Shady

“…okay.” She nodded. “That’s probably a good idea… if he still wants to do it. He looked as sick as I felt this morning.” And it wasn’t fun.

Ky blushed a little and nodded, feeling like a scolded puppy. “… we’re just starting with one meal per day… we have to show up to the other two, but ...

“…his.” She wanted to cross her arms but couldn’t since the point was getting patched up. “He made me agree to eat or he won’t.”

“Oh.” She furrowed her brow sourly, not at all enjoying how accused she felt. “…eating… trying to eat… I ate most of it anyhow.” More than him.

“…what?” she blinked at her. Breakfast felt like it was ten years ago. What had they been doing?

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I think so too.”

Ky was silent, focusing on not reacting even as it burned. She shrugged. “Fine. I’m not good but he was very patient.”

“Okay.” She held her hand out to Sera, finally looking at her. She braced herself.

Ky nodded and sat, watching Narfi warily. Something was off. She wished she was smart enough to figure out what.

“Yeah…” she nodded and stepped inside, then admitted sheepishly, “…I fell over. But it’s not bad, like you said.”

Ky glanced back at him. He was being weird about this. Why? She shook herself and focused on Sera; she couldn’t know about the ghosts. That wasn’t an option. She ...

“…makes sense.” She nodded. It didn’t. But she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. And she didn’t want to seem suspicious of him. That wouldn’t end well. “Well, in ...

“…yeah,” she agreed with a nod. “They do… she was here when you were alive?”

“…oh.” Did that timeline line up? She didn’t feel like it did. Sera only came after Septimus was Lord, right? And Narfi wasn’t alive when Septimus was Lord, or he ...

She nodded, then hesitated. Hadn’t he said he was estranged from Septimus? And he didn’t like Michael, either, from the sounds of it. So how would he have met her? ...