Tetra smiled at her buzzing phone. Just like clockwork. Her plan was going to go off without a hitch. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

“Looks like this business meeting is going to run long, kiddo. You know what that means.”

Tetra sighed dramatically. “You’ve been captured by the Ferengi again, and I need to scrounge up a ransom.”

Her father chuckled on his end. “Got it in one. Who knew there would be so many Ferengi here in Tampa?”

Tetra loved that her father was, at his core, one of the geekiest geeks that ever geeked. She loved teasing him about his obsession with nerdy pop culture even more. The Ferengi were the greedy, underhanded businessmen of the Star Trek universe. “Kidnapped by Ferengi” meant that Dad’s meeting had turned into a dinner, and it would be easier to spend the night there than drive home.

Just as Tetra had expected.

“I’m so sorry, Tetra.”

“It’s cool, Dad. I know the drill. The wives and kids are at the parks, so you have your clients’ full and undivided attention. That was kind of the whole point of coming here.”

Actually, the whole point of moving to Florida had been to get as far away from Kansas as possible after the school year ended, but that wasn’t something they talked about.

It had certainly been a good decision on her father’s part—Malcolm Scott hadn’t stopped working since the day they’d arrived. He’d chosen Mimosa Key because it was listed as a favorite destination spot for many of his clients, but since kids around America were now out of school for the summer he’d been forced to meet all his clients halfway to Disney.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” He would, too. “Why don’t you take tonight and explore our new island a bit? Go to the beach. Find the best place to swim, the best ice cream cone, and the best taco. Have an adventure. Get into trouble. Give my best to the local authorities.”

“Yes, sir!” she said with a mock salute. “When you see a charge for a dozen jelly donuts, you’ll know the mission was successful.” Her overprotective father could joke with her like this because she was a good girl who never got into trouble.

And as long as she didn’t get caught tonight, that record would stay unblemished.

“Love you, kiddo. And remember: gold-pressed latinum for the ransom. None of that fake stuff like you tried to pass off last time.”

“Hey, I figured it was worth a shot.”

“That’s my girl. Call me if you need anything.”

“Love you, Dad. See you tomorrow.” She tapped the screen to end the call and then slid her finger over to start her 10mm Conspiracy playlist on the bluetooth speaker in the bathroom. She wriggled giddily to the intro of Scarlet Fever and danced all the way back to her bedroom. There were still boxes everywhere. Thankfully, Dad hadn’t pressured her into unpacking with the same speed that they’d packed. There would be time enough, he said—apparently, Floridians did their “spring cleaning” in the summer, when the heat kept them trapped in their houses. This one was expected to be a scorcher.

Unfortunately, outside of her sushi pajamas, Tetra’s wardrobe was entirely black. Black shirts, black skirts, black boots, black socks, black underwear…heck, even her swimsuit was black. On the plus side, choosing an outfit every morning took almost no thought whatsoever, and she could attend a funeral at a moment’s notice. On the down side…well, it was just easier to be Goth in Kansas than Goth in Florida.

Her father had given her a credit card, encouraging Tetra to pick out a few new Florida-appropriate things for herself while he was away. “Cotton,” he stressed. “And maybe some lighter colors?” At Tetra’s grimace, he’d added, “You know I don’t care what you wear. But it gets hot here, kiddo. I’m only thinking of your safety.”

She’d actually made it through the door of a quaint little surf shop, bolstered by Dad’s confidence in her. Thirty seconds later, she’d hightailed it back home. She wasn’t about to dress up like some fake tourist and skip down the street looking like a flower-bedecked cone of rainbow sherbet. Black was her armor. Her happy place. Her comfort zone. She wasn’t ready to step outside that just yet, and Tetra needed all the help she could get.

After all, she was about to sneak into a private concert where her favorite band was playing. Tetra glanced at her phone. Enough daydreaming. She really should hurry. Kara would be looking for her.

After upending three boxes and sifting through piles of material, she finally extracted a short, flippy skirt and tank that would be perfect with her favorite boots. She split her hair into two ponytails that showed off her blue streak, then lined and smudged her eyes. She spent a whole minute debating what lipstick to go with, settling on a deep blood red instead of traditional black.

This was an afternoon event. Black lips were really for evening.