And maybe she did, in her own way. But that wasn’t the kind of love Nita wanted.

But though she’d expected some reluctance in her heart when she stood here, there was nothing. Only cold, stony determination.

She adjusted her backpack and knocked on the door.

Her mother opened it quickly, a broad smile blooming on her face. She’d reapplied her lipstick, and it was a bright vivid red, like an artificial candy.

“Nita.” Her mother opened the door wider. “I see you’ve seen sense.”

“Yes,” Nita agreed. “I have.”

Nita stepped into the room. It had two beds, each with a baby blue comforter. Sheer white curtains covered the window, and a small electric kettle sat on top of a mini fridge. A hard-case carry-on suitcase was tucked in the corner, the same blood red as her mother’s fingernails.

Her mother closed and bolted the door. Nita barely suppressed a flinch at the sound of the bolt sliding home. It felt too much like she’d walked back into a cage, and the bolt was the lock sealing her inside.

Her mother breezed past. “So, I’ve been thinking we should move to India next. So many unnaturals there to hunt, and I’ve never really had a chance to explore the country. What do you think? We could kill some nagas—you know their venom goes for a high price online.”

Nita imagined the idea of being in her lab, a half snake person on her dissection table, and a part of her delighted a little at the idea of dissecting something new.

Her mother had always known how to appeal to Nita. To throw the carrot in with the stick, as Fabricio would have said.

“Whatever you think is best,” Nita commented noncommittally.

Her mother laughed. “Oh, someone’s in a mood. Are you angry about this morning?”

“No,” Nita said. She wasn’t angry. She was something, all right, but the emotion had long since transcended anger and formed into something entirely new. Determination? Resolution? “I’m not.”

Her mother paused and looked Nita up and down. She frowned. “You really aren’t, are you?”

Nita shrugged.

“Well, good.” A smile, wide and sharkish. “That makes things so much easier.”

Nita didn’t respond. She put her backpack on the bed, and it bounced gently before settling. Then she quietly walked to the window to pull the curtains back and look out at the view below. It looked over the roof of another building, and the building beyond that blocked any hope of seeing the rest of the city.

Her mother eyed the backpack. “Is that everything you have?”

“Yep. Just two changes of clothes, a book, and a laptop.”

Her mother’s tone suddenly dropped into something dangerous. “You know you’re not allowed a laptop.”