Annabelle pulled two quarters out of her back pocket and slipped it into the payphone slot, all the while juggling a bag of groceries, her father's dry cleaning and her backpack slung over one shoulder. It hadn't been until after school had let out and she had parted with her friends, saying that she had errands to run, that she remembered to call her brother. Now that they knew she was as indestructible as they were, they let her have a little more freedom, and she wasn't constantly guarded.

She had decided to get the shopping done first, as she didn't know how long they'd be on the phone. She...