42"Solly, wait," said Grandma Bern. "Hear me out."
Scott closed his eyes and put his hands over his ears. Maybe, if he tried hard enough to make the nightmare go away, things would go back to the way they'd once been. Maybe, he could go back to having a grandma who wasn't trying to bring down the Commonwealth.
But that kind of happy ending was out of his reach. After a moment, he felt someone grabbing his wrists. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Bern was the one who was holding on, straining to wrench his hands from his ears.
"Listen to me, please!" Her voice was muffled but still made it through his hands. "In the name of everything we've meant to each other through the years, please let me explain."
Scott let up the pressure on his ears and slowly lowered his hands. He di
