Page 29 of Cruel Bargain

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BRITNEY

“Britney!” Maisy squeals as I enter the room.

We eat breakfast together, but I can hardly get any food in my mouth. She asks a million questions about my time here and why father thought I was dead.

I don’t have a good answer for her, so I say, “It can be confusing outside, and we got separated.”

That seemed to sate her.

Dr. Christine takes a seat. “How would you like Amber to show you around your new home?” she says to Maisy with all the warmth she can muster.

Which isn’t much.

“Will Brit come too?”

“No, but you’ll get to see her at lunch.”

Maisy’s mouth forms a straight, thin line.

“Run along, Maze. I have to get a few things done.”

“Oh-kay,” she says, following Amber from the room.

“She’s smart,” Christine says.

“Yep.”

“But something’s off. Talk to me, Britney. What’s going on?”

“The night the dead came, we witnessed our mother…you know, and she hasn’t been the same since.”

“Looks like she may have regressed back into her childhood. She needs a therapist, but we’d be hard-pressed to find one.”

“Will she get better on her own?”

“My guess is yes, but eventually, she’s going to have to talk about what happened. It’s good that she’s here, where she can make friends. If your father wasn’t such a bastard, I would have made a case for him to be allowed in.”

“Yeah, no thanks.”

“So…how are things with you and Alistair?”

I look down at my plate.

“If he’s hurt you, I’ll back you up if you murder him.”

“No,” I blurt. “He’s been…decent.”

“That’s a low bar to clear.” She rolls her eyes. “Are there any issues in bed?”

“We, ah, haven’t had sex yet.”

Christine’s face lights in surprise. “Oh, I hadn’t realized.”

“You didn’t realize he was the laughingstock of the Keep?”

“I just figured he didn’t make a point of bragging.”

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