“It isn't strange," Evan whispered, pulling my legs until I sat on his lap, “we always knew we were family. This is how it should be between us.

I nuzzled his neck and kissed his lips. This bond, this closeness, was wonderful. It was what I had always wanted. It's what we had always wanted.

A man I didn't know well approached and my family all stood, pulling me up with them.

“I am Mund rescued from the Barnas compound. The Administrators must be made to see reason," he said watching us.

"Ciara, from Earth and they won't," I said bitterly. "They can't understand how Damien and his family see me. They can't understand how I see them."

The man and his family stood considering. They must be powerful because I sensed Damien's desire to protect me. He was fighting the urge to pull me away. Instead he stood calmly and I stood next to him. Basin's family joined us and we all talked. No one knew how to explain this to the Administrators without telling them what Damien's family and Basin's family had done.

Even if the outcome was good, it was still a crime the Administrators would want to sanction. Fighting within the camp and pulling a dying family apart were two separate crimes. The other men seemed sure the Administrators would be angry at Damien's family and Basin's family, just because it was them. Administration had much hate for slavers and may not understand they were changed men.

It took a while, but we were eventually told we could leave the tunnels and return above ground. Except Abram's family and all those who came to help at the alarm, we went back to the field to collect our day's work. We could not Leave the day's pickings to rot on the ground. It was very late by the time we got back to the camp.

Rose and I freshened up in our room upstairs and walked to the evening meal. It had been a long, eventful, and strange day. We were Looking forward to a nice, quiet evening.

The dining room was in turmoil when we got there. The men that had witnessed Damien's actions earlier had decided the isolated families should join the camp completely. They insisted Damien, Basin, and Stayne join them for the evening meal in the dining hall.

There was yelling and arguing. Finally the powerful man, Mund, from earlier stood on a chair and made a proclamation.

“The Great Harmonious Spirit is not about division!" he argued. "We have taught our cousins and they have learned. The Spirit calls us together and we must answer!"

As Rose and I had already learned, that was the correctrhetoric. The men couldn't argue that The Spirit was wrong. It quelled the room to quiet grumbling as everyone got their food.

We got in line with everyone else and picked out a healthy, full meal for ourselves. Rose and I were both quite hungry and took filling items. I could tell by the aromas alone that the men leading the cooking tonight weren't as adept at it as Abram and his family. Those men would be missed until they returned.

We chose our regular table and scooted close to one another. An extra family or two may join us. It would be rude to take up too much space.

“We really should have thought of that sooner," Rose mumbled, building a makeshiftsandwichout of her food. "I can't believe we never thought of it before, although it feels like we are using their religion against them."

“Not really against them..." I said mixing the flavors on my plate how I liked. "Some arguments just get to the heart of the matter."

We sat and talked, barely noticing the room around us.

“May we sit?" a deep voice asked and I Looked up.

We had not heard the group of men approach. The now familiar faces of Mund and his family were holding their plates and waiting for permission.

“Of course," Rose smiled up at them, “take a chair."

We had a pleasant meal with the other men. They were hunters, usually, and brought in most of the meat we ate. They had been called to the field today to help protect the men there when the scars attacked. Neither Rose nor I was very familiar with this group of men.