She met his glare with one of her own. "That's his name, isn't it?"
"Hayley's right," Daniel said, his voice taking on his calming tone. "By talking to them, we'll be warning them. Then we'd try to persuade them to join us in going back and negotiating."
"With the wrong Cabal," Ash said. "The St. Clouds sold you guys to the Nasts. The St. Clouds have your parents. The St. Clouds own these Genesis kids, and the St. Clouds are the ones who know where they are."
"You heard the tape," I said. "Antone says the St. Clouds don't want our parents--they're just stuck with them. They can't exactly fob them off on the Nasts. As for the Genesis kids, their medical team is gone. Died in a fire at the lab. All except one doctor, who's with the kids now--an aunt. The St. Clouds don't really want them back. For the right price, they'd let the Nasts take the Genesis kids and our parents off their hands."
"And then what?"
"Then we prepare," Daniel said. "We take their training. We take their medical care. We take their protection. We pretend we're going to grow up to work for them and we use that to learn everything we can about them."
"Then we fight back," I said.
Ash sputtered a laugh. "Against a Cabal? The biggest Cabal?"
"Yes. It won't be easy. It won't be soon. But we'll take our time. We'll grow into our powers. Then, one day, we get free of them. For good."
The debate continued. It really was Ash against everyone else, which felt completely unfair. Finally he threw up his hands, muttered under his breath, and stalked off.
"Damn," Hayley murmured to me when he was gone. "Figures, doesn't it? The hotter the guy, the bigger the jerk."
"I'm not really seeing the first part," I said.
"Which is good." She grinned. "All things considered."
"True. But, while Ash can be a jerk, I see his point on this one. Going back feels like throwing up a white flag."
"But it's negotiation, not surrender. And it's not permanent. It's like a covert operation. Using our heads."
"That's the plan," Daniel murmured. "But I agree with Maya. I'd be more shocked if Ash agreed."
"I'll go talk to him."
THIRTY-FIVE
I FOUND ASH BACK by the old camp. He was sitting on the ground, legs pulled up, just staring into the forest. I approached slowly, making enough noise so I wouldn't startle him.
When he looked over I said, "Getting used to it, huh?"
He lifted his brows.
I waved around us. "The forest."
"Right. Yeah." He gazed out again. "Never really been in one this big. I know this isn't big for a forest, just . . . It's different." He paused. "No people. I can see why you like it. It feels like . . ."
"Home."
He shrugged that off, making a face. Another moment of silence. "If you've come to talk to me about this negotiating crap--"
"I haven't." I sat down beside him. "I just want to . . . check in with you. I know this isn't the resolution you want, and I'm hoping you don't decide to cut out."
He glanced over. "Cut out?"
"Take off. Leave. We're not at the point yet of making an absolute decision. So I'm hoping you'll stick around until we are. And then I'm hoping you'll give it more thought."
"Have I bolted yet?"
"No, I'm just--"