“Did you like being a Bear, Sunny?” I asked quickly. I didn’t really want to get into my history right now. “Were you happy there?”

Her face crumpled at my questions; her eyes locked onto Kyle’s face and filled with tears.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized at once, looking to Kyle, too, for an explanation.

He patted her arm. “Don’t be afraid. You won’t be hurt. I promised.”

I could barely hear her answering whisper. “But I like it here. I want to stay.”

Her words brought a thick lump to my throat.

“I know, Sunny. I know.” Kyle put his hand on the back of her head and, in a gesture so tender it made my eyes smart, held her face against his chest.

Jeb cleared his throat, and Sunny started and cringed. It was easy to imagine the frayed state her nerves must be in. Souls were not designed to handle violence and terror.

I remembered long ago when Jared had interrogated me; he’d asked if I was like other souls. I was not, nor was the other soul they’d dealt with, my Seeker. Sunny, however, seemed to embody the essence of my gentle, timid species; we were powerful only in great numbers.

“Sorry, Sunny,” Jeb said. “Didn’t mean to scare you, there. Maybe we ought to get out of here, though.” His eyes swept around the cave, where a few people lingered by the exits, gawking at us. He stared hard at Reid and Lucina, and they ducked down the corridor toward the kitchen. “Probably ought to git along to Doc,” Jeb continued with a sigh, giving the frightened little woman a wistful glance. I guessed he was sad to be missing out on new stories.

“Right,” Kyle said. He kept his arm firmly around Sunny’s tiny waist and pulled her with him toward the southern tunnel.

I followed right behind, towing the others who still adhered to me.

Jeb paused, and we all stopped with him. He jabbed the butt of his gun into Jamie’s hip.

“Ain’t you got school, kid?”

“Aw, Uncle Jeb, please? Please? I don’t want to miss —”

“Get your behind to class.”

Jamie turned his hurt eyes on me, but Jeb was absolutely right. This was nothing I wanted Jamie to see. I shook my head at him.

“Could you get Trudy on your way?” I asked. “Doc needs her.”

Jamie’s shoulders slumped, and he pulled his hand out of mine. Jared’s slid down from my wrist to take its place.

“I miss everything,” Jamie moaned as he turned back the other way.

“Thanks, Jeb,” I whispered when Jamie was out of hearing.

“Yep.”

The long tunnel seemed blacker than before because I could feel the fear radiating from the woman ahead of me.

“It’s okay,” Kyle murmured to her. “There’s nothing that’s going to hurt you, and I’m here.”