Never mind that they now had access to thousands of channels. They weren’t satisfied with any of them, just as they weren’t satisfied with anything else in their lives. The smell of smoke

know Bob hands my check over directly to them.” They also insisted that she handed over any tips she made as soon as she climbed into the truck when they picked her up. She’d thought about escaping so many times, but it seemed impossible—she’d never been any further than her hometown. “You could come stay with me,” Faye volunteered. “Since Steve left, I’m all alone. It’s not much of a house, but at least you’d be away from them.” Unexpected tears rose to her eyes. “I really appreciate the offer, but you know they’d just come and drag me home again. It’s not like anyone around here is going to stand up to them.” Even though her father and brother were starting to run a little to fat, they were both big men. What’s more, they had an entirely deserved reputation for meanness. Everyone in their small town was a little afraid of them—including any boy who had ever thought about asking her out. One threat from Darrell and they would back off. They hadn’t been quite so bad when she was in middle school, but then the aliens had come and they’d been convinced they were going to snatch her up, along with all the other human females. That was when they had started insisting on driving her to and from high school—when they could be bothered to take her. It was a miracle she managed to graduate with so many absences on her record. Although she’d read everything she could and done her best to study on her own, she suspected it was more due to the kindness of Mr. Thompson, the principal, than her actual achievements. “I have a shotgun I’m not afraid to use,” Faye said. “I bet a little lead in their balls would make them back off.” Darla couldn’t help laughing, and Bob gave her a suspicious glare. “Quit cackling and get that silverware done.” “Yeah, yeah,” Faye said, waving her hand at him, while Darla immediately focused on the silver. She wished she could be as casual as the older woman, but she didn’t want Bob complaining about her to her father. They rolled in silence for a few more minutes, then Faye gave her a thoughtful look. “How would you feel about having a kid?” “I’d never bring a baby into that house,” she said fiercely. “What if you didn’t have to?” She thought about it for a moment. Someone to love who loved her back. Someone she could take care of because she wanted to—not because someone was making her. She envisioned holding her baby in her arms, and her heart ached. “Yeah, I think I’d like that, but you know Daddy doesn’t even let me date.” In some ways, that was a good thing. Darrell had tried to set her up with some of his equally disgusting friends, but thank goodness Daddy had put his foot down and refused to allow it. Faye looked over her shoulder, checking to make sure that Bob was still occupied in the kitchen. “Have you thought about going for one of those breeding contracts?” she asked, and Darla’s mouth dropped open. “A breeding contract? With one of the aliens?” Even after five years, it was still hard to believe that aliens had conquered Earth. She still remembered seeing the strange but kind face of the first Yehrin ambassador on television. But she a