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Pearl blinks.
It’s not Audrey’s best idea.
In fact, it might be one of her worst.
But as the sun starts to set, her mind is made up.
* * *
She goesover the plan in her head as she pulls on her black sweatshirt and gathers her dark hair into a low bun.
All she is going to do is drive by the building. And if it’s chained off, she’ll let it be.
She won’t be able to go inside, and the little nagging voice in the back of her mind can finally let this all go.
She’ll move on and hang out with Mindy more. She’ll make new friends and finish graduate school applications.
Please, let this work,she begs to whoever is listening.Just let me have this one thing back.
Her look is finished with a navy beanie and dark brown lace-up boots over jeans. She hardly looks suspicious; Washington is chilly this time of year and everyone lives in warm clothing.
Shefeelssuspicious, though, as if guilt is written all over her face.
She doesn’t ever break the rules. Frankly, she hasn’t needed to.
But all her work can’t be for nothing. Neither Tabitha nor anyone else in that lab deserves her years of research.
It should be safe to travel to the lab, as well. It’s hours away from the nearest Alpha military base, and there have been no sightings reported on the local news in the past week.
It’s fine,she tries to convince herself. She scratches Pearl’s chin before leaving and starts her car just as the final bit of sun fades away.
She fiddles with the keycard in the pocket of her sweatshirt as she drives the familiar path to her old place of employment. It’s only a freeway exit away from her tiny suburb, and the drive takes less than five minutes.
She should be out of there in ten minutes at most, if she can even get through the front door.
Her hands shake as she parks in the empty lot and turns the car off.
Even when she stayed into the late hours of the night, there were always a handful of vehicles parked outside the building.
But the lot is completely deserted at seven p.m.
She swallows and drums her fingers on the steering wheel, debating whether to turn around and leave the place behind.
She doesn’thaveto do this, and her keycard probably won’t work.
It could be dangerous—but there’s noCAUTIONtape, the outside of the building looks undisturbed, and there’s no sign of anything askew.
She’s creeping herself out. Sheknowsthis place, knows it as much as she knows her mother’s home. She’s practically lived here for the past few years, and she’s fallen asleep in a desk chair more often than not.
Guiltily, she realizes she’s seen more of this building than she’s seen of Pearl, Mindy, or even her own bedroom.
“Screw this,” she mutters, opening the driver’s door quickly before she changes her mind. With keycard and keys in her pocket, she exits the car and heads toward the main building, the alarm of her vehicle chirping behind her.
She’s more determined than ever as she hastens to the front door, a scowl etched onto her face.
She tries the handle. It doesn’t budge.
The keycard reader is to the left of the door. She takes the card out of her pocket and swipes it.
