Chester had already taken off—but what about Leroy? Had Guillermo reached out to him too?

If not, then Leroy had no reason to run—though you never know. Not everyone was as spineless as Chester; but some people, at the first whiff of danger, would panic and bolt anyway.

In any case, Ray decided to head home first to help Emily evolve.

Ray had timed it perfectly, returning to Bay Garden well before three in the afternoon. He'd built in plenty of buffer time, so naturally Emily hadn't started h