"No! They couldn't pay me even if they wanted to. I do the tutoring by links and use a fake persona." He looked toward the other side of the barge. "It was kind of neat to be tutoring face to face."

"Why do you use a fake persona?" Kira pressed.

He looked like he wouldn't answer, then shrugged again. "Because I'm not doing it so people will think I'm great. It needs to be done, I can do it, so I do, and I don't want people making a big deal out of it."

Kira realized that her mouth was hanging open and closed it. "You sound like my mother. And my father. Which I never expected to say to you."

Another shrug. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"In this case it's a good thing. Do your parents know? Maybe if you told them they'd think more of you."

His laugh was short and sharp. "They'd think less. My mom and my dad both think volunteering is for dummies. Give away your labor? Give away your skills? That's for suckers."

"Oh." Kira searched for what to say next. "You shouldn't have done that. Calling attention to yourself and everything. I'm glad that you did, but…we have to remember how many lives depend on us not getting caught."

"I know." He looked around in obvious search of a way to change the topic. "That's weird," Jason said, nodding toward a barge with a large family on it. "Four kids."

"Why is that weird?" Kira asked, willing to let the matter slide since she was still trying to get used to this new aspect of Jason.

"I guess maybe it's not here. Where I come from, families usually only have two kids or maybe just one, like your parents did."

Kira felt tension fill her like old pain. "My parents had two children."

"Huh? But—" Jason paused. "Was it something bad? The way you said that…"

"Yes." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "My little brother Danel died soon after being born. Something was wrong with his body that no one could heal."

"Oh. That— That—"

She looked over and saw Jason staring fixedly off the side of the barge. "It's all right. It was a long time ago."

"It doesn't sound like it's all right," Jason mumbled. "Why didn't— No, I shouldn't ask, should I?"

"Shouldn't ask what?"

"Did they decide not to try again?"

Kira closed her eyes, remembering her mother's face every time the topic had come up. "They couldn't. Something happened to Mother. I don't know if it was caused by Danel's birth or if it was something inside her that…that…also hurt Danel. We can't talk about it, so I don't know. She can't have any other children."