It has to be better for him to think I don’t know about Family politics than for him to catch me lying about what side I’m on, despite the fact that I don’t know what the sides are. I lighten my voice. “Believe what you want.”

He shakes his head. “There’s something more going on here. Something you don’t want me to know…And don’t think I missed that there was also something about that origin story that bothered you.” He scans my every feature, taking his time reading me, and making me wish I had somewhere to hide. “What are the Bear Family attributes?” he asks suddenly.

I attempt to unclench my shoulders. “What are the Wolf Family’s?” I shoot back.

“Intuitive. Loyal. Diligent,” he says without pause, an answer that—I remember with a jolt of recognition—is exactly what we used to say in the game I played with my mom.

I smirk to keep the mood from becoming too serious. “Loyal to who?”

“Ah, isn’t that always the question?” His eyes look mischievous, like I just became his new favorite game. “Now…what are the attributes of the Bear Family?”

I maintain eye contact with him though my heart is pounding. “Inventive. Protective. Courageous.”

“Hmmm,” he says. By the look he’s giving me, it seems he finds something about me suspicious, but from the way this conversation has unfolded, he also assumes I know way more than I do, making him less likely to guess the truth.

“Here’s the thing,” I say as nonchalantly as I can. “The origin story was really just a test to see how you were with history. The reality is, I came in late and missed two and a half years of history class. I just want to make sure I’m keeping up.” Less is more here.

Ash shifts his position on the branch. “Well, now, things just got interesting. Are you asking me to tutor you in Family history?”

“You’re a strong analyst and a good storyteller,” I say truthfully.

He smiles. “Flattery will get you everywhere. But what do you have to trade?” Something in his expression relaxes and a bit of warmth leaks through his usual focused intensity.

I hesitate, not only because I’m not sure how to answer, but because I find it hard not to smile back at him. “What do you want?”

“Information,” he says. “What else is there?”

Crap. I don’t know what I could possibly tell him that would be valuable. And if I do know something worth telling, would it even be safe to tell?

“Like for starters, how you got into this school so late,” Ash says, and tilts his head expectantly.

I stay still, hopeful that he’ll read my expression as indecision instead of ignorance.

He smiles. “Look, you were paired as my sister’s roommate. That’s not an accident, because nothing at this school is random. It’s likely that we’re more alike than not.”

No wonder everyone advised me to just stay quiet. I suddenly think Ines might be the smartest person in this whole school.