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Micah was the first to recover, and he shot to his feet, taking my arm and leading me over to them like I was an invalid.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Seriously, I feel completely normal.”
My eyes sought out Garrett’s from across the circle. He was also dressed in what seemed to be their standard uniform of pajama pants and a t-shirt, though his thick brown hair was a mess and I could see the edge of a bandage peeking out from under his shirt sleeve. “How are you?” I asked him.
“I’m okay.” He looked at me with his same intent expression, but for the first time I got no trace of hostility or anger from him. “Thanks to you.”
I blushed, unsure how to respond to that. Fortunately, Devan saved me from having to figure it out. “Are you hungry? We missed breakfast and lunch, but I raided the dining hall, so there’s food.”
“I’m starving, actually,” I said.
I hadn’t even realized it until he’d mentioned it. When he offered me a bagel from a plate I hadn’t seen on top of a low table against the wall, I accepted it gratefully. I grabbed a knife and began slathering cream cheese on the still warm bread.
I took a huge bite, then realized he was still watching me, a strange sort of expression on his face.
“What?” I asked, but he simply shook his head, looking away.
Micah seemed a little off as well, I realized, fidgeting with a loose thread on his pants in a move that seemed more reminiscent of Garrett, and I shifted my gaze between the three of them, then put down my bagel.
“Okay, what’s going on here? Why are you all being weird? It’s not because I’m in your room, is it? I know you don’t like people in here, but I really—”
“Who are Lucinda and Jacob Kaplan?” Devan asked.
I blanched. “What? They’re my parents. Why?”
“Ah.” He nodded. “Just wondering. I saw the names on the letter you had me get last night.”
The letter I still had clutched in my hand. I glanced down at it. “Thank you for that, by the way. I really appreciate you going back for it,” I told him.
He nodded. “Of course. But…ah…didn’t you say…”
He trailed off and I saw where he was going. He was asking the question Micah had been too polite to ask the night before.
“Yes,” I said with a sigh. “They died in January.” The words came easier this time. “The letter showed up yesterday. No, I don’t know what it is or when they sent it.”
A moment of silence stretched as all three covertly eyed the envelope before exchanging glances.
“Aren’t you going to open it?” Garrett asked. This conversation marked one of the first times he’d spoken to me without snapping.
I supposed I shouldn’t try to antagonize him, but I couldn’t keep myself from growling back.“No.” My voice was firm.
“Don’t you want to know what’s in it?” Devan asked, eyeing me curiously.
“Of course I do,” I said, an edge creeping into my voice. “But I’m not ready yet.”
“Let it go, guys,” Micah warned in a quiet tone, and I looked at him gratefully before picking up my bagel again.
But apparently Garrett wasn’t ready to leave me alone quite yet. “Who’s Naomi?”
“What?” I paused with the bagel halfway to my mouth. “Where did you hear that name?”
“It was in your phone,” Devan explained hastily, shooting a glare toward Garrett, who ignored him, his eyes still fixed on me. “When I put my number in your contacts, it was the only other name there.
I looked at him in confusion. “She’s my aunt. My mother’s sister. Why?”
Garrett didn’t react, but Devan shrugged. “Just curious. I haven’t met a lot of people with only one contact in their phone.”
