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She struggled to focus on the small face of her watch 3:37 Then she flipped open her cell phone There was a text from Mia

Sry wr late On our way Luv U The text had come in at 2:11

Oh, they would be sorry They’d cootten to turn off the exterior lights This would be their last party for a while She got up, turned off the TV and the outside lights, and locked the front door As she climbed the stairs, she tried to decide whether to wake them up or yell at them tomorrow

She opened Mia’s door and turned on the light The bed was empty

She felt a ping of fear, like a drop of acid on bare skin, and went to Zach’s room

It was empty, too

Take a breath, Jude They missed their curfew; that was all They’d started to leave the party and then been caught up somehow

She called Mia’s cell It rang and rang, then went to voice mail

It was the same with Zach’s phone

She ran downstairs to her roo in bed, a book open on his chest, the television on

“It’s late, Miles, and they’re not home ”

“Call them,” he mumbled

“I did No one answered ”

Miles sat up, frowning, and glanced at the clock “It’s almost four o’clock ”

“They’re never this late,” she said