The Gloaming Girls

EPISODE THREE (Part 5/7)

"What do you know about Irene Hewitt?"

By this point, I've almost gotten used to Emory's random questions, but I have to stop and think, halfway into my jacket, caught off guard. "Isn't that Ian's sister?"

"Twin," Emory agrees. "What's your impression of her?"

We're about to leave for one of the UCarth Spirit Halloen parties, and it shouldn't surprise me that Emory's mind is elsewhere, considering she hasn't struck me as a party person, but I'm excited enough for the both of us that I'm surprised anyway.

I frown. "Uh, I don't know much about her at all. Other than that she's related to Ian. Is she working on The Gloaming Project, too?"

Emory nods. "She is, but we're trying to keep that quiet."

"Why?"

"She's... a controversial figure in the public eye, especially in the higher academic circles. I'm doing some, uh, recon on her. In order to mitigate damages before they get to be too extreme."

"Damages?"

Emory sighs. "Tell me everything you know about Irene."

I think hard. "She's... not as involved as Ian is in CarthTech stuff? At least, that's what I've heard. She doesn't do much PR stuff, or if she does, I haven't really seen it."

Emory is watching me carefully.

"I mean... is there anything else I'm supposed to know?"

Emory's shoulders relax. "That's all you know about her?"

"Pretty much."

"Good," she says.

I don't ask her to elaborate until we're out the door and on the way to the party. I'm honestly surprised she even wanted to go. Emory didn't strike me as a Halloen sort of person, so I'd only invited her because I thought she would say no. Not because I don't want her there. Just because—well. I'd asked her to be nice, and she'd said yes.

She flat-out refused to wear a costume, though. Actually, she hadn't really refused. She'd just laughed at me when I'd suggested it. I'm pretty sure she'd laugh at me now if she could see me, because I've gone out of my way to dress up, determined not to let last Halloen's memories spoil this year's celebrations. I've used a glamour on my hair so that it looks scarlet—at least, for the next few hours—and I'm wearing the distinctive tall-boots-short-skirt combination trademarked by the pop star AURINA. I won't be the only one, I know, but there's a certain appeal to the look, and there's a part of me that's hoping I might run into Callia tonight. I don't know if I'd want her to laugh at me or to think I'm hot, though. Maybe both. I'm not sure if the costume passes for ironic.

"So what's up with Irene anyway, then?" I ask Emory as we cross the courtyard, shivering. AURINA's not exactly known for clothing that does much to shield from the elements, and certainly not anything that would help block this crisp October wind.

"She's... got a different vision for The Gloaming," Emory responds immediately, as though she's been thinking about this the whole time we were in the elevator, even though I was telling her a story about my chemistry class. "We think. Ian's been suspicious of her for the last few years, but with the release on the horizon, I just want to make sure she's not taking her ideas public or doing anything to inflame the media anymore than they already are."

I raise an eyebrow, guide Emory to the side of the path by the elbow as a group of rowdy fraternity boys run past us. "What's her vision?"

Emory sighs. "She and Ian butt heads on the possibilities of the project. They want it to go in different directions, and while it doesn't really matter, because while they're technically co-directors of this branch of the company, that's more of a performative title for her than anything else."