10
Ridley woke the next morning and lay in sleepy bliss for about three seconds before reality and its disappointments crashed down on her. She remembered that one of her best friends was in jail. She remembered hiding behind the Madsons’ poolhouse the night before until she could use her magic without feeling ill. She remembered replaying the commscreen recording when she got home, only to find that she could barely hear anything Archer and Lawrence had said over the sound of the music. She’d then downloaded the recording from the listening device, and though she could hear some of the words, most of the conversation wasn’t clear enough to make sense.
She opened her eyes and stared at the damp stains and peeling paint on her ceiling, acknowledging once again that she had nothing that co
