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I’d be grateful for your assistance.”
    Ramus’s grin widened. He’d settled down years ago, but Carter knew Ramus secretly wanted to return to the road. Staying in one place for too long could easily become tedious.
    Still, at least he has a home.
    “Anyway, I’ve got a bar to run,” Ramus said, breaking Carter away from his thoughts. “I’ll let you get back to your new companion.”
    “Okay. I’ll catch you in the morning then.”
    “Right. Hey, Carter?”
    “Hmm?” Carter turned back to face his friend.
    Ramus glanced sideways, grinning embarrassedly. “She’s lucky she found you.”
    “Thanks, Ramus.”
    Carter turned and headed up the stairs, hiding his flustered expression. When he reached the landing, he felt his way down the dark corridor until he came to the end of the hall. Slipping his key into the lock, he pushed the door open, entering his room.
    Inside, the warm glow of a lamp penetrated the darkness. Carter blinked, covering his eyes with his hand.
    She must have found the lamp in my pack.
    Silvia wore Carter’s extra clothes; his oversized tank top draped over her almost like a dress. Sitting up in bed, she looked out the window, her bottom half nestled underneath the covers. Her gaze pierced the heavens, and she didn’t seem to notice Carter’s entrance.
    She’s looking at The Shell.
    Carter coughed, breaking his companion’s trance. As her eyes darted to him, he sat down at the edge of his bed, kicking off his boots.
    “Well?” she scoffed.
    “Well, what?”
    “How did it go? You went downstairs to negotiate the price of the room, did you not? Did you win?”
    Carter scoffed. “You can’t win in negotiations. It’s not a game.”
    “So you lost, is that it?”
    Carter began to retort but stopped dead in his tracks.
    She has me there.
    Sighing, he raised his hands in defeat.
    Silvia’s eyes lit up immediately as she shot him a grin. “You should have taken me with you,” she joked. “Your friend seemed quite taken with me when we met downstairs. I could have distracted him while you whittled him down to nothing.”
    “You make a valid point. Any other day, I might have considered something similar.”
    Silvia’s smile drooped, her eyes pinning Carter questioningly. “Why would tonight be any different?”
    “Well, like I said earlier, I’ve known Ramus for a long time. He’s a good friend, so I try not to cheat him too much.”
    “Oh.” Silvia nodded, looking back out the window.
    Carter glanced at her. The moonlight illuminated her pale, slender features. Carter couldn’t help but notice the red marks under her eyes.
    Has-has she been crying?
    “Silvia?” Carter said. His voice felt foreign to him.
    “Wh-what will we…what will I do now?” Silvia glanced back at Carter. Her red eyes burned bright, piercing through him like a bullet.
    “Well, Marcus wasn’t lying about Montar. There are representatives from The Shell who come down to the surface to bargain for scrap and tech. You would probably be able to bum a ride back home from one of them, right?”
    Silvia nodded. “Is it far? Montar, I mean.”
    “It’s no easy trip,” Carter admitted. “But my traveling route gets pretty close. I can escort you most of the way, if you’d like.”
    Silvia smiled at Carter, but he couldn’t help notice her lips quivering as he emphasized most .
    I don’t have a choice.
    Carter couldn’t just take off gallivanting with some girl he barely knew. Once they escaped slaver territory, Silvia’s chances would increase dramatically. She didn’t need him.
    “Thank you, Carter. I would gladly accept the company. Besides, I will need you to teach me a thing or two before I go off on my own.”
    Carter nodded. Pulling his bag next to his bed, he searched for his blanket. He needed sleep. However, after he pulled the weathered cloth over himself, his eyes fell on his companion.
    Silvia sat propped up against the wall, her blankets pulled up over her mouth, her eyes