A girl walked over to Hanna’s table and stood, her tray shaking in her hands. “Can…,” she said, just above a whisper. “Can I sit with you?”
Hanna wanted to ask why, but she was worried that would scare the girl off. “Sure.”
The girl hesitated before taking the chair across from her. “Thanks.”
The myriad smells of the lunchroom covered up the girl’s scent, but from her pale skin and pointed ears, Hanna guessed she was a ghoul. A freshman most likely, as she looked young and didn’t seem familiar.
The ghoul looked down at her plate and the piece of meat sitting there. Hanna still got queasy when she thought about where that meat came from. That was a little chunk of a dead human, sitting there looking like a raw steak.
Carter, who was plastered to Hanna’s side as usual, said, “Hi there. What’s your name?”
“Jamila.” The shy smile she offered him showed a row of sharp teeth, confirming Hanna’s guess.
“I’m Carter. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Hanna.”
Jamila smiled again, cheeks coloring with a blush. “I know.”
The others arrived and introduced themselves. The girl had cut her meat into neat squares but had only taken one bite. Everyone was being friendly, but an aura of awkwardness hung over the table.
“Jamila, would you like to join our pack?” Marisa asked.
The girl was already looking down, and the question made her hunch in on herself. “Um, if that would be okay.”
Hanna glanced around the table, but no one seemed to have any objection. Carter squeezed her arm and nodded rapidly. “We’d be happy to have you,” Hanna said.
The tension dropped from Jamila so quickly it was like flipping a switch. “Oh, thank you. Thank you.” She looked at Hanna, though not in the eyes. “I couldn’t be with the ghoul pack anymore. I just couldn’t. They’re so much meaner in high school.”
“I know,” Carter said. “But Hanna’s pack is really nice.”
Hanna’s pack. She wasn’t used to hearing that. And it wasn’t just the other members who called it that. Some of the other kids in school did too. The ones who weren’t still calling it the mutt pack anyway.
Jamila nodded. “That’s what I heard. And you’ve all been very nice so far.” She beamed at them with her sharp white teeth. “Thank you,” she repeated before digging into her food.
A pack with a reputation for kindness. Hanna liked that. Part of her was still nervous about being able to keep them safe, but Conner, the biggest threat, still hadn’t bothered them this year. That wasn’t due to her, but due to the threats Dylan had made.
Was it poor leadership not to protect them herself, or good leadership to seek out those who could keep the pack safe?
Glancing over at Jamila and then at Brooke, Hanna considered that it might be the latter. Hanna and most of the others were graduating this year. Until then, that meant Brooke would be left alone. But if Hanna were strong, that strength wouldn’t keep Brooke and Jamila safe after she was gone. Arranging for others to protect them would.
Dylan would watch out for her pack after she was gone.
But after he graduated next year, then what? Would Brooke become strong enough to take care of herself and watch out for the new girl?
Pack succession had different problems when it wasn’t based on strength. I’ll figure this out. I have to. I can’t let them down.