There were still a lot of tents and cubicle houses hereabouts, it seemed. On the southern side of the main road, to our left, we had apartment buildings, stores, and something that looked like a brand spanking new swathe of city. On the other side, it was more construction, tents, farm, and the houses that weren’t real houses—more like mock houses made of panels that had been bolted together, like overlarge tents with hard exteriors.

We turned away from the main road, into the deeper section of the city. The community center was made of stone, had a squat clock tower situated on top, and looked stately, even with the tall buildings surrounding it, many at least as tall as the community center was. A patch of park with a fountain sat squarely in front of it.

School was just getting out, it seemed. Students were streaming through the area. They walked through and along the road to the point that we couldn’t get very close. Many heads turned our way, curious.

Jasper found a parking space a block away from the center, and parked there. Our people climbed out the back while Jasper and I got organized at the front.

“Jasper,” I said.

“Special orders for me?”

“When and if the rest of them are going through the crowd, stay near the front door. If anyone gets nervous and ducks out, it might be something.”

“Should I follow?”

“Probably not. Keep an eye out, let me know if anything happens.”

“And why is this a secret from the others?”

Because I didn’t trust the others. They’d been foisted on me, they had clear attitudes, and I was worried that if push came to shove, they might let a troublemaker go if it meant fucking with the capes.

“Paranoia,” I said. I started to climb out of my seat. “Thanks for the backup back there. Jester.”

Jasper grinned as my face fell.

“I’m sorry, but it sounds bad,” I said. “I can’t make this a thing.”

“It sounds bad when you’re saying it as if someone’s pulling your fingernails out while you’re talking.”

“They might as well be,” I said.

“It’s good,” he said. “It’s cool.”

“It’s against everything I stand for,” I said. I climbed down from my seat.

“It’s great,” Jasper said, from the other side of the bus. He tossed the keys into the air and caught them.

Some of the others were pulling on the armor they’d left off while sitting on the bus. Once we were set, we moved as a group toward the town hall.