She shook her head.

“It's all right," she said. Breaking eye contact, she slipped out of bed, not terribly surprised to see she was naked.

She dressed in the clothes she had borrowed from Rachel the previous evening and turned to see Althea regarding her curiously, the sheets puddled around her waist.

“It's not all right," she said.

“What I did to you...it's nearly unforgivable. Especially considering your history."

"I don't want to talk about it," Yasna said shortly. Her hands, she was ashamed to see, were shaking. She wished she had her doctor's scrubs.

Or a jacket. Anything to ward off that kind, penetrating gaze.

“You're going to have to deal with it sooner or later." The tenderness in Althea's voice nearly broke her heart. "And you have seven people here who will help you. No judging. No anger. No talk about the will of

Allah. Or how much you are hurting your parents. ALL we will offer you is love, Yasna.”

She hesitated, torn by the desire to unburden herself to this impossibly beautiful, incredibly compassionate woman, who seemed to be able to see into her secret heart. But the barriers guarding her soul were too strong, too old.

She turned away, and therefore didn't see the hurt in Althea's eyes.

"I'm hungry," she said. "I'll see you at breakfast."

"Good morning," she said, as she entered the kitchen. Josh was the only person in the room, nursing a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper.

"Good morning," he returned.

“Help yourself to whatever you would like for breakfast. Sarah and I are going to make a supply run later on today, so if there is anything you'd like for us to get for you, let us know."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly..."

"Nonsense," he said firmly. "You're our guest, and it's our fault you're here in the first place. The least we can do is try to make you feel at home."

She murmured something noncommittal and started opening and closing cabinets, looking for something to eat. With Josh's help, at last she found a package of cinnamon-raisin bagels in the pantry. Sighing in relief, she split one and dropped it into the toaster, then ransacked the fridge for cream cheese. As it toasted, she stared blankly out the window, then blinked.

“What happened to the trailer?" she asked. The rented attachment which they had used to transport Althea's body back from the hospital was conspicuous by its absence.

"Oh," Josh said. "That." He made a pained face. "I dropped it off this morning. Very early, before anyone from the rental company would be there. I put a note on the windshield saying that it had been damaged by vandals and that they were welcome to bill me." He sighed dramatically. "Next time I'll get the optional insurance coverage."

“Wasn't that...dangerous?" Yasna asked hesitantly.

“From what Rachel and Althea told us last night...should you have gone out alone?"

“Probably not," he said agreeably.

“But Althea is just one person. And if we count on her to protect all seven of us until we can put down

Kincaid, then we're going to either end up prisoners here or run her ragged. No disrespect to my wife, but she doesn't know everything.