But in her endless search for answers and sense, she accepted anything and everything, and the reality was that she could watch hours of video from online, every single day, about the parahumans and how laws and protections were needed. She could only get minutes at a time of talking to people like the Birons or Crystal.

The former won out, and when those people were done convincing Anita that there were problems and that actions were needed, they started convincing her that the dangers were greater, the actions required more severe. Here and there she would parrot off something and he would have to challenge her, ask her why this, or why that. She would think about it and reconsider, but she would go back to those same videos.

But they gave her peace that she hadn’t had since Tristan had… done the unthinkable, really. They made sense of a nonsensical world. So he steered her when he could, and he grit his teeth in moments like this, where Byron was too quiet to challenge the statement.

Or because Byron agreed, but for different reasons.

It made Ray momentarily wish Tristan could join this conversation, because Tristan was brazen enough to challenge those things, to be bold and forward enough that holding the shakier views would be impossible.

“Are you well? You weren’t hurt?”

Byron shook his head. “Tristan was, just a little.”

Ray made a face.

“We were pleased you called for us. We worried when we couldn’t reach you.”

“We thought we would enter and leave the same day.”

“You’ll have to call more frequently,” Anita told Byron.

“Ah. Ahgh,” Byron said, the latter sound somewhere between the sound of a realization and the gurgle of a dying man. “I call once a day.”

“We miss you. We worry that this takes up all your time,” Ray pushed. “It would mean a lot to your mother if we could hear more from you, hear that you’re… exploring life.”

“Meeting people who aren’t parahuman, to expand your horizons,” Anita added. “Girls?”

“Aghh,” Byron made a faint sound. He looked like he was going to say something, then didn’t.

Anita wasn’t one to miss that. “Who?”

“Nobody. Nothing.”

“Is it Brianna? She was a good, beautiful girl, with the best heart. I know she’s still around.”

“Mom.”

Anita put her hands on either side of Byron’s face. “I want the best for you. Te quiero.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

“Tell me about this girl.”

“I never said there was a girl. Even if there was, right now it’s too complicated. With Tristan.”

She made a face. “You’re putting your life on hold. There has to be a way. If he needs a… whatever kind of boy he likes, you can have this girl you like, you figure out a way.”

“I am absolutely not talking about this with you. And Tristan likes brainy guys.”