After everyone left, the apartment felt different. Not empty—charged. Like the air before a storm.
Kofi found himself pacing. Thea sat at the table, sketchbook open but pencil unmoving.
"They meant it," she said finally. "About helping."
"Yeah."
"That's..." She trailed off, looking for the word. "Weird?"
"Very weird."
His phone buzzed. Group text from Nina: Emergency strategy meeting. My house. Twenty minutes. Bring Thea.
He showed Thea the message. She looked like she might throw up.
"We don't have to go," he said.
She stared at the phone for a long moment. "No. Let's... let's go."
Nina's basement looked like a craft store had exploded. Poster boards covered every surface. Markers were sorted by color in old coffee cans. A laminating machine sat on a card table, looking vaguely threatening.
