Survival

23. Past The Point of No Return

"So you guys just took her in, no questions asked?" Diana asked, flicking her hair out of her face.

Daniel detected the note of skepticism in her voice from where he was standing, staring at the doorway out of which Stephanie had disappeared, leaving an uncomfortable silence in her wake. "At first, yeah, but I guess it's kind of hard to hide that kind of baggage from my parents. They picked up on it and started asking questions." He paused, shrugging. "Actually, that's how we found out that she was like us."

On principle, Daniel didn't like to discuss other people's lives. Especially with people around who had probably done the same to him. What right was it of his anyway? Stephanie didn't deserve it, even though she was argumentative and stubborn with him at the best of times.

"I don't know," mused Diana after a moment. "She still sounds pretty shady to me. I mean, the way she just snapped and attacked Caroline? She wasn't messing around with that threat, either."

Daniel hesitated, reluctant to go on even though his instincts were registering the same vibe that Diana was describing. Now everyone knew what Stephanie had been through, the loss of her parents, of everyone she knew, it was almost justified. But that had been more than two years ago. What had happened between then and now to make her who she was?

"I thought you were all ready to be her best friend two minutes ago. You were defending her," he said instead.

Diana pursed her lips and leaned back against the wall of his house. "You didn't hear me? She stood up for me a couple days ago, I was just paying her back."

"Right. That was all that was."

The dark-haired girl scoffed, crossing her arms. "You can think what you want. Don't think I didn't see those doe eyes you were giving her earlier."

Those words were issued like a slap to the face. Daniel could feel Caroline and Dave's curious eyes on him. "No, you didn't because there weren't any." He took a deep breath. "She stood up for you, and now you're not sure about her? That seems a little harsh."

"Let's be realistic, Daniel. We don't know anything about her. Sure, her parents and her little sister may or may not be dead, no one knows, but that's it. Mr. Quinn's right, she could spell trouble for all of us. We just don't know."

Daniel could feel his temper rising. He knew Diana was right, but Stephanie wasn't here to defend herself, he felt like someone should. "All that she's done since she was here is get alienated and bullied by Caroline-" At this he pointedly stared down the blonde girl standing by Dave a little ways off. "And get stabbed by some guy on the street. It doesn't seem like she's going to go postal anytime soon."

"Maybe so. But what if that's what she wants us to think? You didn't feel like she's been holding back a little, faking her way through some things?" Diana persisted.

It was so hard to not just relent and side with her. She was right. These were all things Daniel had thought the first time he'd met Stephanie, things that had made them argue more than occasionally. "She's cautious, so what? We all are. Just because everyone is instantly struck as wary around her doesn't mean she's going to get us all killed."

"You agree then, that she's rubbed you the wrong way too?"

Daniel tilted his head and rubbed at his eyes, holding on to his sense of moral obligation by the skin of his teeth. "No one knows more than me that she's hiding some things, but I don't think she's a bad person. We may not always get along, but she deserves a chance."

Diana pinned her eyes on him, zeroing in with an intensity that made him want to back up a step or two. "If you knew that she was going to hurt us, all of us, would you throw her under the bus?"