Hamegg sat at the head. “Let me guess—take-out pizza again?” Zane asked. Hamegg produced some battered-looking pizza boxes. “More like taken out of the trash again!” Sludge complained. “Picky, picky,” Hamegg said cheerfully. “It’s only a couple of days old. Look, this one still has toppings!” Hamegg doled out a slice to every kid at the table. Before they could dig in, he held up his hand. “Hey! Haven’t you forgotten something?” he asked. The kids paused. He looked at Astro. “What have they forgotten, son?” “Um ... grace?” Astro guessed. “Exactly,” Hamegg said. “Grace!” The little girl whom Cora had given the chainsaw to looked up. She wore a baseball cap with the name “Grace” on it. “What?” Grace asked. “Turn on the TV, sweetheart, would you please?” Hamegg asked. “That’s a dear.” Grace got up and turned on several television sets arranged all around the table. Each TV blared a different, loud show, a mix of professional wrestling, game shows, and car races.
