You have to trust me now, I told her. I’m just trying to keep us alive. I know you don’t want to believe your humans could hurt us…

But it’s Jamie, she whispered. She yearned for the boy with an emotion so strong that it weakened my knees again.

I tried to look at him impartially—this sullen-faced teenager slumped against the tunnel wall with his arms folded tightly across his chest. I tried to see him as a stranger and plan my response, or lack of response, accordingly. I tried, but I failed. He was Jamie, he was beautiful, and my arms—mine, not Melanie’s—longed to hold him. Tears filled my eyes and trickled down my face. I could only hope they were invisible in the dim light.

“Jeb,” Jamie said—a gruff greeting. His eyes passed swiftly over me and away.

His voice was so deep! Could he really be so old? I realized with a double pang of guilt that I’d just missed his fourteenth birthday. Melanie showed me the day, and I saw that it was the same day as the first dream with Jamie. She’d struggled so hard all through the waking hours to keep her pain to herself, to cloud her memories in order to protect the boy, that he’d come out in her dream. And I’d e-mailed the Seeker.

I shuddered now in disbelief that I’d ever been so callous.

“Whatcha doing here, kid?” Jeb demanded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jamie demanded back.

Jeb went silent.

“Was that Jared’s idea?” Jamie pressed.

Jeb sighed. “Okay, so you know. What good does that do you, eh? We only wanted to —”

“To protect me?” he interrupted, surly.

When did he get so bitter? Was it my fault? Of course it was.

Melanie began sobbing in my head. It was distracting, loud—it made Jeb and Jamie’s voices sound farther away.

“Fine, Jamie. So you don’t need protecting. What do you want?”

This quick capitulation seemed to throw Jamie off. His eyes darted between Jeb’s face and mine while he struggled to come up with a request.

“I—I want to talk with her… with it,” he finally said. His voice was higher when he was unsure.

“She doesn’t say much,” Jeb told him, “but you’re welcome to try, kid.”

Jeb pried my fingers off his arm. When he was free, he turned his back to the nearest wall, leaning into it as he eased himself to the floor. He settled in there, fidgeting until he found a comfortable position. The gun stayed balanced in the cradle of his lap. Jeb’s head lolled back against the wall, and his eyes closed. In seconds, he looked like he was asleep.

I stood where he’d left me, trying to keep my eyes off Jamie’s face and failing.