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Headaches, Police Officers, and Purple Hair

     "Again?" Ashton managed to grumble as a nightstick hit her head.

Nightstick?

She looked up. Her vision was starting to go black. But what she saw was worse than if she'd just blacked out. The police officer who had let her go was standing over her, nightstick in hand.

"Traitor." She cursed and managed to spit in his general direction. Then she blacked out.

She woke up with a major headache for two reasons. One, she had just had a strange dream. Two, she had a lump on her head that proved otherwise. That prompted another headache. She decided to take it easy on her head and assume it was real.

She opened her eyes. It was real. She closed her eyes again.

She used her senses of hearing, smell, and touch to discern where she was. She felt the absence of uncomfortable bouncing that had been so common in the steam spider and the coarse fabric of a cot beneath her. She smelled antiseptic, wrinkled her nose in distaste, and mentally advised herself not to smell again. She heard a conversation that seemed to be about her. She tuned her hearing until the voices were as clear as if the speakers were in the room.

"What do we do with her?"

"We can't kill her, unfortunately. Heads would roll."

"We could try long-term incarceration."

"Why? She would just drain on our resources and prison space."

"Let her go?"

"No. We can't do that. She doesn't know a lot, but she knows enough. If she was let out, she would know enough to expose us. We can't risk that."

"Just let her escape. Eventually, that'll take care of her death, what with all the precautions we've taken."

"Good idea. Well done, officer."

Ashton rolled her eyes. The officer again?

She wished she could spit at them, but there was the issue of a wall and a couple yards the spit had to go through.

A door opened. Ashton opened her eyes and saw Purple Hair.

"What?" she muttered.

"Boss wants to see you. Now."

"The boss that you secretly like or the traitorous police officer?" Ashton asked nonchalantly. Purple Hair did a double take.

"You know about that?"

"Yes." Ashton shrugged. Living on the streets made her more aware of her surroundings than when she'd lived with her parents. Now she could read people like books, and she could read books pretty well, too.

Purple Hair seethed. "If you tell anyone..."

Ashton stared Purple Hair in the eye. "Then I'll die, which I guarantee is better than what your bosses have planned for me."

Purple Hair seemed startled. "I still don't like you," she amended, "but you obviously know more about my bosses than I do. Tell me what you hear sometime."

Ashton stared at her. "You don't know what you're asking."

Purple Hair turned away. "The boss needs to see you then." Ashton was oblivious to Purple Hair's smirk, since it was hidden behind a curtain of amethyst hair.

Ashton frowned. "Go tell them I'll be in bed if they want to see me."

Purple Hair bit her lip. "You know I can't answer them like that. "

Ashton sighed. "I'll tell you what you need to know." Purple Hair left, looking simultaneously smug and outraged. Ashton smiled. Purple Hair hadn't caught the fact that Ashton had said "need."

Purple Hair was not going to get what she wanted.