Arc 4: Grow Close

Nell and I showed up on main street in the middle of the work day. People walked briskly to their next appointment, clad in clothing unsuited for the hot midday sun that refracted off the reflective sides of the skyscrapers around us. I imagined the silvery spires as magnifying glasses looming over sweaty worker ants, […]

Soft blue lights rippled along the walls of the subway tunnel with curved lines of light and dark passing by. It gave the illusion that we were travelling under water, the light shining down through waves above us. In reality, it was an advertisement for the Sillwood aquarium, using projectors mounted in the tunnels. The

The door clicked shut. For a moment, as I looked down the barrel of a gun, the air felt as stale as that parkade where I’d encountered Squish. I fought the urge to move or Shape antlers. Who knew how itchy his trigger finger was? Vanessa, AJ, and Zola watched with alarm on their faces.

AJ in his red hoodie appeared on the balcony and he deftly climbed over the side and dropped on top of a dumpster and then to the ground. He made sure his hood was on and then stuffed his hands into his pockets and approached Nell and I. “Hey Peep,” I said. “This is Nell,

Alek’s accomplice stood in front of me. He was even wearing the same red sweater as when I caught him. Peep he’d called himself then, but it seemed his actual name was AJ. How much did he know? Had he been watching us struggle to survive in the Old Town? I bottled up the anger,

“You’re restless today.” I jumped in my seat, drawing the bones back into my hands. Had she seen? Kay raised an eyebrow at me. “And jumpy.” “You have a habit of making me jump,” I said, resting my chin on the desk, watching our instructor demonstrate the motor of a prosthetic limb. “I imagine that’s

Mom folded her arms and leaned against the wall, making it clear that there was no getting past her without a conversation. “You were out late,” she said, frowning. I unceremoniously dropped my backpack to the ground and took a seat on the floor. “Yeah.” “Are you okay?” “Yeah.” “Liar.” She smiled, but there was

We sat on a bench at the entrance of the doctor’s house. “You can’t stay the whole night,” she had said while lighting a cigarette. “Get warm and then get out.”  Nell’s head felt plenty warm where it rested against my shoulder. I was hyper aware of how close we were and this time it