ADDI THE BADDI
When I enter the nurses' quarter, the seven residents fall silent. They glare at me and I haven't said a word but I think they've already figured out my secret.
Women are so smart.
I take two steps to the empty bed nearest the entrance and set my things down, my eyes trained on the floor. The women return to their nightly routine and the chatter of the room begins to rise again. I make my bed and set my pack in the corner of the room, hoping no one will go sniffing through my things.
"Hey," says a distinctly southern accent. My head snaps to the foot of my bed. "Easy there. I'm not gonna hurt you." The girl sticks out a hand. "I'm Courtney."
"Sophie Anderson," I reply. My skin is cold against her. I notice her perfectly straight teeth when she smiles. Veneers? Maybe she was just super lucky.
"Late in, huh, Sophie? Usually newbies come in the morn."
I shrug. Please leave. I can't really put up with a confrontation with or without the fake persona. I pull off my boots and something tumbles out. The Canadian badge.
Unfortunately, my new friend is sharp as an eagle. "What's that?" She swoops down, picking it off the floor.
Busted. Now I begin to write my will as I imagine how they might put me to death. Lethal injection. Electric chair. Firing squad. Stoning.
"I said what is this, Anderson?"
The room is silent once again. When I turn back, everyone is either glaring or intrigued by the little insignia in Courtney's hand.
"I think you know what it is," I mumble.
Courtney laughs. "You're right. The question is, where did you get this from?"
Damn, she asks really hard questions.
I shrug. "None ya business."
"I see." Courtney turns away from me and shows the item to the rest of the room. They gasp. "What's the bet, girls? Is she dirty?"
"Probably killed someone," someone says—a brunette with a mug in her hand. "I get sketchy vibes from her. She's too quiet to be a spy."
"Yeah, but only 'cause she looks too scared to kill a moose."
The room laughs. Courtney turns back to me. "Well, the council has spoken. You're clean. But you gotta tell us where you got this from."
Looking out to the rest of the room, I don't think they're going to let me live until I give them an answer. Thankfully, lying is my forte. "Found it in my ex's pocket when he visited. Scum was cheating on me with a Canadian."
A chorus of gasps circles the room.
"Did ya kill him?"
"Key his car?"
"Burn his stuff?"
"Max out his credit card?"
"Nah. I just came here to get away from him. Ran away before I could confront him."
The nurses don't approve.
"Well, holdin' onto that won't make it any better," Courtney huffs, hands on her hips. Her springy curls bounce with her angry words. "C'mon, girls, I think it's time for a bonfire."
"It's nearly midnight, Court," pipes up a blonde. "Johnson's gonna kill us."
"Who cares? Don't tell me you've never been heartbroken before."
