He sets it on the table with a thud.
“Found this by the window,” he says. “Someone threw it through. There’s glass everywhere up there.”
I stare at it. Charred fabric. Melted plastic. Something that might have been food once, rotting underneath the burn. The smell hits me—smoke and something worse. Something rank.
“What is it?” Rane asks, leaning closer.
“Garbage,” Beckett says, frowning. “Trash. Someone lit trash on fire and threw it through her window.”
I’m still staring at it.
Trash.
The word echoes. Harrick’s voice in my head, that morning on the path.
“Fifteen years on the street. Sleeping in trash. Eating out of the garbage.”
“Nova?” Trey’s voice, careful. “You okay?”
“That’s what he said.” My voice comes out quiet. Flat. “Harrick. That day on the path, before I left. He said I was sleeping in trash. Eating garbage.” I swallow. “That’s what they think I am.”
Silence.
Then Locke’s fist hits the table hard enough to rattle the plates.
“Those fucking—”
“They went from threats to action.” Kyron’s voice is tight. “Words to this.”
“I can’t believe they actually did it,” Rane breathes.
“I can.” Locke’s jaw is granite.
I look down at my hands. They’re shaking slightly. I’m still wearing the same sleep shirt—singed sleeves, smoke in my hair.
“How bad is my room?”
They exchange looks. And I know whatever they say next won’t be good.
“Most of it’s gone,” Beckett says carefully. “Some things might be salvageable. We won’t know until morning.”
The white outfit. The leather and lace that made me feel like someone who belonged.
“I left the white outfit in the bathroom,” I say. “Before bed. I didn’t want to wrinkle it.”
“Then it’s probably fine,” Vaelor says. “The bathroom wasn’t touched.”
Relief hits sharper than I expected. It’s just clothes. Except it’s not. It’s the first thing I ever owned that made me feel beautiful.
“The green sweater?”
Kyron’s expression softens. “We’ll get you another one.”
“You don’t have to—”
“You’ll have another one.” He holds my gaze. “And this time you don’t get to argue.”
I manage a small smile.
