Kayla made me wait until we were both in the car with the doors shut before I said anything more. We both scanned the parking lot, making sure neither Blake nor Ethan had followed me out of the school. Satisfied that the coast was clear, I launched into the details of my unintended spy mission as Kayla started up the car.

"First of all, you'd be very proud of me, Kayla. I totally lied to Ethan's face—for the sake of our mission. And I didn't blush or mix up my words or crawl into the fetal position. And I don't even feel bad about it. Do you want to know why?"

"I am very proud of you, my little protégé. And yes, I want to know. Spill!"

"Because I lied in order to find out whether he knew Dakota and Blake and he had the nerve to lie right back! He denied knowing them on principal because they'd make the weakest links in a zombie survival squad."

"Can't really argue with him there. The Royals do love their modern comforts. Is it mean that I'd love to see Dakota turned into a zombie? Or better yet, a vampire. No more tanning beds for her."

"Right, so the thing is, if you can turn your attention back to Ethan, is that Ethan claims not to know them, but as I said, he's a lying liar who lies because as I was on my way out of school, I heard him talking to Blake... and he definitely knows him."

"No way! Those two's social circles are about as far apart as you can get."

"Maybe so, but they intersected at some point, and it sounds like when they did, things got weird." I went on to recount the exchange I'd overheard.

Kayla's expression remained unreadable behind her oversized sunglasses, but the tone of her voice was clear. "So, Blake was somewhere with Ethan, and it sounds like Blake wishes he hadn't been. And now Ethan is at school and Blake feels threatened by his presence. But why? And where were they? And what does any of this have to do with our case?"

"Anything out of the ordinary when it comes to Blake has to do with our case, Kayla."

"I agree, but I mean... what's the significance to our case. Does this have something directly to do with Jack? These are the questions we need answered. Along with, where the hell were they when they were together and why is it a big deal?"

"I don't know where they were together, but I suppose the big deal, at least for Blake, would be his Popular empire crashing down around him if people thought he was friendly with Mr. Apocalypse."

"That's a strong likelihood." We pulled up in front of my house.

"So," I said, "should we start researching dance schools first, or pursue the lead with Ethan?"

"We need to tackle both, but right now, I can't do either. I've got work, remember?"

"Oh, right." Mazzeria. In my newfound all-things-Jack obsession, I'd forgotten that my parent's grand opening was tomorrow night. Kayla had a busy couple of days ahead of her, and I wouldn't be seeing much of my parents either. "Okay, well, I can get a jump start on the dance school stuff on my own." I opened the door and climbed out.

"Just text me with anything you discover. See you at the opening?"

I flashed her a beaming smile. "Of course! There's nowhere I'd rather be but anywhere else!"

"Be nice. Your parents worked hard for this. So have I. We will cry onto your artisan pizza if it doesn't go well."

I sighed and breathed in the scent of blackberries, a seemingly constant presence in our yard. Tart, sweet, calming. "I'll be on my best behavior and will celebrate the absence of cherub statues. See you tomorrow!" I waved as she drove away.

"Jack, I'm home!" I threw my backpack on the couch and headed for the kitchen to grab a snack.

"Hey, Mazie."

A tiny yelp escaped me as he appeared two feet in front of me. "Jesus, Jack, you've gotta stop appearing out of thin air like that."

"I'm a ghost. Probably. That's what probable ghosts do."

"Well, cut it out." I grabbed a strawberry banana yogurt from the fridge and sat at the counter. "Anyways, I have some developments. The case is progressing. How are you doing, by the way?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Better, I guess. I mean... I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time yesterday. It's hard not knowing what I am or who I am or what's going to happen to me."

"I totally get that." Pealing back the foil lid, I slid my spoon into the creamy pink surface and lifted a spoonful to my mouth. "Listen, Jack, your response was normal. Take it from me, the girl who had an anxiety attack when she had to give a presentation on soil ecology in front of my sixth-grade science class—I know normal and extreme emotional reactions. You were well within the norm, given everything you're coping with. Don't sweat it. And quit tapping for a second okay? Focus."

"This is how I focus." He did a step shuffle step and then burst into a double time step. It was probably more a matter of me having a hard time concentrating on what I had to say while he Fred Astaired his way across my kitchen floor. But there wasn't much I could do about it.

"I found out some important things today." I told him everything—the awkward exchange with Blake and Dakota, the even more awkward conversation between me and Ethan, and then hearing Ethan and Blake talk together after school.

"Wow, really? All of that happened just since eight am. You've had a much more interesting day than I have." His tapping slowed, and finally he came to a halt, then made his way to the chair next to me. Sitting beside him was almost like sitting next to a real living boy. One I could talk to like Jack and laugh with like Jack, and, unlike Jack, actually touch.

"Totally ready for a mind numbingly boring day, to be honest." I scraped the sides of the yogurt container and then licked the spoon."

"I miss eating. I could so go for a slice of pizza right now."

"I'd say that constitutes as a memory, Jack. You used to enjoy pizza." Blake had mentioned how much he loved Dornzeria, but then, who doesn't love pizza? "So, how are you feeling about today's developments?"

He shrugged. "I don't know what to think of any of this, but I used all of the hours of today to come to the realization that we have to pursue all the leads and see where they take us. This Blake guy, whether I'm him or some part of him or whatever... he's at the center of this. I can feel it."

"I agree." Hopping off the stool, I walked around the counter, grabbed my laptop from the coffee table in the living room and then circled back to resume my position next to Jack. "Kayla says we should start by researching dance schools. Find out where Blake's sister goes and if they teach tap. I know this probably won't reveal anything dramatic, but if we can prove that she knows how to tap dance, then it might help us understand why you're able to."

"Okay, let's do it." He seemed eager to feel like something productive was happening, even if it wasn't the juiciest of leads to chase.

It took less than a minute to discover there were four dance schools within a twenty-mile radius from the town. "Let's see..." I clicked the webpage for the first one listed. "This one is in Dorn, but it only teaches adults: belly-dancing, swing, ballroom, salsa."

"Interesting combination."

"Yeah, but no tap dance listed. And not the right age group. I think we can rule it out."

The next one was also in Dorn and seemed more promising. It catered to kids and had a lot of classes listed. I clicked on their class calendar so I could see what they offered.

Jack read over my shoulder. "Looks like it's all ballet."

"Right. So, if ballet is her thing, this might be her school. Maybe she doesn't know tap at all." I chewed on my lip. "But Blake said she knows lots of different kinds of dance. Maybe he was exaggerating, but it seems to me, if that's the case, she'd go to a school with lots of options. She wants to be versatile."

"All right, let's keep looking, then."

The third and fourth schools were each in different adjacent towns, perhaps a fifteen to twenty-minute drive from downtown Dorn. Both taught children and both had various dance classes, including tap. "Double jackpot." I wrote the names, addresses, and class times for tap dance down on a pad of paper. "It could be either of these."

"So, what's our next move?"

"Well, Kayla wanted us to hang out at a dance school and see if we can catch her coming from a tap class. If we need to do that, then we will, but I'd rather not spy—not like that. Even though our intentions are benign, it feels a bit creepy to stalk a twelve-year-old."

"Maybe more than a bit creepy, to be honest."

"So, I think I'm going to approach Blake again at school—preferably when Dakota's not around. I'll say I'm interested in dance classes and ask where his sister goes and if she'd recommend the teachers. That will open the doorway to me asking what forms of dance she knows."

"Wow, you're getting good at this. It wasn't that long ago that you were afraid to go to the hospital with Kayla and claim you were someone you weren't. And now, you're lying like a champ."

I wasn't sure if I should take that as a compliment or not. "Is it bad that I'm going to lie to him? Blake's not the nicest guy but, I don't make a point to be dishonest."

He shook his head and buzzed a bit. For a moment, I thought he was about to do his disappearing act. Then, he stilled again. His eyes, which had gone out of focus, returned to their thoughtful, focused gaze. "I didn't mean to imply anything negative. I really appreciate this Mazie—everything you're doing for me. I really appreciate you."

We sat silently for a moment, shoulder to shoulder but also a world apart. My skin tingled where it would have brushed up against his, had we been able to do that.

"Even though I wish you weren't caught in this limbo of yours, on a personal level, I'm glad you're here. I'm glad we've had the opportunity to meet. You're a good friend, and I..."

I didn't know what else to say. I think you're cute so if you could find a way to materialize, maybe we could hang out some time? There was no hope for that. And even if he felt the same for me as I did for him, it wasn't fair for me to encourage it. I had the ability to go out and meet new people. Even if the idea of dating someone other than him made me queasy, I could in theory do it. Jack didn't have that same luxury. I was all he had, at least for the time being.

He seemed to read my mind. Nodding slowly, he began to buzz again. "I know, Mazie. It's okay. Hey—pretty cool that I was able to control the buzzing before, right?"

"Yeah, that's amazing!"

"I'm getting better at this," he said and then he was gone, by choice or by necessity, it was impossible to say.