I stayed several days at Neil's place. His dad just wouldn't let me go home, saying that Neil hardly ever brought friends over, and it was my duty to take the place of all of them. I learned basic self-defense from him (because it would be a pity if his friend happened to kick the bucket) and my girl-evading skills hit a new high. I could now sneak by Ishtar without her even hearing me. I never did figure out what war it was that the grandfather was in, or why his uncle Geoffrey spoke in poetry, but I now believed what everybody had told me: the Blakes were the craziest of the rich crazy people.

Eventually, they let me go and sent me in one of the cars back to Grandma's.

I opened the door to her condo to see her and Adam in a deep, emotional conversation. My grandmother held a white handkerchief (Ten to one odds that it was Adam's), and was wiping her eyes. "That's just to beautiful." She said, sniffling.

"I'm home." I said, tossing my duffel bag in the direction of the guest room I had been using.

"Welcome back, Nathalie." Adam said. I wasn't sure, but this could have been the first time he had called me by my real name.

Grandma finished wiping her eyes. "You were gone?"

"Yes." I replied, sighing. It's nice to be missed when you disappear for nearly a week.

"Adam was just telling me such a touching story about when he saved a kitten in a tree." Grandma explained.

"You don't even like cats." I reminded her.

"I do now."

I sighed heavily. "Will you get out, Adam?"

"Is that any way to talk to a gentleman?" My grandmother scolded.

"Since when has Adam been a gentleman?" I muttered and went into my room. I didn't want to be the third wheel in their little sob story party.