Color Me Crimson | 𝘙𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦

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My skin is still crawling after hearing Lucien and Anne's conversation about me. The kitchen is filled with cold, silent steel, and lonely tables mark my path as I search for Mags.

I head to the staff room, where she's collecting her personal belongings from the locker. Noticing me, she smiles and manages to cast away a portion of the gloom. "Oh, there you are! Everything's all wrapped up for the night, so we can head home."

"That's great." If only I could teleport home instead of catching the last train. Normally I don't mind the cloak of night, but I think tonight I'd rather the sun had stayed up.

I follow her to the front door as she keeps up a light conversation, voice filling the large room. "You did well for your first shift. Learning a new system and a menu in a different language can be difficult, but I'm sure you'll get it in no time."

Should I say I'm not coming back? I don't want her to feel like my leaving is her fault. I open my mouth to say something, but as we step out the door, my eyes trail a group of pedestrians walking down the street.

Nothing unusual seems to be happening outside. There's no commotion like what I heard a moment ago. Streetlights illuminate the still-busy sidewalks, city dwellers appearing as they always do, focused on racing from one place to another. Maybe I'm overreacting.

Then I look further down the street, and spot them.

Hugh and Marc stand half a block away, concealing the opening of an alleyway. A pit forms in the bottom of my stomach. Lucien is probably nearby as well. Are they still busy with whatever I heard before? Does it have anything to do with the deal Kristi mentioned?

Mags continues on and double-checks that the door is locked tight. I steal a second glance down the block.

Colored light flashes across the side of Hugh's face from a neon billboard, and a strip of Anne's hair lights up from just inside the alley. Hugh looks directly at me, then Anne peeks out, but only for a second before they both turn back to the wall she's facing. I glance away. My mouth clamps shut.

Sorry, Mags, but I can't say anything. They can't overhear, and I'm not taking any risks even at this distance.

Before I can process a suiting goodbye—knowing it'll be the last time we see each other—Mags heads in the opposite direction from the train station and waves. "See ya tomorrow!"

The word goodbye sticks in my throat. "See ya, Mags."

I hurry to cross the street after a car passes, hoping to put enough distance between me and them. It's not like I'm alone, the sidewalk has a dependable trickle of night dwellers, but in order to get to the station, I'll have to walk past the alley where I saw Hugh and the others. Retreating tail lights glow on the pavement and bitter exhaust fills my nose.

Head set straight, I fix my gaze on the curb and walk steadily towards the entrance to the train station. I do my best to blend in with the others going in the same direction, taking advantage of their bodies as a partial buffer and temporary shield. I can't draw attention to myself. If Lucien is as overconfident as he seems, I'm sure he's confident that I'll come back to work tomorrow, and he couldn't care less what I do right now.

Unless he's watching me. The cold in the air intensifies.

My pace quickens and I push ahead into a small crowd.

The spring in my step I had earlier morphs into a coil of adrenaline. I try to not break into a run, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying to hurry. Hair from my ponytail tickles the back of my neck and I shiver, the exposed skin at my neck becoming sensitive to the slightest touch.