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Chapter 13

Open it a crack again or open it all the way?

Open it a crack again

Trying to ignore the increased hammering inside her chest, Shuri pulls the door open a crack once more to look out at the girl. The girl in question still looks miserable and pleading.

"What's your name?" Shuri asks as neutrally as she can. She can feel Kayo staring at her, although she doesn't turn to see her expression.

"Jade," the girl sniffles.

"Well, Jade, do you mind telling me about that tattoo on your hip?" Shuri glances down at the tattoo again.

"Wh-what about it?" Jade cocks her head to the side innocently, eyes wide.

Shuri tries, and fails, to keep her eye from twitching. "When the hell did you get it?"

Jade stares at her, and Shuri stares back. If the girl is putting on an act, Shuri thinks, she's good enough to be an Oscar winner.

"I-I got it before...before I got here," Jade stutters. "Y'know, because why not something for good luck?"

Shuri scrutinizes the tattoo again, wishing she'd taken Greek back in school so she could see if the Greek lettering-like marks mean anything. But time's running out and she has to make this fast.

"Our time's almost up here," Kayo interjects. "You can come in once we leave--"

"No!" Jade's response is fast. She grabs onto the door. "No, you--I mean, you can stay, it's fine."

Shuri narrows her eyes, trying to ignore the pang of dread now building in her gut. "Why do you want us to stay? You want something from us?"

She glances at Kayo, who now looks troubled. "Well," Kayo ventures, "if you want company, I'm sorry, but--"

"N-no, that's not what I meant." Jade offers a weak smile. "I just--you shouldn't feel--like--like you should have to go, y'know? It's no trouble, I just want to come in--"

Now Shuri's done. The five hours will be over any minute now, and she knows she can't waste time going back and forth with either of these girls when she has to get moving, now.

She still has the feeling Jade knows something. But on the other hand, she's tempted to just open the door and make a run for it, both to get away as fast as possible before the five hours are up and just in case her suspicions about Jade are right (this is probably the once in a lifetime occasion where she doesn't want to be right, Shuri realizes). There's no point in closing the door when she'll have to open it again a few minutes later to get going, anyway.

Keep talking to Jade or open the door and go?

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