Ash said to hell with her last two classes, and an hour later she was back downtown sitting across from Mo at the McDonald’s just a few feet from the Tribe’s campsite.

“Hope you like strawberry,” Mo said, pushing a gooey, whipped-cream-covered sundae toward Ash. The gesture was kind, but it didn’t comfort Ash. This woman made her uneasy. She blamed some of that on Becca’s talks about energy and auras. Becca always said you should trust the energy coming from another person. “It’ll tell you whether they’re good people or not.” She definitely didn’t get the “good people” vibe from Mo.

For a split second, Ash considered leaving. Stand up and go. Do it now. Her gaze landed on Nate outside the windows, sitting in his camp. What was she going to say to him if she walked away without hearing Mo out? “Sorry, Nate. Her vibe was off”?

Ash grabbed a spoon, took a small bite, and offered Mo a smile. “Strawberry is my favorite.”

“Isn’t that interesting? I’ve always known what people want and need,” Mo said.

Ash raised her eyebrows. “Is that why you let the others beat up Eli? Because it’s what he needed?”

“Sarcasm is your default, isn’t it?” Mo said.

Ash shrugged.

“It’s okay. We all have them. Defaults. Ways of coping with life’s challenges,” Mo said.

Ash resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She could hang out with Becca if she wanted to be psychoanalyzed. “I’m only here because Nate said you wanted to discuss what happened to Eli.”

“Can I ask you a question first?”

“I guess,” Ash said, already regretting coming here.

“Nate said you lived on the streets for a while. Were you on your own the whole time?”

Ash’s face flushed, unable to hide her irritation. Being a young girl alone on the streets, and small for her age, made Ash a target. People tried to fuck with her. Some succeeded. Some didn’t.

“Yeah, until I found Nate. After we got separated, I went into foster care…” She trailed off. Ash’s relationship with Becca was none of Mo’s business.

“And your foster mother… she’s been good to you?”

“Yes.”

“See, you’re lucky. Not everyone finds that, but we’re searching, constantly searching. We all want that connection. We crave it. The connection makes the world go round. I know what we have here may not make much sense to you, but we’re a family. When I saw Nate a year and a half ago, something spoke to me. I knew he belonged with us. It took time to earn Nate’s trust. I’d fill his guitar case with dollar bills, wanting to help him, wanting him to understand that we could provide him with a safe place to stay. I wanted him to know that there would always be someone to watch his back and keep his belongings safe. I promised him he would always have enough food to eat and there would be laughter and love. He resisted. I didn’t give up. None of us did. We kept showing up until he agreed to come here and see things for himself. He saw what we’d built. It’s unconventional, but it works.”