“Oh?”

“Nope, just humans.” She gave the word an ugly twist. “They said when my mom left here, she cut off all ties with the group. Somehow I got put up for adoption. Dr. D. says that must have been a mistake. Jacinda loved me. She’d never have given me up. He says that story my adoptive parents told me, about her not being able to keep me, was a lie, and if the Edison Group had known about the adoption, they’d have found me parents like us. By the time they tracked me down, though, it was too late, so all they could do was monitor me. When they found out I was having problems, they contacted my adoptive parents and offered me a free stay at Lyle House. I bet it’ll probably be weeks before my folks even notice I’m not there anymore, and then they’ll just breathe a big sigh of relief.”

“I can’t see—”

“I was at Lyle House for almost a month. Do you know how many times my parents came to visit? Called?” She held up her thumb and forefinger in an O.

“Maybe they weren’t allowed to visit. Maybe they left messages that you never got.”

Her nose scrunched. “Why wouldn’t I get them?”

“Because your adoptive parents aren’t supernaturals. Having them interfering would complicate things.”

Her eyes grew distant as she considered this. A spark flickered through them—hope that she’d been mistaken, that the only parents she’d ever known hadn’t abandoned her.

She gave her head a sharp shake. “No, I was trouble, and Mom was glad to get rid of me.” Her hands gripped the beanbag tight, then released it and patted out the creases. “It’s better this way. I’m better this way.”

Better a special half-demon embarking on a new life than a regular girl, sent back to her regular life with her regular parents. I reached over and took her game controller.

“How far have you gotten?” I asked.

“You set on beating me, girl?”

“Absolutely.”

I had lunch with Rae. Pizza. Unlike Lyle House, here they seemed more concerned with keeping us happy than keeping us healthy.