I’d known her long enough to at least know her facial expressions and body language as well as I spoke English, but there looked to me more deep beneath the surface that made me feel uneasy. My best friend, entangled for far longer in a world that she didn’t seem to want to be a part of anymore than I did. Protecting her felt like my duty, but I failed us both by being blissfully unaware of the elite system. I wished I knew what she went through behind the curtain. I wished I knew more entirely to keep us both safe.

After she padded away down the hallway, Brent returned to the table with my jug of orange juice. He made himself so comfortable in my house that I wondered if he’d ever leave at this point.

“I hope you’re not too comfortable. Why do you want to stay here anyway?” Maybe I was curious, maybe I was looking for validation. Or I was just looking for what was wrong with his noggin that he thought he would be a regular guest.

“Two reasons. One, we have real business to get to. Two, I wanted to see you.” He plopped down after pouring two cups for us.

I wanted to get the business out of the way. In over my head, he might have more insights for me. “Start with number one.”

He shifted in his seat and rubbed the back of his hand before relaxing and sitting back with his cup. “My grandfather wants me to bring you in to bring you up to speed on his partnership he had with your mother. The group you have running things right now have put major dents in what was an otherwise smooth process, and he doesn’t want to lose anymore time. He’s old, cranky, and has even less patience since he crossed over into his sixties.”

Everyone talked about the relationship he had with my mother and I wanted to know more about that, but that question would be better suited for Augustus himself.

I crossed my legs, unsure of what to do with my hands or how to respond. The table between us was great to have as space, considering I needed major distance from everything right now. My heartrate spiked with anxiety from revelation after revelation, and coming to terms with what my mother was involved with was not something I wanted to deal with–like, ever.

The lump in my throat paired with my thundering heartbeat in my chest wouldn’t let my voice squeak anything out.