Lynell laughs. “I wonder what our son would look like. Maybe we’ll find out.”

Daniel pulls Lynell’s hand up and presses a kiss to it. “I would love that more than anything.”

“You’ve been gone for twenty-four hours. I thought Dad got you!” Zach says after yanking Daniel and Lynell inside the apartment and locking the door behind them. He turns to Lynell, his eyebrows so low they’re shadowing his eyes. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to sneak in and rescue you again now that Dad has surely told the guards to take me out on sight.”

Lynell blinks at him. She’d been ready to say something sarcastic, but the sincere fear in his voice stops her short. “You would do that? Risk your life to save me again?”

Zach stops pacing and a genuine look of confusion flashes over his face. “Of course. You’re family.”

Somehow, those words etch themselves into Lynell’s skull, hanging over all her other thoughts, and she knows they’ll be there for the rest of her life, however long or short. The future she and Daniel allowed themselves to dream of now includes Uncle Zach, breaking the family cycle of abuse.

“Oh,” is all she manages to say.

Thankfully, Danny saves her from any further awkwardness by dropping the bag of leftover gas station food in the middle of the table and saying, “Please tell me you have food that’s not wrapped in plastic.”

Zach does and busies himself with making dinner while Daniel updates him. Lynell, wanting to give him privacy with his best friend, takes a long shower.

Pulling on puffy blue shorts, the only pair she finds in the wardrobe, and a soft polo, Lynell feels a renewed determination to live past the next two days. She craves the feeling of hope and joy she felt in the car with Daniel, imagining their future. She wants to be with Daniel. She wants to get to know Zach as her cousin, not as the person who Registered her or the person running from his father. She wants a family.

Resolved to not do anything else until they figure out the code and decide what to do next, Lynell returns to the kitchen.

“—the offensive,” Zach is saying. “We’ve been playing defensive this whole time. We only have a small window where we can jump ahead of Eric and attack first.”

“Attack?” Lynell says as an announcement that she’s joining the conversation. “You mean the gimpy woman with only one working hand, the ex-rebel, and the disowned son? Yeah, we wouldn’t be outnumbered at all.” She plops onto the remaining chair and grabs the third bowl.

“Eric’s attention is on Anna right now,” Zach says. “It’s the perfect time to make our move.”

“What move?” Daniel asks.

“Lynell,” Zach says.

Lynell raises an eyebrow, a bit of broth dripping down her chin.

“You make a claim. Take power from Eric before he can hurt anyone else.”