Ruddy toweled himself off.

  “Hey!” he said. “They brought us clothes!” His voice echoed off the expanse of gleaming checkerboard tiles in the spa locker room. He pointed to a shelf near a row of sinks and mirrors. It was stacked with thick, luxurious towels that smelled like fabric softener. There were three sets of clothes on a counter underneath.

  “Thank God,” Ruddy said. “I hope they throw that stupid blanket away.”

  Corey turned his back.

  He won’t even talk to us, Ruddy said. He’s really pissed.

  Yeah, he is, Xeke said. Can you blame him?

  “Corey …” Ruddy said.

  Corey turned around. “Save it. I don’t know what you two did back there, but it almost got us killed.”

  What’s he talking about? Ruddy said.

  Haven’t you figured it out? Xeke said. Teri overheard us. She thought we were talking about her.

  What? You said she couldn’t hear us!

  Yep, I did. Xeke ran his towel through his hair. This is my fault. I was an idiot to think I could keep someone like Teri walled out.

  But … Ruddy turned pale. Oh, Jesus. What did we say? Oh god. We... oh god.

  Not now, Xeke said. The last thing we need to do is think it again. Let’s give her some time to calm down.

  Ruddy turned back to Corey. “It was a misunderstanding. You’ve got to help us make Teri understand...”

  “Let’s not talk about it here,” Corey snapped.

  “Oh. Right.” Ruddy looked around. Anyone could be listening.

  They headed into the health spa lobby. George was waiting, slouched against the wall. His curly bright red hair was a mess, but his fleece outfit was brand new. He smiled and unfolded his lanky frame.

  Ruddy straightened his back and squared his shoulders. George was almost as tall as he was and he didn’t like it.

  I’m still bigger than you, he thought. I bet you couldn’t bulk up to save your life.

  Xeke looked at Ruddy and raised an eyebrow. Might want to ease back on the testosterone there.

  “Hey, man,” George said. “I bet you guys feel better. Let’s get you some eats and get you settled in.”

  Oh my god! The aroma of food made Ruddy’s mind go blank. It had been soooo long since he’d eaten a real meal.

  “The Lodge was built in the 1800s,” George said. “It has a golf course—nine holes—a spa, massages, and the restaurant, of course.” He grinned. “You’ll like it here. Four-star quality all the way.”

  “You aren’t kidding,” Xeke said.

  The Lodge was lavish, the sort of place Ruddy’s parents would stay at—with expensive paintings on the walls, marble entryways, and polished brass handrails. The lobby had plush carpet with animal skin rugs thrown in front of an enormous roaring fireplace. There were elk heads on the walls and a stuffed grizzly bear loomed over the high-backed leather chairs. A man with a shaggy beard reclined in one, puffing on a cigar and sipping whisky while a young woman with long shiny black hair and olive skin rubbed his feet.

  Double glass doors led into a restaurant area with dozens of tables. Only one was occupied, but there were busboys clearing several others. Ruddy could hear the busy kitchen sound of clinking pots and pans through a pair of swinging doors.

  Two waiters in suits stood near a seated couple. One waiter held a bottle of wine and the other stood at attention with a towel over his arm. The atmosphere reminded Ruddy of an expensive steak place his parents used to go to in Dallas, back before the Event. He preferred to eat in peace without all the fussing of fancy waiters, but right now he didn’t care who put food in front of him.

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  “I’ve got to get back to work, but Barbara will take care of you,” George said. He gestured to the maitre d’, a trim lady in her fifties, wearing a modest black evening dress and far too much make up. “She’ll set you up with your cottage after you’re done.”

  “See you later, George,” Xeke said. George grinned and slapped him on the back as he left.

  Barbara beamed at them. “Welcome to Cloudcroft, sirs. What can I get you to drink?”

  “Water for me.” Ruddy glanced over at the other table and saw a man cutting into a steak. “And a porterhouse like that one would be ... oh, that looks good. How much is a steak?”

  “Oh, it’s all on the house,” Barbara said. “We take care of our guests. How would you like that done?”

  Ruddy’s mouth watered. “Uhhhh ... medium rare?”

  “Excellent choice, sir.” Barbara turned to Corey. “And for you, sir?”

  “I guess we’re ordering food now,” Corey said. “OK. Whatever you have on special is fine. We don’t want to put you out.” He looked at Ruddy as he said it.

  “Today’s special is fettuccine bolognese with a basil sauce,” she said. “It’s seasoned with pepper, grated parmesan cheese, and chopped garlic.”

  Corey raised his eyebrow. “Sounds delicious,” he said. “That will be fine.”

  “Same for me,” Xeke said.

  “That comes with a salad with our signature mountain raspberry vinaigrette. But if you prefer we can take a special order. And we have a variety of wines and beers ...”

  “No special orders,” Corey said. “Whatever’s easiest. And water all around.”

  “Of course, sir,” Barbara said. “Your food will be right out.” She gave a little bow before she headed for the kitchen.

  Ruddy grinned and rubbed his hands together. “I haven’t had a steak since I left Dallas.”

  “I haven’t had steak in months,” Xeke said.

  “Well, you should have ordered one,” Ruddy said.

  “It seems a little much,” Xeke said. “I get suspicious of this much generosity from strangers.”

  Corey nodded. “We don’t want to owe these people until we figure out what they’re about.”

  “She said it was on the house!” Ruddy said. “Besides, it’s not like it’s hurting anyone. Everyone looks well fed to me. I mean, if they can come in here and eat fancy food any time they want.”

  “Yeah,” Corey said. “Steak and fresh vegetables on an isolated mountain in the middle of the winter in a town run by a talented mayor.”

  “How is that different from what Fred’s doing?” Ruddy said. “She’s an afflicted mayor.”

  “It’s different,” Xeke said. “Penatuka couldn’t put together a display like this without weeks of planning and a fortune in supplies from the outside world. These people act like it’s nothing.”

  “Maybe the mayor is like an afflicted Bill Gates,” Ruddy said. “Or a rich superhero with a secret identity!”

  “We don’t know anything for sure,” Corey said. “There could be a dozen explanations. But it’s suspicious as hell. We need to keep our eyes open. In my experience, people don’t give you this much without expecting something in return.”

  “They said they’re like us,” Ruddy said. “Maybe this is like some sort of sanctuary for afflicted. You know, like Penatuka, but fancy, with Bruce Wayne as mayor.”

  The conversation halted when Barbara arrived with their food.

  Ruddy cut into the meat and savored the first bite. “Wow, this is the best steak I’ve ever had.”

  She smiled. “I’ll let the chef know, sir.”

  When Ruddy was halfway through his steak he stopped. “I’m going to save some for Teri. She must be starving by now.”

  “That’s not …” Corey sighed. “Teri is more than capable of finding food or whatever else she needs. If she wants something from us, she’ll let us know.”

  “I feel terrible after what we did,” Ruddy said.

  Corey put his fork down. “What did you do?”

  Ruddy and Xeke exchanged a look. “It was my fault,” Xeke said. “She overheard us thinking something that we shouldn’t have. I can’t explain it.”

  “Try,” Corey said.

  “I can’t,” Xeke said. “Bringing it back up is only going to make it worse. You’re going to have to trust me.”

  Corey rubbed his temple. “You guys are keeping secrets from me, and it has to stop. We’re all in the same boat here. I don’t want one of us to get hurt because you didn’t trust me.”

  They finished their meal in silence. Thinking about Teri made Ruddy’s steak tasteless, but he finished it anyway.

  A young busboy came over to clear their dishes. He sat one side of his tray on the edge of the table and balanced the other side on his hip while he picked up all their plates with one hand.

  “What’s your name, son?” Corey said.

  “Hunter, sir. Hunter Canton.”

  “What happened to your arm?”

  Hunter blinked. “Nothing, sir. I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not. I can tell from here you’re hurt. Take off your jacket and let me have a look.”

  “I can’t, sir,” he whispered. “I’ll get in trouble.”

  “No you won’t,” Corey said.

  Hunter’s lip quivered and Corey’s expression softened. “What if you leave the jacket on and I take a quick look. Would that be alright?”

  The boy nodded and held his hand out. His wrist was purple and swollen.

  “It looks broken,” Corey said. “What happened?”

  Hunter blinked back tears. “I fell.”

  Corey smiled. “I could fix this,” he said. “It wouldn’t hurt, I promise. Would you like that?”

  Hunter bit his lip but nodded. Corey closed his eyes and placed a hand on each side of Hunter’s arm.

  Should he be doing that right here, in front of everyone? Ruddy said.

  Probably not, but what are we going to do about it? Xeke said. You know how Corey is. Besides, the kid’s hurt. Do you really want to stop him?

  No, it’s not that, but isn’t it dangerous to use our powers in public?

  Dangerous like invading a military base, or dangerous like driving on a mountain in a blizzard?

  Heh. Good point.

  Ruddy watched as the bruising disappeared and the swelling went down. Hunter’s wrist twisted around into its normal shape. When Corey was done, the boy looked up at him like he was a god.

  “Thank you … uh … sir. Thank you.”

  “Try not to fall again,” Corey said.

  “Yes, sir.” Hunter took the tray in both hands and hurried to the kitchen.

  Corey shook his head. “Four star everything, steaks and day spas, but a kid is afraid to let anyone know he broke his arm? We definitely need to keep an eye on these people.”