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“Yeah, Dahlia. She was all excited about it, and then she disappeared. Like, her house was abandoned. Makeup and clothes left out. Shoes by the door. She just never came back.” Calista flips the medallion over. “No body was found, but…” Her expression finishes the sentence.
Wayne leans closer. “Yeah. That’s their symbol.”
Reckless hope sparks inside me. “So I could find the Serpents at Ophidia?”
Before either can answer, Verne calls out pleasantly from the counter. “You kids finding everything alright?”
Calista groans. “Yes. Chill.” She turns back to me, her grin returning too fast. “We can take you to Ophidia tonight.”
“Your mom and dad let you go there?” If her parents were anything like mine, a nightclub would be unthinkable.
She scoffs. “First of all, I’m an adult. Second of all… no. But they’ve never caught me.”
A pang of guilt strikes. Evelyn and Frank have shown me kindness in a way I don’t deserve. But Asher sent me here for a reason. I have to see it through, even if it leads somewhere uncomfortable. Even if Calista is right.
The door opens with a jingle, and a man in a hooded sweatshirt steps inside. He scans the shop, then stops when he spots us. Then he goes straight to the register.
We can’t hear what he says, but his intention is obvious. Verne opens the till with the same calm smile on his face while the hooded stranger glances repeatedly at us, his body bouncing with jitters.
When he gets the money, he bolts.
Through the window, I watch him hurry across the street and disappear into the general store.
I stand frozen, waiting for someone to react. No one does anything.
It happens, and everything continues as if it didn’t.
Calista lets out a laugh. “If it’s that easy, let’s just walk right out with this stuff.”
Wayne goes rigid, staring at the door as if he’s expecting something else. He shakes his head. “That would be a bad idea.”
She scoffs. “I was kidding.”
We take our piles of clothes to the register, and Verne greets us as though nothing unusual happened.
“You okay, Verne?” Wayne asks. “Need to call anyone?”
Verne waves off the idea while ringing up the clothes. “Oh, I don’t worry about it. Happens every once in a while.” He folds a shirt before placing it in a paper bag. “People come here with crazy ideas about what's acceptable. But things like that have a way of working themselves out.”
The calmness in his voice unsettles me more than the robbery itself. “You staying long, Zaiya?”
“Mind your own business, Verne,” Calista snaps, handing over the wad of cash.
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Afraid I can’t give you any change right now. I tell you what. I’ll add it to the collection plate tomorrow.”
She shrugs dismissively. “Whatever.”
He hands us the bags. On the way out, he gives a little wave. “You kids enjoy your day.”
Outside, the heat presses down again. We barely make it through the door before a blacked-out van pulls up across the street. Everyone nearby pauses. Three men get out and head into the general store. Seconds later, they drag the hooded robber back out and throw him into the van.
Then they drive off. And the world moves again.
Calista turns to Wayne. “What the hell was that?”
He slips an arm around her shoulders. “Just keep walking.”
My fingers reach for the medallion through my shirt.
