I wish Lara and I could just go on sleeping, so warm, so close. But we can’t. I rub the fuzziness out of my eyes and stretch. I automatically check the clock radio on the nightstand, even though the power has been off and on for days and it won’t tell me anything true. That’s when I see it. The low light from the nightstand lamp is enough to reveal that the box is gone. I left the device in its box on the nightstand, and it’s not there. “Shit.” I’m out of bed and on my way to the living room in less than thirty seconds. Kath is asleep on the couch. I touch her shoulder. “Kath?” “Hmm?” She doesn’t wake all the way. Lara’s up now too, looking at me with alarm. “What’s going on?” “That device—the thing my dad made. It’s gone. Where’s Zeke?” “Oh, no.” Kath is awake now. She sits up and holds her head in her hands. She starts to rock back and forth. “Oh, no. He promised me he wouldn’t do it. He promised me he wouldn’t.”
