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My mom was just behind them. Her hair, usually in a tight bun that accented her sharp features, hung in wisps around her face. She glared slightly at Charlotte. “Are you going to be alright, sweetie?” She wiped away her anger and looked at me, probably a little concerned that Charlotte might accidentally knock me over and shatter me.

I smiled at her, reassuring her that I was at least less fragile than her porcelain vase. “I’ll fine, mom.”

My mom nodded, trusting my judgment, and withdrew.

Once she was gone, Charlotte’s sweet smile faded from her face and she handed me the flowers gravely. “You are very lucky, Maggie.”

Andrew nodded. “If not for Jeff, you may have ended up like Peter.”

Cameron sighed a little. “I told you he was going to be fine.”

I shuddered, remembering that hot, gaping mouth. “Is it…dead?”

Andrew shook his head. “We don’t know. Jeff says he probably died in the burning building, but he also said that it withstood a lot of flames.

I caught my breath. “Where is Jeff?”

“He’s out poking around the wreckage,” said Cameron. “I put a bit of invisibility on him a while ago. He should be back pretty soon.”

I nodded. Then a thought occurred to me. “How did I become un-invisible?” I asked. “Why could the monster see me? And Jeff?”

“Oh.” Cameron looked sheepish. “I lost control. The invisibility came off a little before you screamed.”

“And you weren’t caught?”

“Well, we were,” said Andrew,

“But luckily no one saw us the moment we appeared.” Charlotte finished.

“Oh.” I sat back on my bed, wincing a little as my leg scraped at an uncomfortable angle. “So what now?”

Andrew and Charlotte shrugged. Cameron grinned a little. “We do have a couple of months,” Andrew said slyly. “They found that the fire affected a few of the pipes and stuff. We’ll be free.”

“And now that the monster’s gone…” Charlotte smiled also.

“We can pretty much use our powers whenever, as long as we don’t let regulars see us.” Cameron added. “We could go exploring.”

“Pranking!” whooped Andrew.

“Driving,” suggested Charlotte.

I grinned weakly. “That should be fun.” Part of me was elated, ready to indulge in weeks of mindlessness, no homework, complete freedom and lack of responsibility. But another part of me cringed, remembering the monster. And wondered if it was still alive. Still, it had been trapped inside a burning building. It’s only human, right? Or at least it was once.

“Maggie?” Charlotte’s calm interrupted my growing sense of unease. “You alright?”
I nodded, trying to remember the time when I was blissfully unaware of my powers and the dangers they evoked. “I’m fine,” I said for the second time in ten minutes. I hesitated.

“You’ll just be a lot better when Jeff confirms that the monster is dead?” asked Andrew gently.

I nodded, and looked away, trying not to envy Charlotte again, hoping that my envy would not show on my face. Sometimes, I wondered if Andrew read my mind often. I wondered if he knew.

Did he care?