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He doesn’t lift his head until he’s finished his check, infuriating in and of itself--but when he does glance over at ht noe sleep Then to, we’ll head out and find a better place to be seen Maybe the wreck itself, if we don’t come across a colony between here and there"

The wreck? The man’s insane It’s days away at least "Head out? Speak for yourself I’ anywhere They’ll see our crash site If we leave, my father won’t knohere to look for us" And he will come for me

His look is dubious, alht,to sit around while our supplies run out"

My lady? Does he kno crazy his faux courtesyby accident or coincidence I cling to that anger, trying not to let it fade as I look at hi else

The anger is a shield, and if I relinquish it, I’ll shatter

A tiny piece of me wonders if he knows that On the ship he was out of his element, aard and al he does has a purpose Maybe so

Or h that pack of his again, and then the lockers He piles a coarse reflective space blanket with a softer one he finds in a locker near the roof, then looks across at aze back at hihtens

"Abhorrent though it ether Brace yourself"

With a jolt, I realize it’s not supposed to be a random pile of fabric, but a bed Just the one bed The words fly from my lips before I can stop them "Absolutely not" My voice has the same cold steel my father’s does--at least I can put what I’ve learned froood use "If you will leave me some water, you can take the rest of the supplies and sleep out there, in the forest you enjoy sohi slowly into fists An odd flare of pleasure runs through ive as good as I get "Maybe while you’re at it you can stand on top of the pod and flag down the rescue teaht"

He throws his pack down, h, his voice is calm, controlled "Miss LaRoux," he says softly "All due respect, but I’ood shelter here"

My satisfaction at having stung hiht, Merendsen’s war hero status won’t last long in the face ofto backtrack Maybe anger wasn’t the way to go "Major, the circuht be unconventional, but that’s no reason to abandon--"

"Screw the circu, the flash of annoyance across his features proe of satisfaction in odforsaken wilderness "It’s going to be cold out there, and it’ll be waroing to stay up all night on watch I also don’t thinkeaten"

That makes me pause "Eaten?"

"Tracks," he says shortly "In the woods, a ways back Big ones"

He’s trying to scare me, I know I saw no tracks, and he certainly never pointed the coh predators to their ecosysteritthe truth, the risk of predators would be less than the risks he’d face if found with ether--"

"--then you’ll have to find a way to explain it to hiood sense You can have the bed, I’m fine in one of these chairs Sleep or don’t sleep as you like, but if we have to move out toht"

It’s an order: Good night, Private, or else Without another word, he jerks the string tight on his bag, slouches in his chair, and stretches his long legs out in front of him His chin to his chest, he closes his eyes and clicks the flashlight off, leavingas it i me, it’s easier to be furious How can he have been so abrupt withto keep hile with the urge to wake hih to sleep outside, but lie or no, his talk of big ani

I take a deep breath and try to think My father isn’t completely unreasonable--surely he’ll understand Especially since it’s quite clear theto do with me Perhaps it isn’t the end of the world if he stays here, just for tonight

And a tiny, tiny part of me points out that I’d rather have hiht

I slide between the two blankets, trying not to wince at the coarseness of the space blanket againston the floor, the in to think maybe the major has the sh, so I curl up beneath the blanket, pillowing my head on my arm