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He held out his shorter arm toward me. “You still owe me for my hand. ”

“Being shunned doesn’t dissolve my debts?”

“No. I just won’t be able to bother you about them now. ”

I stopped, and Dren did too. “That doesn’t make sense. ”

He grinned maliciously—it even went up into his grass-green eyes. “Let’s just say I have a feeling we’ll be seeing you again. ”

I opened my mouth. I wanted to say, I hope not. I thought I’d mean it. But the truth was I really didn’t know. I hated where I’d been tonight, but I was scared of the normal life that lay in front of me, too. I tossed his keys up, and he caught them.

“Besides, Edith. You’re the type that gets into trouble, or gets dead. ”

I closed my mouth without saying anything at all. He gave me a flourishing bow and veered off, walking away through the snow.

* * *

I arrived at my door and unlocked it. Inside my apartment, the carpeting was still new, and I stepped onto it, feeling like I’d stepped onto the ground of an unknown world.

I took a shower and I waited up. And once dawn came, I slept.