I shook my head. Frustration was getting the better of me, despite my earlier resolve.

“If I can—” Sveta jumped in. “I know this is a family matter, and I’m not family.”

“You’re close enough,” my dad said.

I could see Sveta was a little taken aback by that. Enough that she lost whatever it was that she had planned on saying.

He went on, “You looked after Victoria when she was in the hospital. I’m so grateful that you were there for her in times we couldn’t be. If you ever wanted a place to go for a holiday, if you wanted a say or a vote, I think you earned it.”

“Well said,” I said to my dad.

“Stop,” Sveta said, flustered. “You’re making it hard to think.”

I leaned back in my seat.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dallon. I understand that Amy can do an incredible amount of good, if she puts her mind to it. If it were Vicky in that position, I would trust her to do it. But it’s not Vicky.”

“You know Vicky well,” my mom said. “You haven’t had the same exposure to Amy. She had years of helping people under her belt before she broke down. In the face of the Slaughterhouse Nine.”

“I know Vicky but I’ve seen Amy’s work. Can we try a thought experiment? If you don’t mind?”

“I don’t mind,” my mom said.

“Pretend that we had the same timeline, starting from now. Something like three years of her helping people, a tremendous amount of help. Giving her all—”

“Burning out,” I said.

“Burning out, yes,” Sveta added my bit. “Feeling pressured, feeling desperate. Pretend it was three years of that, and then she comes face to face with a monster. And she breaks down again. What if she ends up repeating the cycle, and she repeats it while seven point three billion people are at her mercy? What then?”

It was all I could do to just keep my mouth shut and stay at the table. I didn’t like pretending, even though I’d tried to put it out of mind.

“That’s entirely unfair,” my mom said.

“Why?” Sveta asked, her eyes wide. “We all relapse when it comes to our bad behaviors, and when dealing with someone like her, we have to use past experience to judge how she might act in the future. If that sounds unfair, keep in mind, that’s how I deal with thinking about myself.”

“People change,” my mom said, giving each word its own emphasis.

“People change, but if you knew someone who negligently discharged a handgun, if their core behavior hadn’t changed, would you really trust them around children with a gun?”

“It would depend on context, and your definition of core behavior. I know you mean well, Sveta, but there is so much more to this.”