She knocked on the door to Mel’s room and found the girl sprawled on her bed sketching. Mel looked up but turned her sketch pad facedown. She was, at times, self-conscious about people seeing her work. “We need to talk about the new house rules that Zack has put into place,” Maggie said, trying to sound casual as she listed them and went about the room pulling the curtains closed. Zack had taken down the café curtains over the kitchen sink and covered the window with aluminum foil, even as Queenie had shaken her head and told him how tacky it looked. “He’s just taking extra precautions,” Maggie said, “and it’s only temporary.” She turned. “This is going to break your heart, but you’ll have to miss a couple of days of school.” “What about my friends?” Mel asked. “Will I be allowed to visit them?” “We’ll have to discuss it with Zack.” Mel didn’t look happy.
