Chapter 319

I looked at Lumina over Ollie's head. She nodded slightly, understanding that sometimes a child needed to do something, anything, to feel less helpless.

"Okay," I said. "You can leave them a message. But Ollie, I need you to understand—they might not call back right away. They might not even get the message for a while. You can't let yourself expect—"

"I know," Ollie interrupted, already pulling out his phone—the one we'd given him for emergencies and family calls. "I just need to try."

He moved to a quieter corner of the foyer and dialed his grandmother's number with shaking hands. I watched him wait through the rings,...