A LOUD, crashing noise followed Allegra’s question. In the kitchen, Adam stood by the remains of his coffee mug, the hot liquid clinging to his bare feet and sweatpants, and his heart hammering in his chest. What the hell?! Was Allegra a ghost or something?! The boy poked his head from the kitchen, looking around the open space of the living and dining room with huge blue eyes. It took him almost a whole minute to spot the back of her head, sitting on the couch and covered in what looked like very legit, large snowflakes.

“Circe’s sake…” muttered the boy, turning back into the kitchen and grabbing some paper towels to clean up the mess he’d made. “That was a bloody fright, mate,” he protested, as if Allegra was just another one of the guys. Soon as her question registered though, the boy’s spirits lifted.

“We have to be ready to leave by eleven, so… in…” He checked the clock on the wall and counted his fingers, then tossed the dirty paper towels in the trash. “An hour.” Yeah, he had to count his fingers for that. Adam hated those analog clocks without numbers. What a nightmare. “I think Willoughby’s finally setting us free,” he added with a cheery grin, poking his head from the kitchen again to flash his pearly whites at the girl.

Adam disappeared back into the kitchen for a couple minutes then traveled over to the living room with two cups of coffee. “Coffee?” He offered one to Allegra, though he had no idea if she was a fan of the drink; she certainly didn’t seem like she needed the extra burst of energy like he always did.

“Eurgh, what happened to you?” Serina stood by the foot of the stairs, her nose wrinkling disapprovingly at the mess on Adam’s sweatpants and walking right past the pair in the living room, into the kitchen. “EEEEEEK!!! WHY IS THERE BROKEN GLASS ALL OVER THE FLOOR?! UGH!!!”