Gem sops up the last of his lasagna with his garlic bread. “So, Dr. Barsanti—”

“Luca, please.”

Gem shifts uncomfortably. He likes formalities. “Er, did you and Dr.—”

“My surname is Artemesia,” says Ophelia, “but call me Ophelia.”

Gem manages to process this without bursting a blood vessel. “Uh, Ophelia and Luca…you said you both went to Harding-Pencroft?”

Luca nods. “Like my father, and his father, and his father before him! In my senior year, I was Cephalopod captain.”

A few of the Cephalopods mumble “Yesss!” and pump their fists in house pride.

“That same year,” says Ophelia, “I was Orca captain. I also completed Shark coursework summa cum laude.”

I look at her with newfound awe. Graduating from two houses is not unheard of, but it is extremely difficult. It nearly doubles your workload. To be house captain and complete coursework summa cum laude for another house…Unbelievable.

On top of that, Sharks and Orcas are generally considered diametric opposites. Sharks are frontline fighters, tacticians, weapons specialists, commanders. Orcas are medics, community builders, archivists, and support personnel. I can’t even wrap my mind around how someone could be good at both.

Gem’s forgotten bread hovers over his plate, dripping subaquatic simulated marinara sauce. “So…wow. Dr.—I mean Ophelia—you had Tarun Dakkar as your Shark captain?”

“Indeed I did. And Sita was my best friend. I taught her everything she knew about terrorizing our younger classmates.”

“You also terrorized me,” Luca says with a grin. “The way you stole my heart!”

“And I’ve been putting up with you ever since.” Ophelia keeps a straight face, but she gives her husband a quick wink.

Luca laughs. “That much is true. By the way, Ana, your mother was a brilliant Dolphin captain. She would be very proud of you.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard someone talk about knowing my parents. But it’s strange to think of Luca and Ophelia and my parents as teenagers—swaggering around Harding-Pencroft together during their senior year like they owned the place, just like Dev does today…. Or like he did before the attack…

I try to murmur Thank you. It comes out more like “Unk.”

I set down my fork, hoping nobody notices my trembling fingers.

Of course Nelinha does. “SO, LUCA…” She draws his attention with a volume level worthy of Ester. “How many generations was your family at HP?”

His eyes gleam. “Since the beginning. We were recruited because of my ancestor’s work on internal combustion.”

Nelinha’s expression of interest dials up a few notches. “Wait, your ancestor was Eugenio Barsanti? The guy who created the first internal-combustion engine?”