"It's me."
A pause. "What."
Caleb opened the door. Jordan was on the bed with the optical illusions book open on his knees. He looked better than yesterday. He had color in his face again, and his hair was clean and sticking up worse than ever. He looked at Caleb's hands, and Caleb saw him see the grease, and saw him understand where Caleb had been.
Jordan closed the book. "Did Grandpa tell you?"
"Some of it."
"Which some?"
Caleb sat down on the end of the bed without asking. Jordan pulled his feet back to make room, which was something, at least. Caleb looked up at the ceiling at the faded stars. He'd forgotten he'd put those there. He'd forgotten Caleb's Belt. It was barely glowing, just a ghost of green, like the memory of a light.
"The wall," Caleb said. "The bins. COTTER PINS, WEIRD."
Despite everything, Jordan's mouth twitched. "There were a lot of weird ones."
"Twelve Saturdays."
"Thirteen. I did one extra when I was sick." Jordan picked at a thread on his blanket. "Grandpa didn't count it but I did."
"He said you had a list."
Jordan stopped picking at the thread.