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“Of course. What is it?”

I wasn’t expecting what happened next—her tossing her purse onto my couch and turning around, lifting her shirt. Confusion had me frowning again until my eyes settled on the skin of her back—covered in what appeared to be marker doodles.

“Um… Pen, you’re going to have to help me out here… what am I looking at?”

“Damn… is my drawing that bad?” she laughed, letting her shirt drop back down as she turned to me. “I was in the mirror with a marker. I know it doesn’t look like much of anything, but I’m thinking about getting some tattoos. To cover… you know. The scars.”

Just the mention of them took my breath away, and I had to close my eyes for a moment. I’d purposelynotfocused on the ever-present remnants of a horrible run-in with a client she wore on her back.

She wasn’t even “of age” when she got them, which made the whole thing even sicker. And then, insult to injury, the disfiguring scars had gotten her deemed no longer “pristine” enough for aPetal.

They’d sent her away.

I knew Penelope from before the Garden fell, as one of my pupils. Part of my “privilege” in the Garden had been an appointment as an instructor, teaching hair, hygiene, makeup.

It disgusted me now, but back then, there were so few areas to find enjoyment that I’d reveled in my position of helping care for those girls.

Penelope’s love for me soothed some of the immense guilt I carried for my role in “training”. I was often ridiculed and harassed by other, crueler instructors for building relationships with my “students”, but… who the hell else was going to show them any genuine kindness or care?

Who the hell else would’ve gone after one girl, concerned about her welfare after learning she’d been sold off like cattle?

None of them.

No one else.

Maybe none of them would’ve wound up captured, and in the very predicament they were trying to save someone from either though, so… there was that.

Alicia had been the one to do all the rescuing.

“So you decided to do it?” I asked, pulling myself from my musings to give my focused attention back to her.

She nodded. “Yeah. I think I want to go to the Heights, to the artist who turned your rose into a phoenix, and did Tempest’s for her. That way I’ll know for sure I can trust the work. And get a chance to see Temp.”

“I bet she’d love that,” I agreed. “And Tristan was an amazing artist. And I think it’s a good idea to have it covered—or, camouflage, whatever he can do. It’ll help you put it all behind you.”

A smile spread over Pen’s face. “I really think so too. It feels like… I dunno, like a last step, you know? Tempest said she felt an almost immediate difference once she had her ink, and I’m hoping the same happens for me. I don’t want to look at any of it anymore, or deal with people asking questions if my back is out. I want to be free, from all of it. Is that how you felt after?”

“Honestly?” I sighed. “Not exactly. I’m glad to not have to look at it in the mirror anymore, that’s for sure. But I didn’t have a grand reawakening moment like Temp did, unfortunately. That’s not to sayyouwon’t though.”

“I get that,” she nodded. “And I definitely want to consider all sides, not get my hopes up, all that.But…”

“From a purely aesthetic point of view, it still makes sense.”

She grinned. “Exactly. So, on my next break from school, I know where I’ll be. You wanna come with? We can spend a few days in Sugar Valley on the way…”

“Girl, nobody is enthralled with those mountains exceptyou,” I laughed. “Besides, I’m already about to be gone for a few days, so I’ll have to see what my schedule looks like.”

Pen’s eyebrows went up. “Gone for a few days? You haven’t said anything about a trip.”

Shit.

Her pointing out that I’d outed myself took me so off guard I couldn’t even form a quick save. So instead, I shook my head, grabbing her hands as I met her gaze. “You cannot tellanybody.”

“Oooh, don’t do that to me,” Pen begged. “You know I’m going to break as soon as Alicia looks at me. Don’t tell me any details—plausible deniability,” she suggested. “I mean… assuming you’re safe…”

“I’m fine,” I swore. “And Iwill be fine.And I’m sure it won’t take much to track me down anyway. Just… go to class. I don’t think anybody is on high enough alert to ask about me within the next few hours, and I’ll already be halfway to where I’m going by then.”

Pen nodded at first, but then a mischievous squint took over her face. “Dosh… you’re not… going to meet aboy, are you?”

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