MARINA REALLY GOES OVERBOARD WITH THE DINNER spread. There are dishes heaped with rice and beans and fresh tortillas, an iced bowl of gazpacho, some kind of fried honeyed-eggplant dish, and like a dozen other Spanish dishes that I don’t even know the names of. I’ve forgotten how good home cooking can be and I eat wolfishly, going back for seconds and then thirds.

We’re all seated beneath the glittering chandelier in Nine’s banquet hall of a dining room. John sits at one end, my father at the other, and the rest of us in between. I sit next to my father and Nine.

“Crazy,” Nine mumbles as he scoops a tortilla into his mouth. “Never had so many people at this table.”

Everyone is relaxed, just chatting and joking around. Five eats a lot, but he doesn’t say much. Next to him, Ella picks at her food, looking tired yet still smiling and laughing whenever someone cracks a good joke. Six is sitting right across the table from me. I try to play it cool and not stare at her too much.

When the meal is over, John stands up and gets everyone’s attention. He glances at Sarah and receives an encouraging smile. He clears his throat and I can tell he’s given a lot of thought to what he’s about to say.

“It’s really incredible to see everyone come together like this. All of us have come so far to be here, and gone through so much. Being here—it gives me hope that we could actually win this war.”

Nine lets out a high-pitched woop woop noise that makes everyone laugh, even cracking John’s serious speech-giving face for a moment. Five looks around at everyone, a quiet smile on his face like he’s finally starting to feel more comfortable.

“I know some of us have just met for the first time,” John continues. “So, I thought it might be helpful if we went around the table and told our stories.”

“There’s a fun topic,” mutters Six.

John is undeterred. “I know some of the stories—okay, probably all of them—aren’t really the happiest. But I think it’s important for us to remember how we got here and what we’re fighting for.”

Looking over at Five, I understand what John is doing. He’s hoping that by telling their stories, the Garde might get their newest member to open up a little.

“Speaking as one of the new arrivals, I’d really like to hear what you’ve all been through,” says my dad.

“Yeah,” Five chimes in, surprising everyone. “Me too.”

“Okay,” says John. “I can start.”

John launches into a story that’s more than familiar to me. He starts during his arrival to Paradise, after years on the road. He talks about meeting Sarah and me, and how it became harder and harder to keep his Legacies a secret.