Troop had a sudden sense of déjà vu, watching Kristi/Pierce fall asleep. The memory of watching Kristi fall asleep in the car just six months ago brought on an unexpected sharp pain. The girl that was now in front of her looked just like Kristi asleep; they shared the same slight smile gracing their lips.
She looks content—almost happy, he thought.
Troop hadn’t wanted to give her the sleeping drugs, but it was necessary; the other option was to take her back into the cell. She would wake up in exactly eight hours. Until then, she would be out like a light.
He couldn’t stand it anymore—being in a room so close to Kristi yet so far away at the same time. After tenderly brushing away a damp lock of hair from her face, he backed out of the room and hurried away.
Owl was waiting for him right by the entrance of the first aid room.
“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” he asked. “It’s already past ten.”
She shrugged her tiny shoulders, obviously unconcerned about a reasonable bedtime for a four year old. “I can’t sleep.”
Troop offered his hand to Owl, which she grasped. “Come on, let’s get you tucked in. I’m sure you’ll fall asleep soon enough.”
“Is President Walter nice?” Owl asked.
Troop looked down in surprise. “I suppose he has decent manners, being the President and all that.”
“But is he nice?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never met him before.”
“He doesn’t seem very nice to me,” Owl said earnestly. “He’s declared the Revealers to be national threat.”
Troop stopped dead in his track. “When and where did you learn about that?”
“Chelsa’s electro-slate. I was bored and she gave me her electro-slate to play with. Where’s Ghost anyways? I haven’t seen him in ages.” Owl began walking again, dragging Troop behind her.
“Tell me more about what you found on the slate.”
“I was just browsing through the GN website”—Trust Owl to be the only four year old in the world to be reading the news, Troop thought—“and I saw a headline that read New National Threat Declared by President Walter. Being the good citizen I am”—Troop thought he detected a hint of sarcasm in her voice—“I decided to read the article.”
“Okay, just tell me what the article was about,” Troop said.
Owl let out a yawn. “Just that anyone affiliated with the Revealers is automatically a criminal. And all Revealer members are to be arrested without habeas corpus.”
Troop pushed open the door to Owl’s bedroom. It was a Spartan styled room; just a simple twin bed, a desk, a folding chair and a small chest for Owl’s clothes and belongings. But Owl had loved the room at first sight; it was a huge upgrade from a cage.
Troop pulled back the micro-fleece blanket and patted the bed. Owl snuggled in and Troop quietly made his way to the door. By the time he stepped back into the hallway, Owl was fast asleep.
He ran his fingers through his hair tiredly. To say the past few days had been eventful would be an understatement. He turned on his heels, preparing to exit the building and catch the late air-train back to his house. I should probably send an instafication to Tiffany; she’s probably why I’m not home yet.
Sure enough, there was a message from Tiffany when he checked his inbox. It read:
Troop, I won’t be back until ten at the earliest. There’s leftover spaghetti in the fridge if you’re hungry.
