Page 57 of Ash Fall

Across the yard, Gage looks over at us. Jules gives him a cheerful little wave and gets the finger in return.

"Nope, definitely you," I tell him.

"I've been delightful all afternoon."

"That's never been true on any afternoon."

He pushes his sunglasses back into place and keeps smiling. Whatever happened, I'm going to find out eventually. We are about to live together underground, and secrets are going to have a very short shelf life.

Mars comes past me with a crate of jars balanced against his chest and stops long enough to look from Gage to Jules and back again.

"What's with those two?"

"No idea."

"Gage looked ready to put him through a wall an hour ago."

"He still does."

Mars waits a second, and when nothing else comes he shifts the crate higher and keeps walking toward the motorhome.

He's been doing that all day. Every time there's something to lift, carry, load, or tie down, Mars is already halfway to it. He hasn't taken a break, hasn't asked anyone for anything, and hasn't gone near Luna once since we got here. I watch him hand the crate up into the motorhome, then turn around and go looking for the next thing.

Reid won't be helping me investigate. The Escalade is parked in the shade of one of the big trees near the house and he’s locked himself inside it with the windows up, the doors shut, and both hands pressed over his eyes. Reid lasted almost forty minutes after the chicken incident before admitting that Luna's whole let-it-flow-past-you technique isn't enough for this place. Cows, chickens, Penny, and whatever else has been screaming inside his head since we arrived all got through it anyway.

I knock gently on the passenger window, and one hand lowers enough for him to look at me. Pointing toward the house, I mouth, "Water?" He holds up the bottle in his other hand, so I give him a thumbs-up and leave him alone. There's no point dragging him back into the noise when we have enough people to finish without him. His magic is doing something none of us understand yet, and this is another reason we need to get settled in one place so we can start figuring it out. He deserves twenty quiet minutes inside a semi soundproof metal box if that's what his brain needs.

The girls all disappeared about half an hour ago after Elenor declared that nobody was driving another mile until we ate something. Even Briar went with them, although her expression suggested she was being marched toward a public execution instead of a kitchen.

The screen door bangs open, and I turn toward the house as Luna steps out with a large platter piled high with sandwiches. Kara follows with another tray, then Briar with bags of chips tucked against her chest. Elenor brings up the rear carrying a stack of paper plates.

"Food!" Luna calls. "Come get it before Gigi starts assigning portions based on how much she likes you."

"That's not fair," Elenor says as they reach us. "I would never punish someone through food."

Kara glances at her. "You said Julian was only getting half a sandwich if he doesn’t stop being a pest."

"He knows what he did," she says, but there is a big smile on her face when she says it.

Jules points toward Gage. "Why am I being punished when he's the one sulking?"

Gage doesn't even look at him. "Fuck off."

Luna's cheeks immediately turn pink, and my attention sharpens on all three of them. Jules catches me noticing and grins wider, which tells me most of what I need to know about who this is really about.

Before I can start putting the rest of the pieces together, Elenor shoves a plate into my hands. "Eat. We made enough sandwiches for everyone, and before any of you start whining that cold cuts do not qualify as a proper meal, there are two slow cookers full of chili secured in the motorhome."

That distracts me almost as fast as Luna's blush did. "Chili?"

"With beef, beans, peppers and lots of spice. They'll cook while we're driving so we can have a hot meal when we arrive."

My eyes go to the motorhome, hoping to see straight through the walls to the promised food inside. "I think I love you."

"I have that effect on men."

Anders coughs into his fist, Elenor turns slowly toward him, and his ears go red. That is a development none of us are equipped to handle today. Kara sees it too and immediately looks away, pressing her lips together so hard they almost disappear, while Gage makes a strangled noise beside me.

Elenor gives all of us a warning look. I’m careful to keep my expression blank until she looks my way and then smile at her.