Seth was talking again, but very soft. It took a few repetitions for her to get it: “Worthless person, worthless person, worthless, worthless…”

“Hey.” She crept over. She might as well. Erik was hiding under the blanket and he wouldn’t talk to her. “Seth, don’t do that. That’s not true. Okay?” She tried smiling at him, but he wouldn’t even look up at her and her mouth pulled into a little bow of dismay. “You guys, I don’t know what to do.”

He detected the pain in her voice and that got him to look up. The skin under his eyes was darkening, and there was dried blood under his nose. It looked like he’d walked face-first into a door. “No, chérie, not your fault…” he said thickly. “Je suis désolé. Ce n’est pas… No. Uh-uh.”

He shook his head. That wasn’t right. It wasn’t now. It wasn’t then. No mattress on the floor. No straitjacket. He didn’t fall down the stairs. He was someplace else, he had hurt someone else, and he willed himself to remember.

“Maggie,” he said. Incongruously, he made a smile. “I’m so sorry, Maggie. I am in a really, really bad place right now and you don’t need to see it, okay? I need you to get an adult person because… Because this isn’t for you. Please.” He nodded at her, for her. “Can you do that?”

“I don’t like how you’re acting and I’m scared to leave you alone,” she said.

His accent made it worse somehow. He didn’t sound funny like Chris. The only time she’d ever heard him talk like that was when he sliced his hand open on a soup can, and that was only a couple fast words like a swear. This was some kind of injury in progress, but she couldn’t see where he was hurt or paste any magic on it.

He sobbed and covered his mouth. He shook his head. “No. I’m okay. I’m okay because if I wasn’t you’d think it was your fault and it’s not. It’s not. This is just me.”

He brightened as if he’d suddenly found the object he was looking for in the junk drawer. “It’s the storm. I’m never any good during storms, Maggie, that’s what it is. This is ordinary storm stuff. I get mixed up. I just… I don’t want you to see it. Je suis… Ah. I’m embarrassed. I worked so hard getting rid of this accent. Don’t tell the other kids I sound like a snob, okay?” He laughed.

He didn’t laugh. He said two syllables: Ha. Ha.

She stared at him. Exactly how dumb do you think I am? She didn’t say it.

He was still smiling at her.

No, she wasn’t dumb, but she was scared, and when she got scared she preferred to follow orders. Putting an adult in charge of this seemed like a really great idea and he was asking her to do it. “Okay,” she said.

She had gone up two stairs when she heard him choke and say behind her, “Please don’t tell Mordecai, he’ll shuh-shuh… he’ll shout at me!”

She stopped with her hand on the banister but she was too scared to turn and look at him. She was scared of what she might see. “Seth, I am not going to let anyone into this basement who would shout at you or upset you in any way. I can’t do magic but I know how to make IEDs.” She almost laughed, and she bit down on her tongue to stop herself.

“Merci, Nicky, tu es ma seule amie,” he said.

She didn’t know who that was. She felt cold, but she didn’t know anything better to do than keep walking and hand this messed-up situation over to someone else.

◈◈◈

The shade was gone from the doorway, and it did not reappear after Maggie stepped through it. She was the colour of dry dust.

Sanaam grabbed her and pulled her near. “Mag-Pirate! Are you all right?”

Nevermind the people in the basement that she’d gone down to rescue. Anyway, that woman with the birdcage told everyone they were fine.

She stood stiffly for a moment without looking at him or reacting, then she twisted away. “No, but I have to do this other thing first. Seth needs an adult and I promised him somebody who wasn’t going to yell at him.”

She glanced at the available options and then pointed. “Calliope, you go. But you need backup. This isn’t a one-person thing. Who do you want? They have to be nice,” she reiterated. “And quiet. Soup, sit down, you’re not an adult.”

“If he’s hurt I want to help!” Soup said. He felt bad enough when that shade closed in his face and he couldn’t go help her before. “You can’t do this to me, Maggie!”

“It’s not me, he doesn’t want kids right now,” she told him. “He doesn’t want you, and you’re going to scare the hell out of him if you go down there, so just don’t. If you need an activity, help Uncle Mordecai make coffee. Calliope, who do you want?”

Out of the available people who were not injured, providing medical care, or providing child care, Calliope felt most kindly disposed towards Barnaby and Cerise — but then there was the whole “no yelling” thing. “Tommy and Penny seem pretty chill right now. You guys mind?”

“You have chosen the melon terrorist and the woman who was going to beat a criminal to death with a frying pan a couple minutes ago,” Maggie said dryly.

Sanaam did a double take and tried to make certain that had come out of Maggie and not her mother.

“I said they were chill right now,” Calliope replied. “You guys wanna help out?”

“Sure, lemme grab my guitar,” the green teenager said.

“There will be no guitar unless Erik and Seth are both okay with it and Erik isn’t talking right now so you will wait until he is and he says it’s okay, do you have that, Tommy?” Maggie said tightly.

“Yes, ma’am,” Tommy said, blinking.

“Okay. Hurry up and get down there.”

“You okay with Lu a little while longer?” Calliope asked Chris.

“Bien sûr!” he said, smiling. He helped Lucy wave her hand. “‘A bientôt, maman!’”

“That was brilliant, Magnificent,” the General said, as Calliope followed the two teenagers down the stairs. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m going to throw up and then cry!” Maggie declared, and she ran into the kitchen.

“I suppose she is a bit young for a command position,” the General allowed. “I hope this hasn’t soured her taste for it.”

Sanaam stood awkwardly for a moment, wondering if this was the sort of parenting that went on in his absence, then he ran after his daughter. “I’m going to go be a dad!”

…and maybe throw up and then cry! he added to himself.

◈◈◈

Seth had crawled under the worktable and wrapped himself in a blanket. Calliope noted this and decided they needed to stow some pillows under there for upset people. And maybe some snacks. And one of those posters with a kitten that said “Hang In There, Baby.”

“Hey, Seth, would you like a kitten poster?” she said.

He startled and winced up at her, and then at the two total strangers who were coming down with her. Calliope was a child! Albeit one with a child of her own. But the other two were even worse and he didn’t even know them.

He looked hopefully up the stairs, but nobody else was coming. It was either Calliope or he was going to have to do this by himself, and he knew he couldn’t do that.

“Cuh… Calliope, puis-je… No. I’m so sorry, can I borrow you for just a minute?” He smiled at her.

It was like she’d found this teary-eyed little Southern kid lying under a tree, with obvious injuries from the fall, but he was just too proud to cry. She knelt and gathered him up. “Yeah, that’s what I’m here for,” she said. “It was just a hypothetical kitten poster. You look like you need one. This is Tommy and Penny. Where’s Erik?”

“Under the blanket. He doesn’t want to talk and I’m worried about that but, I… I need you. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, kid,” Tommy said. He detoured towards the shape on the floor under the blanket and let Calliope have the guy under the table. “I’m the weird guy who likes playing music with your uncle. Penny’s my girlfriend, she’s pretty awesome. She knows how to do drums for me. They’re always talking about how you’re sick down here but I never get a chance to say hi. I guess this storm is pretty messed up, but it’s nice to meet you.”

The shape under the blanket curled up tighter and didn’t say anything.

“Tom, he probably doesn’t feel like making new friends,” Penny said gently. “We’re sorry, Erik. I know you don’t feel well, but that doesn’t mean dealing with a bunch of idiots trying to make you feel better will help. Tommy’s just a performer and he’s always trying to get everyone’s attention. We’re here if you need anything, even just talking, but I’m gonna grab him if he gets too annoying. Tom, stop trying to get the kid to give you a sol and sit down.”

“I just wanted him to know we’re not creeping on him,” Tommy muttered. “We’re not strangers.”

“Okay. He knows.” She knelt down and pointed to the floor beside her. “Give him a break and sit down.”

Seth leaned in close to say it so no one would hear, and then he didn’t want to say it at all. I’ll just make it worse…

Calliope put an arm around him and made him snug beside her. “It’s okay. I gotcha. I’m gonna hafta pee later, but I’ll still come back if you want me.”

He shut his eyes and said very fast and very small, “I need someone here because I can’t stop thinking about dying and I want to. I want to. Je suis désolé. Je suis vraiment dé — sorry. Calliope, I’m so sorry!”

“No. It’s okay. I won’t let you die,” she said. She turned so she could see his whole face. “Can I hug you?”

“I don’t know, but please try.”

She put both arms around him and held him tightly. He was shaking, and his face was damp against her shoulder.

“I felt it,” he said. “It’s wrong and I never should’ve done it but I decided to do it and I did it and then it didn’t hurt anymore, but I woke up. I want to do it again and not wake up.”

“Do what?”

He shook his head. He was muffled in the fabric of her shirt, but she thought she heard him say, “I fell, I fell, but I made myself fall, and I broke in a million little pieces and I’m dead but I’m still here and I have to remember it and know how bad I am and I just want to stop.”

He lifted his head and she was sure he said the next thing, “Is this hell? Did I kill myself and go to hell? If I do it again, will I still not die?”

“Uh-uh.” She drew him near again and raised her voice just a little, speaking over his shoulder: “Hey, you guys? Could one of you get Hyacinth? I know Steven’s bleeding and Fred thinks he’s an alien, but we got hurt people down here too.” He wasn’t making any sense and she wanted to be sure that was just being upset and not like when Milo hit his head and couldn’t find the house. “Don’t just tell her about it, bug her until she comes. This is important.”

Tommy stood and handed Penny his guitar with a smile. “I’m better at getting attention than you.”

◈◈◈

“What are you doing in here?”

“You told me to help make coffee,” Soup said weakly.

She growled at him and stamped into the downstairs bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Milo’s magic hinges weren’t working right and it just bounced open again. Sanaam caught it and looked in, “Maggie?”

She was sitting on the broken toilet with her head in her hands. “Go away, Dad.”

He sighed. “I will if you really want me to, but you don’t have to deal with this alone. It’s okay to be tired and hurt. You don’t have to hide.”

She got up and strode to the opposite end of the room. She stood facing the scarred wallpaper above the warped place on the floor where they’d ripped out the bathtub. “I do! I do have to hide! Because I don’t get all cute when I’m hurt and tired, Dad. I get mad and I do stupid things and you all have more important stuff to deal with than me doing stupid things! There are actual hurt people out there!”

He put his hand on her shoulder. “Maggie, you’re important stuff.”

She screamed at the wall, “I don’t want to be!”

“Then I’m sorry,” he said. He knelt down and drew her against him. “You’re my daughter and you’re always going to be important to me. I know you’re not used to putting up with that, but I’m here now. I got lucky and I got to be here when you needed someone. If you want me to go I’ll go; otherwise, I’m about to hug you within an inch of your life.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly. She shut her eyes and wrapped both arms around his neck.

◈◈◈

Cerise regarded the broken window. Outside, the sky was brightening from murky pink to greyish lavender, it was still raining, and there was a load of beeping and pinging trash flying around. It was louder with no window. 

It also felt more like a crime scene in progress with no window.

Inside, there was a pile of swept glass on the floor, a lot of blanket-wrapped refugees in cots, and random crap glued to the ceiling that loomed like stalactites in a cave. There was also floating food, and multiple jelly-glasses filled with coffee. There was more coffee than people.

She didn’t trust the coffee. She’d been demanding all kinds of weird flavours from Mordecai to get him to empty the spice rack and the last glass she’d picked up smelled like floor cleaner.

She hefted a sigh, then she straightened and clapped her hands. “All right, excuse me? Magical people? It’s still raining and I think we’re all going to have to cope with this for at least a few more hours, so will you please help me neaten it? People live in this insane asylum and we’re not going to leave it like this!

“Toph, your art installation is going to kill somebody. Take it down and let Kitty organize it. Give all the babies to one person, we don’t care about ownership. We’ll sort them out later, I’m assuming you all remember what yours looks like. Elizabeth, Mordecai likes you, see what he’ll let you do in the kitchen. I’m going to work on this window. Anyone who feels like they can handle broken glass can help me. Steven and Frederick, you are excused.

“Everyone else, make yourselves useful or I shall make cutting remarks about you until you cry!”

The General presented herself with a bow. “Pardon me, Miss Poirier, but leaded glass mergers are more complicated than they at first appear. I cannot help you with the magic, but I can provide instructions.”

“Oh, if you must,” Cerise said. She turned her head slightly and spoke over the woman’s shoulder, “Ted and Maria, your children do not need both of you! You’re not putting them on a train to evacuate the city! Make a decision and wave bye-bye, they will be fine for a few minutes!”

“I think I’ll just mind Steven and Frederick,” Barnaby said. He pulled one of the good chairs nearer to the cots and sat down with a piece of pie and a cup of coffee.

“This coffee tastes like curry,” he noted after one sip. He shrugged and sipped again.

◈◈◈

Seth wouldn’t come unglued from Calliope or out from under the table. He wouldn’t answer questions. He just kept saying, “I don’t want to die,” in various dialects with occasional breaks to apologize. She couldn’t even get a good look at his eyes.

“I don’t know,” Hyacinth said finally. “Bottom line, I don’t know.” She closed up her doctor bag and sat back with an irritated expression. “He sure looks like he hit his head and he’s not making any sense but he doesn’t make sense during storms anyway. I can’t do a touch-know to check him. If he’s hurt, it’s not something I can get with bandages, and if it’s the storm, there’s nothing we can do except wait it out. Calliope, can you be responsible for him?”

Tommy came down the stairs holding jelly-glasses in a clattering configuration with both hands. “Hey, who wants to play coffee roulette?”

Penny waved a hand at him. “Baby, not now.”

He put the glasses on the worktable and sat down next to her on the floor. “How’s the kid?”

“I dunno. Unhappy.” She shrugged. She’d made one attempt to pick up the blanket and wave hi, but he’d cringed from her and tugged it back down, so she left it like that. He was still breathing and he didn’t want to come out, that was all she knew.

“I’m okay being in charge of him and I’m not going to let him die, but I don’t want him to stay hurt like this, Cin,” Calliope said. “This is like when Euterpe can’t wake up, but that never goes on this long. This is like torture. And Erik is an empanada over there.”

“I’ll check Erik too,” Hyacinth said, “but I don’t have a lot of really great options. I don’t know what happened down here. I don’t know what they did to each other.”

“I’m really sorry,” Seth managed once more, and Hyacinth let out a groan. Before she could shut him up and tell him that everyone already knew that, he went on in a low, rapid voice, “About Erik. I know I could… I know I could understand him if I…”

He drew back slightly from Calliope, then he shut his eyes and shook his head. “We were better together. I don’t know why, but we were. It felt like being a whole person and this doesn’t and I know it’s hurting him too, but we can’t do that again, we almost killed someone!” He shuddered and hid against Calliope’s shoulder. “I know it’s my fault. Erik never killed anyone. I know it’s my fault. That part was me.”

“Did you try to hurt that old biddy with the birdcage?” Hyacinth said.

“Who?” Seth said. He lifted his head again and his eyes spilled over tears. “Did I really hurt someone?”

Hyacinth sighed and pressed both hands over her eyes. “Seth, please tell me who you tried to kill and we’ll deal with your guilt complex later.”

“That guy who threw the bottle at my family.” He shook his head. “No. At the kids. At my kids. Bethany was crying.” He winced and put a hand to his face. “No. That isn’t right either. I was more scared about the kids and he was more scared about you, but then we were the same and it was everything.”

“I thought maybe somebody mixed you guys up like paints,” Calliope said.

“No,” Seth said. “We mixed each other.” He choked and dropped his head. “And I’m really sorry!”

Hyacinth sighed again and she picked up her doctor bag. “All right, damn it, I’m going to check Erik for injuries and that’s all I can do because I don’t know what the hell’s going on here.”

“That racist woman with the birdcage told everyone her husband could do it,” Penny said. “Whatever it was. She said they’d be fine if we kept them away from each other for a little.”

Hyacinth knelt by the Erik-panada and picked up a corner of the blanket to get a look at the filling. “Okay, I guess I’m going to check Erik for injuries and then try to get some sense out of a crazy lady who keeps pet produce, all of which is called ‘Jessica’ for some reason. Hi, kiddo.”

Erik winced and drew back from her, retreating into his den.

“Yeah. I know. I’ll make it quick. Can you tell me your address and who the Prime Minister is, or are you gonna make me guess if you’re oriented?”

◈◈◈

Soup was sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands. Mr. Eidel had gotten bored of the coffee and decided to make oatmeal for everyone. Soup had, rather sarcastically, asked if he wouldn’t rather do bacon and eggs or a pheasant under glass. “I’m not a machine, Soup,” had been the reply, so he guessed the storm was winding down, if not yet over.

There had to be some kind of power still coming out of it, or else Erik’s uncle would’ve been passed out on the floor. Soup was feeling pretty close to that himself, and he was, like, young and healthy, you know?

That fat hooker from the Dove Cot was kneeling on the floor doing the dishes, and Bethany’s mom was washing the walls or something else weird. It was the craziest thing he’d ever seen. A bunch of barely functional people who’d been awake more than twenty-four hours and survived a murder attempt, among other completely crazy shit, and here they were cleaning house.

He knew he couldn’t sleep after all this, but on the other hand, he also couldn’t clean a house! He hadn’t really even helped with the coffee.

Nevertheless, when the bathroom door came open, he straightened and said, “I’m still doing the coffee! I’m still doing the coffee!”

Maggie regarded him with a smirk and shook her head. She had an arm around her dad’s waist and he had his hand on her shoulder. They looked so cute and normal, Soup was about to vomit from envy.

“Cool it,” Maggie said. “We’ve been demoted.”

“Huh?”

“I tried to relieve you of duty, but my daughter informed me that wasn’t feasible at this time,” Sanaam said. “So I’ve busted you down to Privates or Tired Children, whichever is lower. You have both performed admirably, but you’re done now. You will no longer be making command decisions and if you have any orders I will let you know. For the time being, I want you to seek a safe harbour and dock in it. I recommend the second floor, people rarely break windows up there. You may have toys, books, or a bed as needed.”

“I don’t trust this,” Soup said. He glanced around the room, and focused his gaze out the window. “Something’s gonna happen to you people. We’re not done yet.”

“That’s the beautiful thing about being demoted,” Maggie said, smiling. “If it does, it’s not your responsibility.”

◈◈◈

Cerise was doubtfully poking a pointed piece of glass into the complicated configuration in the window, looking for a place the odd edge of it might fit, when she noticed a dishevelled figure in pink walking up the street. Ann had her head down and was dragging a clattering piece of metal behind her, with more in her arms.

Cerise exited the window, knocking out a few more glass bits and earning noises of consternation from the jigsaw puzzle aficionados who had been helping her. “Annie!” She waved and tramped down the porch steps in her candy-apple-red high heels. “What happened? Are you all right?”

Ann lifted her head and spoke raggedly, “Angel, get back in the house!”

Cerise pouted. “Oh, what’s the point of all this annoying garbage in the air if I can’t even go into the yard? It’s hardly raining anyway. I don’t think we’ve had any strikes since sunrise. Let me help you with that! What is it?”

Ann dropped the various pieces on the muddy ground. She left them there among the dead decoys and stepped over them. She was still clutching the frying pan. “Mister All-Purpose Lucy-Ambulator. I think we’re calling him Version Two for some reason.”

She wobbled and Cerise held her up. “Oh. Yes. Erik’s old highchair was Version One. I think I have most of him. Anyway, that man will never prove he was chased by a giant metal spider even if he does go to the police.” She smiled. Her wet hair was plastered to her face and Cerise thought she detected a bruise on her chin. Her dress was in tatters.

“Annie, did he hit you?”

“What?” She shook her head. “Oh, gods, no. I hit him! I also fell several times. Running in high-heels is doable, it can be learned, but I don’t recommend running in wet taffeta. In the dark. On a roof.”

She peered up at the sky. “It’s not dark anymore. You should’ve done that earlier, sun!” She spat the word. “I wish like hell it would stop raining. Milo and I are done with the rain, Cerise. Done.” She cut a hand in the air and nearly fell again. Cerise caught her and Ann ignored her. “Go fuck yourself, rain!” She threw up a V-sign, directed at the clouds.

“I think let’s just get you inside and find you a place to sit down,” Cerise said. “Maybe we can get you into your bathrobe, and I’ll make you some tea…”

“I want coffee.”

“No you don’t.”

“What?” Ann tottered to a halt on the porch. “Why shouldn’t I have any coffee?”

“It’s complicated, dear. Let me vet it first if you must have some, okay?”

“Cerise,” Ann said, “be honest with me, do you think cotton balls are allowed to be a farm animal?”

◈◈◈

“Bianca, at any other time — at ANY other time! — I would be thrilled to hear about the circus — because you hardly say two words to anyone while you’re here and that sounds totally amazing, so don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a lack of interest or a fear of clowns. I just have two people in my basement who seem convinced they were briefly one person, and that this person was a murderer, and you’re the only one here who seems to have any idea why that might be, so I want to talk about that first, okay?”

“Jessica and I are not fond of clowns, either, Miss Hyacinth,” said the woman with the birdcage.

“Bianca Taube, if you and Jessica don’t focus on the people in the basement, I am going to find out where you live and send clowns to your house… Oh, my gods, Ann. What happened to you?”

Ted ran over and held the door for them.

“Miss Hyacinth, she is tired,” Cerise said. “Let me get her out of these wet clothes before you…”

“One person?” Ann said. “They were…?”

Blue. When the Lu-ambulator got its shield spell working, it was blue. It wasn’t supposed to be blue.

But it was blue when Seth did it to keep Erik away too.

“Milo and I know what happened,” Ann said. “We don’t understand how, but we know what happened. Are they all right? Did you get them apart?”

“Don’t you savages have towels?” Cerise said. She grabbed a blanket and applied it to Ann. “Sweetheart, wrap up…”

Hyacinth narrowed her eyes. “No. Start explaining things. Now, Ann.”

Ann dropped her frying pan. “Oh, my gods, Seth and Erik jumped off the roof!” she cried. She ran down the stairs.

“Damn it!” Hyacinth followed her, then Cerise, with the blanket.

Mordecai set a bowl of oatmeal down on the end table. “Seth jumped off the roof?” he muttered. “Am I losing my touch?” His mouth twisted into a scowl. “Are those guys with the red jackets running around somewhere all happy and shit? I wanted to scar them for life!”

◈◈◈

“Darlings, it’s all right! We know what happened, but it didn’t happen to you. It didn’t really…”

“Don’t hit me anymore!” Seth screamed and he ducked behind Calliope.

Ann froze halfway down the stairs and put a hand over her mouth. Hyacinth banged into her and Cerise banged into Hyacinth.

“It has just now occurred to me that I may not be the best person to deal with this,” Ann said softly.

“Well, shit, don’t stop now,” Hyacinth said. “If this is where we’re starting it can only get better!”

Calliope looked up at them, but she didn’t loosen her hold on Seth. “Are you guys gonna help?”

“Gods, I hope so,” Ann said.

“I think I might be able to help some,” a new voice drawled. “But I’d be much obliged if you explained it to them, while I do that, Miz Ann.”

Tommy and Penny turned and looked at each other, then at the shape under the blanket on the floor.

Erik sat up slowly and folded down the covers. He smiled and nodded to both of them. “Pleased to meet you.”

Hyacinth sat down right where she was on the stairs and put her face in her hands. “Oh, gods, kid. Why right now on top of everything else?” she said, muffled. “I give up.”

Erik shook his head at her. “He’s sorry, Miz Hyacinth. He knew it would upset you all, but this was the only way he knew how to help,” Auntie Enora said.