About a mile from the Gen 77 school, there were canyons, striped with layers of red, peach, and cream-colored rock. We flew toward one of the higher buttes and found a natural cave with an excellent view of the school. Then it was Dylan and me, alone together.

If he tried anything, I’d knock his teeth out.

You’re meant to be together, the Voice said suddenly. I groaned so loud that Dylan looked startled.

“It’s nothing,” I muttered.

“Okayyy,” he said quizzically, and I was back to wanting to punch him. “Hungry?” Dylan reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of protein bars. I took the chocolate chip one. It tasted like sawdust mixed with chocolate chips. I was glad to have it. I contributed a bottle of warm water. We shared it in silence.

“I hope the others aren’t too worried,” I said, trying to make conversation, my voice sounding weirdly loud in the still night.

“They have to know by now that you can take care of yourself,” said Dylan. I nodded in agreement.

For long moments, we lay on the ledge on our stomachs, watching the school. With Fang, silences were comfortable. With Dylan, they were awkward. After a while, Dylan leaned over my shoulder and pointed up.

“Ursa Major. And Pegasus, the winged horse. Kinda looks like us.” I followed as his finger traced the shapes. The stars were bright and so numerous that it looked like someone had taken a handful of diamonds and thrown them onto black velvet.

“Or, no, there’s you, Max. Cassiopeia, the queen.”

“Oh, come on!” I cuffed him on the shoulder, and he tucked his head down, laughing. Still, I felt my face getting warm.

“Where’d you learn all that stuff, anyway?” I asked seriously. He shrugged.

“Back at the house in Colorado. When you were—away.” He cleared his throat, and I gulped. He meant when I was away with Fang. “The rest of us watched the stars. They said Jeb had taught you guys about them back in the day. Don’t you remember?”

Now it was my turn to shrug. I’d blocked out most of my good memories of Jeb.

“I was interested, and I had a lot of time to myself over there. So I read up on it. I’m curious about stuff, I guess. I just sort of absorb information.”

I thought of our Max’s Home School sessions, about how the rest of the flock had resented me for wanting us to learn something. I kept my eyes focused on the school building below.

“Do you think you could, like, teach me some of that stuff sometime?” I asked, in a small voice that didn’t even sound like me. It sounded cheesy.

Dylan didn’t laugh. “Of course,” he said. I felt his deep turquoise eyes looking right into me. “Anytime you want, Max.”