AVA'S POV

The door to the security office closed behind us with a heavy thud, cutting off the sight of the cuffed meddler.

His mocking grin was etched into my mind, a minatory memorial of the undetermined trouble. I

vy and I walked in silence, the pressure between us palpable.

I could smell her apprehension mirroring my own; the night's events had shaken us both deeply.

Back in the common area, the soft hum of sanitarium ministry sounded nearly soothing.

We set up our corner again, but this time the calm we felt before had faded, replaced by a eating sense of urgency.

I kept replaying the meddler’s words in...