“Yeah, but there’s all these extra expenses. Like books, and getting there. I told Mom I’d take the bus so she wouldn’t have to take off work to drive.”

“Hmm,” Celine said, then she got up and crouched down on the floor. She reached underneath the bed, feeling in the dark, until she got to what she wanted. She pulled out a tin box, opened it, and took out an envelope, handing it over to Mira. “For you. To pay for what you need.”

Mira opened the envelope. A quick glance told her there was close to a thousand dollars inside. A thousand dollars. Enough to buy her everything she needed, for this year and maybe for the next.

“This is too much. I can’t accept this, Celine.”

“Yes, you can, and you’re going to. It’ll help at least until you get settled there.”

“What about you? This was supposed to help you get out of Kipsen. What are you going to do?”

“You’re the one who’s actually leaving. You need it more than me, at least for now. Besides, I’ll get it back, one way or another. Don’t worry about me.”

Guilt money for telling, Mira thought as she told Celine thank you and stuffed the envelope in her back pocket. She couldn’t give it to Jesse, so she decided Mira would do. She took it, knowing what it was meant to be, but what she didn’t know was how much she’d owe to Celine for whatever was to come after.

Mira disappeared for college and there, miles away, hoped to forget about Celine and Jesse and Kipsen. It was the advice her mother gave. “Baby, forget about this town. It’s not worth any of the time you’re spending on it,” she’d told her, and Mira followed her advice. “Surround yourself in something different and new,” she’d said, so that’s what Mira did. She found people who didn’t know anything at all about where she’d come from, about who she’d been, and when they asked, she made up names of cities, names both obscure or general enough that they would simply nod in response before changing the subject to talk more about themselves.