By the Russians, she means. They rolled out “evidence” of a Euro-Chinese conspiracy to control the world’s fresh water and used it to justify their invasion of Finland. Some people think they blew up their own passenger jet so they could blame the Chinese. I don’t know what’s true, just that there were plenty of Americans primed to believe any theory they read on the internet.

I remember my brother-in-law, years ago when he was new to the family, singing the praises of the Russian government, how they’d be our next big ally, times were changing, we needed to change with them, that it was Europe and China who were the biggest threats.

“They’ve always been jealous of us,” he said. “They can’t stand our freedoms.”

Gran burst out laughing, and I had to leave the room to keep from joining in.

I wonder if he enlisted. Maybe he got drafted. Maybe he found a way to dodge it, for all his supposed patriotism. My sister’s probably safe since she has kids, but the realization that I don’t know for sure hits me square in the stomach. It’s been that long since we’ve spoken. That long since I cut myself off from my old life.

They could all be dead for all I know. I could die today and they’d never find out.

“You’d never have been tricked if you’d stayed,” Jo says, and it takes me a second to remember that we’re talking about me. “You’d be an objector like those people marching, getting sprayed.”

I can’t tell if she’s being charitable or she really believes that about me.

Somehow, I can’t picture myself marching, putting my body in front of a line of armed police. If I were back in Florida, still stuck in that old life, I’d watch the news in horror, sign angry petitions from the safety of my laptop, maybe even pluck up the nerve to pick up the phone and call my senator’s office. No more.

My instinct has always been to freeze, hide, run. Survive.

Marit’s gone quiet again, staring at her feet. I’ll have to bring up ugly Americans again, get her back in her comfort zone, poor thing.

“Why has Matty got contraptions?” Sally blurts. “I thought we were out of all that.”

“That’s why we’re out of it.” There’s a gleam of pride in Jo’s eye. “He agrees to monitor the air and sea and God knows what else, and in exchange, the navy stays offshore.”

“This is the reason we came,” Marit says, all the forcefulness of a moment ago dispelled. Her voice creaks out of her now like she hasn’t spoken in months. “Nils was on leave. We wanted to go someplace peaceful. No tanks, no blockades. We forgot for a bit. We really did forget.”