Chapter 25

I woke a few hours later to the theme song for Adventure Hour. It startled me. Everything felt too loud, too much.

Groaning, I lifted my head from where I’d slumped down onto the couch. I tried to remember falling asleep, tried to remember how I’d gotten into Bratt’s house again. The details came back to me in a slow drip, my brain booting up after the stressful evening. I sat up fully and stretched my arms over my head.

The remote was on the coffee table next to the abandoned bowls from the dinner Bratt had made for us. I turned off the television and grabbed up the bowls, carrying them into the kitchen and placing them in the sink. I checked the time on the stove’s digital clock—it was the early hours of the morning. I could still get a few hours of sleep before I had to get up for the day.

I rubbed my forehead. I felt like I was forgetting something important.

Then it dawned on me that it was Friday night—I wouldn’t have work the next day. The first week of school had put me throug