"You have got choices," Wagtail insists quietly, tightening his grip around Ken. "You have friends. People who want you to be with them. Whole other lives you could have. We know what it's like, but we found each other. I was supposed to disappear, and instead I got another chance. I made friends back home. I don't feel like I'm stuck in the dark any more."

He bites his lip. "But before I came here"—it's as good a word as any—"and before I met Raven, I didn't think there was any good in the world. Nobody wanted me back home. Not even my mother could stick around for me. I thought all I could do was survive. But I was wrong."