The entire way back to the rustic villa Lonnie lives in, whether walking or riding the air rail, Riel is torn between telling Lonnie how she feels and keeping silent.

  The first time she felt the nervous little flutter in her heart, she and Lonnie had been walking around outside. She was already very attached to him at that point, following him around like the ducklings from before, using him like a security blanket. Lonnie didn’t mind, he seemed to even like being followed by a little shadow. He spoke to the air and trusted that she was always listening, always there. She liked that. She liked how he treated her. It made her feel safe and free, especially without his eyes on her.

  But that day, they were outside, and the wind was strong, and leaves were blowing all around, stripped from trees like confetti. Lonnie turned, and his eyes were on her again, and he was bright. So bright.

  He stepped toward her. Before Riel could react, he was slowly reaching out, a small, reassuring smile on his face. His touch was so soft she barely felt it. He held a leaf up in front of her eyes.

  “The trees must think you need a leaf crown,” Lonnie laughed. Riel stared, and there it was. That thing, that feeling. That… love.

  Things started to change between them after that. Or at least, Riel changed. She was conscious of herself in a way she’d never been before, stumbling over words and trying to adjust to the hot sensation that constantly burned her cheeks. She thought she was sick with fever for days before realizing that it was just embarrassment or something. The flutter in her chest only grew around Lonnie, when she watched his smile, heard his voice, became aware of his body too close to hers for comfort. She finally asked Ethel and Alaric to get her her own bed. She hid away in Alaric’s library more often, surrounding herself with stacks and stacks of books that no one else entered. She watched him when he wasn’t looking, indulging in her small secret.

  The air rail begins to slow. Riel’s heart pounds. They’ll be in Nook soon. Lonnie’s home is so close to the station. Even if they walk slowly, they’ll be there in minutes.

  Lonnie never changed. She could see the subtlest signs of curiosity behind his eyes, maybe he looked at her a little more carefully sometimes, examined her in a way that made the burning in her face worse. But he didn’t treat her any differently. He didn’t stop seeking her out, didn’t stop talking to her, didn’t stop playing with her. He trusted her. He… liked her, she thinks.

  She was happy there, with them. Ethel and Alaric let Lonnie take the lead, they let Riel show them when she felt more comfortable around them. They never took more from her than she was okay with. They were so, so patient with her. They cared for her. Was it enough? Would they hate her now? She had stolen their only son away in the night, taken him far from them for such selfish reasons. She had no right to expect their forgiveness or understanding. She might have ruined everything.

  She realizes that she and Lonnie are already walking. She stumbles, and a single hot tear falls to the dirt. Lonnie catches her arm.

  There is the house.

  When she overheard Ethel and Alaric that day, she had been so scared she felt sick. She feels similarly now, choking on nothing but her own fear, drowning in the visions of hurt, abandonment, betrayal. Can she really tell them the truth? Would they forgive her if she said it was just a childish whim, to run off on some adventure with her best friend? With her new brother? Would they believe her?

  Lonnie’s hand is so gentle, so light on her back. The warmth she feels tightens her body until she is curled, crouching, to the ground. He trusts her. He trusts her, and she lied to him. Made him leave his house, made him do something bad.

  Riel sees a memory of Mino. Her bright smile, her curious, loving eyes. Her hands, dark and sweet, forming a heart. Her words, floating in the air. You should tell him.

  Riel doesn’t want to be sad and afraid for the rest of her life. Maybe, just maybe, with Lonnie by her side, with Mino in her mind, she can be brave right now.

  Riel stands. Miraculously, her eyes are wide but dry past the one tear that had fallen. Lonnie is watching her. She looks at him, forces herself to really look at him. He is looking at her. Really looking at her. What does he see?

  She takes a step forward, then another. Lonnie is right at her side, holding her. Together, they walk to the front door. Lonnie reaches out, turns the knob. The door swings open quietly. Riel hears voices.

  Ethel and Alaric are seated at the table with the e-page, facing away from them. The e-page shows a likeness of Janos and Torin, small pale images flickering over the wood.

  “I don’t understand where they would have gone!” Ethel cries, leaning into her husband for comfort. “They just disappeared, no note, no nothing… were they taken by someone else?”

  “Calm down, Ethel,” Janos soothes, surprisingly serious for once. “Torin, go ahead and take a minute to yourself.”

  Torin, crying as well, nods and disappears from the hologram.

  Riel looks at Lonnie, who is pale. After a moment, he meets her eyes.

  Should we go in? She asks with her eyes.

  Lonnie shakes a little. Not yet, his guilty eyes say.

  “Look,” Janos says once Torin is gone. “We have no way of knowing where the kids are. Torin is scared sick, I don’t have a clue what to do for them. For now, I’ll contact some more people and tell them to keep an eye out. I’m certain we’ll find them, there’s only so many places they could have gone. Don’t worry.”

  “Thank you,” Alaric says, his voice pained. “We’re so torn apart over this, we aren’t thinking straight. I’m glad the kids have such good friends as you to help out.”

  “No problem,” Janos says tersely. “I should get going. Torin’s probably bawling her eyes out, I’ve gotta calm her down. I’ll contact you when I get more information.”

  The images disappear from the wood.

  Riel looks at Lonnie again. His eyes look clearer now, the guilt sinking down inside him to be hidden away. He checks in with her, then steps inside the house. Riel is right by his side.

  “Mum? Da?”

  Ethel and Alaric gasp and spin so fast Riel flinches. Ethel bursts out into sobs and envelops Lonnie in a hug, Alaric close behind. Riel lingers by the door, trying not to intrude, but then Alaric turns to her instead and holds his arms open hopefully. Riel wants to step forward so badly. Ethel lets go of Lonnie to fuss over the two of them, switching back and forth as though she can’t decide who to comfort.

  “Where have you been, we were so worried! You just disappeared, we had no idea where you’d gone or when you’d be back, or even if you’d ever be back at all, and—”

  Riel squeezes her eyes shut, and her heart is being compressed, it’s shrinking, it hurts!

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  “I’m sorry,” Riel says loudly, and the room silences. “It was my fault.”

  “What?” Lonnie sounds bewildered. “No it wasn’t, it was as much my fault as yours, I didn’t even try to stop you—”

  “Stop it!” Riel yells. The pressure is too much, too much, and now she’s falling apart at the seams and everything is coming out, “Stop it, it’s my fault, mine and not yours, you did nothing wrong! I’m a terrible person and I don’t deserve any of you, because I knew you wouldn't let me go alone if you saw me, I knew so I did it on purpose! I made a noise so you would wake up and come with me because I didn’t want either of us to stay here and be there in the morning when Ethel and Alaric would come to wake us up because I knew what was going to happen and I’m a selfish brat so I woke you up and told you to run away with me!”

  She’s panting, trying so hard not to cry, and everything hurts, and there is silence around her.

  “What?” Lonnie asks nervously.

  “My child, please explain further,” Alaric says, but those words cut her open—

  “Don’t call me that!” Too vicious, too vicious! She has to try harder. She has to be good.

  “Please don’t call me that, I knew you were going to adopt me, so I ran away! I don’t… I’m sorry…” Riel dissolves into sobs. She can barely see, can barely breathe. She’s going to lose everything that’s ever been good in her life, and it’s all her fault.

  “I’m so stupid,” Lonnie says. Riel blinks in shock. Why is he saying he’s stupid? She’s the one who ruined everything!

  “I thought you wanted to be my sister. I thought you wanted me to be your brother, but… I thought you loved us. Mum and Da were so happy to have you around, so I suggested it. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed.”

  Panic flares so bright. It was Lonnie’s idea? She can’t let Lonnie believe she hates him. Riel feels dizzy. She forces the memory of Mino’s smiling face, holding onto it.

  “I do love you,” Riel chokes out. “I love you too much. That’s why I can’t be your sister. Because I love you, Lonnie.”

  Lonnie is silent for one terrible moment, and then he’s hugging Riel, hugging him, and he doesn’t hate Riel, thank the stars, and—

  “I thought it was only me,” Lonnie whispers.

  Riel pulls back to look at his face. Lonnie is crying.

  “Only you?”

  “I thought— I thought it was just me,” Lonnie says, a hopelessly empty look on his face. “I just… I thought you wanted to be in our family, so it was easier for everyone if nobody knew.”

  Riel feels shattered, more fragile than a feather. “You told your parents to adopt me even though you… felt like that?”

  Lonnie laughs, eyes shining with tears. “I guess we both got it wrong. I love you, Riel. Like Mum and Da love each other, I love you.”

  Riel is filled with disbelief. Lonnie loves her? He loves her back!

  Alaric clears his throat. Oh jeez, Lonnie’s parents are right there. Riel feels too warm all of a sudden, but she doesn’t want to let go of Lonnie.

  “Riel, we never meant to cause you such distress,” Alaric says quietly. “I promise you, neither Ethel or I had any idea of your feelings toward Lonnie. And Lonnie, I apologize to you as well. We failed to properly assess how both of you were feeling.”

  “Please forgive us,” Ethel completes. She wipes tears from her eyes.

  “You’re not mad?” Riel asks, dreading the answer.

  Ethel glances at Alaric, complicated feelings playing out on both their faces. “We were deeply upset when we discovered you were gone. We still need to talk about that, but I am glad that we are all on the same page now. I am glad that you are safe, and you are home. That is… if you still wish for this to be your home, Riel.”

  Riel’s fragile heart is warm. “I want to stay here. Will you let me stay? Even if I’m not your kid?”

  Alaric chuckles. “We would still love to care for you as our own, but there is no need to make things official. And of course, we can understand that you and Lonnie are not siblings. That will, however, cause some necessary changes moving forward.”

  Riel nods. “That sounds alright.”

  “And Lonnie?” Ethel says. “Is all of this alright with you? Truly?”

  “Peachy,” Lonnie replies, beaming. He tackles Riel in an even fiercer hug. The two of them fall to the floor, rolling into a laughing mess. Riel probably bruised an elbow, but it was so worth it.

  “Oh!” Ethel exclaims. “We need to let Janos and Torin know that you are safe.”

  Riel shifts, sitting up as Lonnie straightens his hair again. She remembers the conversation that she and Lonnie had overheard. “We made a lot of people worried, didn’t we,” she says. Lonnie nods his head slightly and burrows into Riel. He probably feels bad, just like she does.

  Alaric nods. “There are many people who care about the both of you. Both of you,” he emphasizes, turning his eyes on Riel. She ducks her head as a pang of those worried feelings return.

  “All will be well,” Ethel says. She sets the e-page out in front of them.

  Lonnie traces the cousins’ names onto the wood. Then he settles back, sitting as close as he possibly can to Riel without being in her lap. They hold hands as an image of Janos appears. He’s already talking.

  “—and I know you want comfort, but so does Torin, and I can’t be everywhere at once— LONNIE! RIEL!” Janos shrieks. The image jerks, and Riel figures that Janos must have grabbed his e-page. “Torin, come quick! They’re here!”

  Torin appears in the wood with red eyes. Her long silver hair has been pulled up into a messy ponytail. “Y-you’re here,” Torin cries. “I was afraid you’d died and left… Maybe I was overreacting, but I was so scared!”

  “You didn’t know where we were!” Lonnie reassures her. “That’s what good friends do when their friends disappear, they worry. With good reason.”

  Torin looks a bit better. Janos reappears in the screen, and Torin moves a bit to make room for him.

  “Hey, little urchins, where the hell have you been?”

  “Janos,” Ethel scolds, standing behind Riel. “We have discussed this, you’re not to—”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Janos says, mildly chastised. “Anyways. You had Torin crying into her pillow. What’s up, why’d you disappear?”

  “Please don’t feel bad, it’s not your fault I’m a crybaby,” Torin interjects hurriedly.

  “You’re not a crybaby,” Riel says, trying to be comforting but not quite knowing how. “Um, we ran away. Well, I ran away, Lonnie followed me. And we helped a couple of kids out before coming back here.”

  “Why’d you leave?” Janos asks, crossing his arms.

  “Well…” Riel blushes. Lonnie takes over speaking. Riel shoots him a grateful look.

  “Mum and Da were planning to officially adopt Riel,” he explains. “Riel didn’t really like that, I didn’t either I mean, but we ran away instead of talking it out like we should have. We’re sorry. But now we’re home and the reason we don’t want to be siblings is that we love each other.”

  Riel bites her lip. It sounds silly all laid out like that. What will they say?

  All she hears is a loud, harsh snort from Janos. “Ha! I knew the truth would get out there eventually. Pay up, Torin.”

  “Um, I think I was the one betting for them—” Torin protests before Riel interrupts.

  “Hang on, you knew? How did you know?” She yells.

  “All those goo-goo eyes and lovey-dovey smiles, I almost wanted to throw up,” Janos teases. “It was so obvious. ‘Specially where Lonnie was concerned. He always asked me about you, Riel. Claimed I knew you better. ‘What did Riel ask?’ And ‘What was she saying?’ And ‘Hey, does Riel like milk chocolate or dark chocolate better?’”

  “Hey!” Lonnie flushes. “You don’t get to talk about that! Janos, stop it!”

  “It seems that we really weren’t paying close enough attention,” Alaric shakes his head, mournful.

  “From what I heard, the two of you are the most oblivious dorks on the planet, O ‘couple who pined after each other for fourteen years,’” Janos says.

  “No way!” Lonnie exclaims. “Fourteen years?” His parents avoid his eyes. Riel hides a smile behind her hand.

  “Well, you’re back now…” Torin says with a small smile. “Hopefully you’re here to stay?”

  “We’re staying,” Riel says firmly. Lonnie smiles and nods in agreement, and they lean into each other.