"You have to stop hugging me," Zoe whispered to Rachel, because she didn't think she had enough breath in Rachel's iron grip for real speech. "Or I might cry. Actually. I'm warning you."

Rachel let her go, because "You're not allowed to cry. It'll ruin your superhero magic girl cred." She stayed sitting on Zoe's knee, though. Zoe, because she didn't know what to make of Rachel right now, let her.

"I don't have any magic girl cred," she said. "But, yes, neither of you can tell anyone. About me or about Cai. Because those people are still out there." Those people and more. She tried to put the weight of it into her voice, but her voice still sounded shaky and weak.