I nodded, grateful at the thought of hiding again. I ducked through the opening and then stood a few feet in, not sure what to do with myself. Melanie remembered that there were books here, but I reminded her of my vow to not touch anything.

“I got things to do, kid,” Jeb said to Jamie. “Food ain’t gonna fix itself, you know. You up to guard duty?”

“Sure,” Jamie said with a bright smile. His thin chest swelled with a deep breath.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I watched Jeb place the rifle in Jamie’s eager hands.

“Are you crazy?” I shouted. My voice was so loud that I didn’t recognize it at first. It felt like I’d been whispering forever.

Jeb and Jamie looked up at me, shocked. I was out in the hallway with them in a second.

I almost reached for the hard metal of the barrel, almost ripped it from the boy’s hands. What stopped me wasn’t the knowledge that a move like that would surely get me killed. What stopped me was the fact that I was weaker than the humans in this way; even to save the boy, I could not make myself touch the weapon.

I turned on Jeb instead.

“What are you thinking? Giving the weapon to a child? He could kill himself!”

“Jamie’s been through enough to be called a man, I think. He knows how to handle himself around a gun.”

Jamie’s shoulders straightened at Jeb’s praise, and he gripped the gun tighter to his chest.

I gaped at Jeb’s stupidity. “What if they come for me with him here? Did you think of what could happen? This isn’t a joke! They’ll hurt him to get to me!”

Jeb remained calm, his face placid. “Don’t think there’ll be any trouble today. I’d bet on it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t!” I was yelling again. My voice echoed off the tunnel walls—someone was sure to hear, but I didn’t care. Better they come while Jeb was still here. “If you’re so sure, then leave me here alone. Let what happens happen. But don’t put Jamie in danger!”

“Is it the kid you’re worried about, or are you just afraid that he’ll turn the gun on you?” Jeb asked, his voice almost languid.

I blinked, my anger derailed. That thought had not even occurred to me. I glanced blankly at Jamie, met his surprised gaze, and saw that the idea was shocking to him, too.

It took me a minute to recover my side of the argument, and by the time I did, Jeb’s expression had changed. His eyes were intent, his mouth pursed—as if he were about to fit the last piece into a frustrating puzzle.