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CONROY

“Calix!” a woman screams from behind me.

I leap back, pressing myself into a dark corner. I like dark corners.

The lady stands only a few feet away. She looks really sad like she’s about to cry. She’s staring after a guy who’s running away, but she doesn’t move.

I scrunch up my face. Weird. But this entire place was weird, so it wasn’t that weird.

Aside from that though, the situation seems stable.

I step out from the corner.

The woman’s eyes snap back into focus. She glances at me but doesn’t seem to care that I’m there.

Which is good.

I think.

I sit down on the floor, keeping an eye on the other people in the room. There are other new people, a guy in a wheelchair, a frowning lady, and-oh-oh no. Not her! Cahira Beckwith is here in this very room. Wonderful.

I dart back into my dark corner. Hopefully she won’t notice me.

I observe her from my hiding spot. She’s scolding the guy with pink hair. She has on a smug smile, the one she wears whenever she’s talking with someone beneath her, which is everyone. She knows that no one can say a word against her, not with her dad being the…her dad who isn’t here!

“Hah!” I laugh. “You daddy’s not here to protect you so you better watch out. You can believe that I’m not going to stand up for you!” I yell at her.

She’s not going to forget this for a while, I cackle to myself.

Oh.

If we ever get back to the city, she’s going to report me.

Oh no.

Cahira still hasn’t registered that I yelled that at her. I’ve got time to save myself.

I search the room wildly for a cover, a disguise, anything!

The sad woman is still standing nearby.

Perfect.

I casually stroll up to her.

“Hello, I’m Conroy. What’s your name?”

I glance back at Cahira. The words have registered. Her eyes are blazing. Her face is bright red. I edge away from her and closer to the woman. Hopefully, appearing deep in conversation will keep me safe. Hopefully.

“I’m Eve,” the woman answers quietly.

My head snaps up. “Huh, oh, oh, nice.”

I rack my brain for conversation starters. Calm down, calm down. Keep a clear head.

“Where are you from?” Though she doesn’t look like the type who could ramble on for hours about some little box of flowers she’s growing outside of her window, that should keep the conversation going for a little bit.

 

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