Reed fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “I guess I should. My moms are probably worried. But . . . I’m not sure what to say to them, you know? This whole thing isn’t over. We could still be killed. And soon. I don’t know if I want to give them a bunch of hope and then . . .”

Imani nodded. “I see what you’re saying. But I still want to call home. I should do it now, before I chicken out.”

“Let’s go.” Rune swallowed a mouthful of chowder, wiped her hand across the back of her mouth, and led Imani into the other room, leaving me with Reed.

“How’s your ankle?” I asked.

His face twisted in annoyance. “Sore. I’d really like to get my hands on that first aid kit.”

We glanced at Mia and Alexei’s closed door. After a moment I got to my feet, crossed to it, and knocked loudly. “There’s food!” I called.

“Go away!” Mia bellowed.

I returned to Reed, shrugging. “I tried.”

“My hero,” he replied dryly, shaking his head and biting into an apple. “It’s so ridiculous, you know? Here my power is healing, and I’m sidelined by a sprained ankle. I have a feeling I’m going to have to stay here while the rest of you take on the ship. I’ll only slow you down.”

“You’re absolutely sure your power only works on other people?”

“Yeah.” He made a face. “Learned that one the hard way. When my power first manifested, I cured my sister’s broken arm. I assumed I was invincible. Then I fell off the roof of our house and cracked my skull. Wound up in the hospital for three weeks. That’s how I learned I can’t heal myself, and that my power only applies to injuries, not illnesses.” His expression became distant, sad. Something had happened to cause that look. I was about to ask when the door burst open to admit Jasper, looking somewhat disgruntled, but clean and in new clothes. His seemed to fit better than ours, leading me to assume he’d raided his own closet.

“Thank God for Nina,” he muttered when he saw the food, straddling a chair and reaching for plates, shoving things into his mouth without worrying about cutlery. Reed nodded approvingly.

“For your entire family,” I said awkwardly. I barely knew Jasper, but I owed him a lot. “This . . . this is better than anything I could have imagined.”

He shrugged. “Well, once Mom and Dad finished yelling at me, and my grandparents had a go, and my siblings got done, they turned me over to my cousin, who stood outside the shower swearing at me until I was ready to get dressed. So I figure I earned it.”

I hated to ask, but I had to. “They won’t turn us in?”