“Actually, no. I had good friends, and we kept each other safe. By the time I finished high school, I was already ranked as a Mestre. When I graduated, I received a martial arts scholarship to study in the US. My father’s nationality allowed me to register as a US citizen, and my parents insisted I seize the opportunity, so I did. I decided to stay after my graduation and eventually opened my own Capoeira studio and started teaching classes. Like Bulco, I wanted to make a difference, and teaching troubled youths self-discipline through martial arts seemed to be working. I was actually doing pretty well; I was thinking of opening another studio here when the Calamity hit.” Her expression hardened. “People died left and right. I tried to help when I could, but mostly, I just ran. I couldn’t stay in the shelter with the masses. I felt suffocated. I was a natural at evading the Warped, so I tried to help, mostly by bringing news from the outside.” She gestured toward Lana and Nathan. “I met those two a couple of days ago, and they saved me from running into a Warped ambush. Then the ship crashed down and you know the rest of it.”

Bulco nodded. He looked up at the two younger members. “And what’s your story?”

“I’m Lana DeMille, and Nathan’s last name’s Bar-Lev—he was an exchange student from Israel.” Lana looked down embarrassedly. “My old life wasn’t as exciting as yours. I’m a local. I lived with my parents, went to school, hung out with my friends, and went to college after graduation. All of that ended when the Calamity hit. Nathan and I found one another and kept each other safe, until you came, Nori.”

The taller woman shook her head. “Don’t sell yourself short, Lana. You have a quick mind, and you don’t panic easily. You always rise to the occasion and take charge when you have to. Without you, we’d probably still been trying to figure out what the hell is going on around us.”

Bulco looked at Nathan. “And what’s his story?”

The young man shifted uneasily.

Lana frowned. “He’s had it rough, leave him alone.”

“I think I know something about having it rough,” Bulco said. “But that kid has mystery written all over him. Why isn’t he talking? What’s that Scion crap next to his race? How can he control and reprogram an alien spaceship? And how the hell can you understand what he’s saying?”

Nori frowned but looked at Lana with an arched eyebrow. “He’s asking some valid questions.”