Page 38 of Commander’s Mate

At the bottom I added one more heading.

NAMES—ONLY WHEN READY.

Scarlet saw it.

“You starting something?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

I looked around the room.

“Maybe a way to make sure nobody disappears.”

This time, she did not joke.

“Good,” she said.

I started with the door.

Chapter Eight

Harper

By the time the ship settled into faster-than-light travel, the conference room had become temporary shelter.

The phrase mattered to me. Holding room sounded too much like the place we had just escaped.

The door was not locked. Water, blankets, packaged food, and oversized shirts from crew stores had been left within reach. No one demanded payment. No one hovered while we ate.

Still, the room had no windows, and everything was bolted to the deck.

I sat between Scarlet and Zoe. Nora had claimed a chair close to the door because she said knowing where the exit was made breathing easier. Kyanna sat across from us wrapped in a blanket identical to everyone else’s and somehow still managed to look like a governor’s daughter.

Scarlet picked up a food packet and sniffed it. “Well, it doesn’t smell like dog biscuits.”

Nora rubbed both hands over her face. “Please do not say dog anything. I cannot handle dog anything right now.”

Scarlet went still.

Billy. Her dog. She had been walking him when she was taken.

“Sorry,” Scarlet said, rough and quiet.

Nora shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s fine.”

It clearly was not.

Zoe opened a packet. “Looks like a protein bar and a bread thing had a baby.”

“That is not as reassuring as you think,” I said.

“It’s food.” She tasted a piece and blinked. “Actually not bad.”

“Define not bad,” Scarlet said.