Relief washed over me like that first air-conditioned breeze on a hot summer day.

Regret couldn't fix what he's broken. Apologies couldn't bring back what he's lost. What we'd lost.

Sorry, but the whole walking corpse epiphany kind of threw me off my game.

It was an addiction. A pointless, self-destructive addiction. But really, is there any other kind?

Anyway, I was the one in real danger. I got cornered by a pack of wild sorority girls in the food court. Apparently it's mating season.

I'd just stepped out of the kiddie pool and into the deep end, with no floaties. And drowning was not an option.

For those who may not know this, Madeline recruited me specifically to help hunt and take out a serial soul thief-" "I call him Cap'n Crunch," Luca interrupted, and was rewarded with a roomful of frowns. "You know. Because he's a cereal thief?