The sun was just about where I’d left it when I walked out of the fae tunnels. I hadn’t been in there long. I looked back at the wall I’d just walked through. Nothing. I put a hand out and pushed, but was just met with rough, cool brick. I walked to my bike slowly, trying to sort things out internally. If I did what the fae wanted, they wouldn’t be looking for another way to put pressure on me, so they wouldn’t go after Dan and Nina. And hopefully they wouldn’t be able to find a way around the leave me alone part. The fae were just as tricky as all the human legends said, at least from what my mom had told me. I was just going to have to be great bait tomorrow. My bike was right where I left it. I jumped on, flipped up the kickstand and started for home.

Once there, I coasted into the driveway, hopped off my bike then quietly tipped it up against the house before heading in the front door.

“Hi, honey,” Nina called from her usual spot in the kitchen when the door slammed behind me. She must have been waiting. “How was school?”

“Fine,” I answered, half-way up the stairs.

“I’m baking cookies.” How had I not smelled that when I walked in? Too distracted. I needed to get that under control or I might end up dead for real. Mom would have whacked me upside of the head if she were here. “They should be done in about ten minutes, if you want to come do your homework down here.”

Bribery. It was going to work today. I was starved. I turned around right there on the stairs and headed for the kitchen. I acted like nothing was wrong, threw my book bag on the table and leaned up on the green and black swirled marble counter.

“What kind?” I asked. I probably could have been more polite, but now I couldn’t get the smell out of my mind.

Peanut butter.

“Peanut butter chocolate chip. But they aren’t ready yet.”

I waited until Nina turned to put a tray in the oven and swiped a large hunk of dough from the bowl. She would yell at me if she saw me do it, always worrying about salmonella poisoning or something. How was I supposed to explain to her that I didn’t have to worry about that? She started to turn back and I popped the whole wad into my mouth.

“How was school today? Did anyone bother you about missing Friday?”

I shook my head, trying to swallow the dough without choking, the amazing peanut butter/chocolate taste filling my mouth.

Nina raised an eyebrow, then went back to putting dough on a cookie sheet like nothing had happened. I watched her in silence. When had she become so important to me? It wasn’t so long ago that I would have jumped at the deal Starren had offered today. A foster home that wasn’t really a foster home. That could have been awesome. I could do my own thing, not worry about keeping my secret. But somehow, this was so much more awesome. I dropped my head on the counter. Why was life so confusing?

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“You okay?” Nina asked over her shoulder. I left my head on the welcoming coolness of the counter and did a strange nod thing. She turned back to start putting ingredients away. I lifted my head, waiting for an opening. There. I swooped in for another chunk of dough.

“Have you thought about what you’d like to do for your birthday?”

I almost choked on my wad of dough. “What?” I got out around a fit of coughing.

“We didn’t do anything last week, with everything that happened. I’d really like to have some type of party. Maybe we could invite your school friends?”

“Ah, no. But thanks.” I was never going to want to celebrate my birthday again. I mean really, what could top my sixteenth? Lying dead out in the woods somewhere. Or mostly dead. Whatever. I still hadn’t sorted that out.

She leaned over and put the next cookie tray in the oven, brushed off her hands and leaned on the counter. “You sure? It isn’t every day you turn sixteen.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Nina raised an eyebrow and stared me down for a moment. I almost cracked.

“This isn’t about your mom, is it?”

“No,” I answered. I hadn’t even thought of that.

“Okay, it’s up to you, honey.” She turned around and checked on the first tray of cookies she’d put in the oven.

“Nina?” I asked tentatively after a moment. She might not be my real mom, and she certainly wasn’t an awesome fae like my mom was, but she tried. Hard.

“Yes?” she answered, sounding distracted.

So many things raced through my mind. I couldn’t get all mushy on her, she would know something was up. But what if we weren’t able to catch this guy? What if the fae did drag me away? After last week, Nina and Dan would believe the worst. Believe that I just didn’t want to be with them. I had to see this through. “Never mind.”

Nina chitchatted while the cookies finished in the oven. I made a show out of trying to get my homework done while I waited, then polished off six cookies before Nina made me stop, telling me I’d ruin my supper. As if that was possible.

The rest of the night was spent in beautiful routine.

Normally it drove me nuts, but today, with the chance of it all going up in flames tomorrow, it felt nice. Dan got home, kissed Nina and then asked about my day. He seemed to study my answers closer than usual, but didn’t have any comments. After spaghetti, he asked if I needed help with my homework like he did every night, and like every night I told him no, only this time I said it nicer. He really was a good guy, I just had daddy issues.

I did my homework, spending extra time on each problem. Whatever way Starren came up with to get me out of school, I didn’t want to ruin it by doing sloppy work. My mind kept wandering. How were things going back at headquarters? Hokey, I know, but I didn’t know what else to call the place. The fae distribution center? I brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas in a daze.

“Goodnight,” I yelled down the stairs to Dan and Nina.

Dan came to the base of the stairs. “Going to bed already? It’s only nine.”

I nodded. Best get as much rest as I could. If I could.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Sure,” I answered. I guess almost sarcasm wasn’t considered lying, because I definitely was not feeling okay right now. “Tired.”

“Okay then, see you in the morning.”

I gave him a little wave and headed for my bedroom. I shut the door behind me, went over and collapsed on the bed. No, I seriously wasn’t feeling okay right now. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself it was because of the danger, I knew in my heart it was because there was a chance I was going to be taken from the first family I’d ever been a part of.