“Mrs. Emerson!” he shouted back. “Just a little while ago, this young man made a point to seek me out and tell me that he wanted to be treated like a man. He made it abundantly clear that, at least in his mind, he is no longer a child. Am I lying, Caleb?”

The boy looked suddenly embarrassed, rocked back by the major’s tone.

“No, I’m not lying!” McCrea went on. “That’s what you said. Well, welcome to the adult world. You are not in charge here, do you understand that?”

Caleb looked at his feet.

“The question requires an answer,” Victoria said. McCrea had every right to be pissed. And Caleb was one of the few people in the world who steadfastly ignored her, and too often got away with it.

McCrea seemed startled by her change in tone. “Your mom is right. I need an answer. Do you understand who is specifically not in charge?”

When Caleb’s eyes rocked back up, they were hot with emotion. Equal parts anger and humiliation, perhaps. Nothing that registered as remorse, though. “I am specifically not in charge.”

“Exactly. Caleb, think of all that has happened in the last, what, twelve hours? People are in a blind panic, and they’re liable to do anything. You picked a fight back there that didn’t have to be fought.”

“They killed that guy!”

“So? Did you think that your snotty comments would somehow bring him back to life? Did you think there was some magical way to roll back time?”

“He’s just going to get away with it!”

“Again. So? Are you now the judge and jury? Are you going to bring justice in the middle of a firestorm?”

“Somebody has to!”

McCrea looked to Victoria for support.

“Everything’s different now, Caleb,” she said. The new reality was coming into sharp focus for her. “People will get away with many, many transgressions that never would have been right before yesterday. It’s not our job to get in the way.”

McCrea said, “In fact, it’s our job to stay out of their way. Other people’s problems belong to other people. We’ve got plenty to worry about all on our own.”

The muscles in Caleb’s jaw flexed like he was chewing gum. “Are you done?” He didn’t wait for an answer before he turned and started down the hill, this time in the lead. Luke walked with him, and McCrea fell in with Victoria.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” he said.

“You should be,” she replied. “They’re my children, not your soldiers.”

“From here on out, Vicky, we are all soldiers. Everyone of us is tasked with the fight.” A few seconds passed before he added, “Caleb’s got quite a mouth.”