I glanced at Ashley. She hadn’t flinched at the mention of the Nine.

I went on, “I’ve seen some of the worst. I had the best boyfriend in the world—”

“You had the second best,” Sveta said. “I’ll fight you on this.”

“I’ll take you up on that another time,” I said. I smiled. “Some of my family members were some of the most amazing people, one of those family members is still with me, and I count myself lucky in that. I was a local celebrity, and I got letters from kids saying they were inspired or I’d improved their lives by reaching out to them, spending a bit of time with them, or helping them off a bad path through nothing more than me existing. With all of that, I think I can say I’ve experienced some of the best that being a hero has to offer, too.”

“What happened to the others?” Kenzie asked. “The other family members?”

“Kenzie,” Mrs. Yamada said. “It’s best to leave that be.”

“Okay,” Kenzie said. “I didn’t mean to pry. I’m really sorry, Victoria, for your losses. I asked because I’ve lost people too. I know it hurts, and I think you’re cool and you don’t deserve that hurt.”

“Thank you, Kenzie. I’ll share, because I think it’s important for context. We’ve all lost people and that’s a big part of our shared experience here on Earth Gimel.”

I saw people throughout the room nodding, or acknowledging that. Interesting, to see the lone wolf villainess Ashley nod, too. Chris, Tristan, Sveta. Mrs. Yamada.

Rain was hard to read, but he looked introspective.

“My uncle, my cousin, and that awesome boyfriend, Leviathan, twenty-eleven. My—another family member, you could say she got herself. Or you could say the team dynamics, all that stuff I was talking about before, they played a role. I wasn’t paying enough attention, I let things pass by without remark when I should have pressed, pressed when I should have held back. And now she’s—she’s not family. My mom, recently, just…”

I sighed.

“I’m not here to be a downer,” I said. “I’m really not. I do want to emphasize this isn’t a game. There’s a chance at greatness and there’s a chance, maybe a higher chance, of disaster. I experienced both.”

“Not to belittle that, but each and every one of us has gone through shit,” Tristan said. “If it’s supposed to be one part of good stuff for every ten parts bad, then I think most of us are owed some good stuff.”