing my dad to retire. I stayed up late reading, which set the tone for the rest of my break. Probably I should be studying, but school had lost its urgency. If I retained my status as a catalyst, Wedderburn would make sure I got into the right college to stay on the path. If I’d already lost, then I wouldn’t have the freedom to do as I pleased anyway. Consequently, I felt pretty zen about my future. Other people, like Kian and my dad, however, might worry me to death.
    The rest of the