It was a Kindred mindset. Social Darwinism. Sam recognized it for what it was and she hated the fact that it had been imprinted on her personality. But there was nothing she could do to unlearn what she knew, to unlive what she'd been through. Maybe she wasn't Kindred any more. But three years might as well have been a lifetime.

She shook her head slightly, her synthetic curls bouncing off of the planes of her face. It was tempting to begin with something like, 'As one high school loner to another...' But she stopped herself.

Probably wasn't safe to assume.

"Getting to know people," she repeated, like she was committing the advice to memory. "Well, we could start with your name."