Leaning an elbow out the open window, he asked, “We good to go?”
“One more thing.”
The elf appeared again, but they didn’t stop walking when they hit Atticus’s window. This time, their eyes were trained on Carmine. “Miss, could you step out of the vehicle, please?”
Carmine’s gaze flickered to Atticus. If she couldn’t see the white-knuckled fist on the seat, hidden from the Patrol officers, she would have thought he was completely unconcerned. “She’s shy,” he said, tilting his head toward her. “Temple girl, remember? Might be best to just talk through the window.”
The elf offered him a cold, close-lipped smile. “I’ll be nice. Miss, if you could step out. I only want to ask a couple questions.”
Carmine swallowed and glanced at Atticus again. He met her gaze. Something dark and inscrutable snaked through his eyes, but he nodded. “Everything’s okay, doll. Don’t worry. I’m right here.”
Her hand trembled when she unlatched her belt and reached for the door. She wasn’t even sure why, only that she perceived some danger in this situation. Not for her, but for Atticus.
She’d barely touched her slippers to the road before the elf gestured for her to step a bit away from the RV. Carmine felt alleyes on her as she shuffled over. Knotting her fingers in front of her, she waited for the elf to ask their questions.
“What’s your name?” The elf’s voice was almost unrecognizable. It was softer, lower. Gentle, almost. Carmine looked up in surprise and found the elf had their back to the RV. The headlights cast them in a soft yellow glow that scattered into a hundred different colors when it touched their skin and shorn hair. The cold captain was gone, replaced by someone with bright eyes and a deep frown.
“Carmine.”
“Pretty. You got an ID, Carmine?”
“I… Yes, a chip.”I think.
“Good. Can I see?”
Since she didn’t think it would hurt anything, she held out her left hand. The elf unhooked a small scanner from their belt and hovered it over her palm. After a moment, there was a low beep. The elf squinted at the screen.
In her work, Carmine had scanned hundreds of ID chips, but it’d never occurred to her to scan her own. The matron got her one when she was fourteen, but seeing as she never left the crypt, she didn't have cause to use it. She’d simply forgotten it was there.
Recalling the hundreds of records she’d pulled up over her career, Carmine wondered what the captain would see there. Vaccination records and birth year, probably. No bank accounts or driver’s license. Nothing important.
“Carmine Safi. Current residence is Mooresville, North Carolina, Neutral Zone.”
Carmine Safi.
She blinked rapidly. Decades of being told she had no family, no family name, had scrubbed it from her memory, but as soon as it left the captain’s lips, she remembered.Safi.Her father’s family name.
It was a bittersweet thing to remember, and to know that it had been lost for so long, hovering just out of sight. Old grief thumped her hard, right in the center of her chest.
Her gaze wandered over the captain’s shoulder, back to Atticus. He was watching her. The unaffected mask was gone. His eyes were wild, his grip on the steering wheel white-knuckled. Those broad shoulders were hiked up to his ears and his dark brows lowered at a sharp angle. He looked like he might leap out of the RV at even the smallest signal of distress.
Carmine shuffled her feet. She wanted to go to him. To tell him her name. Instinct promised her that if she got close enough, the ache in her chest would go away. He’d chase it off somehow. He’d make it all better, then take her away to some place soft and dark and close, where they could indulge in one another forever.
“…certified mortician.”
She blinked and forced herself to focus on the captain. “Yes?”
“Is that what you’re coming to the EVP for, Miss Safi? Are you looking for a new job?”
She licked her lips. “I… Yes. I want to start a new life here.” It was true enough.
The elf clipped their scanner back onto their belt. They took one step closer. Even though they lowered their head, Carmine still had to crane her neck to meet their gaze. “Miss Safi, you can tell me anything right now, okay? I’m not going to judge you or get angry. I’d like you to be honest with me.”
“Okay.”
“Do you need some help?”
Electricity snapped down her spine and jolted every nerve. Her eyes opened wide.I could ask for help.
