Maya's POV
Aria did exactly what I said she would.
Pretended to be asleep for forty seconds, then opened one eye and said, "Luca, can you check under the bed?"
He checked under the bed. Reported nothing concerning. She asked him to be specific. He listed: no monsters, no robots, one sock, possibly a crayon.
"What color crayon," she said.
"Can't tell in the dark. Blue or green."
"It's probably green." She pulled her blanket up. "I lost a lot of green ones."
"I'll retrieve it tomorrow."
She looked at him with the particular seriousness she reserved for important things. "You're coming tomorrow."
He looked at me.
I looked at the doorframe.
"If your mom says yes," he said.
Aria looked at me. "Mom."
"Sleep," I said.
She closed her eyes. She was asleep in four minutes. I knew becau
