Phobos clapped Thrym on the shoulder. “It’s not just you. I feel it, too. I know you all think I’m just a pretty face.”

Elara snorted.

He ignored her. “Romy . . . I think Thrym’s right. Houston barely stops watching you to eat.”

She looked around the knot with wide eyes. “I don’t know what it means.”

Deimos grimaced. “If it were a good thing, wouldn’t they tell you?” He stood and paced the room, a heaviness in his shoulders. Romy didn’t know if it was because he was still weak, or if it was his newfound hatred.

“And that’s the thing,” Thrym said. “We were told not to ask questions. And we haven’t because we were told it could make things worse. But Atlas also implied this situation would be short term. It’s been three weeks and we’re still clueless. There’s something going on I don’t like.” A determined gleam lit his blue eyes.

Romy was more concerned about Lucas’s presence, which she had yet to tell anyone about. Indecision tugged her as she wondered if she should confess her suspicions.

“I say we collect food over the next few days and then go,” Deimos said from behind her.

Romy’s heart lurched as she turned. “So soon?”

Thrym nodded. “A few days is good. We have most of what we need. Ro, will the car be ready?”

Misery stamped on her again. “Well, yes.” She felt terrible to be doing this to Nancy, Eddie, and the others. “But I—”

“Can’t it be longer?” Elara asked. “I don’t think we should leave until we need to. This could all be nothing. Or the Mandate could even be trying to flush us out.”

“I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to. I want it just to be us again. We can regroup and figure out our next move once we're away from here,” Deimos argued.

“What do you think, Ro?” Phobos asked, watching her flounder.

“I. . . ,” she started. She thought about Lucas, and the trial. Phobos was right; everything was in place for them to go. But Romy desperately wanted to give Atlas a chance to prove himself. It shouldn’t make sense that she would delay leaving for him, but the yearning to do just that overwhelmed everything else. “I’m with Ellie.”

Thrym’s expression darkened for a second. Just a fleeting second before it cleared. And Phobos’s face told her he saw right to the heart of her reasons to stay.

She tilted her face in the other direction.

“A vote, then,” Deimos suggested. “Those in favour of staying?”

Elara and Romy raised their hands.

The boys’ hands stayed down.

“We need to be ready to leave at any moment,” Deimos said. “We have three days to get everything we need.”