Page 14 of Shades of Silver City

That rich bastard has been snatching up property all around the city, and I don’t like it one bit. I especially don’t like that we can’t find any background on him.

“I hate that guy,” Godric mutters, echoing my sentiments. “You think you can convince them to trust you and move in? Not everyone wants to change, brother.”

Holding up the bag of food to make a point that I’m trying to get them to trust me, I shrug. My goal is to get the people on the streets—especially the youth—into a safe, secure place, help them clean up their lives since the city refuses to acknowledge them.

“You can lead a horse to water and all that,” he says.

Jaw tight, I face forward and continue trudging toward Ruin’s Edge—as it’s disparagingly named.

Tufts of dead grass battle their way through cracks in the pavement. Broken glass and bottles litter the area, and a few tents sit in a row off to the side. Here, many of the forgotten are left to rot.

“Remy?” I call out when we’re closer.

A few people peek out, but none are the man I’m looking for.

A girl with messy black hair and nervous eyes strides up to me. I recognize her once she’s closer, and I smile softly at her.

“We brought dinner, Siobhan,” Godric says.

“Seen Remy around?” I ask her as I slip the bag off my shoulder and place it on the ground.

As I pull out the biodegradable containers one by one, people start filtering out of the tents to get their food.

“Nah—he went back to the city.”

I grind my teeth. Stubborn ox. He refuses to stay with me, despite me having plenty of space, yet he’ll frequent the alleys.

I’ll have to look for him later.

Siobhan takes a small box of food and opens it, digging in with her hands.

“Have you considered my offer?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says through a mouthful of chicken. “We’re staying.”

I share a solemn look with Godric. “It’s only a matter of time before the Scouts come to relocate you.”

“We’ll deal.”

“I’m setting up a new shelter, regardless,” I say, mimicking her stubborn tone.

She merely shrugs, continuing to tear into her food. The dozen or so other people who came to get their own meals have already wandered back into their shelters, not interested in interacting.

Godric steps away to make his rounds, checking on those who might need medical assistance and making a list for our doctor on retainer. We’ll send him out if we need to.

“I’m staying clean,” she says. “We appreciate everything you do for us, Phantom—or at least, most of us do—but we can’t owe you anything else.”

“You owe me nothing, Siobhan.” For a moment, I consider using glamour to convince her to take me up on my offer, but then I shove that idea aside. That’s not what I use my ability for. “Think about it.”

“Always do.”

“What if I get a new building nearby—instead of in the inner city?”

She pauses her chewing, tilting her head as if considering my words. “Might be able to convince them. Depending.”

“Try,” I say.

“Fine.” She sighs, but she smiles at me, and her initial anxiety washes away for a moment. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

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