Page 10 of Colton

“Ava, I’d rather shit in my hands and clap than ever set foot in that godforsaken city again. Besides, the fee of getting the card equals annual minimum wage. It’s too much money.”

My eyes bulge. “Excuse me?”

“Yup,” she snorts. “It’s not worth it. And the shit in there is expensive, too. The prices are out of this world, which is why I hear their tourism has been dropping significantly over the past couple of years.”

“Wouldn’t that be their goal, though?”

“Precisely,” Sophia agrees. “No outsiders, no tourists. A perfect cage.”

Shivers run down my body when she says it, and it definitely doesn’t sound normal. I know that rumors tend to be exaggerated sometimes, and I’m certain that this place can’t be that bad. Yet, the smallest bubble of doubt appears and I can’t shake it off.

For now, I’m postponing all of this.

I have more pressing matters to attend to.

◆◆◆

The library is packed. Muffled sounds of students discussing their assignments, pens scraping against paper and a piano being played in the room below us overwhelms me. My palms are sweaty, my heartbeat uneven as I wait for Artemis to come.

She gave me her number to contact her, and that was my biggest mistake. I was the one to set up our first, and unfortunately, most memorable meeting. Ever since, she’s been calling, and texting me non-stop. I hear more from Artemis than my own mother, and at this point, her friendly facade no longer has any meaning. I can see right through it — it’s all fake.

“There you are,” her voice reaches my ears, and I straighten in my seat. She puts her bag on the floor, sitting on the chair across from me. “You should’ve picked a better table. Somewhere a bit more secluded.”

“I prefer it here,” I lie. “The lighting is good.”

The only reason I chose this spot is because there are four cameras pointing right here. Sophia told me that the library has a couple of blind spots, and they’re all in corners, or darker parts of this massive room. Hence, I’m never going to be alone with her in there if I can help it.

“Sure,” she shrugs. “How far are you into the assignment?”

“I finished,” I smile.

“Already?” She blinks, taken aback.

I can’t tell her that I’ve been staying up for the past few nights just to finish this, because I cannot wait to get rid of her. She’s been bringing nothing but anxiety into my life, and I can’t deal with that.

“Yes. What about you?”

“Almost done. Give me your part so I can sync them.”

Without hesitating, I pull out the small USB drive from my pocket, placing it into her palm. It’s not that I don’t trust her regarding the assignment, but to ensure all of my hard work is saved, I backed it up just in case.

Artemis tucks it into her bag, and it’s only when she looks back at me that I notice something strange. Her usually lively eyes seem rather dull today. The spark within the mesmerizing green is gone, and there’s even bags under her eyes.

“Are you alright?” I ask, before I can stop myself. She’s not someone I can afford to worry about, especially since she is none of my concern.

“I’m perfectly fine, it’s just that I’ve been getting a lot of sleepless nights. It’s a hassle going back and forth between the dorms and my home.”

I halt. I was not going to pry further into her life, but this made my ears perk up. She doesn’t seem to notice it, and I decide to push my luck a little.

“Why would you be going all the way to Saint Valley?”

Artemis sighs, the tiredness evident on her face. “I’m not really supposed to say this, especially to an outsider, but there’s been some shit happening there, and I’ve been looking into it.”

“Oh?” I quirk a brow. “What’s happening?”

“A lot of mugging, robbing and even people being held at gunpoint. It’s never happened before.”

“My God,” I gasp. “Has anyone been hurt?”