Trouble is not back at school on Monday. At lunch, Bella sits with Andi who sits with Robin who sits with Ethan.
"Dear old Mum and Dad would have to be hallucinating to think I'd join a club on their say-so. Maybe that is it," he muses.
"Some number of months?" he hazards. "I did mention I wasn't paying attention."
"Maybe Charlie'll get the picture. As of last night, as of some other argument."
"We can skip summer. Any time we want. We can go roadtripping with Mom instead."
"Yeah, it's one thing when he's on the phone, it'd be another if he were like this while we live with him."
"Particularly if it is a cult and he decides you really, really need to join."
"I'm pretty sure there's no sign it's the kind of cult that kills people?" says Andi hopefully.
Robin shakes her head. "I'm sure I'd be the first to know. Well, second."
"I looked for books on the organization once and couldn't find any. I wonder if they've gotten press. Newspaper articles."